Teaching English in South Korea: Do you Recommend it?

Teaching English in South Korea

I had a question from a reader about whether or not I'd recommend teaching English in Korea. Obviously, I've been living here for 10 years and have been happy enough to stay, but I'm not sure I'd necessarily recommend it as heartily today as I would have back when I first got there.

 Here's Why Korea Doesn't Get my Hearty Recommendation

1. Salaries to teach English in Korea have gone down significantly, in terms of real dollars  because while inflation has increased significantly, salaries have remained stagnant. 10 years ago, 2.2 was a normal starting hagwon wage. Today, it's basically the same.  For some solid advice on finances for ESL teachers, check out my book: The Wealthy English Teacher: Teach, Travel, and Secure Your Financial Future.

2. There are fewer good TEFL jobs in Korea these days. Even 5 years ago, public school jobs were plentiful but after government cutbacks, these jobs are few and far between and competition to get them is fierce. While there are some annoying things about working in a public school (co-teachers!), they are traditionally quite good jobs due to the low working hours, decent vacation time and the paid in full every month guarantee.

Qualifications and competition has increased for university jobs in Korea, such that it's difficult for someone without a master's degree and a couple years experience teaching adults or high school students to get the job. These are by far the best teaching jobs in Korea, with the exception of corporate jobs, of which there are very few. For advice on getting a uni job in South Korea, check out my other book, How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreams.

Korea isn't a Bad Choice Though

That said, if you want to teach English overseas, then Korea is not a bad choice. The money-saving potential is still there, especially if you do private teaching (but it's illegal, so of course I'd never recommend it or do it myself).  Most teachers can expect to save around $1000 US/ month if their lifestyle isn't too extravagant.

And, it certainly is a lot easier to live in Korea than it was 10 years ago in terms of social attitudes since Koreans are getting a lot more used to foreigners, although racism does still exist (as it does in any country).

In terms of availability of all things Western, you can pretty much get anything you want just by going to the local supermarket or clicking the mouse button a few times. Gone are the days of trekking to Itaewon in Seoul with an empty backpack to go to the English bookstore and foreign food mart.

In terms of English, Korea is getting better and better as the years go by such that it is normal that at least one person speaks passable English at any place you might want to go.

Quitting Mid-Semester at a University in Korea

Quitting Mid-Contract in Korea

I ran across this thread over on ESL Cafe. Even though I usually avoid that cesspool of misinformation that is Dave's Korean forums, I had a bit of free time between classes.

Quitting Uni Mid Semester

"A friend of mine who works at a mainland uni has been told that next semester his work hours will be increased, his pay frozen and housing assistance cut off. He is not very happy about this kind of treatment and is thinking about quitting mid-semester. He asked me about the ramifications of this. He has an F visa. Any thoughts?"

My response: quitting mid-semester is never a good strategy. Unless you work at a university, you probably have no idea how badly this screws over your university. Like quite literally, there will be classes without a teacher and especially if it's a small place, there might actually be nobody else who can take your classes. Your coworkers will hate you and you'll be the new hated guy in town once word gets around.

Plus, consider the grading situation. How could those students possibly get a fair grade at the end of the semester?

So, considering how badly this guy is screwing them over, I can almost guarantee that the university is going to go to any length to screw him over in return. Like any length. Phone calls to immigration? Terrible references (this one is a given). Phoning every other uni in town to tell them to avoid this guy?  Like there really is no limit to the badness that can come from this.

Even though this guy's place is going from good to bad, as long as they don't try to take these benefits from him now, mid-semester, he should stick with it until the end. And it doesn't sound like the bad things are happening now, only at some point in the future.

And, the ethics of it. You signed a contract for a certain pay for a certain number of hours for a certain period of time. You should honor that contract as long as the uni is honoring their end. Just because your uni is reducing the terms of your next contract, doesn't mean that you should break this one. It's just kind of ridiculous, actually and I don't have a lot of sympathy for the guy, at all.

Resume to Apply for Korean University Jobs

Resumes for University Jobs in South Korea

 A reader question about resumes for applying for university jobs in South Korea:

"Regarding a resume - In your book's sample resume you didn't include an 'Objective' section.  Should I omit this?  Or personalize it for each uni I'm applying to?"

