Teacher's salary in South Korea

As I plan to study in South Korea and make a living there, I have researched about its teaching salary. In most of my researches, I have found out that education is a very popular career choice in Korea. This is because it includes various advantages, such as good working conditions, high pay, and stability. Although these qualities make this career competitive, there is an under supply on elementary teachers. I personally find this very opportune, because I am interested in teaching elementary school. Unlike many other countries, teachers in Korea receive a high salary. Secondary teacher’s entry salary is about $30,401, mid-career salary being about $52,699, and maximum salary by the end of the career is about $84,529 according to NCEE, the National center on Education and the Economy. The average of many different countries’ salary is lower than that. The entry level salary is about $31,887, the mid-career salary is about $41,701, and the maximum salary is about $51,317.

Korea’s educators receive some price benefits, such as medical insurance, and severance pay. When the schools offer you private health insurance, the school itself takes care of the prices. Therefore the teachers do not have to contribute at all. An essential benefit in the teaching career is the severance pay, which is when the school gives you an “extra month’s salary pay” when you finish the contract you have made with the particular school. This is very helpful and important as a teacher retires and chooses to go into another field.

Teachers and the people who are in charge of operating the school depend a lot on the students. If there are a small amount of students in a school, then the demand for teachers is going to decrease and vice versa. Even though a large amount of students means a greater need in supply for the school such as tables, chairs, boards, etc., schools are willing to pay for all these supplies, because it increases the school’s overall production.