Over the last few years the U.S. Embassy has received many inquiries about teaching English in Korea. We have prepared this informal guide to give teachers basic information on the business of teaching English here so that they can be better informed before committing themselves to a particular job.
Unfortunately some American citizens come to Korea under contract, with promises of generous salaries, bonuses and other amenities, only to find themselves in difficult situations, often lacking funds to return to the U.S. The Embassy, by regulation, cannot enter into any case, conduct an investigation, or act as a lawyer in legal or contractual mishaps experienced by U.S. citizens. We can neither investigate nor certify employers. It is up to each individual to evaluate potential employers before signing a contract.
We hope the information that follows will prove useful. If you have any further questions, please contact us. Complete contact information and our office hours can be found at the end of this text.
This US Embassy Information Document has been Edited and Updated by KnowledgeSource. For Further Information, Please Contact KnowledgSource or contact US Embassy in Seoul.
OVERVIEW
Many Americans have enjoyed their teaching experiences in Korea; others have encountered problems. The key to happy and fruitful employment as a language instructor in Korea is to be employed by a reputable school and to negotiate a well-written contract before leaving the U.S. We advise anyone considering accepting an English teaching job in Korea to carefully review the terms of the contract regarding working and living conditions. It would also be useful to ask for references from persons familiar with the institution, especially American former and current employees.
TYPES OF ESL POSITIONS
Most English teachers work in language institutes ("hak-won" in Korean). There are, however, positions available in several types of institutions.
Private Language Institute ¡°Hak-Won¡±
Private language institutes are found all over Korea. Some institutes are well-known with many branches while others are small and short-lived. The ESL market in Korea is extremely competitive and many institutes fail.
Most hak-wons employ a number of instructors for conversation and occasionally for writing classes. The typical employee can expect to work 20 to 30 hours per week. The majority of classes are conducted after school hours. However, some large Hak-wons have classes early in the morning and in the evenings.
Most classes have between 10 and 25 students. Pupils may be grade school or college students, or businessmen who are contemplating overseas assignments. Some of the better institutes will provide housing for instructors. The average salary is currently about 1.7 to 2 million won per month (US $ 1,700 to 2,000).
PRIVATE BUSINESS PROGRAMS
Most large corporate groups have their own in-house programs. The typical instructor can expect to teach more than 30 hours per week, teaching all day from early in the morning to late at night. Most are intensive residential programs where the students study for three to six months. Some employers provide full benefits including housing, but the instructor may be required to either live on campus or commute long distances from Seoul. The average salary for these institutes is currently between 2.1 to 2.5 million won per month (US $ 2,100 to US $ 2,500).
UNIVERSITY INSTITUTES
Major universities in Seoul, as well as some provincial universities, operate foreign language institutes. Some pupils are university students, but the majority of students are businesspeople. These institutes tend to have the highest hiring standards in Korea; most instructors have MA degrees in TESOL, and years of teaching experience. The pay, status and benefits offered by these institutes are among the best in Korea. As a result there is very low turnover.
UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENTS
Most universities in Korea employ full-time English conversation instructors. University classes tend to be large, with little personal contact with the students. Most instructors teach between ten and 15 hours a week. Most universities in Seoul do not provide housing, and some do not provide the benefits required by law. Monthly salaries currently tend to run about 2 million won (US $ 2,000) per month, with three to four months of paid vacation per year. Positions in the university usually require maters degree or higher.
TEACHING IN THE PROVINCES
Provincial universities and language institutes generally provide better housing, working conditions and salaries, and tend to treat foreign instructors as part of the faculty. The better working conditions, however, should be balanced against the cultural isolation a foreigner may encounter living in the Korean countryside.
GOVERNMENT/RESEARCH INSTITUTES
Many government agencies and some private companies operate research institutes. Most of these institutes hire foreigners who have degrees in the humanities, economics or business administration as full-time editors. Editors proofread correspondence and research publications, write speeches, and occasionally teach. Most institutes pay quite well, and some provide housing. Because these institutes tend to be government-run or affiliated with corporate groups, their instructors seldom experience problems in obtaining work visas.
