You must be a native English speaker from America, Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand or South Africa. You must hold a passport from one of the aforementioned countries.

You must have a Masters degree and one year of documented teaching experience, preferably (but not exclusively) in a field related to English or teaching, which has been completed after the conclusion of the degree*. Documented teaching experienced is proven in the form of employment certification letters, employer pay stubs, employment contracts, or signed, verifiable letters of reference on employer letterhead from employers which list explicit dates of employment.

Factors that increase chances of an offer being made include: Fluency in the Korean language, E-1 or F visa, relevant non-teaching experience (admin, organization, etc), academic research and publishing experience, TEFL or TESOL certification, other academic certificates.

PhD holders may qualify for a research fellowship, and are encouraged to inquire.

Occasionally, we are able to hire Bachelors degree holders, provided they have at least three years documented teaching experience.  However, these openings are few, and the chances low.  The factors listed above are a great help in this case.

 

*MA holders who do not have one year of teaching experience may still be qualified if they have three verified years of teaching experience between the end of their BA and the beginning of their MA study.

 

What to bring to Korea

CLOTHING:

Korea has four distinct seasons.  Spring and fall temperatures are moderate; summer is very

hot and humid, with a monsoon season in July; and winter is cold but without a lot of snow. The climate is similar to the midwestern states in the US. Some of the older school buildings are not centrally heated and you may find them cold and damp in winter.  You will want a wardrobe for all these conditions.

You may wish to mail off-season clothing.

 

Generally speaking, westerners have difficulty finding larger sizes and proper sleeve lengths

when shopping in Korea.  As in the west, the fashion industry is geared toward the young and

thin.  Women’s undergarments seem to fit differently, so bring lots from home.

 

You will be expected to dress professionally and conservatively in the classroom.  A suit, while not strictly necessary, is not a bad idea.  Dress shirts and pants are a must.

 

The following is from the Woosong dress code, from the policy handbook

 

Recommended	Men	Women
	Suit	Tailored Pant Skirt Suit
	Short / Long Sleeved Dress Shirt	Shirt / Blouse
	Tie	Tailored Dress
	Closed Shoes	Closed Shoes
	Dress Socks	Stockings (Optional)
Suitable	Jacket	Jacket / Dressy Sweater
	Short Sleeve Polo Shirt	Nice Short Sleeve Top
	Dress Pants	Dress Pants
	Neat Casual Pants (including jeans)	Neat Casual Pants
		Skirt / Culottes
		Summer Dress with Sleeve or Jacket
	Closed Shoes / Socks	Dressy Sandal with Heel

Suits and shoes can be custom made.  It isn’t cheap, but the cost is close to the price of name brand designer clothing.

 

FOOTWEAR:

If you have large or wide feet, you may have difficulty buying shoes.  You are advised to bring

a  selection of conservative and comfortable shoes. Good shoes are not cheaper here than at home. Sports shoes are readily available.

It is the Korean custom to removes shoes at the door. Slip-on shoes are a lot more convenient

in this situation.

 

TOILETRIES:

While you can buy most things in Korea, when you cannot speak / read the language, it is

sometimes difficult to communicate what you want.  Bring your favorite products to last several

months.  Antiperspirant, and vitamins are not readily available.

 

BEDDING / LINEN:

Korean bedding is a different style and is packaged in sets, therefore, bring at least one

pillow case and flat, double sheet.  If you have room for a sleeping bag, it could double as a

blanket and save you buying one here.  Your favorite bath towel / face cloth and a few

hand / tea towels / dish cloths will spare you some shopping on arrival as well.

 

ELECTRONIC APPLIANCES:

University housing has 220 volt outlets. Some off-campus housing has both 110 and 220 volts.

Converters are very cheap (under$10.00 US).  You can buy any appliance easily here except

answering machines (which they tend not to use) but they are a little more expensive than in

the US.

There are internet cafes everywhere in Korea and it is very cheap to use them.  You will also

have access to a computer in your office.  For these reasons, it is suggested that you not ship

computer equipment.  If you bring your lap-top, carry it with you.

 

KITCHEN UTENSILS ETC:

Your apartment is only semi-furnished and there are no dishes or pots / pans.  You may wish

to bring a knife, fork and spoon at least and a few kitchen utensils to save the trouble of buying

them.  You will not have an oven in your housing but can buy a toaster oven here.  You may wish to bring a small saucepan or kettle and a plastic mug or glass to use upon arrival.

 

FOOD:

There is not a great selection of spices.  Bring your favorites with you.  Herbal teas are also

different.  Taco seasoning, gravy mix, etc are all good.  If you have a favorite dish, learn to cook it… it may be hard to find a restaurant that serves it here.  If it requires any uncommon ingredients, bring them with you (provided it isn’t restricted by border controls).

