Private Language Institutes
These private language institutes are very popular in Korea. Some of these institutes are well known and located in many areas and the sizes are various from small to large. Most private language institutes operate morning and evening classes. Full time Native Instructors are expected to work at least 30 hours per week. Most private language institutes, anything over 30 hours will be counted and paid as overtime. Some private language institutes do accept part-timers.
The number of students in a private language institutes class varies for different ones. Some private language institutes will not have more than 7 students in a class while others will have more than 20 students. Students who take classes in the private language institutes include kinder-gardeners, teenagers, college students, businessmen, housewives etc.
Most private language institutes will provide housing and other benefits for full-time instructors. The average salary range is about 2,100,000 - 2,500,000 Won per month. (US $ 2,100 ~ 2,700).
University/Public Language Institutes
These schools are operated by universities or government. Some of these Schools go by the university name while others do not. Also a lot of Language schools go by the name of a university that has nothing to do with it and this can be confusing.
The majority of students here are businessmen. There are also university and regular students. These institutes tend to hire mostly Instructors with TESOL certificates and years of teaching experience.
The Pay status and benefits offered by these Institutes are a little higher than others and have more job security
Most universities offer a pay rate of 2.4 million won plus per month, with good housing and benefits, and summer and winter vacations usually paid. Typically, university employment requires less in- class teaching time, but does require the teacher to be available for students during all regular school hours.
Language Research Centers
These are research institutes operated by either government agencies or private companies.
Most of these institutes will hire a person with a degree in humanities, economics or business administration as editors, Proof-Readers, research publications, speeches writers, translators and teachers.
Most of these institutes pay quite well, and even provide housing. Instructors here seldom experience problems with visas since these institutes are affiliated with a large corporation or government agency
Usually, these positions are posted in major newspapers, or people are directly recruited from their country of origin specifically for their special skills. Check the job board for any updates on these positions.
In-House ESL Instructors of Companies
Most large corporate affiliates have their own in-house programs. These are In-House programs run by mostly large corporate companies. Most are intensive training programs where students learn Business English for a certain period of time, mostly six months.
Benefits here could be pretty attractive but vary depending on who and where you are working. The typical instructor can expect to teach more than 30 hours per week, teaching all day from early in the morning to late at night. Most are intensive programs where the students study for three to six months. Some employers provide full benefits including housing, but the instructor may be required to either live on campus or commute long distances from Seoul. The average salary for these institutes is currently between 2.3 to 2.8 million won per month (US $ 2,400 to US $ 2,900).
( Editing/Advertising/Media) As more Korean residents speak English, the employment opportunities for foreigners working in this area are decreasing. Nowadays, few public relations and advertising companies will hire a foreigner. Instead more opportunities seem to be arising from television programs, movies and radio. Most of these positions pay exceptionally well but usually offer only part-time work. There is a lot of work available in translation and Proof-Reading, but again these are mostly part time or "by the job" opportunities.
Public Schools
There are many affluent elementary and middle schools in Korea that have more advanced English programs and regularly hire foreign instructors. The requirements for these positions are the same as private language institutes, but generally require the teacher to have at least one year's teaching experience in Korea. The pay and benefits are similar to university positions, 2.3 million won, housing, vacations, airfare, and medical. The class hours are generally short, with much time allotted for lesson preparation and in-school tutoring.