Higher Salaries for Korean ESL Teachers

Hi. I´m grateful for this forum because we can express some of our ideas.I´m serious in finding new jobs somewhere with good salary,but why do employers ask for age.Does age matter in teaching the young? I think the more we age,the more we know and tne more we become compassionate. Don´t you think so?

Maria I agree completely. Unfortunately, I think some employers believe younger teachers can more easily relate to small children and young adults (even though their skills and wisdom are not fully developed).

Age should have nothing to do with it.

Dear David,
HO HO HO!!! I have got two problems: first, I have become 53 years old with lots of cheerfulness and affection to accomodate others with love and care that can overwhelm the oceans; second, I have always been regarded as a highly competitive advanced bilingual instructor in American environment when I find myself unable to get a job with an employer who appreciates nonantive speakers! Isn´t this something? Cheer up fellows!!!

Thanks David.Well then, I can´t argue with the employers´ decision.But I´m positive still for your help with regard to finding good job somewhere.Ihave good experiences with teaching children as well as adults.More power.

From a Western perspective, there are no high wages for foreign teacher in Korea. With a monthly salary of around 1000 USD per month, it is still much better in China but much less than what you would get in Japan, the Middle East or in Europe. Stop dreaming! And there are many crooks running a school - so beware and do not trust any promises that would not be kept! The same applies with respect to China. Better look for a teaching position at one of the public schools or universities. They are quit safe and you will comfortable conditions and circumstances of living!
Avoid by all means the hagwons - they are lousy, and very often they are filthy, too!

I think you are painting with too broad of a brush. There are several hagwons that are professional and pay extremely well. They make you work many hours, but if you want to make money this can be a good route to travel.

Moreover I believe you are quite incorrect about the monthly salary in Korea for ESL teachers. The average wage is US$ 2250/month. With extra hours or privates it is easy to make US$3800/month Further the income tax rate is only about 3.3%. Most ESL teachers report saving between US$ 12,000 and $18,000 per year.

Consistently Korea salaries among the highest in the world for ESL teachers.

Maria, if you are looking for a job in Korea, part of your problem is that you aren´t white. Sorry for being so blunt but there´s no point in beating around the bush. However, don´t let that put you off. There are hakwan jobs that you can get, you´ll just have to be patient. Same issue as age. I´m coming up 42 and haven´t had a problem in getting a job.

Yes, I agree with David.
The salaries are consistently very high in Korea, and the cost of living is much lower than in Japan. The only place with higher salaries would be in the Gulf countries, such as Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, etc. But not everyone wants to go and teach there, particularly women. Most of the positions I´ve seen in China hover between $800-$1000 US with the same perks as elsewhere (free apartment, Internet & phone service, airfare reimbursement, etc.) so China is not a place to go and make tons of money. I think the cultural experience would be unforgettable, though.
Also, like Linda stated, they usually expect someone who is going to be teaching English to be white and young. This is just their idealistic view of the "perfect" teacher. If you are a native English speaker (with an English-sounding name) I think it is much easier to find a position.
But, even then, some countries will discriminate. I cannot work in many Asian countries (including Korea) because I do not have a 4-year degree, and refuse to steal one off the Internet. I have my TESOL certification, along with a Special Needs Teaching Assistant certificate from a recognized college here in Canada, and many years of experience dealing with children with learning disabilities. I really don´t think that having a University degree (in Biology, for example) would make me a better English teacher.

David may be right with his comments on EFL jobs salaries - I have my information from the 1980s, and I have seen job offer ads offering very much the same amount. So I thought it was more or less still the same.
However, it does notr change the fact that there are many crooks around those running hagwons, and I would never work for any of them! Some decent university position - OK, no private schools!

I agree that too many hagwons have issues. However, there are a few that are quite respectable, pay way more than other positions though you will work 160 to 180 hours to earn that money. Many public school positions are worthwhile and of course a good University position probably cannot be beat.

Thanks Linda and Wendy for responding.i appreciate it so much.Now I fully understand that Korean schools prefer white than any other nationalities.I can´t argue about it but to my surprise,it´s so ironical.I come from the Philippines and every month or every semester our government receives hundreds of Koreans coming to our country to learn English and I saw that in the university where I was teaching before I came to Thailand.We even have English Language Schools for them so all the while I thought they don´t discriminate non-white teachers. For me this is a big WHY ?

Many agencies recruit teachers, do they land their recruits to schools or.....?

Hi.What´s the poop about jobs nowadays? As to your experiences as agency on recruitment, which is preferred by most applicants,China or Singapore?. I appreciate so much if I´m enlighted about this.Thanks and more power.

In China, they discriminate as well - they mostly want long nose and white looking people as Foreign teachers. They would prefer to employ an Icelander with a heavy accent over a black looking American who is a real native speaker of English. What a shame - they have a lot of hidden racism there but nobody wants to admit that officially!

Has anyone taught English in Paris France? If so, can anyone please tell me about their experiences positive or negative ones? Thank you very much, Christine

I would like to teach English in Spain sometime; however all of the jobs that I have seen posted only want teachers who have an EU citizenship. Does anyone know how an American teacher can get a position as an English teacher in either a university or a public school? Thank you very much, Christine