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Notice HOME > Notice
 
Posted : 09-07-30
Benefits
 Posted by : ESL AGENT
 

These are the benefits of academies and schools in Korea.

Return Airfare: Schools in Korea provide return airfare to their western staff. In most cases the school will purchase a one-way ticket to Korea, then when the teacher has completed their contract a one-way ticket will be provided for them to return home. 
 
  Furnished Apartment: Schools in Korea typically provide single studio apartments for their western staff. These apartments are free of charge to the teacher, usually within walking distance of the school and are furnished with and not limitted to: a fridge, bed (possible linens), TV, phone, table, chairs, range for cooking and some cooking and eating utensils. Larger cities such as Seoul and Busan tend to offer the smallest apartments. Some apartments may be equiped with their own washing machine and/or an air conditioner. Please Note: Air conditioners are not gauranteed and typically are in place because the previous teacher purchased one on their own. 
 
  Competitive Salary: Salaries vary depending on your desired location and the qualifications you have obtained. Generally speaking, teachers in Korea can expect to earn 1.8 million Won to 2.4 million Won. Currency Converter. Remember: The better schools in desirable locations typically offer lower salaries then other schools with less desirable working conditions and locations. Why? The quality schools with good locations have enough applicants to select from who are willing to work for slightly less in order to gain employment with a credible school and live in a more favorable area. 
 
  Severance Pay: Schools in Korea provide a severance package to their teachers who complete the full 12 month contract. The Severance pay (also referred to as The completion Bonus) will be the equivalent to 1 months salary. 
 
  International Work Experience : Working in Korea gives teachers the ability to broaden their horizons and gain a true international working experience. Employers view new employees with international work experience in high regards and value their ability to take on new challenges and overcome the fear of change. 
 
  Limited Taxation: Western teachers in Korea can expect to pay only 3% to 5% of their monthly salary to the Korean Revenue Agency. The amount a teacher pays depends on the salary the teacher is making. Schools in Korea will deduct these taxes directly from your monthly salary, therfore filing tax claims and receipts in Korea is not required. 
 
  Health Coverage: Schools in Korea are required (by Korean law) to cover 50% of their western staffs health coverage. The remaining 50% of the coverage is usually deducted from the teachers monthly salary which usually accounts for a minimal 1.5% - 2.5% of the teachers salary. 
 
  Pension Plan: Although Korean schools are required to pay into the national pension scheme, most employers fail to do so because there is no government office in place to monitor or enforce the rule. Please Note: Schools that do not offer the pension plan tend to offer higher salaries to compensate for the difference. Additionally, just because a specific school doesnt pay into the scheme does not mean the school itself is not credible or financially stable; the fact is many established schools with exellent reputations also fail to pay into the scheme. Schools located in the Seoul metro area tend to offer the plan more than schools located in other parts of the country. For teachers who gain employment with schools that provide a pension plan, they can expect to contribute 4.5% of their monthly salary into the plan. The school will match this 4.5% each month for a total of 9% entered over the course of your 12 month contract. The full amount will be reimbursed once you return home. (The pension plan is only available for North American citizens only). 
 
  Visa Sponsorship: Korean schools are responsible for sponsoring their foreign staff. The E2 visa sponsorship is granted to western teachers and is based on a 12 month working period. Once a teacher has obtained the working visa, they can legally enter Korea as a foreign worker. After the 12 month contract expires, teachers will need to extend their working visa or find employment with a new school and ultimately apply for a new visa. Gone2Korea is here to help and guide our teachers through each step of the visa application process. 
 
  Vacation Time: Teachers can expect 2 weeks of paid vacation time in addition to all Korean National Holidays. 
 
  National Holidays: Depending on the year, National Holidays in Korea can account for an additional 10 to 14 days of vacation time. 
 
  1 Year Contract: Although 6 month contracts are available for specific circumstances, the large majority of contracts found throughout Korea are for 12 months. 
 
  Teaching Hours: (25-30 hrs/week) Teachers in Korea can expect to teach (in the classroom) for only 30 hours per week (This is the industry average). Although the in-class teaching time is minimal, it is important for teachers to realize that all Korean schools require their teachers to put in prep time everyday. Prep time includes, making photo copies for your students, organizing books and related games, preparing your flash cards, etc. Please Note: Prep time can range from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on the school. Gone2Korea will inform you of the schools requirements prior to your interview with them. 
 
  Teaching Materials: Korean schools supply teaching related resources for their staff. Teaching resources usually include: flashcards, photocopiers, paper, coloring tools, white boards and/or black boards, shared office computers, English related games, CD players and English learning CDs, story books, student books, work books and so on. Each school will provide different resources and do not expect every school to have all of the items listed above.
 
  Cost Of Living: Paying monthly utility bills, buying groceries and other day to day expenses such as transportation, usually accounts for 400,000 to 600,000 Won a month depending on the city and the amount of hot water, electricity and phone usage. Monthly expenses in Korea are less expensive than most western countries. 
 
  Overtime Pay: Overtime is paid out to teachers who work above and beyond 120 teaching hours per month. Overtime is based on the length of the class and the location. Schools in the larger urban areas usually provide 18,000 to 25,000 Won per 50 minute class, and 15,000 to 18,000 Won for classes that are less than 50 minutes. 
 
  Challenging Role: Although the jobs are fun, they tend to require more attention than many people assume. Teaching English in Korea is a challenging job and making sure the students learn is a big responsibility. 
 
  Opportunity To Absorb A New Culture: People who enjoy new cultures and traditions will find South Korea offers a lot. The, food, countryside, traditions, lifestyle, fashion and most importantly the people are very unique and a visitor to the country will be pleasantly surprised. 
 
  Chance To Meet Interesting People: There are many interesting people to meet in Korea ranging from the locals to other teachers and travelers. Currently there are more than 10, 000 western teachers teaching English as a second language in Korea and this number continues to grow each year. You will find that most of these teachers are open minded, out going, and eager to develop new friendships. Many people who teach in Korea make life long friends with numerous people from Korea and from other English speaking countries. 


 
   
 

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