Finding a Job

Why Korea, anyway? Why not a more exotic country such as Vietnam or China? Why not a more westernized country such as Japan? Why not a warmer country such as Thailand? Those are all legitimate choices and they all have their own benefits. I spent a year previous to my time in Korea in Mexico, and that was awesome. But in sum I think Korea is a good choice, and here are some of the reasons I considered in deciding where I should go in 2003.

I made the decision to go to Korea; I judged that spending a few weeks on vacation in other countries was better than living there and working for peanuts. Wages and benefits are rising in southeast Asia and will probably give Korea some hard competition in five to ten years, but they're not there yet. I lived on $600 a month in Mexico quite well the year before, and the costs of living in Vietnam might also allow you to have a good time, but if your intention is to pay off a student loan or to save for the future these places are not a good long-term plan.

To me, at least, Korea is a good balance. There's a somewhat regulated ESL industry and the pay is good. As your housing is likely paid for and your flight to Korea will be paid or reimbursed, typical wages will be about $2000 a month, and you can make between US $1600-3000 a month without spending very much on living costs. You could augment that wage with private lessons, but if you're saying, "What, that's all!" your expectations may be beyond what ESL can offer you. But for a new liberal arts graduate, it’s pretty good pay.

Finding a job in South Korea is easy. Finding a good job is less so. Here the cliché is true: if you want something done right, do it yourself. My strongest advice is that you avoid the easiest route, which is to list your name with a recruiting agency. There are exceptions; EPIK is somewhat straight-up as it's government run, and they're fairly good at placing a scared-stiff first-time teacher. Otherwise, recruiters are generally much more interested in collecting their commission than in placing you in a good school. When I first came to Korea, I tried a recruiter and had to argue with her every day before breaking off with her; with each phone call she would try to fast-talk me into a job teaching small children, and I would remind her that I would only teach adults, to no avail.

Some unlucky teachers are given promises that are simply ignored by the school when they arrive, as many unscrupulous recruiters will say and promise anything to make a teacher agree to come. If you can tolerate being called constantly with yet another hard sell from the recruiters, then go ahead, but I don't recommend it. These people have no personal investment in you being a comfortable and well-functioning teacher like a school director might and should have.

It's not hard to tell the recruiter ads on the website listings from the single-school ads. The latter will be for one school or one chain of schools, e.g. XYZ English School, Cheong-Ju. The former will give no geographic details or specifics on openings— it will just have FUN FUN FUN COME TO DYNAMIC KOREA EARN up to NINE MILLION WON A WEEK YOUR WILDEST DREAMS COME TRUE CALL US NOW ANYWHERE YOU LIKE IN KOREA HIRING ALL CITIES NOW NOW without ever giving any information, because the recruiters have so many different openings in their file. Do not believe the salary promises as they will be ridiculous.

What websites are good? Look through the offerings on websites such as Dave's ESL Cafe or TEFL.com. If you choose a different website, make sure it's not just a recruiter site ("funny how only one company is hiring in Korea!"). If you have a graduate degree, the Chronicle of Higher Education is useful too.

So how do I choose a job? I can only give you a few bits of advice in summary. Avoid recruiters. Run far, run fast. Do not assume a government position is safe. There are reports of the same old contract violations with state positions. In August 2009, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education hired a massive number of foreign teachers, and then reportedly told a portion of them not to come the day before they were flying to Korea at their own expense. Class act, guys. The same goes with the large franchise chains, which also have a mixed report. So what's fairly safe? Really, I would go with a gut instinct. Are the benefits and pay good without sounding suspiciously over-the-top? Does the person you are communicating with work there and does he or she provide you with details and information, or do they fudge and dodge? How long has the school been in operation? Is the school willing to give you contacts of teachers who work there? Do they give you a vibe as decent people? They're not all crooks. Don't get jaded by the online forums. I can't say it enough that there are nice directors, like mine was.