Readers: I have indeed included a sample resume template in my book,  How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreamsso check that out if you're looking for a uni job in South Korea. I think you'll find it helpful.

But, onwards to the question. I didn't include an "objective" section because all the most current stuff I read about resumes said not to include it and that's it's kind of old-style.

I think the whole thing is pretty ridiculous anyway, especially for an ESL teacher-like isn't your objective to get a job at a South Korean university (or company XYZ)? Anything that you put besides that would basically just be a lie. I guess you could say something like, "I want to help students learn English." But, doesn't everyone who teaches ESL?  It's just so obvious and fake and ridiculous that I refuse to put it in on my resume.

Teaching: it's a serious thing

Teaching: It's a Serious Thing

A short one today. Maybe I'm gotten a wee case of the emotionals since it's now down to my second last semester teaching at a Korean university, but I couldn't help feeling like it was a huge responsibility. Almost all my students are the hardest working, most earnest, dedicated students I could ever hope for because they see English as vital for their future success and as I sat in class, thinking, I felt this weight on my shoulders. Like these students are really depending on me to do my best to help give them the skills they need for their futures. Hopefully, they get what I'm giving and my class is a valuable thing to them. It's a serious thing.

University Job in Korea with only a BA

University Jobs Korea with a Masters Degree

A reader question from Jennifer:

"I am currently looking for uni jobs that do not require a masters.  Do you know of any groups on Facebook I could get notifications? Thank you so much!"

My answer:

If you haven't already read my book, check out How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreamsfor advice on what to do if you don't have a masters degree but want to work at a uni. It's going to be tough, but not impossible especially if you're working on a masters or are willing to work at a "unigwon."

But, to answer your question. I don't think there are any Facebook groups, or any other kind of site for that matter which is dedicated solely to uni jobs in Korea for those without masters degrees. You could join my Facebook group, Foreign Teachers in Korean Universities where jobs occasionally get posted. I'm sure you look there already, but check out Dave's ESL Cafe Korean job board. You'll have to wade through lots of junk but there are a few nuggets of gold. Finally, I recommend Profs Abroad. It is a paid site, but you'll be able to get access to all the uni jobs in Korea, even the hard to find ones on school websites very easily in one place.

Job Security in South Korean Universities

Job Security in South Korean Universities?

 A reader question:

"I recently bought and read your book, How to Get a University Job in South Korea. I really enjoyed it and found that it answered many of the questions I’d had about applying for university work in South Korea. While reading the book, I was hoping that you might touch on the topic of tenure for university jobs. I’m currently teaching at a Japanese university and have found that - for foreigners - securing a tenured position is extremely difficult if not impossible in most institutions here. Working in South Korea, have you found that most employment is rotational, contract based with limitations on renewal? Are there stable, tenured positions with upward mobility? If you have the time, I’d really appreciate your feedback on these questions. Thank you for your time and I look forward to your response."

Thanks for checking out How to Get a University Job in South Korea and also sending me your excellent question. I didn't include this topic in the book simply because there are no positions teaching English in South Korean universities for foreigners that are tenure-track, and upward mobility is extremely limited in almost all cases. Most universities offer one year contracts (a limited number 2 years) and your renewal depends on the whims of the powers that be and until you've been at a place for a few years, you really should have some back-up plans come contract renewal time.

The exception to this would be if you have a PhD in a field other than TESOL, but you'd still have a hard time getting tenure and moving up the ranks if you don't speak Korean. It's all about relationships here and greasing the right wheels and lack of language skills would limit you significantly. Competition even for adjunct professor positions is fierce here, as it is in the west.

It sounds to me like the situation regarding tenure in Japan is basically the same as in Korea, so I wouldn't recommend making a move based on that alone.

Teaching Content Classes instead of Conversation at Korean Universities

Teaching Journalism at a Korean University

A reader question:

"I have several graduate degrees (Master's degrees in Journalism, Counseling Psychology and a PhD in Health Education and Promotion.) My first passion is teaching journalism. Do you think it's possible I could teach any of these courses at the university level or do you think my only option is ESL?"

