English Teaching Jobs

An easy job for a gyopo to get is a job teaching English. The only criterion is a Bachelor’s degree from a 4-year college or university obtained from native-English- speaking countries such as US, UK, Canada, Australia, etc. Most gyopos that I have come across have come to Korea to teach English for 1 year while connecting with their Korean heritage and then they go back to their home country. However, I’ve also seen gyopos who have stayed and have lived in Korea for over five years.

Salary
Most gyopos who teach English earn about KRW 2,000,000 ~ KRW 3,000,000 per month. They teach about 24 ~ 30 hours per week and spend maybe 0 ~ 6 hours per week preparing for their classes. As of this writing, USD $1 = KRW 1,086. Therefore, the salary here seems paltry compared to that of in the U.S. However, the fact that taxes are very low and that you don’t need to have a car in Korea make it possible for you to work and live in Korea by yourself and connect with your Korean heritage.

Here is a useful job search site:
Work and Play

Taxes
Most gyopos who teach English are classified as independent contractors and they are taxed at a very low rate. Their taxable income withholding is only 3.3%. If you are classified as an employee, then your employer would probably withhold another 6% or so for your medical insurance. However, your withholding is still only about 10%.

For example, if you make KRW 2,400,000 per month and your withholding is 3.3%, then your net income will be KRW 2,320,800.