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Living in Korea
G.O.A.'L Guide to Living in Korea for Overseas Adopted Koreans
l Home l Driving l F4 visa l Housing l Health Insurance l Links l Working l
For current job postings, visit the G.O.A.'L Job Openings - Forum.
MOSAIK - Multinational Opportunities Supporting Adoptee Initiatives Korea
Adoptees looking to learn more about business and working in Korea are encouraged to get involved with MOSAIK (formerly known as HIBSOK). Founded by KoRoot and Korean adoptees living in Korea in 2005, MOSAIK's mission is to provide a networking forum to foster opportunities for professionals in Korea and abroad, by organizing networking socials and other educational business programs. Together with HIBSOK, G.O.A.'L co-organized a workshop on "Professional Networking in Korea" at the 2007 IKAA Gathering in Seoul.
Chambers of Commerce & Business Clubs
We also invite you to visit our links section, and scroll down to "PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING" for links to the various chambers of commerce and business associations available to those living in or having an interest in doing business in Korea.
Internships
Adoptees that are university students and thinking about working in Korea should consider finding an internship. In recent years many European adoptees have been able to do internships at their respective embassy in Korea, e.g. Denmark, France, Norway, etc. However, for Americans, the US Embassy is quite large, and therefore internship opportunities are quite competitive and not as easy to obtain. For specific details on embassy internships, please refer to your country's embassy website - links are provided on our links page.
You should also consider contacting your country's chamber of commerce or business club (see above) to inquire about the various companies doing business in Korea.
Law students from the US interested in doing a summer internship at a Korean law firm, should start looking in the summer or early fall preceding the desired summer. Applications are usually due by the end of the year for the following summer. These internships are often paid a stipend.
Job Search Websites
Many adoptees find jobs in the education sector, i.e., teaching English and sometimes other languages or subjects to Korean students or adults. These jobs range from teaching at private institutes (hagwons) to public schools and universities, as well as at companies and private tutoring arrangements. An individual's education-level, as well as experience will determine their qualifications for specific jobs.
Useful webites (in English and Korean) that jobseekers in Korean often use to find both education sector and other professional employment opportunities are:
English Spectrum
Dave's ESL Cafe
ESL Korea
ESL Pro
ESL Employment
Expat-advisory (under jobs)
Freelangs
Hibrain (in Korean)
Hi Teacher
IT Korea (mostly in Korean)
Julice's Korean Job
Korea Herald
Ohappyjob
Okay Korea
Teach Korea
Transkorea2000
You Love It
Worknplay
Executive Search Firms (Headhunters)
For adoptees with extensive work experience and specific (specialized) skill sets, there are a number of executive search firms operating in Korea. The following is a listing of firm names, both local boutiques and internationally known global firms:
Adecco Korea
Amrop Hever Korea, Inc.
Benchmark partners, Ltd.
Boyden International, Inc.
Brain 202 Co., Ltd.
Daymon Worldwide Korea Club Demonstration Services Inc.
Divine Staffing Services
Headfirst C&S
Heidrick & Struggles (Korea) Inc.
Honors Career International
JobKorea
KK Consulting, Inc./Member of Cornerstone Int’l Group
Korn Ferry Int’l
LFR Korea Ltd.
McKinney Consulting Inc.
MRI Worldwide Korea, Inc.
Paragon Consulting
PeopleCare Search
Position Inc.
PowerExec Search & Consulting
Star Communications, Inc.
Top Business Consultant Services, Inc.
Unico Search Inc.
Venture People Corp.
You & Partners Inc.
(Source: American Chamber of Commerce Directory 2008)
National Pension Benefits
Adoptees that have worked full-time for a company (usually excluding teachers working at hagwons) in Korean have likely gotten a monthly pension payment taken out of their salary. When they leave Korea to return to their adoptive country, in most cases, such employees are eligible for a lump-sum refund of these pension payments. We encourage you to ask your employer for details, as well as visit the National Pension Service website for more information on how to claim your pension refund as long as your country has an agreement in place with Korea.
Health Insurance
Adoptees working in Korea for a company will normally be automatically subscribed to the National Health Insurance plan. For more information on health insurance, coverage, cost, etc. click here.