My answer:

You are certainly well-qualified to teach something besides ESL at a Korean Uni and I'm sure you would do a fabulous job of it. However, the big problem will be finding this job because they are extremely rare and the people that have jobs teaching something besides ESL generally hold onto them for year, after year, after year. And once they do decide to let it go, it's often filled from the "inside," that is someone already working at that uni or a friend of a friend of some kind. These kind of jobs are almost never advertised, from my perusing of places like ESL Cafe.

(Join the Facebook group: Foreign Teachers in Korean Universities)

In addition, you are in Canada now and most of the places that are offering these kinds of jobs will probably want an in-person interview, although you might luck out and get a Skype interview. That said, check out The Chronicle of Higher Education and see what you can find. You might just find yourself at the right place at the right time. Another strategy would be to come to Korea and take any university job that you can get, network with all the right people during that year and make a move up in the world a year or two later.

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How Old is too Old to Teach at a Korean University?

A reader question:

"I am 54 going on 55 in June. Is it still possible to teach at the University level in South Korea given my age? Based on what you've written the answer is: No."

She has read my book, How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreamsand that is what she is referring to.  While I do talk about the ideal age to teach English at a Korean university in my book (between 30 and 50), I'll expand a bit upon it here.

In Korea, ageism is alive and well. It is not that uncommon to hear of people being forced out of their jobs as early as 50 and certainly by 60, which is generally considered the mandatory retirement age. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that after the Korean war, life expectancies were very low and it was uncommon for people to live into their 70's or 80's. These days, Koreans are living longer and longer but the retirement age has not risen along with it, unlike in most Western countries.

For foreigners teaching at Korean universities, it is a similar situation and it would be quite difficult for someone to hang on past the age of 60. You might not officially be let go but at some point you'll contract just won't be renewed. That is if you could even get a job.  If you had started somewhere in your late 40's or early 50's, shown yourself to be a well-liked and reliable teacher, and established a solid relationship, you'd probably be fine. But, I'm not sure a lot of places would be willing to give someone your age a chance who is not in Korea and has no experience teaching here. The job market is extremely competitive these days and that is a big strike against you.

Uni Jobs in Korea: It's a game of chicken

Uni Jobs in Korea: it's a game of Chicken

A few days ago, I wrote about possible reasons why you might not be able to get a university job in South Korea in response to a negative review over on Amazon for the book, How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreams, asking the reviewer to respond with specific details about his situation so I could possibly help him. His reason had nothing to do with anything that I talked about! Ha!

He did respond with a long email, which I won't post here but the gist of it is that he had already signed a housing deposit, was supporting a wife and needed to take a job offer quickly, so he ended up working in a public school.

My response: think of getting a uni job in Korea as a game of chicken. As I mention in the book, almost everything in Korea happens last minute- the "bali-bali" syndrome. This means that schools will be interviewing and making hiring decisions alarmingly close to the start of the semester. If you're the type who likes to have things locked down early (or in your case-you signed a housing deposit so were tied to a certain physical location), then you'll probably hate it and end up taking an inferior job such as at a public school or hagwon. It's the "safe" option but doesn't really help you get that sweet uni job.

In both my rounds applying for uni jobs, I got interviews and job offers astoundingly late, more than I would have ever thought possible and even for some of the top jobs in the country. As I mention in the book, the top candidates turn down job offers and then it's on to the next tier of candidates and on and on it goes.

Where, if you play the game of chicken well, and wait, and wait, and wait until the last possible minute for some good job offers, you'll likely get something if you meet the basic qualifications (a masters + a couple years teaching experience in Korea). However, you might end up with nothing and totally regret not taking those inferior job offers that you had. It's kind of a crap-shoot, however you can improve your chances at winning by following some of my advice:

1. Try to avoid something like signing a housing deposit until you have a job locked down. This means you are free to move easily if you get a great offer in another city.

2. Emergency fund. Get one. If you lose at the game of chicken, then you'll have a bit of a buffer.

3. Always have a back-up plan. It's great to have plenty of options so apply for any and all jobs in case your first few choices fall through.

4. It's all about being in the right place at the right time and who you know. So, make networking with uni teachers a huge priority in your life and you'll hear about those last-minute job opportunities (there is basically one at my own uni every single semester!).

