ESL Classifieds
University jobs in South Korea are some of the most amazing TEFL jobs in the world because of the low number of teaching hours and the 4-5 months paid vacation, but how can you actually get one? Hopefully you have a masters degree, and are already living in Korea with a year or two of experience teaching adults because then it will not be so difficult for you. But, you never know because even if you don’t, it’s all about being in the right place at the right time. Maybe there is a person who decides not to take a job a week before the semester starts and they call you, looking for a warm body who is in Korea, with all their documents and ready to work. Or, maybe your friend is already working at a university gives you a stellar recommendation, in which case it really is possible to get a university job in Korea even if you aren't the most qualified person.
In order to get a clearer picture of how people find university jobs in South Korea, I posted an informal poll on “Foreign Teachers in Korean Universities” Facebook group asking people about their experiences. There were more than 200 participants and the responses were as follows:
ESL Cafe Job Board: 36%
Through a friend: 34%
Through a job site besides ESL Cafe: 14%
Networking: 7%
Dropping application off at a university or applying through the university website: 7%
As you can see, job boards and friends/networking are extremely important. If you want to get some solid advice about which job boards you should be looking on as you search for a job in Korea, check out the book on Amazon, “How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreams.” It also contains some top tips as well as common mistakes to avoid as you network your way to a job in a South Korean university.
Good luck on getting this oh so sweet of ESL teaching jobs working at a Korean university!