Minimum wage is now almost equal to am EPIK starting salary.

Minimum wage is now almost equal to am EPIK starting salary in some major metropolitan areas.


https://www.reddit.com/r/korea/comments/au72zu/minimum_wage_is_now_almost_equal_to_the_epik/

Wait for the apologists to come here and defend this in 5..4..3..2..1...... ..

Seoul still pays the same as this EPIK listing in 2006. 

http://www.epik.go.kr/board.do?menuNo=271&page=33&boardConfigNo=77&action=view&boardNo=790

The wages have risen slightly in some other places up until 2009, after which there have been no more raises.  They better give a raise soon as Korea has gotten expensive. 

it's great how the reddit conversation is pretty much the same as the one here  and, for the last time, there's nothing to "defend" here. wages will go up if supply decreases or demand increases. if you want different working conditions get a different job. i'm happy with mine

They better give a raise soon as Korea has gotten expensive.

They should. But as long as teachers on here (somewhat erroneously) believe there are no good opportunities in the West, adjusted for inflation wages and conditions will continue to decline.

i'm happy with mine

You're happy not getting significant pay increases year after year?

I'm happy

I have a question... in order for our salary to be comparable to the 2.0 million back in 2004, how much should it have risen with inflation by 2019.
Around 4.0 Million?

i'm happy with mine

You're happy not getting significant pay increases year after year?

i've only re-signed once and i only plan to re-sign one more time (at the most). i guess it's a problem for people who have been here for a while. honestly, if you've been here for 10 years and you're still working the same job (a "minimum wage level job"), it seems like a personal problem.

I'm happy

i'm happy that you're happy.

I'm happy

i'm happy that you're happy.

Now I'm happy, that you're happy that he is happy.  Also, as it's Friday, we can double that happiness.

i'm happy with mine

You're happy not getting significant pay increases year after year?

i've only re-signed once and i only plan to re-sign one more time (at the most). i guess it's a problem for people who have been here for a while. honestly, if you've been here for 10 years and you're still working the same job (a "minimum wage level job"), it seems like a personal problem.

I'm happy

i'm happy that you're happy.

Spoken like a true apologist.  Hakwons already have shortages.  Supply and demand mean wages should be rising.  Some have while some are staying stubbornly low.  This will catch up with EPIK too though as of now there are enough applying, but not flooded like before.  So, supply and demand dictate wages should rise.  As said in other forums, other countries are stepping up their game.  But cucks who accept less are hard to do anything about I guess. 

I have a question... in order for our salary to be comparable to the 2.0 million back in 2004, how much should it have risen with inflation by 2019.
Around 4.0 Million?

Assuming a 2% inflation rate, it would be 2.7 million won.  But there have been years with this and years with 3% or more.  Also, governments often find excuses and trick calculations to minimize inflation.  So, well over 3 million, maybe into middle 3's.  Also both flights were paid instead of one way.  So add another 100,000 won a month.  So, a one way flight contract should easily be over 3 million won for most hakwons.  Prob closer to 3.5 in reality because the government also seems to find more excuses to tax you or take more off your pay at the end of the year whereas they didn't before.

A unionzed bus driver made the same as an English teacher in 2007 and 2008.  In 2019, they are 3.2 million or more?  I am in this league, but most salaries for English teachers have fallen far behind.  It will stay behind as long as English teachers accept it. 

Spoken like a true apologist.  Hakwons already have shortages.  Supply and demand mean wages should be rising.  Some have while some are staying stubbornly low.  This will catch up with EPIK too though as of now there are enough applying, but not flooded like before.  So, supply and demand dictate wages should rise.  As said in other forums, other countries are stepping up their game.  But cucks who accept less are hard to do anything about I guess. 

so show me the data on hagwon shortages. if wages "should be rising" then they would be rising. if they can stay "stubbornly" low then they shouldn't be rising.

why would wages rise if they don't have to? when they have to rise, they will. maybe that time is coming, maybe it's not. it clearly hasn't come yet.

and the market being "flooded" or not means nothing. there just needs to be sufficient supply. as long as supply is sufficient, wages won't magically rise. as i said, i'm not here for the long haul, but if you've been here a while and haven't improved your own situation, that's on you. lots of other posters are clearly doing fine by starting businesses, teaching privates, etc. etc. etc.

Spoken like a true apologist.  Hakwons already have shortages.  Supply and demand mean wages should be rising.  Some have while some are staying stubbornly low.  This will catch up with EPIK too though as of now there are enough applying, but not flooded like before.  So, supply and demand dictate wages should rise.  As said in other forums, other countries are stepping up their game.  But cucks who accept less are hard to do anything about I guess. 

so show me the data on hagwon shortages. if wages "should be rising" then they would be rising. if they can stay "stubbornly" low then they shouldn't be rising.

why would wages rise if they don't have to? when they have to rise, they will. maybe that time is coming, maybe it's not. it clearly hasn't come yet.

and the market being "flooded" or not means nothing. there just needs to be sufficient supply. as long as supply is sufficient, wages won't magically rise. as i said, i'm not here for the long haul, but if you've been here a while and haven't improved your own situation, that's on you. lots of other posters are clearly doing fine by starting businesses, teaching privates, etc. etc. etc.

Ho hum.  I just told you about the hakwon cartel groups acting like a collective monopoly.  There I just told you again.  Ok, trustworthy recruiters are all lying to me and there is no shortage.  Everyone else on here is lying too. 

It's got nothing to do with personal situation.  An experienced teacher makes a business more money and gets more kids, therefore it also demands a higher wage.  A greedy hakwon owner who thinks he can hire on the cheap and then complain about "bad" teacher is himself to blame. 