5. Join this Facebook group: Foreign Teachers in Korean Universities. Just this semester, there were a couple posts with last-minute offers.

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Reader Question: PhD to Get a University Job in Korea?

PhD to Work at a Korean University?

"I've just finished my masters in TESOL and want to make a smooth transition into a university job in Korea. Any advice on how to get into the game without any current uni teaching experience because it seems like every position requires it.  Is it worth it to get a PhD?"

Thanks for the question- it's a position that many people in many industries around the world find themselves in. They have the education, but lack the experience to get them the job in the field. The catch 22. 

Anyway, because your masters degree is in TESOL it will be possible for you to get a university job in Korea, eventually so don't give up. I talk about this very question in my book, How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreams and give some suggestions such as working at a unigwon for a year or two or at a lower level uni out in the countryside. I give an abundance of detail in the book, so check that out if you haven't already.

As for the PhD thing, I've been around Korean universities for the past 8 years and can count the number of foreigners with PhD's working there on 2 hands, and possibly 1. The people that I have met were those who studied something else besides TESOL such as English Literature, Social Welfare or Engineering and were working in those departments teaching content classes, as opposed to general English classes.

Since you have a masters in TESOL, I'm assuming that is what you'd do your PhD in. In this case, it is a total waste of time and money if your end goal is to get a job at a Korean university; it just doesn't matter to Korean universities when they hire an English conversation instructor. If your goal is to make teaching ESL your career and move on to other countries or back home, then yes, possibly it is a good idea but it really depends on your individual circumstances.

Possible Reasons why you can't get a University Job in Korea

University Jobs South Korea

A negative review over on Amazon about someone who my book,  How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreamsdidn't help. It's really hard to give specific advice in a general kind of "how-to" book.

Anyway, I'd like to respond with some possible reasons why people wouldn't be able to get a uni job in a year, although I have no idea what is going wrong with this specific person without more information from him (I welcome him to comment).  Here's his review:

"Ok, but need more detail. I want to know what I'm doing wrong when trying to get a university job. I have been trying for about a year with no luck. This book does nothing to help solve my problem."

Top 10 Reasons Why you can't Get the Korean University Job you want.

1. Education It's really hard to get a university job in South Korea without a Masters degree these days. A few years ago, you could slip by with a BA degree, but times are changing and requirements are far higher these days.

2. Experience It's not easy to get a university job with only a year or two of teaching experience, even if you have a Masters degree. Places may also be reluctant to hire you if you have never taught adults.

3. Age If you are either younger (less than 30) or older (more than 50) than the ideal, it can be really tough for you to even get interviews, no matter how well-qualified you are.

4. Gender and Country of Origin North America females are generally preferred and if you don't fit into either of those categories, you might be overlooked in favor of someone who is both of those things.

5. Appearance As I mention in the book numerous times, appearance truly is everything in Korea. If you are anything but well-dressed and groomed and reasonably attractive, it can be quite difficult for you to get a job.  You have to put a picture on the resume and hope that the university likes what they see. Obvious physical defects and not being white are often huge strikes against you. Or, maybe you don't present that well at an interview due to things like B.O., facial hair, weight or ill-fitting clothes.

6. Lack of Knowledge about Teaching If you make it to the interview stage, but keep failing it may be because it is obvious that you have no idea about teaching. Almost all interviewers will ask at least one question about teaching methodology to sort out the amateurs from the professionals in the classroom. Consider this carefully and buff up on your English language teaching knowledge if necessary by taking a class such as the Celta.

7. Lack of Networking If you are not getting interviews, it is perhaps because you don't know someone on the inside. Many of the top jobs are never advertised publicly and are instead filled through word of mouth, through friends of current foreign teachers. If you are reclusive or not a cool person and just don't know that many people in Korea, you will have a hard time finding a university job.

8. Lack of Professional Development See #6. This can really set apart the "real" teachers from the "amateurs."

9. Non-Professional Application Package If you are not getting interviews, consider your package carefully. I offer a wealth of advice in How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreams on this topic.

