ESL Jobs in Korea
Date: 4 December 2015
Andong National University - English Education Department
Address: Gyeongbuk, Andong, Songcheon-dong 388, Republic of Korea
Application Deadline: 12-midnight December 31st, 2015.
Short-List: Successful candidates only will be notified by January 5, 2016. Portfolios of all candidates will be deleted out of respect for your privacy after recruitment for this position has ended.
Interviews: We will interview short-listed candidates on Skype or in-person during the week of January 11 - 15.
Contract Duration: Renewable contract begins on March 1, 2016.
Short Description: We are looking for an energetic, articulate, motivated, independent, qualified, reflective and empathetic instructor to teach conversation, listening, writing and content classes at the English Education Department (Teachers’ College) of Andong National University.
Apart from conversation, writing and listening classes with motivated undergraduate, you may also be required to teach, content classes (multimedia, culture) and introductory conversation teaching methodology classes as well as conversation for graduate students. You can largely design these classes as you wish. Your students will use English in a very real way after graduation as Korean public middle- and high-school teachers. This aspect of our program gives the job meaning and provides professional job satisfaction, both of which can be elusive in many EFL teaching environments. If you enjoy teaching, and want to be challenged as an educator, please apply.
Location: Andong National University (Gyeongbuk)
Andong is a rural city, with ease of access to an abundance of outdoor recreation opportunities, home to traditional markets and the famous International Mask Dance Festival in September. Residents here enjoy a low-stress lifestyle with access to most amenities including the retail grocery outlets Home Plus and Emart. Instructor housing is located within 3 minutes of an H-Mart supermarket, many restaurants, pubs and the Nakdong River, which has recreation facilities, including a basketball court, an earthen soccer field, outdoor exercise equipment, and kilometers of walking and cycling paths. The university is well-serviced by city transit and commuting by bicycle takes approximately 23 minutes along a route mostly separated from traffic.
1) from Daegu: One and a half hours north by bus;
2) from Daejon: Two and a half hours east by bus;
3) from Seoul: Three hours southeast by bus; four hours by train.
Academic Qualifications and Minimum Work Experience:
[1] Qualifications: B.A. , M.A. or M.Ed. in English Literature, English Linguistics, English Language Teaching, TESOL/TEFL, English Education, Applied Linguistics or related fields.
[2] Preference given to holders of TEFL certification (100 hours or more).
[3] Minimum work experience: 5 years total ESL/EFL teaching experience with young adult learners. Ideally, applicants will have teaching experience in Asian middle or high school combined with university language center experience.
Compensation Package and Working Conditions:
[1] Period of employment: March 1, 2016, to February 28, 2017. Contract is renewable with mutual agreement.
[2] Class content: freshman, sophomore and junior conversation, listening and academic writing classes. The successful candidate may teach some department content courses and teaching methodology classes as well. Class size is typically 10 - 18 students though classes as small as 6 students and as large as 30 students can sometimes occur.
[3] Monthly Salary: ₩2,400,000. A large private office with phone, computer and internet is provided.
[4] Weekly contact hours: 13 teaching hours; 5 office hours. Normally this is spread over a four-day workweek although this is not contractually guaranteed. Considerable prep time beyond the contact hours is also required.
[5] Overtime hours beyond the contractual 13 contact hours a week are paid out at 30,000 won/hour. Currently there is a moratorium on overtime but OT is still occasionally required. Rarely does OT exceed one or two extra teaching hours per week.
[6] English Conversation Camp for English Education majors: After the end of each semester, and before vacation leave, we offer students the opportunity to take part in a conversational “camp” in order to provide a boost for their oral production skills. Typically, the camp runs Monday – Thursday, 12 hours/week for 3 weeks. This is contractually specified as 40 hours altogether. These lessons are intimate, normally with 4 - 6 students. We encourage nonacademic, entertaining topics with an emphasis on casual-style oral production.
[7] Paid Vacation: contractually, a 30-day holiday at the end of each semester. Frequently, these two holidays are somewhat longer.
[8] Fully-furnished studio accommodation (26 m2 with glassed in laundry/storage area) in university building dedicated to foreign teaching staff. There is also a small outdoor common area with picnic table, covered bicycle parking and laundry line. Each apartment is equipped with a full-sized fridge, two-burner gas stove, flat-screen TV, washing machine, air conditioning and floor heating. Utilities and additional services paid by the employee.
[9] Additional Compensation: Medical insurance (50% paid by employer); national pension program (50% paid by employer); one month severance pay upon completion of one-year contract.
[10] Additional Duties: the employee will assist the Department of English Education and its faculty as needed (e.g., student performances, school festivals, workshops, off-campus camps, etc.). These occasions are infrequent.
Application Process and Materials for Document Screening:
[1] Applicants must submit a portfolio via email. The portfolio MUST be in the form of a single PDF document. Portfolios received as numerous individual documents will not be reviewed.
[2] Your portfolio MUST be constructed as follows (page numbers are approximate):
Page 1: Formal cover letter addressed to Chairman, English Education Department, Andong National University. An address block is not required. Simply state your purpose, intent and what skills and experiences you have to offer our department. Keep it brief and to the point.
Pages 2 - 4: Curriculum Vitae (3 pages maximum). Ensure that your resume includes a valid e-mail address as this will be our first line of contact.
Pages 5 - 7: Recommendation letters.
Please submit at least two (three is better) recent recommendation letters from persons of authority (program/department directors, school principals, teacher coordinator). Provide phone numbers for direct contact.
Page 8: Your teaching philosophy.
Pages 9-14: Written responses to six interview questions.
Written Interview Questions
Please answer the following questions, repeating the question at the top of each response. Please also be brief. Use a standard 14-point font such as Calibri and line-spacing of 1.15 for ease of reading. Thank you.
[1] What is your view of the use of L1 in the L2 classroom and why? Do those views differ outside of class during less formal interactions with students?
[2] In a truly conversational setting, how do you encourage students to talk, maximizing oral output of English? What do you consider to be the ideal ratio of teacher talk to student output? Finally, how do you balance reticent students with those who tend to dominate the conversation?
[3] Describe learning outcomes regarding a 45-hour, Beginning Academic Writing class for sophomores. The focus is writing structured paragraphs. Include three paragraph types you would teach and why.
[4] For conversation classes, we discourage the use of canned materials such as textbooks, made-for-ESL videos and such. Discuss materials and activities you would conceivably use in your freshman, sophomore and junior conversation classrooms. Why?
[5] Regarding reflective teaching practice, what is the most significant change you have made to your teaching style in the last 12 months? Why?
[6] How does your own experience as a second language learner shape the content, approach and learning outcomes of your university EFL conversation classroom?
Pages 15 - 18: one sample of a detailed lesson plan for a middle school, high school or university conversation class (can involve all language skills); must include original worksheets created by you.
Pages 19 - 20: one 2-page sample of a detailed lesson by lesson, 15-week syllabus designed for a conversation class. If you have one, include an additional 2-page sample of an academic writing class.
Additional Pages: if you wish, include up to 5 additional pages/slides of material you consider fundamental to your portfolio (one page of photos max).
Official Document Pages: scans of passport, university diploma and academic certificates. Include your current E-2 visa, if applicable.
After screening portfolios, short-listed candidates will be notified by e-mail by January 5, 2016. Applicants must be available for a Skype or personal interview at some point between January 11th and 15th.
Please submit the portfolio via email to Instructional Coordinator Brian Grover at brian 'at' speekeezy 'dot' ca.
Thank you very much for your interest in our department and the best of luck to all applicants!