Landing a University Job Teaching English in Korea

A reader with a graduate degree, currently at a university in the USA recently asked:

What’s the best way to get a university position in Korea?

The best way to land a good university/college job in Korea is more about method than a specific school (most are fine).

Find a good list of schools and apply to all of them. It is probably advantageous to apply via regular mail also as English departments at universities/colleges tend to regularly rotate the chairmanship among the faculty.

That way your package of information can just be addressed to the Chairman/Chairperson of the English Department rather than going to a specific individual’s email address who might even be on sabbatical or away from campus for an extended period.

If you are really serious . . .

To get your foot in the door it would be worth going in person to Korea and working a specific area or city.  If you are new to Korea, take a good look at some of the secondary cities. Due to the good public transportation system you are never really far from Seoul, Busan, Daegu or Daejon, so look for universities just outside those cities.

So many teachers want only to be in Seoul that the schools there tend to have their pick of people.   It is the secondary and tertiary cities that are your best bet for a first university position.

Landing that first university job in Korea can be difficult without an introduction or at least a face-to-face meeting.  That doesn’t mean it can’t be done, it just is easier in person or with connections.

Look around your current university for Koreans studying for advanced degrees.  You never know who might be able to connect you.  It really is a culture of personal contacts.

Informational Interviews

If you showed up in person doing “informational” type interviews right about March 1, you would have likely have luck somewhere.

The academic school year starts in early March – not September – so March is the best time to show up. There are always openings as some teachers fail to show up, others arrive and bail out and that  leaves schools looking for someone to put in place quickly.

Korea typically wants some prior tertiary level teaching experience, but if you are at the right place at the right time . . .

China as an option

A lot of people go to China to get their university experience then move on to places that pay more. That’s a good option too.

TED’s Tips™ #1:  University jobs are not difficult to land if you have a graduate degree.  An undergrad degree is fine for university positions in China.

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