 

PHONES:

Chances are, your phone from home won’t work in Korea.  Once you have your ARC card, you will be able to get a phone with a Korean carrier.  Some people choose second hand phones, some choose new phones, which usually come as a package with a contract.  Contracts come in one and two year increments, with more benefits going to the two year package.

 

COMPUTERS:

Previous voltage warnings apply.  Mac support used to be hard to come by, but is growing more common.  In general, computers are cheaper in your home country than they are here, especially Macs.  One more thing… internet banking is not supported on Macs here, so be aware of that.  The good news is that internet is blazing fast, relatively cheap, and easy to set up.  Upon arrival, you will be able to send emails either from your office, or from a PC café (very cheap).

 

MISCELLANEOUS:

Bring a travel alarm clock, sewing kit, razors.

 

PETS:

There is a no-pets policy in university housing.

 

TEACHING MATERIALS:

There are many resources available at the language institute for use in preparing lessons.  Major bookstores have English sections with a good variety of ESL books.  However, posters, pictures and visual teaching aids are not as easy to find.

 

MAILING PERSONAL ITEMS:

When mailing personal items, we suggest you use the term ‘used’ or ‘personal’ on customs forms. For higher priced things, bring your receipt with you.

 

You can mail your packages to:

 

Your name

c/o Woo Song Language Institute

196-5 Jayang-dong, Dong-ku

Daejeon 300-100

S. Korea

 

Make sure your family has this address, as they will be able to send packages there while you work at Woosong.  We will keep your packages in secure storage until your arrival.  If you plan on sending a large amount, please clear it with Woosong staff before doing so.  We do not recommend sending valuable items ahead, as we cannot take responsibility for them.

 

**We can not be responsible for any problems which you encounter with mail or other methods of

   shipping when forwarding your belongings to Korea.

 

 

 

If you have any concerns which are not addressed here, send them to woosongac@gmail.com

You would teach at Woosong University, Woosong Information, Woosong Technical College, onsite or offsite Woosong Language Institute. A likely scenario is that you would be teaching at a variety of locations; Woosong University/Colleges (approximately 60 – 80%) and Woosong Language Institute (approximately 20 – 40%).

Classes are held between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., Monday through Friday. Your schedule is likely to have some classes blocked together and other classes that have multiple hour gaps between classes where you don’t teach. Although your schedule (see Fall_Schedule_Examples) will be dictated by Woosong requirements, the scheduling coordinator will also take your schedule preferences into consideration.

General English Language instructor teach a variety of credit and non-credit English classes. Generally they teach conversational English. There are requirements and opportunities to teach specialized subjects such as drama, business English, modern media, poetry, and various writing classes.

 

Here is a breakdown of teaching hours for Fall, 2011

 

 

 

Here is a breakdown of the Woosong Language Institute teacher hours.  As you can see, children classes account for a small fraction of the overall teacher hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We use a variety of the standard American and British ESL/EFL texts. In addition, teachers are encouraged to make use of their own activities which compliment the materials in the textbooks.

As an example, as of Fall 2011 our freshman conversation classes are using the Ventures series, published by the Cambridge University Press.

Many of our classrooms are equipped with computers, internet, projectors, and screens. Each Woosong teacher is assigned a desk and a computer which is linked to a printer. Copy machines are also available, as are a color printer and laminating machine. In addition, there are many digital resources available.  Woosong teachers make use of both the Moodle and Blackboard systems.

General English teachers teach a variety of classes. University and college classes may have as few as 15 students or as many as 40 students, but they usually average from 20 to 30 students. Language Institute classes range from 5 to 15 students.

Instructors are contracted for a maximum of 20 teaching hours per week.  If you are involved in a project, you you be given some project hours in lieu of teaching hours. If your teaching schedule is below the 20 hours, you may be asked to contribute to faculty projects. In addition to your 20 teaching hours, you must complete four hours of office time each week. These office hours are selected by you and although students may visit you during your office hours occasionally most teachers use this time to prepare for their classes.(Note: The schedule average is usually 16 hours per week.)

The Woosong campus is in an urban setting. Class locations are all within 5-15 minutes walking distance from your office. Offsite classes’ travel expenses are compensated and the travel time is counted as part of your teaching schedule.

There are several institutions under the Woosong Educational Foundation at which General English Teachers are asked to teach.  One of these, the Woosong Language Institute, does include some children’s classes, as well as some middle school classes, and some adult conversation classes.  These classes represent only a small percentage of what teachers do at Woosong.

The Children’s classes are on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:00 to 6:45 with a mandatory 15 minute break for a total of 3 hours teaching per week, but your schedule will reflect 4 hour teaching per week, and Mondays and Wednesdays 5:00 – 7:00, on your schedule. Additionally, there are some offsite children’s classes. If you teach offsite children’s classes your travel expenses are compensated and the travel time is counted as part of your teaching schedule.