Frankly, ESL is a slightly sleazy world. Along with the many kind and competent directors there are dishonest and cruel ones who ignore contracts or cheat on wages. English school directors are generally considered little better than criminals by many Koreans. And— it must be said— there are bad westerners who take unfair advantage of the Korean desire to learn English. Some "teachers" have phony degrees; others are burnouts or losers running from something, usually themselves; some want to cheat a school themselves; some are only interested in womanizing. Korea is xenophobic enough already, and these teachers make it rougher for everybody. If you don't have a university degree, you risk being rounded up (and maybe briefly jailed) in one of the periodic purges that the government launches against fradulent ESL teachers. It's partly prejudice but also because of past jerks that a requirement for teaching here now is a criminal check and medical tests.

I'm going to assume you're not an angel, but that you do have some honest reasons for coming here, and that you at least have a Bachelors degree that you didn't buy in Bangkok. That is the legal requirement for a visa to teach, and if you are hoping I will give you advice on sneaking into a job without a degree, you will not find it here. If you still want to teach, consider countries like Mexico or possibly China where a high school diploma might be adequate.

Nevertheless, it's maybe a good thing if you're not too innocent. You need to look out for yourself in ESL sometimes and it needs to be right for you. If you like being around people, are intelligent, open to new experiences, and are able to take care of yourself, it can be a good life. There's nothing so pathetic as someone 50 who is broke, trapped in ESL, and hitting on 20-year-old students; but many willingly stay here, have families, and have happy lives and decent vacations back home. Others spend a year or two here, make some money and have a good time, and then move on or return home. There's nothing wrong with that. But be aware that you're being judged by people on the street on your actions and that the media image of ESL teachers is consistently negative. Don't assume that the Korea Herald and Korea Times are on your side because they're in English. The latter tends to run the same hyperbolic rants against foreign teachers that the Korean-language media does.

Practical Decisions

• What level do you want to teach? Some people are content with the kids. If you do like small children, Korea is your oyster—particularly for males. You will have a better choice of jobs, locations, and better pay and easier hours. Working in a glorified daycare is not for everyone, but there are good hogwans (the Korean word for after-school programs) which take the education semi-seriously. North Americans have a 1970s cliché, maybe more applicable to Japan, that Asian children are well-behaved, quiet, and extremely respectful of teachers. Excuse me for a moment: bwahahahahaha! Again, you've got to like children to do this, or else you'll want to strangle the little screaming rugrats.

  Teaching adults may be a saner route. You can have adult conversations, and maybe have more of a social life—the eight-year olds are not going to invite you to the bar after class. You will not be bothered by helicopter mothers who all universally believe their incredibly gifted child will attend Seoul National University and be a doctor-engineer-president. I liked teaching adults. The downside is that you will have to be less choosy in taking a job, and adult hogwans often have split days which can be very draining. I worked from 7 AM to 11, and then from 5 PM to 9. I learned to have mid-day Mexican siestas. Part of the reason I lost my first hogwan job is that I was always so tired that it was making me ineffective as a teacher.

  University jobs worth having, except for the very lucky, will not be offered to first-timers without experience. It is possible to combine a Bachelors degree and extensive ESL experience, but normally any university post that's not a 'unigwon' will want a Masters or Doctorate degree holder. If you do have a graduate degree it's possible to get a university job as a first-timer, but I advise you to read the contract details. Korean universities, like hogwans, can range from respectable to very dodgy. Some sneaky universities, like one I considered in Daegu years ago, have 'affiliated' hogwans and will try to coerce you into teaching children during the winter or summer vacation. Hogwan pay is usually pretty consistent from school to school, but university salaries vary much more, and there is probably more scope for negotiation. Be suspicious of a university where all of their English "professors" are BA holders.

My experience of teenagers in hogwans is that they're not a discipline problem, but they can be a motivation problem because they're always so tired after their carefree 16-hour schooldays. High school students in Korea have ridiculous schedules of endless school and after-school prep classes and hogwans, all for that one hellishly stressful college entrance exam which determines whether they'll be heart surgeons or bricklayers. Once Koreans have gotten into university— yippee! It's party time and everybody passes! Plagiarism is illegal, wink, wink, nudge, nudge, but seldom seems to be prosecuted. I taught in a pretty good program, but it was not possible to get a grade less than 80%, even if you did nothing. If you don't approve of grade inflation as the normal practice... don't teach in a Korean university unless it's in the top ranks or a special program.

