Japan vs. Korea - Where Should You Teach?

For first timers considering teaching in Asia, two big names usually pop up: Japan and Korea. China, Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam have plenty of opportunities, but in terms of living conditions and salaries, these two definitely stand out.

But which to choose?

Best Bang for Your Buck… or Won… or Yen

Considering your basic expenses - rent, insurance, cost of living - the teaching salaries in Japan and Korea are comparable, though Korea's is slightly less. However, the land of the morning calm more than makes up for this with cheap living conditions and benefits.

Monthly paychecks in South Korea vary from private language schools, hagwon, to public schools in programs like EPIK (English Program in Korea), however one can expect about 2.1 million Won/month (~2000USD). In addition, most programs and schools cover rent and key money for a one-bedroom or studio apartment.

Unless you're spending money on imported food, dining out is generally cheaper than cooking at home - an average meal will only set you back 6000-10000 Won. Transportation is roughly a third of what it would be in Japan, with buses and trains offering passage to anywhere in the country (excluding islands) for under 50,000 Won. In addition, nearly all teaching positions in Korea offer incoming and outgoing airfare or the equivalent cash amount and a bonus following completion of a year's contract. If a teacher were to finish a year with one school and find a new job, he would receive the cash equivalent of outgoing airfare, a bonus for finishing that contract, and the cash equivalent of incoming airfare from the new school… even if he is already based in Korea.

Quite a sweet deal.

In Japan, you can expect a minimum salary of 255,000 Yen/month (currently ~3300USD) according to visa regulations. However, teachers are required to pay for housing out of their paychecks (~40,000-50,000 Yen). Shopping in a supermarket is comparable to doing so in Korea, but dining out on a regularly basis can be rather costly, as can travel. One should expect Japanese food and transportation to cost roughly three times the equivalent in Korea. Some programs and language schools only offer one-way airfare to or from Japan, not both. End-of-contract bonuses equivalent to one month's salary are common.

Accommodation

Nearly all reputable Japanese and Korean public and private schools arrange housing for new teachers. In fact, teachers usually don't have a choice in the matter; an apartment is set aside for use, so if the teacher comes with his or her significant other and wants a bigger place, that may not be an option. I would say Korea is usually the better option for couples looking to teach together, because although it is still a bit of a hassle to be placed in the same area, some schools are open to different housing arrangements.

For example, at the Japanese private school (eikaiwa) AEON, all teachers are provided with a small single apartment; if they want to live somewhere else, that's perfectly acceptable… as long as they also pay for the school's housing. If the school isn’t willing to work with you on housing, you’re out of luck - deposits on apartments in both countries can be astronomical, and it is extremely helpful to have the backing of a company or organization.

In general, Korean apartments are bigger, and are heated with hot water pipes under the floor (very effective, but expensive), whereas Japanese ones rely on window or wall units. Naturally, you'll hear a few horror stories about apartments with a severe case of mold or in incredibly noisy areas, but I've found these to be rare. Both will probably be fully furnished and have appliances. The condition of your housing really depends on the cleanliness of the outgoing teacher; if he or she has maintained it well, so much the better - some employers just don't care about cleaning up after them when it comes time to bring in new blood.

The Students

The Japanese government has set up an educational system that produces a classroom environment where students seldom participate in or even try to learn subjects beyond math, science, and kokugo (Japanese). As a result, the English ability of Japanese students as a whole is in my opinion far below that of their Korean counterparts. This is particularly ironic, since both countries have a (some would say) crazed approach to English education: start early, study in school, go to a hagwon or juku, get quizzed by parents, and eventually sleep. It takes time for some Japanese kids to even feel comfortable saying more than one word to a foreign instructor.

Korean kids, in contrast, offer the full range of language learners, from completely attentive and participative to downright comatose. This is one of the big disadvantages when it comes to teaching in Korea - classroom management can be tough. In my experience, Korean kids who have no interest in English don't hesitate to use their cell phones, talk to their friends right in front of the teacher, or just lay their heads down to sleep, whereas Japanese students are more likely to be quiet and withdrawn.

Private Lessons

This point definitely goes to Japan, purely for logistical reasons. In Japan, your working visa is your property, in that it's tied to you, not your company. Once the paperwork is signed off, you can pretty much do anything in the country, from leaving your current employer to teaching private students part time. All perfectly legal as long as you keep records and file taxes.

In Korea, this is definitely not the case. Your visa is attached to your employer. To work outside your school is a crime unless your boss goes down to immigration and files the appropriate form. This can happen when you get a long summer or winter vacation and want to work English camps at a different school. Even when you have the time off, however, most employers hesitate at letting you work another job for fear it may interfere with your current one. So what happens? Most teachers work camps and teach privates illegally without getting caught. Can you be deported? Yes. Can you make an absurd amount of money in a short amount of time? Oh yes.

Working Conditions

Working conditions in both countries vary by school or branch office - period. There are horror stories in Japan and Korea, just as there are tales of complete success and happiness. These boil down to interactions with coworkers and superiors. There's really only one advantage Japanese private schools have over Korean ones, and that is stability. While both countries are saturated with parents throwing money at schools to teach their children proper English, it seems to be taken more seriously in Japan.

Lifestyle

You've been thinking about this one the whole time, no doubt. Sure, jobs and the pay can vary between Korea and Japan, but what about doing things outside of work, where I'll be spending the majority of my time?

Japan is clean, organized, and comfortable. Trains arrive on time, down to the second. Appointments are kept. Safety is paramount; you'd be hard pressed to find a story of a foreign English teacher as the victim of a violent crime in Japan (though it does happen on rare occasions). Things work.

However, the societal norms and your desire to follow them can be suffocating at times, in my humble opinion. There's very little talking in public, people don't eat on the street, there are rules governing first meetings, entering the office, and even coming home after a long day. I understand this makes the Japanese some of the most disciplined orderly people on the planet, but at times, I was screaming out for a little chaos just to break the monotony.

Korea is a society influenced by Confucian principles, but certainly not one governed by them. Reverence to age and experience is paramount - when a Korean bluntly asks how old you are almost immediately after introducing himself, it's because he needs to know to whom should be given more respect, and the proper language to use. As a result, you might notice the elderly brazenly walking ahead of people in line, and telling younger people how to behave, what to wear (both family and strangers.

Koreans are very nationalistic, especially when it comes to Japan. They look at the Japanese government with a sense of contempt for not recognizing or apologizing for war crimes, and they hold the disputed island of Dokdo as the ultimate example of the Japanese trying to take something else away from Korea (you'll seldom hear about this island in Japan). For the most part, Korea has more of the familiar brand names and restaurants. Because the country is so small, it’s very easy to travel anywhere inside its borders within a day. Crime is not uncommon, but infrequent. Just watch out for the crazy taxi and bus drivers as you’re crossing the street (or delivery motorcycles as you walk down the sidewalk) and you’ll be fine.

One thing I haven't gotten used to after years in Asia is standing out like a sore thumb. Despite all their cultural and technological advances, countries like Japan and Korea are still very much ethnically homogenous, and haven't quite figured out how to deal with foreigners. You'll hear tales of discrimination just as often as you will cases of people feeling completely at ease in a foreign country. In both countries outside of the major urban areas you're sure to encounter kids and adults who point at you, shouting "HELLO!" as though it were the most natural introduction in the world. Again, it comes down to tradeoffs. Although you may never grow out of your role as the foreign English teacher, the outsider, you do get to enjoy life in countries that are safe, interesting, and relatively accommodating.

Feature cartoon used by permission of creator, Luke Martin