Page 39 - ELG1909 Sep Issue 466

TEACH IN . FEATURES & COMMENT

Teach Uni in require that you work classes during summer or winter holidays, or on

between-term camps, but most pay extra for this.
There are also around 4-8 weeks of vacation for the summer
East Asia break in July/August, and another 4-8 weeks off for a winter break in
January/February.
Teaching hours in China vary, from around 10 up to as many as 25
hours a week. Hours tend to be spread out, and you may not be teaching
every day. There is also usually a break of between six and eight weeks
for Spring Festival, and another 8-10 weeks off in the summer.
University teachers in Japan can generally expect to teach for 15
Lisa Magloff looks into the weeks in the spring semester (beginning in April) and 15 weeks in the
Autumn semester (beginning in September or October), with around
benefi ts and drawbacks of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, at night. PIXABAY 12 weeks off each year. Full-time teachers usually teach only four days a
week, but may need to attend meetings or special events on the fifth day.
university teaching in the region
What should I look out for?
If you choose to work in Japan, remember that teaching English is seen
eaching in a university in China, Japan or South Korea can be US, UK, Australia, Ireland, Canada, US Virgin Islands, British Cayman Universities in Korea tend to pay between 3 million (£2,030) and as a normal academic job so full-time teachers are often expected to
a rewarding experience. It offers you the opportunity to live in Islands, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Guyana or Gibraltar. 4 million (£2,700) won per month, with universities in the capital of continue publishing. Also bear in mind that contracts are usually one
exciting cities and teach bright, enthusiastic students. Many You must also have, as a minimum, a Bachelor’s degree, TEFL Seoul paying at the higher end. Overtime classes are available at most or two years in length, but are only renewable two or three times. After
Tof these jobs also offer ample time off and a relatively light certification and two years’ of teaching experience. In fact, these are universities, and busy teachers can almost double their base salaries that, you will need to find a new job! If you are a less-experienced
teaching load. Sounds perfect? exactly the same qualifications you need to work in a language school. with these. Some universities also allow you to take on private classes, teacher, you may have some luck bagging a university job using an
Be careful, this is very different from teaching in a private school. Unsurprisingly, though, many universities do require a Master’s. which can be very lucrative. agency such as Westgate to place you.
The picture, in terms of qualifications, remuneration and student The basic qualification to teach at university level in South Korea is Universities in Korea will also provide a housing allowance or even Many universities in China have specialisations, such as technology,
motivation is not straightforward. So, let’s take a generally a Master’s in Education, TESOL or linguistics. free housing, often on campus, and if they are recruiting from abroad music or textiles, and students who do not earn top marks in the
closer look at some of the terms and conditions Some schools Some schools will hire you with only a BA if you also they will generally also provide flights. Health insurance and pension entrance exams are often assigned a major, rather than choosing their
you can expect if you land a job teaching have at least two years’ prior university teaching costs are usually shared between the university and the employee. own. This can mean that disgruntled students are a common problem.
university-level English in one of the top will hire you with only a experience. Although a TESOL certificate is Salary packages vary enormously in China, but in general, the For teachers, one-year employment contracts are standard, and
three East Asian destinations. BA if you also have at least a requirement for teaching in state schools, 50 top-ranked universities will offer the highest salaries, along indeed are Chinese Government policy, but can be renewed. Teachers
university jobs most often do not require any
should research thoroughly before taking any position, as some cities
with those in Hong Kong and Macau, where salaries can be around
What Qualifications do I need? two years’ prior university qualifications other than a Master’s degree. £2,800 a month. Elsewhere, salaries can be anywhere between are now very expensive to live in – Dalian, for example, recently
In Japan, teaching English in a university is like If you have a PhD, you may well be offered £1,200-£2,300 a month, which is barely better than you’d get at a eclipsed Beijing for its high cost of living.
most other academic jobs. You will usually need a teaching experience. contracts with fewer teaching hours and higher language school. Koreans study a lot of English – achieving proficiency in English
minimum of a Master’s degree, preferably in TESOL, pay, but these tend to come with added duties, such Rents can reach Western levels in the top-tier cities like Beijing is a requirement for many jobs. But most teaching at the K-12 level
Education or English Literature, although other specialities may as committee work, advising graduate students or attending faculty and Shanghai. So, opt for one of the many universities that also focuses on reading and grammar. In Korea, many university positions
be accepted. Universities also look for applicants who have a minimum meetings (but beware these tend to be conducted mostly in Korean). provide free housing, often on campus, or a housing allowance, as are specifically for teaching writing and speaking. Applicants who
of three academic publications. Prior teaching experience is a must, In all three countries, universities often prefer to recruit locally, hiring well as medical insurance. Some institutions also offer a relocation have specialised skills in areas such as drama, debating, job skills or
preferably in Japan. Some ability to speak Japanese is also a distinct people who already have a work visa. A lot of university teachers in Japan, allowance. academic writing may have an edge. But if you’re looking for career
advantage, although not a requirement in most cases. for example, started out in language schools, got their MA while working British universities which run Transnational Education (TNE) development beware: teaching positions rarely offer the opportunity
By contrast, in China, post-graduate qualifications aren’t top of there, and then moved on to teaching in a university, rather than coming courses offering dual degree courses validated in the UK and China, for advancement, and salary rises are few and far between.
the list, at least in order to get a work visa. In fact, the colour of your directly to teach at university. By contrast, in China, where the same work will often employ EAP tutors on British terms and conditions.
passport is likely to be more important. University English teachers do visa terms cover both language schools and universities, teachers head Depending on the job description (tutor/teaching fellow, co-ordinator Thanks to Mark Krazanowski for his assistance with this article.
not have to be native English speakers, but must hold a passport from to local campuses not to make more money, as salary levels are similar to or head of a language
one of a limited number of English-speaking countries, including the those of private language schools, but to get their foot on the EAP ladder. centre), if you land such
a ‘lectureship,’ you can PIXABAY
How much can I earn? expect to be paid a UK
PIXABAY The minimum salary salary of between £30,000
to £55,000 annually.
for teaching English at
a university in Japan
is around 4.5 million How many hours
(£33,080) to 5 million yen will I teach?
(£36,755) annually. A lot of For many teachers, this is
teachers also work part-time the real benefit of teaching
in a second university in at university in one of
addition to their full-time these countries. Most
position. contracts involve fewer
If the contract is full-time, than 20 hours a week of
then the National Health teaching time, along with
Insurance and Pension plan lengthy holidays. But
are mandatory, and the watch out – there can be
cost is shared between the extensive additional duties.
employer and employee. In Korea, contact hours
Income tax and residence can be anywhere from 9
tax must also be paid by the to 18 hours per week. You
employee. Some universities can also expect to put in
also offer reduced-rate up to four hours weekly
accommodation, but most for office hours, faculty
teachers find their own meetings and other duties.
Chinese cities like Dalian can offer lower salaries than Beijing, but living costs can be just as high. places to live. Some universities will The University of Tokyo, in Japan.
38 September 2019 editorial@elgazette.com 39