Interview with Pegasus Teachers Director, Vanessa Lurie

For all those who have thought about taking the leap and working abroad, there are always a million questions. People want to know what to expect. Starting a new life abroad, even if only for a short time, can be daunting. Vanessa Lurie, Director of Pegasus Recruiting knows first hand the type of questions people have. She heads up a recruitment company that places recent university graduates in South Korea to teach English. Teaching is an incredible opportunity, she says, but one too few take the leap to do because they are overwhelmed by questions.

So yesterday, at her Vancouver office, Lurie sat down and answered a few common teacher questions.

These are the questions she says she knows are on everyone's mind about teaching in Korea, as she has heard them so many times. What is one of her most asked questions? She says it is about the pay. Recent university graduates are concerned about cash flow. They want disposable cash to do fun things such as travel, but they also often have loans to pay at home.

Here are her responses to what she has identified as the most common questions about teaching ESL in Korea.

What is the salary for teaching English in Korea?
"The salaries in Korea generally average 2 million Korean won per month and vary based on experience. Due to currency fluctuations, it is hard to exactly translate the salary to another currency. However, in the past that has roughly equalled $2000USD per month. Another great advantage about teaching in Korea is that free, furnished apartments are provided for all teachers as part of the contract. While small by North American standards, these furnished apartments are modern and equipped with most of the essentials that the teachers will need during the year. That means that most of what the teachers earn goes directly into their pockets, rather than being lost to local expenses. Airfare to Korea is also part of the package. Employers either pay the airfare up front or reimburse the airfare upon arrival. When the teacher completes the one year contract, they also get the airfare home covered. As if all of that is not enough, teachers also get an end of contract bonus for finishing the contract. The bonuses are usually the equivalent of one month’s salary. Overall, working in Korea is very lucrative and is especially attractive to recent graduates without a lot of funds to start off their travels, as they can get to Korea for free basically! For this reason, Korea is a hot destination for recent graduates, much more so than Japan and Southeast Asia these days.

Another point to consider is that usually private after school academies (hogwans) pay a little more than public schools. However, hogwan hours are in the afternoon and evenings six days a week (Monday-Saturday) while public school hours are during the day only, Monday through Friday"

What about the experience needed to teach in Korea?
"Teachers in Korea do not need a TEFL qualification or any experience. Most teachers in Korea have no teaching experience but simply have the desire to learn how to teach and adapt to Korean culture. The best qualification for teaching in Korea is enthusiasm, an open mind and a desire to learn about a new culture. TEFL qualifications will certainly help the teacher though, and may allow them a slight increase in their monthly salary. Teachers in Korea are required to have a university degree, however. It does not matter what degree teachers have, as long as it is issued from an accredited major university or college. Another requirement of the job is a criminal check."

How can teachers apply?
"The best way to apply to Pegasus is through the website at www.pegasusteachers.com or by sending a resume to info@pegasusteachers.com. Pegasus services are free for the teacher and we only place teachers at pre-screen, reputable schools.

We also have an exciting program, the Pegasus Program where we place a large group of teachers in the same city, starting the same day. They teach for the government's public schools, and we provide them with a social network and activities while they are there. We started the program in August and it has been a huge hit with the teachers. The next program is in February 2009 and will take place in the beautiful coastal city of Busan, South Korea. We are currently taking applications for this program and the deadline in mid January to apply for it.

Other than that, we take applications all year for the private academies in Seoul and other cities.
We also have a Facebook group where teachers can ask questions and connect with other Pegasus teachers.”

Is there much opportunity to travel?
"Yes. China and Japan are especially close and often teachers visit these countries during a long weekend. There are also many opportunities to travel during school vacations and most teachers go to Southeast Asia or even Australia as these places are very accessible and economical from Korea. Also, because teachers have few expenses while in Korea, it is often quite easy to save for travel and most teachers frequently travel around Korea and Asia during their year in Korea. Teachers can live a very rich life on their Korean salary package. "