We do our best to place teachers with their preferred demographic of students, but we do ask that teachers are flexible enough to teach children occasionally.

You can get a comparative idea of how many teacher hours the children classes actually amount to here.

You may request to teach 1 on 1 classes at WLI. These classes are voluntary and not part of your regular teaching schedule. If a student also requests a 1 on 1 class, WLI will arrange for the class and you would be compensated at a rate of 240,000 per 16 hours of teaching.  In addition, there are occasionally other opportunities offered through Woosong.  It is Woosong policy that teachers do not undertake outside teaching work.

Teachers are paid monthly. Without exception, your salary is direct deposited into your Korean bank account on  the 20th of every month (in the case that the 20th falls on a weekend, the money will be deposited on the Friday preceding).

Woosong teachers enjoy the Korean government medical and dental insurance, which provides basic coverage. You will contribute approximately W44,000 per month. There is a small fee (3000 – 4000 won) with each visit and sometimes certain procedures are not covered by insurance, but overall this is an excellent program that makes health-care very affordable. Korean doctors/dentists provide high-quality services.  There are several English speaking doctors and dentists around Daejeon.

Woosong teachers also benefit from participation in a mandatory private pension plan. Approximately 5% of your pay will be deposited every month into an account, with an approximate initial 10% contribution from Woosong. This contribution increases incrementally with length of service until you are fully vested after 5 years of contributions. When your employment is completed at Woosong and you are not renewing your contract, your pension reimbursement will be deposited or remitted into your bank account. This process takes approximately 4 to 6 weeks.

Housing is provided at several sites owned or rented by Woosong.

Location: Most apartments are walking distance from Woosong classes.

Size: Woosong apartments conform to three standards: Family, Married, and Single.  Sizes vary according to exact location, but we do our best to ensure that employees have sufficient space.

Amenities: The apartments are semi-furnished. All have heated floors, as is standard in Korean housing.  There is a telephone, closet/wardrobe, gas range, and refrigerator, but TV is not included. All single and most married apartments have air conditioning. Some apartments have washing machines, while others share communal washing facilities. Tenants must supply their own bedding, dishes and cookware.

Allocation: Initially, the allocation of apartments is determined by what is available when new teachers arrive. Thereafter, all available housing is advertised and allocated on the basis of seniority, which is reset when a teacher chooses to move.

Utilities and etc: Utilities vary according to location.  In general, teachers are responsible for water, gas, internet, and electricity.  There is a W300,000 housing deposit, which is withheld from your first pay check. Your housing deposit balance will be reimbursed via a bank deposit or remittance after you vacate your Woosong provided housing accommodation and your utility bills have been paid.

Stipend: Should teachers choose to seek out their own housing, Woosong provides a monthly 300,000 Won stipend in lieu of housing.  Be advised that apartment contracts often require a deposit of anywhere from 2 to5 million Won, which Woosong does not provide.

First Screening:

Your resume and cover letter.

Second Screening:

If you progress past the initial first screening you will be contacted for a telephone interview and you must submit via email scans of the following:

• All relevant degrees, transcripts, etc.
• Information/Photo page from your passport
• Documentation that proves your teaching experience (in the form of a work certificate or scan of an official, employer signed letter detailing dates of employment)
• Two letters of reference from employers with email and phone numbers
• Marriage certificate if you are requesting a married housing accommodation

In addition, we ask that you fill out and return the interview form that is attached with our contact email.

Third Screening:

If you progress past the second screening telephone interview and you reside in Korea you may be asked to appear at Woosong University for a face to face interview. If accepted, candidate teachers typically receive an offer within one or two weeks after the interview.

Offer and Acceptance

If you accept an offer of employment with Woosong you must fax or email the signed acceptance letter to Woosong. An accepted offer letter is a binding agreement that represents a legal and ethical commitment between Woosong University and the applicant. Additionally, you must provide the following original documents.

• Copies of your degrees/diplomas that are apostille or have received Certification of Authenticity stamps from a Korean Consulate (if from Canada)
• Original Transcripts in a sealed and stamped envelope
• National level criminal background clearance, apostille or notarized (if from Canada)
• Medical Clearance report
• 15 passport-size photos

• Housing or 300,000/month stipend
• National health/dental insurance
• Private pension
• Free Korean language classes
• Discounted tuition for the TESOL MALL program
• Professional development workshops
• 5 weeks vacation
• Contract completion bonus (after completion of second consecutive contract)
• Airfare Reimbursement

Woosong offers 300,000 Won upon arrival, and 500,000 Won upon completion of contract, regardless of whether the      teacher is resigning or not.