A Geek in Korea is Looking for Work
Korean life June 15th. 2006, 3:03pmSeems my school has gone and gotten itself in trouble. I’ve got to find a new job once again, and every single source of help matters. I’m currently looking for work in the city of Daejeon, specifically the Dunsan-dong area, but this isn’t written in stone. I would be willing to work outside of this area if offered a good deal. Anyone with good job prospects in the city of Daejeon should leave contact information and or job information in this thread.
Here is what I am looking for:
- I would prefer part time work (~+/-20 hours). I would be willing to work mornings or early afternoons. I don’t want to work late every evening.
- Salary is negotiable, but needs to be competitive.
Housing, while not required, would be helpful if provided. I am married. No one room apartments.I have my own apartment in Daejeon.- Needs to be a tax paying, legitimate school with no immigration or visa problems.
- Health Insurance through the school, or paying for half of my own private health insurance.
I enjoy teaching elementary school students and middle school most. I will teach the occasional adults class if needed. I can provide a resume for any serious job offers that people might have via email.
I’ll be leaving the current job at the end of next week with a release letter (June 23rd). I don’t need leave the country to start at a new school due to my marriage visa. I have one month before I need to move out of my apartment (July 14th). I have a college offer on the table, but any serious offer will be considered equally based on the criteria I listed above.
Anyone with any inside knowledge of a good job that will be opening up should share their information. Any help would be appreciated.
(Yes, I know about Dave’s ESL.)
7 Responses to “A Geek in Korea is Looking for Work”
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June 16th, 2006 at 3:03 am
Dear Torgodevil,
I am 36 and live in Florida, USA. I have been interested in living in an Asian country for some time now. I thought that teaching English would be a for sure way to make money seeing there is such a great demand. After doing some research I found out that a 3 to 4yr degree is needed to find employment. I have also been told that its not that you need a degree to find employment, but to acquire the government Visa to work legally. In regard to Korea I have gotten mixed info as to the degree requirement some say yes it’s needed some say you can still make a living working under the table. After reading the Korean government site I see that there is a crack down on fake diplomas Visa holders and English schools. To me breaking the laws is no way live in another county or the USA for that matter.
Here is my situation. I do not have a degree and no teaching experience. I am a native US speaker. My wife is a Korean immigrant here in the USA. We thought we might move to Korea in about 5 years. I would then acquire a marriage type visa that would allow me to work in Korea. My question is could I legally work as a English instructor or conversational teacher/tutor and would a honest employers be willing to hire me being a non degree holder? I guess my question is. Can an English speaking immigrant that can legally work in other fields of employment legally teach English with out a degree? If so. Will a school hire them?
Of course my other option is to earn a degree over the next few years.
Also where you able learn and speak Korean fluently? This is a great desire for me and I am already studying thanks to my wife.
Is it really a bad place to try to work as reported on some web sites?
How do the Koreans feel about foreigners with Tattoos?
I am going to Korea with my wife in October for the first time, I cant wait.
I really appreciate your and help !
June 16th, 2006 at 7:55 am
My question is could I legally work as a English instructor or conversational teacher/tutor and would a honest employers be willing to hire me being a non degree holder?
I am not a lawyer, and I try to avoid immigration offices at all cost, so your results may vary, but I do happen to know someone with a marriage visa that only had a 2~3 year degree. This isn’t technically a degree that lets you be eligible to be a teacher. He has a marriage visa, and works as a teacher. He is also shady and has been busted by immigration for providing false paperwork before but didn’t get kicked out because of his visa. He did get a hefty fine and a few days prison time reportedly though.
There is also a general crackdown on English schools, like you mentioned. The immigration office is not very tolerant of people working without proper documentation and has been deporting people more aggressively now.
I would advise you to be upfront about the fact you don’t have a degree to any employer. This will probably be your main obstacle in trying to get a teaching degree. Most places aren’t going to be willing to give anyone a job without a degree knowingly, although a marriage visa might help keep you in the country while you look for work. As for working under the table, people can make money that way, but without a legal salary it’s pretty easy for people to figure out what’s going on.
I guess my question is. Can an English speaking immigrant that can legally work in other fields of employment legally teach English with out a degree? If so. Will a school hire them?
I don’t really know of any places advertsing “We take anyone!” But some schools, when desperate, will hire people in almost any circumstance…but usually they have a degree.
How do the Koreans feel about foreigners with Tattoos?
Visible tattoos? Those are an absolute no-no. Koreans view defacing their body as a disgrace to the gift of their body given by their ancestors. Tattoos are kind of illegal, or at least very, very discouraged, if you get them before going into the army, and most people believe that if you have them you are a criminal or gangster. I know no Koreans that have tattoos, or would be willing to get one.
If you wanted to find a job teaching kids with visual tattoos, that’d be really, really difficult, if not impossible. Children are terrified of people with tattoos, and would probably tell their parents if they saw one, The parents would complain. People have been fired for tattoos before. I’d recommend having them hidden at all times and never letting you boss see them.
June 17th, 2006 at 1:18 pm
Hey — I don’t want to leave my email here in public — do you have an email address where I can send you some job leads? Just post it here as a comment, then after I contact you, you can nuke the comment. I’ll check back in the next 24 hours. Thanks — WDave
June 17th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
There is no post. This is all an illusion.
June 23rd, 2006 at 1:19 pm
Hi. I’m working in Haenam right now, I was in Gwangju last year. This is my 2nd year in Korea. I highly reccommend the program I’m in. You can check it out at:
http://www.canconx.com/
I think you being in Korea already wouldn’t be a problem, and in fact would be a plus. Although the website says Canadian Connections, they actually hire people from many different countries as long as they meet the qualifications and pass the interview.
Here’s why I think this job is better than a lot of other ones in Korea. You work for the public school system, not a Hogwan. So normal work hours and Sat/Sun off. Apartments are provided for free, including couple apartments. The local school you work for can’t break contract cause then they’d be in trouble with the school board/district office that hired us. We’re pretty well protected under the terms of the contract. We get 15 sick days a year guaranteed. The apt. must have basic furniture and appliances according to the contact. Health insurance is provided and complied with legally. Your plane ticket is paid for by the school district and if you stay for your whole contract you’ll get a free ticket to your home country. If you renew you’ll get paid more the next year and get an extra week’s summer vacation.
Teaching in Korea isn’t easy and it’s not for everyone, but this is a pretty good deal.
Mostly the recruiter, Shane, hires for the province of Jelloanamdo, but he also hires for a couple other provinces too.
June 23rd, 2006 at 1:55 pm
Yeah, so I HAVE a house in the city of Daejeon as of yesterday, and I can’t move for the next two years because of the contract. Thanks for the suggestion, but I can’t leave the city now. I’ll keep looking around here for now, as my last prospect fell through.
July 2nd, 2006 at 8:34 pm
On the job front, I’ve recieved an offer to work at a school I interviewed at a few weeks ago.
I don’t want to jinx anything, but I’m going to look at the contract and sign in the next few days. It seems that my patience has paid off, as the school lost a teacher and couldn’t find a replacement in time. They caved on some of my demands for my schedule and hours. We think the school is legit, and it’s in a good neighborhood that’s not too far from my apartment.
The school is ironically under the first location I worked at of my last school! I’ll be working in the same building I was a year ago, but just one floor under. This amuses me greatly.