A private English academy posted a job ad on a Facebook group seeking a shorter-hour ESL teacher. The position requires working Monday to Friday, from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Here’s a closer look at what this job entails and an analysis of its compensation.
Position Details:
- Working Hours: 2:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- Days: Monday to Friday
- Start Date: ASAP
- Compensation:
- 2.2 million won per month (2 million won after taxes and insurance)
- Standard insurance coverage
Salary Analysis
The job involves a more than 15-hour workweek, which qualifies it as a regular employment position under South Korean labor laws. This distinction means that the employer must provide benefits such as severance pay (for workplaces with five or more employees), annual leave, and weekly holiday pay, unlike ultra-short-time workers who work less than 15 hours per week. Additionally, according to Article 54 of the Labor Standards Act, workers are entitled to a break of at least 30 minutes for every 4 hours worked or 1 hour for every 8 hours worked.
Understanding Working Hours and Standard Wages
The concept of standard working hours is crucial as it affects how wages are calculated, including overtime and holiday pay. Let’s break down the key components:
Standard Working Hours:
- Definition: The agreed-upon hours between employer and employee within the legal limits, usually specified in the employment rules.
- Legal Limits: Up to 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week.
- Calculation: Any work beyond these hours is considered overtime, which requires additional pay.
Calculation Examples:
Daily Working Hours Calculation: For example, if an employee works from 9 AM to 6 PM with a 1-hour break, the standard working hours for the day are 8 hours. Any work beyond this is overtime.
Weekly Working Hours Calculation: An employee working 8 hours a day for 5 days a week totals 40 hours. In addition, South Korean law mandates a paid weekly holiday if the employee has worked the full week.
Monthly Working Hours Calculation: Typically, a full-time worker’s monthly hours are calculated as follows:
- Weekly hours (40) plus paid weekly holiday hours (8) times the average number of weeks per month (4.345 weeks). This totals approximately 209 hours per month.
Specific Job Calculation for the ESL Position
Given the job description of working 2 PM to 7 PM, the actual working hours, including the mandated break, are as follows:
- Weekly Actual Working Hours: 4.5 hours per day x 5 days = 22.5 hours per week.
- Monthly Actual Working Hours: 22.5 hours x 4.345 weeks = approximately 98 hours per month.
- Standard Working Hours Including Paid Holiday: (22.5 + 4.5 weekly holiday hours) x 4.345 weeks = approximately 117 hours per month.
Hourly Wage Calculation
To determine the hourly wage, we divide the monthly salary by the standard working hours:
- Monthly Salary: 2.2 million won.
- Hourly Wage Calculation: 2,200,000 won / 117 hours ≈ 18,752 won per hour.
Comparison with Full-Time ESL Positions
Let’s compare this with a common full-time ESL position:
- Typical Full-Time Position: 9 AM – 6 PM (8 hours per day after a 1-hour break), 5 days a week, with a monthly salary of 2.4 million won.
- Hourly Wage Calculation: 2,400,000 won / 209 hours ≈ 11,483 won per hour.
Additional Considerations
The shorter-hour position does not mention housing provision, which is often included in full-time ESL teaching jobs. Assuming housing costs around 500,000 won per month, the adjusted hourly wage for a full-time position would be:
- Adjusted Full-Time Salary: 2,400,000 won + 500,000 won (housing) = 2,900,000 won.
- Adjusted Hourly Wage: 2,900,000 won / 209 hours ≈ 13,875 won per hour.
Conclusion
The shorter-hour ESL position, offering 2.2 million won per month, may seem less attractive at first glance due to the lack of housing and lower total monthly salary. However, this position offers a higher hourly wage compared to typical full-time ESL jobs.
If a teacher taking this job wants to achieve a similar monthly income to a beginner’s full-time position with a salary of 2.4 million won plus housing (approximately 500,000 won monthly rent), they would need to find additional part-time work. Current TEFL part-time jobs pay around 35,000 won to 50,000 won per hour. Calculating with the lower end, 35,000 won per hour, working an additional hour each day at another academy could earn about 760,000 won more per month. This would bring the total monthly income to 2.96 million won, comparable to the full-time position with housing.
If the teacher works an additional 2 hours daily at a part-time job, the total working hours would be around 6.5 hours per day plus commute time between academies, and the monthly income would increase to about 3.7 million won.
Of course, this approach requires the primary employer’s permission to work elsewhere and the availability of suitable part-time positions nearby. Additionally, working at two different academies can be more physically and mentally demanding compared to working a single 8-hour shift at one academy.