These hakwon associations or cartels are what I suspect are causing the delay.   Korea, especially the older generation, is very collectivist and quite stubborn at times.  How many Korean businesses have we all come across over the years who preferred being right and stubborn even if it meant losing customers?  (Many small businesses here do have the mentality that the customer is not always right unlike the west.)  This last part is my opinion but based on a lot of experience here.  The rest is fact.  (Again, if recruiters I know are all lying to me.  They were honest with me during the Great Recession telling me how competitive and flooded the market was at that time.  Why lie now?)   

Spoken like a true apologist.  Hakwons already have shortages.  Supply and demand mean wages should be rising.  Some have while some are staying stubbornly low.  This will catch up with EPIK too though as of now there are enough applying, but not flooded like before.  So, supply and demand dictate wages should rise.  As said in other forums, other countries are stepping up their game.  But cucks who accept less are hard to do anything about I guess. 

so show me the data on hagwon shortages. if wages "should be rising" then they would be rising. if they can stay "stubbornly" low then they shouldn't be rising.

why would wages rise if they don't have to? when they have to rise, they will. maybe that time is coming, maybe it's not. it clearly hasn't come yet.

and the market being "flooded" or not means nothing. there just needs to be sufficient supply. as long as supply is sufficient, wages won't magically rise. as i said, i'm not here for the long haul, but if you've been here a while and haven't improved your own situation, that's on you. lots of other posters are clearly doing fine by starting businesses, teaching privates, etc. etc. etc.

As for improving yourself, that's great for folks that got here in 2003 and could save a lot of money back then due to different market conditions and use those savings to start their own school eventually.  It's got nothing to do with 2019 wages not allowing a newbie to save for those goals anymore.  So, having great market conditions and benefiting from them while lecturing others coming after you and not having the same benefits or advantages is ignorant.  I do ok, but I don't feel the need to be obnoxious or arrogant about it.  If many of us on higher salaries lost our jobs and wanted to stay in Korea and had to wade into the hakwons it would be a shock.  I'd still hold out and demand higher wages because I'm smart enough to not accept them and to know the new environment around me. 

Back in Canada I was making above minimum wage but spending over half my pay cheque on cost of living expenses (rent, food, bills etc). Over here I'm making less than what I used to but don't get taxed as much, live rent free and save more than half my pay each month, I'm pretty happy with that.

it's got nothing to do with 2019 wages not allowing a newbie to save for those goals anymore. 

except this is simply not true. i've seen your bad math around here before. i saved about 1 million won per month my first year here. it's not that hard. the only people i know who haven't saved are people who generally aren't good with money, don't know how to cook for themselves, and/or spend hundreds of dollars going out every weekend.

it's got nothing to do with 2019 wages not allowing a newbie to save for those goals anymore. 

except this is simply not true. i've seen your bad math around here before. i saved about 1 million won per month my first year here. it's not that hard. the only people i know who haven't saved are people who generally aren't good with money, don't know how to cook for themselves, and/or spend hundreds of dollars going out every weekend.

So true.  Outside of people from the US with very high student loan repayments, I can't see how people are getting through their money so quickly here.

I've worked with several people in Korea who were making slightly more than me but would always manage to spend all their paycheck and be broke by the next pay period. Lots of them would go out on the weekend and spend it all on drinks in bars. Others, I have no idea because they weren't drinkers and didn't buy shit they didn't need, yet they'd be broke again 4 weeks after payday and were nervously awaiting the transfer of funds into their bank account. Meanwhile I always saved tons of money, went on plenty of trips, had a car, drank beer when I wanted to, etc. Not sure how these people would have functioned back home where they'd be making less money and paying rent.

it's got nothing to do with 2019 wages not allowing a newbie to save for those goals anymore. 

except this is simply not true. i've seen your bad math around here before. i saved about 1 million won per month my first year here. it's not that hard. the only people i know who haven't saved are people who generally aren't good with money, don't know how to cook for themselves, and/or spend hundreds of dollars going out every weekend.

So true.  Outside of people from the US with very high student loan repayments, I can't see how people are getting through their money so quickly here.

This, I could easily have saved that much if I had wanted to.  I didn't and I'm okay with that.  I certainly didn't complain about my pay!

If some of you think 2.1 is an awesome salary, you're a retard.  If you stay in and eat ramien every day and sit on your thumb, perhaps, you can save more.  The reality is you could save a lot more and still be able to go out and have a life ten years ago.  Being apologists and making excuses is great for you, but for most normal people who realize what inflation is and that employers haven't kept up is bs. 

I can send home 1.5 million or more a month because I am up near 3 mil.  But if I were on 2.1, no way.  Also, to the dudes who claimed they save 1 million a month, you subtract 100,000 a month to pay the return flight.  (They use to be paid and now aren't.)  I had said it was possible to have 800 or 900 after everything was said and done.  My projections are correct.  This is with living frugally.  Current US Dolalr exchange rate is shit.  850,000 won as an average to send home gets you 720 dollars.  It's not much to both save and repay student loans.  Eleven or 12 years ago with the same salary and a much cheaper living cost meant sending home more.  At least 1.4 million won.  You got near 1500 bucks in your bank account as opposed to 720 now.  See where I'm going with this? 

As for some of you other folks where the government only makes you pay a per centage of your income while in country towards your loans, the fact you aren't or haven't paid them off while here is really dumb on your part.  You will have an extra 10 to 20 per cent tax on your income to pay for years to come.  You will have to pay income taxes fed and state, property taxes, fuel taxes, sales taxes, water and sewer, other government levies.  You then have this loan tax because you never paid it off.  Good luck with that.  (I notice many from those countries act like they have no loans because of this.)  To each their own. 

In spite of being an apologist or having stockholm syndrom, 2.1 to 2.3 is something that should be turned down in 2019.  Calling out hakwon owners and recruiters is the only way to affect change.  But stupid is as stupid does.