EDITING/PR/MEDIA
Quite a few public relations and advertising companies in Korea hire foreigners to work as copy editors, and occasionally as teachers. These positions are very hard to obtain as they are quite popular with the resident English-teaching community. There are also opportunities to appear on television programs, movies and radio. Most of these positions pay quite well and some provide housing assistance.
KORETTA/EPIK KOREAN GOVERNMENT PROGRAM
This fairly new, Korea-wide, government-sponsored program places native speakers in every school district in Korea and presents a unique opportunity for the adventurous to live far from tourist routes and population centers. While recruiting and training appear to be performed quite professionally, teachers' living and working experiences vary considerably. Some are welcomed with open arms and treated extremely well. Others, arriving in areas where the program has been forced upon reluctant, under funded schools, are not wanted and this is made clear to them from the beginning. Housing, benefits, reliability of pay, and access to ombudsmen is steadily improving, but still has a long way to go.
PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT
Many full-time English teachers teach part-time as well, either at another institute or with privately-arranged classes. Extra-contractual private instruction is illegal; however many English teachers do take private students. Part-time instruction at a second institute is legal only with permission from the sponsoring institute and Korean immigration authorities. Private students pay more per hour, but some instructors have found it hard to maintain long-term private classes. One should arrange for private lesson fees to be paid prior to each class. The Embassy reminds teachers that they are personally responsible for any violations of Korean teaching and immigration law they might commit.
VISA MATTERS
EMPLOYMENT VISAS
In order to work legally in Korea, one must first obtain the appropriate employment visa. The Korean government tightly controls visa issuance for employment, and sometimes teachers have been unable to obtain visas. A person who wishes to work in Korea must obtain the visa outside Korea. One can, however, come to Korea on a tourist visa, obtain sponsorship documents, and apply for the visa in a nearby country.
Depending on the job and other factors, it can take between one week and two months to obtain the appropriate visa. A teacher arriving in Korea with a teaching visa must register with Korean Immigration and obtain a residence certificate and re-entry permit within 90 days of entry.
Employers, on behalf of Korean government agencies processing your case, may briefly need your passport for visa or permit purposes. Despite what some employers may tell you, you are not required to hand over your passport to your employer for the duration of your stay. It is your passport; keep it yourself.
Korean Immigration offices require the same documentation that was used to obtain the visa, so one should make plenty of copies. The Embassy has a complete listing of the various visa categories and fees, as well as contact information for Korean Immigration offices and for Korean consulates in the United States. Visa categories and fees may change from time to time, so they should always be confirmed with Immigration or a consulate.
REQUIRED FORMS
In order to obtain both the visa and the residence permit (which must be obtained within 90 days of entry) the following documents must be submitted with your passport and application form to either a Korean consulate or the Korean Immigration office
sponsorship guarantee form-notarized(shin-won-po-jun-so)
contract, not less than one year and not more than two years (ko-yong-ke-yak-so)
certificate of employment (che-jik-jun-myung-so)
These documents are supplied by the employer and should be arranged one month in advance to allow for mistakes and other mishaps. In addition, the authorities will probably require the following
- statement of purpose
- resume
- passport photos
- notarized copy of college diploma
- transcripts and/or resumes
- references or substantiating documents from foundation, institute or organizations you are working for
The Ministry of Education, which also must approve the visa and the residence permit, requires English teachers to obtain and submit embassy-notarized copies of their resumes with their applications for residence permits. This can be accomplished quickly. Notarial services cost $30 for the first document, $20 for each additional document.
CHANGING EMPLOYERS
Korean Immigration must approve changes in employment. This is accomplished through leaving Korea and entering under a new visa with a new sponsor. Changing one's employer while in Korea is quite difficult and requires written consent of the original sponsor. Even with such consent, many teachers have found it nearly impossible to effect such a change while in Korea, and some have even been arrested and deported for overstaying their original visas while trying to change employers within the country. Questions on this procedure should be directed to the nearest Immigration office or Korean consulate.