10. Not Applying to Enough Jobs In the book, I talk about what to do if you are not a top candidate and have a few strikes against you such as your country of origin, lack of experience or age. I suggest applying to ANY and ALL university jobs in South Korea. Treat it like your full-time job and get obsessed with it. You need to apply for at least 50+ jobs in order to get a few interviews and eventually jobs offers. Maybe you are a less than ideal candidate but you are being too picky and only applying to the very top jobs that even someone well-qualified would have a hard time competing for.

A couple years out in the countryside working at a job with a high number of teaching hours, less than full vacation, or low pay will help you tremendously in competing for the best jobs in the future.

A negative review on Amazon: my response

University Job in South Korea

It has been pointed out in the first and only negative review over on Amazon that I've been really down on Korea as an English teaching destination lately while at the same time trying to sell my book, How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreamsand also while making my own exit strategy. I do realize that it's kind of a mixed message, but life is full of grey, and black and white quite rarely exists in my world.

I'd like to respond publicly to the review because it seems "Ted Walker" reads this blog. And Ted, if you'd like to comment and let me know specifically which sections are particularly disagreeable in the book, I'll take it into consideration for when I update the book in a few months.

Let me start by saying that the situation in Korea is complicated and funding for English and education in general seems to change as often as the seasons. I feel like I've seen it happen numerous times during the past 10 years. Just because the current administration is serious about shutting down Korean universities doesn't mean that the next one will be too.  Nobody, probably not even the presidents at the top unis in the country can accurately predict what the landscape will look like in 5 years from now. I think it's unlikely that there will be more university jobs for English teachers in the future, but who can really say for sure.

Secondly, I'm leaving Korea for other reasons besides the reduced number of uni jobs that will likely happen in the next few years.  I've been here a decade and it's time to go home and change careers while I'm still young enough, along with spending more time with a niece who is growing up and parents and aunts and uncles who are getting older. 

Thirdly, uni jobs will still remain the prime job that they are now, in the future.  I just think qualifications to get them will be higher, but I think I'm pretty clear about this in the book by saying that it will be extremely difficult for those not in the "top-tier" of candidates to compete for jobs in Seoul, for example. If you can get the job (and I think the book will help you do that), you'll likely be pretty happy doing it for a number of years as I was (and still am).

Fourthly, yes...I do make money online through writing books and blogging and a few other ventures.  Lots of people do that and plenty of English teachers have left teaching and now make their living online. I think it's quite impressive and I wish I were as funny, creative, informative, helpful, tech-savvy, and motivated as they are.

Finally, I do not think the information in my book is outdated.  It was only written three months ago. I have been working at Korean universities for almost 10 years and certainly know the ins and outs of how the system works.  I, myself have been through 2 rounds of applications and interviews and I have also helped numerous friends through the process as well.
   

Korean University Jobs are Not What they Once Were, Part 2

A couple weeks ago, I talked about how I think university jobs in Korea (and actually all ESL teaching jobs in Korea) are on a downward slide to the bottom.

Korean University Jobs are not what they once were, part 1

Yesterday, at my staff meeting I got a bit of new information which just further confirms what I originally thought.  The head of my department was talking about how the Korean government is deadly serious about shutting down a good number of unis in Korea (although he didn't say this, due to a very low birth rate there are fewer and fewer Korean students going to uni so something truly does need to be done).

Starting this year, the government is instituting a ranking system with 5 grades: A, B, C, D, F.  The F-rated schools will be forcibly shut down. The C and D-rated schools will have to reduce enrollment by 30 and 50% respectively, which will in essence mean their closure because it will just be too hard for them to be profitable with such reduced numbers. The B-rated schools will have to reduce their students by 10% and the A-rated schools can do whatever they want. 

The writing is on the wall, especially for those with working at lower-ranked universities. You could be losing your job, sooner rather than later.

Anecdotally, my school which is the 2nd or 3rd highest ranked in Busan (the second biggest city in Korea behind Seoul) lost a good number of students and some of the extra-curricular English programs that I would normally do for overtime got cut. There is just less money floating around and often the first thing to go is English programs.

Exit-plan = put into full effect.  Want to know my choices for up-and-coming English teaching destinations?  Check out: The Wealthy English Teacher: Teach, Travel, and Secure Your Financial Future

   

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How to Get a University Job in South Korea: on Sale for 1 week only!

