John Morgan Recruiting

No. Quite simply, there is a huge demand for English teachers in Korea and these incentives help increase the draw of coming to teach in Korea. The free housing, airfare and bonus make it quite easy to save a lot and leave Korea will a good start on the future.

Yes, they do. All standard contracts will call for some kind of housing paid by the employer. Housing will either be single housing in a studio apartment or shared housing with another teacher. In the case of shared housing, each teacher will have their own bedroom and the kitchen/living room area will be shared.

At any rate the kind of housing provided by the school will be clearly written in the contract. You should specify which kind of housing you prefer on your application. While single housing has become more common in recent years, housing in Seoul and Busan is quite expensive and with some schools that have a large staff, they simply cannot offer single housing. If you have strong preferences one way or the other, it may take longer to place you in a school. Teachers who are flexible with regard to housing will find placement in a school easier.

Housing will be smaller than North American standards (by about 30%) but apartments will be clean and modern and close to the place of employment. All apartments will contain basic furnishings such as fridge, gas range, kitchen utensils, bed, bedding, table and chairs, wardrobe, washing machine, towel rack, TV, air conditioner. While the apartment is provided free of charge, the teacher will be responsible for paying the ultilities such as gas, cable, maintence and phone. These fees are inexpensive and usually average between 40,000 and 80,000 per month depending on the month. Basic cable charges and phone charges are usually quite cheap (usually less than 10,000 each). Phone charges will be more if you make a lot of long-distance calls but we highly recommend using pre-paid phone cards to call home to save yourself a lot of money.

The national pension is required by law and schools are expected to be paying into it. 4.5% of the teacher’s monthly salary is deducted each month and put into a pension which can be taken back when the teacher leaves Korea. The 4.5% that is put in by the teacher is matched by the employer, so a full 9% each month is placed in a pension for the teacher and may be claimed upon leaving the country. This does add up to almost a full month’s salary after one year. You can verify your pension amount by calling or visiting the pension office and providing them with your pension account number. This number is the same number that is on your Alien Registration Card.

Teachers will be required to show proof that they are leaving the country at the pension office. The pension contributions will be sent directly to the account in the teacher’s home country.

You should also note that as of this writing, only those countries with a reciprocal social securities agreement in place are eligible for a full pension refund. As of right now, the countries with an agreement in place, and thus eligible for a full refund, are Canada, the U.S. and Australia.

For more information in English on the national pension or to ask them questions, visit their website at: http://www.nps.or.kr/jsppage/english/main.jsp

Under Korean law, employers are required to pay a full month’s salary bonus for each year of employment. This is required by law and all schools must provide this bonus. This bonus will be equal to a full month’s salary (so that if your monthly salary is 2.2 million, in the last month of your contract you will receive 4.4 million – your salary of 2.2 million and the severance of 2.2 million). It is a nice bonus to have at the end of the contract and with the teachers last salary, plus the severance bonus, plus all pension contributions, the teacher usually leaves Korea with quite a bit of money.

Yes, but you will need to make sure that you have a multiple reentry permit in your passport. Without this reentry permit you will not be permitted back into the country. These are very easy to get and you can apply for a multiple reentry at immigration in Korea when you go to apply for your Alien Registration Card. Many teachers plan trips during the summer/winter week off to Thailand, the Philippines, China, Vietnam and many other great destinations.

Yes. Vacation time will be stated in the contract. Most contracts call for two weeks vacation, one week in the summer and one week in the winter. In addition to those weeks, teachers receive all national holidays off.

Your ticket will be confirmed and paid for once the date to receive your E-2 visa stamp in your passport has been confirmed by the Korean consulate or embassy in your home country. Your ticket will either be sent in the form of an electronic ticket to your email account or as a paper ticket sent by FedEx to your home address.

Yes, you will be met at the airport either by a member of Morgan Recruiting or by a representative of your school (or both). You will see your name on a card as you depart the terminal. We will arrange your transportation into the city.

No. The schools that we work with will provide you will a one-way ticket to Korea from the closest international airport to your destination in Korea. Upon completion of your contract you will receive another ticket back to your original point of origin.

Most salaries fall in the range of 2 million-2.5 million won depending on your experience and qualifications. The majority of positions fall between 2.1-2.2 million. It is possible, in some cases, to negotiate a higher salary with certain qualifications. However, I would advise that it is important, when looking for a job, not to get too hung up on a job that pays an extra 100,000 won per month (about $4 per day) and instead focus on finding a school in a location you are comfortable with. Your job satisfaction will more than compensate for a few extra dollars.

Job benefits include free housing, free airfare, health insurance, paid vacation, one month paid severance bonus and pension contributions. To read more about the benefits and overall job conditions, visit the working conditions page here.