LEGAL WARNING
Some Americans have run into serious legal problems with Korean Immigration because they either work as English teachers while in Korea on tourist visas or they accept part-time employment or private classes without obtaining the proper permission. Violation of Korean immigration laws can result in severe penalties including imprisonment, fines of up to 100,000 won ($100) for each day of overstay, or deportation with a ban on re-entry for up to two years. It is your responsibility to understand local laws and to obey them.
If you violate Korean visa laws, the Embassy cannot assist you other than to provide you with a list of attorneys.
CONTRACTS
Foreign instructors in Korea occasionally have contract disputes with their employers. Many have observed that in the Korean context, a contract appears to simply be a rough working agreement, subject to change depending on the circumstances. Many Koreans do not view deviations from a contract as a breach of contract, and few Koreans would consider taking an employer to court over a contract dispute.
Instead, Koreans tend to view contracts as always being flexible and subject to further negotiation. Culturally, the written contract is not the real contract; the unwritten, oral agreement that one has with one's employer is the real contract. However, many employers will view a contract violation by a foreign worker as serious, and will renege on verbal promises if they feel they can. Any contract should be signed with these factors in mind.
BASIC FEATURES OF MOST TEACHING CONTRACTS
Contracts for teaching positions should include provisions for the following salary, housing, tickets home, working hours, class size, severance pay, taxes, and medical insurance. If these items are not included, one should negotiate until they are. Information on these topics is given below. When in doubt, ask; get it in writing, and remember that only the Korean-language version of the contract is legally binding in Korea.
SALARY
Most contracts provide for either a set monthly salary, or for a salary based on the number of hours taught. In any event, a guaranteed monthly remuneration should be included in the contract. Payment dates, methods, and currency should be specified in advance.
HOUSING
Few contracts provide for housing in Seoul. This can be a serious problem as housing in Seoul is among the most expensive in the world. Housing options include key money (yearly deposit), monthly rent, shared housing, dormitories, lodging houses, and inns.
If your institute does not provide housing, it should at least be able to help you in finding housing, and in negotiating the appropriate rent and utility payments. Teachers who have been promised housing might want to request photos, floor plans or furniture inventories in advance. Koreans have very different ideas of what 'western' and 'furnished' housing mean. 'Furnished' might only mean a linoleum floor and a 2-burner stove. 'Western' usually just means an apartment with an indoor bath.
Koreans measure housing space in 'pyong'. One pyong is approximately 36 square feet. Pyong measurements usually include the front porch, utility room, etc. Monthly rents can run from U.S. $1300 to U.S. $2000 for a modest apartment.
TICKETS HOME
Some institutes promise to provide tickets home upon completion of a contract or to reimburse teachers for the trip to Korea. One should be aware that sometimes this commitment is not honored. Consider requesting an open-ended round trip ticket in advance. Please note that the Embassy does not have funds to help you obtain tickets home.
WORKING HOURS
Most institutes require foreign instructors to teach five to six hours per day, Monday through Friday, and some also ask instructors to teach Saturday morning as well. Universities will usually require 10 to 15 hours per week plus participation in student activities such as editing school newspapers. Research centers usually require 40 hours per week, with occasional uncompensated overtime. Saturday morning is a normal part of the Korean work week. Teachers may have to teach early morning or late evening classes to accommodate working students.
CLASS SIZE
This is usually not spelled out in the contract. Private institutes usually have classes of between 10 to 20 students, while universities can have as many as 100 students in a class.
SEVERANCE PAY (Tae-chi-kum)
The Embassy receives many inquiries and complaints about severance pay issues. It is a good idea to broach this subject early in your employment, and to be prepared for resistance. By Korean law, all full-time employees, Korean or foreign, are entitled to receive severance pay of one month's salary for each year of employment. Employers cannot ask you to waive this, nor can they get around it by employing you on an 11-month contract. However, Korean courts have ruled that unless a hak-won instructor actually TEACHES 40 or more hours per week, as spelled out contractually, he is NOT 'full-time' and is NOT eligible for severance pay.