English Teaching Guide
The following information is meant to be a general guide & useful tips to adoptees who are considering teaching English in Korea, but does not claim to cover all teaching jobs, circumstances, types of employers, working hours, etc. as the details of each job may vary from employer to employer. However, you should note that if your employer's contract offer varies greatly from the below, you might want to reconsider and look for other job possibilities. If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please contact G.O.A.'L by sending an email to info@goal.or.kr.
Teaching English at Private Institutes/Academies
(학원/hagwon in Korean)
With regard to salary and benefits, an adoptee can expect the following contract terms for an English teaching position IF s/he meets the following requirements: (1) English is your first language (i.e., your nationality is from the US, Canada, Australia, England, etc.) and (2) you have a bachelor's degree from at least a 4-year university/college -- any major is fine. No teaching experience is required, however, if you have experience you can negotiate for a higher salary or better contract terms.
Salary:
At least KRW 2 million per month (less about 3-5% income tax), with an average montly salary ranging from KRW 2-2.7 million/month (as of April 2009, the exchange rate is equivalent to USD 1500-2050).
Severance Pay:
By Korean law, any employee that successfully completes 12 months of work is entitled severance pay equivalent to one month's regular salary (a.k.a. "bonus", "13th month salary", "retirement pay" etc.) paid by the employer at the conclusion of a 12-month contract. This includes English teachers. Please note: this is NOT a BONUS as some institutes advertise, instead it is a legal entitlement mandated by the Korean government.
Work hours:
A typical work-week consists of roughly 30 actual teaching hours per week. This does not include lunch or other meal breaks, nor prep time to be spent at the institute. Also, with the exception of perhaps Chungdam Institute (CDI), most hagwons do not expect their teachers to work on weekends unless at an over-time rate that is paid in addition to one's normal monthly salary.
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If students are pre-school/kindergarten or elementary school age, then working hours are typically during the day, i.e., 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (five to eight classes & break/prep time)
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If students are middle/high school age, then work hours tend to occur in the evening, i.e., 2:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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If students are college age or working adults, teaching hours are scheduled either early morning, e.g., 6:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. or latter evenings, 6:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
* During winter and summer vacation periods (normally the months of January and July/August) many institutes provide special "intensive" courses. Therefore, working hours often switch to daytime and instructors can usually earn extra money during these periods, while possibly working additional hours.
Housing
Single or shared (with another instructor from the same institute) housing is typically provided by the employer. Such housing is usually partially furnished, but utilities are paid by the employee.
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Housing allowance (stipend) of KRW 300,000-500,000 and possibly a loan of key money deposit (average of KRW 5 million).
Experience
Prior teaching experience is not necessary to find a job with an hagwon. However, if you have teaching experience or a degree in education/teaching, and/or TESOL certificate or related teaching certification, you may be able to use these credentials to receive a better-than-average salary.
NOTES: The above info assumes that you fit the requirements of being a speaker of English, with English being your first language. Koreans often say "NATIVE SPEAKER" - but be advised that this usually implies a Caucasian individual and not a Korean-looking person.
In addition to the above, adoptees should prepare themselves to face some adversity when applying for English teaching jobs in Korea. Often times, Koreans think that if you are Korean-looking, you can't speak English fluently, or that you should or are expected to speak Korean. For many, this double-edged sword of prejudice can be quite frustrating. Therefore, G.O.A.'L advises potential teachers to contact several different potential employers, sometimes more than ten (10), to find a good fit for both your skills/education, as well as personal preferences. Also, you may want to tell potential employers over the phone (or via email application) that you have a Korean appearance, but that you were adopted and raised overseas, so that you don't speak Korean, and do in-fact fit the definition of "English" speaker.
Some key points you want to check that are in place with a potential employer to minimize your chances of being hired by someone that does not value or respect you:
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Employment contract is in writing -- clearly defines your job, hours, salary, severance pay, housing, etc.
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Medical insurance/Pension/Taxes - how much?
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R/T airfare included - Y/N?
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Paid/unpaid training period
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Curriculum provided? |
