KEY POINTS:
So you're freshly graduated, eager to take care of your student loan and want to do some travelling on the side. Or perhaps you've been in the workforce for some time and are thinking about a change of pace. Reading the classifieds, you keep seeing ads urging you
to teach English in South Korea, offering a year's contract, free fully furnished apartment, free return airfare and a tempting 2.2 million won a month ($3350) in return for an easy 30 hours a week ...
Stop.
If you've been researching the job, you've already run into the "hagwon" horror stories - hagwon is a Korean word for a private cram school. As well as working for universities and the government school system, foreigners are sought after for these private after-school academies that feed Korea's hunger for extra education.
Thousands of institutions jockey for a slice of the 15 trillion won spent on English education annually: as a result, many struggle financially. "The market is saturated with hagwons who simply cannot find enough students to break even," says Paul Robertson, former attorney, hagwon owner, CEO of the web resource Asian EFL Journal and adviser for the help site EFL-Law.com. "It's common for EFL Law to receive about 30 requests a week for help from teachers who suddenly find themselves with no job and no money."
Indeed, many teachers run into trouble with their hagwon when their contract isn't honoured or they encounter cultural barriers. Western and Korean ideas about how to do business differ enormously and many issues arise from mistrust and a lack of understanding on both sides. "The biggest problem overall is Westerners applying Western thinking to Korean culture and Korean employment law - in no way do they match," says Marilyn Innes, CEO of the New Zealand-based recruiting agency World English Service.
Surprise sackings or late pay cheques are common and, when problems occur, there's not a lot a stuck "waegookin" (foreigner) can do; there is little legal recourse for a foreigner on a typical work visa who can't afford the time or money to stick around and chase a dishonest or simply bankrupt boss. "Anyone coming to Korea must be prepared for some kind of problem if they work in a hagwon," says Robertson.
So if the risk that you'll run into a troublesome school is so great, why go at all?
The classic reason is that teaching English in Korea is an opportunity to experience a new culture while earning a decent living. Demand for native speakers is insatiable and the benefits attractive: the competitiveness of the industry ensures that free, fully furnished housing, 50 per cent medical insurance, free return airfare and about $3000 a month - taxed at about 5 per cent - are the least an average job candidate can expect.
Plenty of teachers escape the horror stories and have an enjoyable time with rewarding work and new friends. While some of that is down to good luck, you can swing the odds in your favour by taking your time to choose a school, doing a few months of research and considering carefully how well you'll be able to slot into Korean society. Prospective teachers can do these for a happy, enriching year:
* Generally, avoid schools that have fewer than five permanent employees, 150 students and/or no other foreign teachers.
* You should also check how long the school has been operating and how long the owner/director has been with the school - the longer the better.
* When negotiating your contract, talk to as many foreign teachers as possible - past and present. Ask them if they get paid on time, what their accommodation is like, how holidays are organised, how the school manages teachers' utility bills and what furnishings are included with the apartment.
* Find out the English proficiency of the students, what resources are available in the teachers' facilities and classrooms, how many hours of preparation teachers are expected to put in and if the compulsory one-month bonus upon completion of the contract is paid without any problems.
* The school should have a well-structured curriculum and comprehensive testing procedures.
* Your director should be approachable and have a good command of English. Happy teachers often stay on another year; ask if the teachers want to re-sign.
* Arriving in Korea on a tourist visa with some spare cash and a few weeks to look at potential employers will ensure you know your school, housing and future work-mates thoroughly - and also makes you an extremely desirable job candidate. In this case, bring your university transcripts and diploma with you as you'll need to head overseas - usually Japan - to get a work visa. Directors have been known to try and make you teach while you're still on a tourist visa, but this is illegal and a raid by Immigration will see you fined and deported.
* As well as the school, new teachers should think carefully about location. What do you want to learn about Korea? Many choose Seoul for the nightlife, huge foreigners' network and variety of things to see and do, while others may prefer the country.
The biggest positive for James Guy was living in a small rural town, as it meant he "made lots of Korean friends and got a much more authentic experience". Others may find rural Korea oppressively isolated, without much of a selection of new friends.
Part of the deal, of course, is that you do a good job. Innes suggests you think hard about your reasons for coming to Korea and advises against the experience for someone who just wants to pay off their student loan.
"It's not a working holiday. You should be there to teach English and have a great year in a different culture: the money you make is a bonus."
She suggests researching Korean business etiquette and teaching methods beforehand, but acknowledges that even trained teachers may find Korean teaching practices a shock.
Nickie-Jean Hunia, a primary school teacher who spent a year in Korea, agrees, saying trained teachers need to "leave their New Zealand theories and teaching philosophies at home".
Perhaps the most important aspect of your Korean sojourn is you and your director developing a good working relationship, which in Korea is usually more important than the actual contract. You'll also need to be flexible and willing to follow the Korean way of doing things.
Otago graduate Fiona Cutler, teaching at a large hagwon in Seoul, believes teachers have a better time if they "accept the way things are done rather than getting hooked up on the small things - like occasional lack of communication".
Useful links
* www.efl-law.com: Advice on all things legal in Korea.
* www.hogwan.org: More advice, help and information.
* www.wiki.galbijim.com: Informative overview of everything relating to teaching in Korea.
* www.nzembassy.com: Check out the Republic of Korea section for advice.
* www.english-korea.org: A friendly overview of cultural differences between Korea and the West. Click on "Korean culture".