KOREAN TAXES
Most foreign employees are required to pay Korean income taxes, which are generally withheld and paid by the employer. Teachers working for colleges or universities are sometimes entitled to an exemption from paying Korean taxes for up to two years because of the U.S.-Korea Tax Treaty.
PENSION PROGRAM
Foreigners living in Korea are required to pay into the national pension plan, just as foreigners living in the U.S. must pay into Social Security. An agreement effective April 1, 2001 between the U.S. and Korea improves Social Security protection for people who work or have worked in both countries.
U.S. TAXES
Americans residing abroad are not exempt from filing requirements, but are, under certain conditions, entitled to exclusions on foreign-earned income. More information on overseas income and filing is available from the IRS publications "Tax Guide for U.S. Citizens Abroad" and "Overseas Filers of Form 1040. These and other Federal tax forms are available at the Embassy, or may be downloaded at IRS website.
MEDICAL INSURANCE
Foreign instructors are entitled to Korean medical insurance through their employer. This should be clarified at the time of acceptance of employment. Employers often buy the minimum policy required, which provides about 400,000 won (about $400) worth of coverage. Those desiring more coverage should negotiate with their employers or buy their own.
Medical care in Korea is generally good, but, while not as expensive as in the United States, can still be costly. Many practitioners and hospitals will not accept overseas health insurance, and may require payment before treatment. It is therefore very important for individuals to make sure that insurance or funds are available in case medical care is needed. The Embassy maintains a list of English-speaking medical and dental care providers in Korea, as well as a list of insurers willing to write policies for Americans residing in Korea.
CULTURAL PITFALLS
DIFFERENT EXPECTATIONS
Many types of people teach English in Korea. Some are professionally trained with degrees in TESOL; some hold graduate degrees in other disciplines and teach in Korea because they want to experience another culture; some teach English while doing other things, such as research; some teach while looking for other jobs; some are merely seeking any kind of work to help pay school bills; some are just passing through.
Teachers have differing expectations. They bring their own unique perspectives to their jobs, as well as their own individual reactions to new circumstances. Some expect to be revered and are shocked when they are not; others expect to make a lot of money but later find they actually earn about what a unionized bus driver in Seoul does; some expect to receive a large Western-style house and are disappointed to find themselves living in a modest room. Some teachers have been dismayed to find that their rooms were not air conditioned, and that they would have to work on their birthdays. Having realistic expectations and a flexible attitude prior to starting employment as a teacher in Korea will help prepare you for the inevitable stress and possible disappointment you may encounter.
FOREIGNERS ARE NOT KOREAN
Korean society in general makes a great distinction between one's inner circle of family, friends and business colleagues, and outsiders. One should always treat one's inner circle with complete respect and courtesy, while one treats strangers with indifference. Korea is not an egalitarian society traditionally; one is either of a higher or a lower status than other people. Foreigners do not fit neatly into any scheme. They are normally treated graciously as one would a guest, but they may never be able to break into that close, inner circle.
Koreans who travel abroad most often travel on group tours with other Koreans, or on business trips. Even now, with outbound tourism high, most Korean travelers still visit only friends, relatives or Korean neighborhoods, or travel in groups of other Koreans. Thus, Korean society remains very inwardly focused.
For most Koreans, foreigners exist only as stereotypes, and are not always liked. Living in Korea as a foreigner requires patience and fortitude. Many foreigners have found Koreans can be quite friendly and warm, but a foreigner will seldom be accepted as part of the inner circle; he will almost always be an outsider looking in.
SOCIAL STATUS OF TEACHERS
Teachers are usually treated with great respect in Korea. However, it is also important to exhibit the kind of personal qualities and behavior that help maintain that respect.
A foreign teacher who does disrespectful things, such as dressing or behaving too casually or informally, or losing his temper with a boss he considers unreasonable, would be held in great disdain by most Koreans, and runs the risk of getting into serious trouble with both his employer and the Korean Immigration Office. In other words, one should always present a mature, discreet, dignified and respectful manner.