Starting tomorrow, you'll be able to get How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreamsfor just $1.99 (reduced from $3.49) but the sale lasts for one week only.

If you're looking for a uni job teaching English in South Korea, this is your go-to book and there truly is nothing else out there that contains all this information in one place. People like it so far: only 5 star reviews over on Amazon. 

In somewhat related news, check out the newly updated book's website, University Jobs Korea for some resources that will be helpful to any job-seekers. Let me know if you have any questions or requests for posts; I'm always happy to help and will answer them within a day or two on this blog.

The Wealthy English Teacher: now available on Amazon

My second book, The Wealthy English Teacher: Teach, Travel, and Secure Your Financial Futureis now available on Amazon in Ebook format. But, you don't actually need a Kindle to get it. Any Smartphone, tablet or PC will do if you get the Kindle App.  The hard-copy book should be out in a couple of days if do books that way.

In the book, I talk about the 10 steps to securing your financial future including:

1. Choosing a job wisely (with advice most specifically tailored to ESL Teachers)
2. Building a small emergency fund
3. Living frugally and paying off debts
4. Advancing your career
5. Building a full emergency fund
6. Saving your first $10,000 to invest
7. Investing in the financial markets and enjoying life
8. Building passive income streams
9. Planning for the future
10. Enjoying financial freedom

There are a couple other books out there related to expat investing, but this is the first one that I know of with financial advice specific to ESL/EFL teachers.  Check it out and please leave a comment or email me with any questions or feedback that you might have.  I'd be happy to connect with you.

You could also check out the book's website, The Wealthy English Teacher for some samples from the book and other Internet goodness.

Coming Home after Living Abroad

A post over on my other blog, Freedom Through Passive Income that might be of interest to my readers here. It was inspired by a great discussion over at the Foreign Teachers in Korean Universities Facebook group about returning home after living abroad for so many years and who is successful in that endeavor. Here's the post:

Going Home After Living Abroad

Top 5 Tips to Get Ready for the New Semester

It's that time again! The semester is starting up in a week and I'm sure teachers are busy getting everything ready to go.  Here are my top 5 tips to get ready for the  new semester:

1. Plan ahead There's nothing more terrible than frantically trying to pull something together an hour before class. I've been there and it's not a happy place for your mental health. I always try to stay 2-3 weeks ahead for my lesson planning.

2. Things don't work You know it always happens: Monday morning at 8am before the semester starts, there's a line-up of 5 people trying to use the photocopier to copy their syllabi and of course it breaks. Be organized and hit it a few days before, just in case.

3. Simple is best You don't need to reinvent the wheel and simple is almost always better. Of course, put a bit of effort and creative energy into your lessons, but it really is okay to use a page or two out of the textbook, or to use something like ESL Logic Puzzles and Trivia for your class warm-up instead of making your own, which would take hours.

4. Recycle Similar to not reinventing the wheel, hopefully you've been saving your lessons somewhere in a place like Dropbox or Google Documents. There are always plenty of generic "conversation" classes here in Korea where you are free to use anything you want and it's much easier to reuse an old lesson than to pull something new out of your hat.

5. Work space Make sure that you have a happy place where you can get work done so you can put some focused effort into stuff. For me, it's usually not at home and if I want to be productive, it's far better for me to go into my office, which I'm lucky enough to share with only 2 people who are rarely (if ever) there.

But for others, they share an office with 10+ people and of course, serious work is impossible in that kind of environment so those people could maybe find a quiet coffee shop near their house, a public library or set-up a space at home to do work.

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Top 5 Tips for Newbies to Teaching in Korean Universities

It's that time of year again as the new semester starts in a week or so. Even though I've been doing it for years, I still get a little bit nervous. But, it's nothing like it was before my first semester teaching at a university. Instead of feeling a bit nervous, it was a feeling more akin to terror. Anyway, nothing I can say is going to make you feel less nervous, but here are a few tips to help you.

Top 5 Tips for Newbies to Teaching at Korean Universities:

1. Lower your expectations, particularly for freshman English classes. First year of university is a time of rest between high school hell and mandatory army hell for the boys, so they just want to have fun, enjoy their freedom and perhaps find a girlfriend.

