Native English Speakers’ Perceptions of Working at the Tertiary Level in Korea

Abstract

The present study examined native English speakers’ perceptions of working at the tertiary level, and how their perceptions correlated to job satisfaction. Forty-four NESTs from 10 different universities completed a questionnaire, and their responses were analyzed. The results showed that the level of job satisfaction of the participants was relatively high. However, in comparing mean differences between the two groups by marital status, there was a difference between the married group and the single group. The mean score of the married group was lower than that of the single group, and this difference was statistically significant. With respect to Korean language proficiency, however, there were no mean differences between the two groups (the beginner/high-beginner and intermediate/advanced). Nonetheless, they shared some negative opinions about their job. They felt that they were neither appreciated nor respected for the work they did, and they did not have a sense of belonging to their school. In addition, they were not satisfied with their job benefits. Although the level of job satisfaction was relatively high, there are some improvements that schools can make in order to increase the quality of education as well as satisfaction overall.