As a foreigner in Korea you will be highly visible, and you may find living here to be like living in a fish bowl, with everyone around you watching what you do with great interest. Remember that Korean society is more conservative in many ways than American society, and abide by local norms.
THE ESL PROFESSION IS NOT CONSIDERED PROFESSIONAL BY SOME KOREANS
By and large, Koreans do not think teaching ESL is a professional occupation. In fact, many believe any native speaker will do. This of course is based partially on reality-many ESL instructors in Korea have not had any professional training.
KOREAN BOSSES
Korean society is extremely hierarchical. The boss is the boss; he is never openly questioned or criticized. The same mistreatment you may feel you have received from him is probably not limited to his foreign employees. If he has done so to you, he probably also reneges on contracts and makes unreasonable demands of his Korean employees too. As a result, one should be careful in how one deals with one's employer. When discussing issues that might become difficult, one should make sure not to lose one's temper, raise one's voice or speak in less than respectful language.
LACK OF CLEAR COMMUNICATION
Personal interaction and communication within Korean society is often indirect. Many things are left unsaid, but still are understood. Of course, foreigners often do not understand. It is important that one understand what is expected and what is required up front, and that any misunderstanding be solved early on. Otherwise, problems may develop.
CULTURE SHOCK
(This section of advice was written by KOTESOL, the local English Teacher's association.)
When first arriving in a country, one is usually excited and eager for new experiences. After a while, the newness wears off, and homesickness begins. ?Do not judge yourself too severely at this point. It happens to everyone. "I will never understand this place. I want some real food, some real friends, and a real apartment. Why do Koreans do X?"
There is hope and it is usually just a matter of time. As you continue to cope with the realities of living here, you begin to take things for granted which used to annoy you. Life becomes pleasant enough that you no longer care about the inconveniences. You suddenly find that you like kimchi. You realize your students are interesting people to know, that helping them improve their English just adds to that interest; you begin to understand your boss who was such a pain when you came; you make a few good friends who are willing to show you the Korea outside of the foreigner's community, you begin to try and learn some Korean and use it. There are many foreigners in Korea who have come to and remain at this point, - not so much assimilated, but a part of the country in their own niche here, and who wants to spend a long time in Korea.
For many others, however, the feeling eventually comes that it is time to leave. With luck you will realize it before it affects your life too deeply. It is time to leave when you begin to be negative about the country and its people. When you no longer want to go to work; when you dislike your students; when you become irritated with everything and everyone and have angry discussions with others of like mind, it is time to go.
HOW THE EMBASSY CAN HELP
The Embassy, by regulation, cannot enter into any case, conduct any investigation, or act as a lawyer for any personal mishap or employment dispute experienced by a U.S. citizen. We cannot investigate, certify, or vouch for employers. It is up to each individual to evaluate an employer before signing a contract, and to use common sense when traveling this far, including keeping sufficient funds available to return home should the situation become untenable.
However, the Embassy can assist Americans in a variety of ways. The Embassy offers notary services, renews passports, assists with absentee voting registration, and stocks basic U.S. Federal Tax Forms.
We can provide phone numbers of Korean government agencies you may have to deal with. If you find yourself in need of legal help, we can provide a list of attorneys; however, we are unable to recommend any specific lawyer from this list. In case of a financial emergency, we can receive and disburse funds sent to you from a source in the U.S., usually much faster than a bank or wire transfer.
Finally, we encourage all U.S. citizens to register with the Embassy. Registration allows us to contact you in the event of a family emergency. You can also sign up for our monthly ACS newsletter by going to our main page.
We hope that this information has been useful. If you have any problems, please contact the American Citizen Services Branch at the U.S. Embassy, 32 Sejongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-710. Our telephone number for basic information is 02-397-4114. Our Fax number is 02-397-4101.
American Citizen Services is open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9:00-11:30 a.m., and again from 1:30-3:30 p.m. We are closed on Wednesdays and on both U.S. and Korean holidays.
Good luck, and enjoy your stay in Korea! |
