Tuesday, December 21, 2010

On getting extra work

I was talking with my friends last night about pay at a Korean University. One of my friends who works at another uni, said that she would appreciate it if Korea unis would bump up the pay by 100 000 or 200 000/month after a couple years service.  I said that I didn't really care and am quite happy working for the salary I agreed to when I started, plus a little cost of living increase once in a while.

It's not about the base pay, but it's about the overtime opportunities.  There really isn't that much difference between 2.0 million and 2.3.  And, as my other friend that I work with pointed out, if you make more than the newbies you work with, it just makes your more expendable.  So back to the overtime.  When you are at the interview, you really should ask about overtime opportunities.  You will have plenty of free time, so can reasonably do 5-20 hours/week of overtime.  If the uni doesn't have any, I wouldn't necessarily work there unless the base pay was over 3.0 million.  But, if the uni has opportunities, this is how you can really make good money at a uni in Korea.  And, the longer you stay at a uni, the more connections you will make and the more offers you get.

What's your experience been like?  Lots of overtime?  Not so much?

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