2. Simple is best. You may have plenty of fabulous ideas for how you're going to have the raddest classes ever but always remember that simple is best. Your students are probably going to be lower level than you would expect them to be. 

3. You can't fight the system. Things like passing seniors who never show up to class and/or fail every single assignment and test will seem ridiculous to you. Get over that and the quicker the better. You are a lone foreigner and nobody actually cares what you think about the Korean university system.

4. Be fair and care. You don't need to be the funniest, or the coolest, or the most handsome teacher in order to be popular. It is actually easier than that. Just be fair and treat all students the same and also show them that you care. Remember their names, talk to them outside of class, be a decent human being in case of a problem of some kind. Never use the power that you have to your advantage but instead be humble.

5. Fly under the radar. Build yourself a reputation as a stellar teacher but also work on being the person who never has any negative interactions, with anybody. NEVER complain to the admin about anything and try to ask for as minimal amount of their help as possible. I make it my goal to always fly under the radar and only have positive interactions with the powers that be.

Maybe you're wondering how you could get this rad job?  Let me tell you how for the low price of $3.49:

Korean University Jobs are not what they once were

Then and Now

Anyone who has been in a Korea for a few years (or a decade in my case) has seen the decline of the ESL industry as a whole. 10 years ago, anyone with a pulse could get a hagwon (private institute job), public school jobs were plentiful and uni jobs were being handed out like candy to those with just a Bachelor's degree and perhaps a year of experience at a public school or hagwon.

These days, even hagwon jobs seem to be pretty scarce and it seems to be a race to the bottom for the lowest salary and weakest job positions. There are just too many decently-qualified people looking for work. Public schools have been bleeding jobs for the past 3 or 4 years, with almost all middle and high-schools cutting their native English speaker positions. And of course unis-even those with a Master's degree and a few years of non-uni experience are sometimes not getting jobs.

Anecdotally, I have three friends here in Busan who've lost their jobs recently and while they've found other positions, it certainly was not without a struggle and they were competing against other quite well-qualified applicants for okay positions.

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The Glory Days are Done

What am I saying? The happy days of Korea as a prime ESL teaching destination are indeed over, much the way things went with Japan, just a few years later in the case of Korea. Only the most qualified (someone like me! Ha! Masters+Celta+Delta+years of uni experience) will get those prime uni jobs with low teaching hours, motivated students, high pay and full vacations while everyone else will be left fighting for the okay or crappy stuff. Salaries and benefits like free plane tickets and housing will keep decreasing.

My Plan

I, myself have planned my exit strategy that involves going back to Canada and changing careers because I think the writing is on the wall. I would suggest that those who are making longer-term plans, thinking that Korea is going to be a winner for English teachers should perhaps reconsider. Another country like Vietnam? Upgrading qualifications and getting into teacher training? Changing careers?  There are plenty of fish in the sea so why place your bets on the one flopping around on the dry-land?

The Korean University Gods have Rewarded Me

During all my semesters working at Korean universities, never have I been fortunate enough to have a schedule as amazing as this one. Just last semester, working at the same uni and in the same job position, I was saved by the skin of my teeth from 5 days/week due to the kindness of one of my coworkers who traded a class with me. 

Anyway, are you ready for it?  Just how amazing is my schedule you might ask?  Enough suspense...I'm just going to tell you:  I work from Wednesday at 10:30 to Friday at 7:15. Nothing on Monday and Tuesday. Yes, all of this equals 4-day weekends.

Although I'm sure my schedule will get filled up with overtime classes (I usually do 10-15 hours/week of extra teaching), it's still pretty amazing and I'm excited about the big chunks of free-time I will have to work on my various online ventures including these websites:

Freedom Through Passive Income
Jackie Bolen 
How to Get a University Job in South Korea

I also plan to finish up my second book, tentatively titled "The Wealthy English Teacher" for anyone teaching overseas who doesn't want to end up in the unfortunate situations of begging from your friends in case of minor medical emergency, teaching until you're 70, or having to take the crappiest of jobs just because you're desperate. It should be up on Amazon in a month or so and the price will be right at about $3, so you really can't afford not to buy it.