Tips for Teaching in Korea

Posted: 2009/12/26  By: Michael (Views:623)

I just wanted to put out a few tips for people who may be interested in teaching in South
Korea.

1. Hogwons (small private schools) are extremely unstable here. Many close without notice,
leaving teachers stranded or simply "run out of money," and become unable to pay salaries.

2. Living Conditions are VERY different from western culture. Apartments do not include a
separate bedroom, they are studio style and very small. Disregard what your recruiter may tell
you, the likelihood of actually getting a western style apartment is minimal to ineffable.

3. The Food is hit or miss. People either love it or abhor it. Dog meat is not as common as
people think, but is still definitely available if you know where to go.

4. Expenses in Korea will most likely be higher than what your recruiter may tell you, but it
varies from apartment to apartment. My utilities were estimated (before I left the US) to be
around 40 - 60 dollars per month. In actuality, I pay 150 dollars per month, while a friend
pays 30 in a different building.

5. The Workload in Korea is much higher than you may expect. Small schools will expect a lot
from you, and not always in a productive manner - "busy work" is popular and fraternization
amongst colleagues is sometimes prohibited. Again, it depends on your specific school.

6. Teaching here is not like teaching in the US or Canada. Schools here are a function of
profitability and rarely take any real concept of education into consideration when making
large decisions - its all about keeping attendance up.

7. Saving Money is a reason why so many people flock to Korea. In reality, you will save
much, much less than anticipated. Salaries are diminishing here as more and more schools look
to hire on non-qualified teachers and pay them less in order to save money. You can expect to
earn about 2.2 - 2.4 million Won per month.

Best put, Korea is unstable. Most people who come here, leave after one year and often times
earlier.

If you are looking to teach ESL, Asia itself can be unreliable and Korea is no exception.