Tenure Track Positions in Korean Universities

An interesting question from one of the people who attended my recent KOTESOL presentation on How to Get a University Job in South Korea. She asked about the possibility of tenure track positions for foreigners in Korean universities.

My short answer was that while it's not impossible, it's quite unlikely. For example, during my 8 years working at unis I've only met 2 foreigners who were in these kind of positions. The vast majority are on 1-2 year contracts and there are also a few visiting professors who plan to return to positions in their home countries.

Part of it is that there are so many Koreans who are qualified for these jobs and the other thing is the language barrier. Any university who hires you will want you to be an active member of that department-attending MT, counseling students, going to meetings, working on committees, etc. Nobody will want to translate for you during all of these things and so you will basically be side-lined unless you are fluent in Korea. In addition, if you teach anything other than English, it will be really difficult for you to effectively teach your students who likely don't have the English ability to be able to understand lectures on anything besides the most basic of topics.

So, is Korea the answer for someone with a PhD unable to find work in their home country? Probably not and I wouldn't count on being able to get anything besides short-term, 1-2 year contracts.

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.

Question: How to get a university job and how to have fun in Korea

University Job in South Korea

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This is a question from a member of my Facebook group, Foreign Teachers in Korean Universities, which you should join if you teach at a Korean uni, or want to at some point in the future.

"Will someone please advise me on the best ways to get a job teaching at a university in Korea and the best ways to have fun with expats once there? Besides teaching I love writing, movies, books, board games, biking, hiking and camping."

As for the first part about how to get a job teaching at a university in Korea, you should check out How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreams. Almost all of the feedback on it has been extremely positive and I think you'll pick up at least a few useful tips (and probably a lot more!).  The book's website, universityjobkorea.com has some excerpts from the book as well as some of my guest posts on other sites if you want to try before you buy.

As for the second question about having fun in Korea: you'll find it far easier to meet people and make friends than you would back home. People are always coming and going so people are pretty open to newbies.  If you live in a big city like Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, Daegu or Daejeon, there will be a multitude of expat groups on Facebook for just about any hobby or interest that you could possibly imagine. I would caution against living in the countryside if you are coming to Korea alone and like to have an active social life since it can be extremely isolating and lonely to be the only foreigner in the vicinity.  

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.

Doctorate Degree in Law-Uni Job in Korea from Overseas?

This is a question from a person who read my book, How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreams, found it helpful and left a 5-star review (as an aside, if you've read the book and liked it, please leave a review on Amazon. It really helps the book's search rankings). Anyway, onwards to the question:

"I am currently working as an attorney in the US.  I have a Juris Doctor degree and a BA in English.  In both college and law school, I did some tutoring and mentoring.  My fiancee is also an attorney, and has a similar background with respect to sporadic teaching.  I know from your book that having a master's degree is helpful, but am wondering if having a doctorate-level degree might help make up for the fact that we are not in Korea presently/at the time of application and don't have experience teaching in Korea.  We are very committed to teaching in Korea and of course would be willing to come to Korea for in-person interviews, but as we are both working as attorneys currently, we don't have the complete flexibility to move to Korea before landing a position."

My Answer: 

While I appreciate the fact that you want to have a change of pace and a bit of adventure, I'm not sure teaching ESL in Korea is the best route for people with such good job prospects back home, such as you and your fiance.

Teaching ESL, and especially in Korea is basically a dead-end with no real chance for advancement into decent "career" kinds of jobs that give you more than a one or two year contract unless you make it happen for yourself such as getting into publishing or through Internet ventures. I myself am leaving mostly for this very reason. I've made it to the top of the Korean ESL world and there's nowhere to go but sideways or down, which is a pretty grim and demoralizing prospect for someone who is only 35 years old.

Korean Uni Interviews via Skype

If you must come to Korea, it really is very difficult to get a university job from abroad. I estimate less than 3% of Korean universities are willing to do Skype interviews.  Sure, having a PhD might help you get a foot in the door, but it also might be a bit of a red-flag because hiring committees will wonder why you would ever want to teach in Korea and you will probably have to spend a good bit of the interview process explaining this. They are used to people with Masters degree in things such as English, TESOL, humanities or arts.

Frugal Living and Early Retirement

Not to be too presumptuous and offer advice that wasn't asked for, but have you thought about just working hard for a few years in America, living extremely frugally, getting yourself set up with investments and then "retiring" and traveling and doing whatever adventures you want to do?  One of my biggest regrets in life is that I didn't study something more useful in university and set myself up for a situation like that. 

Check out these websites for some inspiration:

Freedom Through Passive Income (it's mine!)

My Money Mustache

Early Retirement Extreme

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