An interesting report recently posted by JoongAng Daily shows that despite the weakened Korean Won and threats of war from the North, ESL teachers in South Korea are not only renewing contracts at schools, but recruitment is on the rise.  

All of this is due to the slim prospects of work awaiting teachers in their respective home countries.  Those teachers who have student loan debts or mortgages have had to subsist on little in order to send home most, if not all, of their paychecks.  In the past, this would have meant teachers seeking out jobs in countries with better exchange rates (usually Japan or Taiwan) - and this is still happening to a lesser degree - but the trend seems to indicate a reluctance to risk a move anywhere right now.
 

The official data from Seoul’s Ministry of Justice indicates the number of E-2 visa holders is up 2,000 from last year; it would seem Korea is once again many teacher’s first choice.  This is not all that surprising. Japan has a higher cost of living than Korea and a surplus of unemployed English teachers. The best ESL jobs in Taiwan require a teacher to be in the country.  And with airfare, an apartment and the visa costs, Taiwan requires more startup cash. China’s ESL industry is still growing and as a result schools there generally offer only half of the wages of a Korean hogwan, even with a weakened currency.  And when all is said and done, despite the horror stories and the often ranted about negativity, a free apartment and round trip ticket are extremely strong selling points and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future.


By Sean McCall

See links:

Bad times at home keep English teachers here