• Where do you want to live in Korea? Not everyone will agree with me on this. I think it's a shame that people automatically insist on working in Seoul. It has the action, the nightlife, the western amenities (such as they are), but also the highest prices, the pollution, and the madding crowds. You could consider Daejon or Daegu in the interior of the country, if you like the mountains, or Busan, if you like the beach. I'm a beach bum, and I went to Busan. The traffic jams were just as bad as Seoul, but I find the city more interesting, the culture more authentic, and the weather is gentler and much like a Vancouver climate (maybe too much— summer can be rainy). I find guys in Busan more down to earth than in Seoul and the women more tomboyish and easygoing, but that's just me. My present job is in Daegu, and I admit I like the dryer weather and wider roads as compared to Busan's haphazard and narrow streets, and Busan can be a little grimy in places. Daegu's downside is that it's a conservative city ("the Regina of Korea"), and I often find there simply isn't much to do here.

  Anyone who comes to Korea for surfing and bikini girls needs their head examined. The beaches are nice, but the water is really only warm enough for swimming for a few months, and at that time everyone else on the peninsula has the exact same idea. But they are a pleasant getaway from the noise and rush, and Busan's beaches are quite pretty. Daechon on the west coast (near Daejon, not to be confused) is nice too. Maybe Korea is better known for its mountain parks, especially Seoraksan in the north-east. They are stunning, particularly in autumn. It's very hard to beat Korea for beautiful hiking trails, and they're designed for comfort— sitting in an outdoor pub after a hike with some booze and some warm Korean pancakes (jih-jim) is very pleasant.

  Some head to Jeju Island (Jeju-do), billed as the Hawaii of Korea. My opinion is that it's overrated. If you go, you'd better like seafood because that's all there is to eat. The island has palm trees but it gets winter like anywhere else, and because there's a perceived mystique about Jeju the schools pay poorly. Mainland Koreans think of Jeju people as a little quirky and find their dialect odd, but admittedly the climate is closer to tropical and the waterfalls are beautiful. Personally, I would find Jeju too isolated. If you want to spend time in Jeju I would work on the mainland and go on a weekend trip as it's a quick jump by airplane. I'll put out the extra to go to Thailand anyway even if it means fewer holidays.

Many people are scared of the countryside but I don't mind a smaller city or village if it's near a KTX station, the bullet train of Korea. In that case you will not feel isolated at all because you can easily do a day trip to Seoul or another large city. The pay can be good because fewer foreigners want to go to a rural area, and I find the people friendlier and the pace of living easier. I had a small motorbike and felt much safer on the roads, and I loved hearing frogs croak at night from my window.

I'm told it is actually possible to find some form of teaching position in North Korea, as the regime does need a limited number of teachers and translators. I'm skeptical and I won't say anything else about it as I haven't been to the north and know nothing about such opportunities. Obviously I wouldn't recommend it except for the truly courageous and those with some experience in Asia.

Generally, schools are pretty good at making it fairly easy for you to show up and settle in, as they will want you to start teaching as soon as possible. I've heard horror stories of people stepping off the airplane jet-lagged and being shoved into a classroom ten minutes later, but generally you will have a few days to acclimatize. When you are hired, usually the school will provide airplane tickets in advance, or at least compensation for tickets, and will help with things such as work visas. You may have to send your original diploma papers for verification. Koreans are very big on pieces of paper and forms proving qualifications, and interviews may be only that— they generally don't care about your 'mission statement' or ask stupid personality questions, such as whether you'd rather be a duck or an elephant.

There are several classes of visas in Korea. The most typical is E-2, for hogwan and public school teachers. Professors can get an E-1, and all teachers can get an F-2 if they have a Korean spouse. The F-2 is optimal because you will be able to legally teach privates. In the past, it was fairly easy even for E-2s to teach extra classes illegally, but as of late there has been an increasing government and media vendetta against foreign teachers, and E-2s are sometimes busted and deported. I just would not chance this. One immediate result of this grudge is a recent requirement for E-2 applicants to have AIDS tests and criminal record checks.

On a lighter note, either before or after arriving, you will need to go on a 'visa run,' typically to Japan, to get a work permit. Some or all of it will be paid for or compensated for (find out in advance). Don't complain— Fukuoka's a fun place to spend a few days and the women are easy on the eyes. You could even justify a fast trip to China or elsewhere for this purpose.