Online Instructors In Korea | What The Job Entails And How Much Money They Make

Okay, so most of us already know G-dragon was born in 1988 and achieved great success at a young age. It is estimated that his net worth is around 45 billion won (approx. 40M USD).

Apparently, there is a man the same age who makes even more money than he does!

His name is Woojin Hyun, a Korean online instructor.

Online Lectures

Source: JTBC

Due to the spread of coronavirus, there are many lectures around the world that are being conducted online. However, in Korea, online lectures have always been a thing since the early 2000s!

If you've watched the Korean dramas Sky Castle or Penthouse, you will have a sense of how intense the Korean education system is.

Source: JTBC

Since Korea puts such high importance on academic background, from an early age, students study with the end goal of entering a good university. So it is very common to go to various hagwons since elementary school.

And in high school, the pressure is at its peak when students are preparing for the university entrance exam.

During this time, many students listen to online lectures.

Source: leejiyoung official on YouTube

Not only are there online lectures for university exams, but there are also lectures for different certifications and employment.

However, because university entrance exams are prepared by about 500,000 students every year, the market for university entrance lectures is by far the largest.

So today, I'm going to focus on university entrance lectures rather than other lectures.

Source: theMEGASTUDY on YouTube

Online lectures are pretty self-explanatory. They are lectures people can watch on the internet! There are two main versions.

First, there is a studio lecture version. This is when instructors rent a studio and film their lectures to upload on their channels.

Second, there is a lecture in a hagwon. This is when instructors film their lectures in front of their students in class and upload it on their channel.

Source: theqoo

There are many advantages of online lectures. Since most of the high-quality education institutions are all located in Seoul, students who reside in other areas have fewer opportunities to learn in a high-quality environment.

Source: orbi

In particular, most of the large academies are concentrated in Gangnam and Noryangjin areas in Seoul, so there are even overnight facilities in the city that house students who come from afar to take classes in their institutions.

Source: SKYedu

Where can you take these online lectures?

There are several online lecture platforms in Korea. Megastudy, Etoos, Skyedu, and Daesung MyMac are some of the most popular platforms.

Just as celebrities belong to an entertainment company, these online instructors belong to different online platforms.

Source: Etoos

Online instructors have an exclusive contract with different online lecture platforms, and all the lectures that are filmed during the contract period are only available on that platform.

If you hire a famous instructor, the company's sales go up right away! So in these cases, the contract deals can easily exceed 10 billion won!

In fact, one website remained #1 in sales for 14 years then immediately fell behind to #2 when its most famous math instructors moved on to another website platform. This is how much power these online instructors hold!

So let's learn more about these online instructors!

Online Instructors

Source: Seoul Daily

Online instructors don't usually do online lectures from the beginning. There isn't really a set process, but most go through a similar process to become online instructors.

Most online instructors start out as instructors at hagwons. They start by teaching students their preferred subject on a small scale in a small academy.

Source: KBS News

You don't require any special qualifications to become an instructor at a hagwon. If you are a graduate of a vocational college and have a higher education background or have completed two years or more at a four-year university, you can register as an instructor!

Source: Etoos

After gaining some experience at a smaller hagwon, moving onto a larger institution, and establishing a position there, offers from online lecture companies will begin to come in.

Then, they can start working as an online instructor.

In other words, you can't suddenly become an online instructor as you need to steadily build an experience.

Source: Tong

Also, to become a popular instructor, you need to possess other characteristic charms as well.

Most popular instructors are able to have humorous conversations, and they can lead students well with their charisma.

Source: theMEGASTUDY on YouTube

These things can give you extra points! These days, companies will post edited videos of their instructors telling funny jokes or stories during their lectures on their official YouTube page.

It really takes a lot of effort to become such a popular instructor!

Online Instructor's Salary

Online instructor's annual salary consists of the company's contract deal, lecture fees, and textbook sales. That's why the salary of an online instructor varies from one another.

In the case of a very famous and well-taught instructor, they are as popular as an idol group so they can make a huge amount of money from the sales of their lecture fees and textbooks.

All the textbooks are made by the instructor themselves so they own their copyright.

Source: theMEGASTUDY on YouTube

Also, as I mentioned earlier, companies will pay these famous instructors a crazy amount of money to bring them to their platforms so their salaries are more than you can imagine!

Source: JoongAng Ilbo

They also work with managers, secretaries, and several assistants to handle all their work. The top 10 most popular instructors say that they work with a team of nearly 30 people. It's actually a whole business that they operate!

Now, let me introduce to you two online instructors that make the most money in Korea!

Hyun Woo-jin

Source: Megastudy

The number one instructor who boasts the highest income in Korea is Hyun Woo-jin, a math instructor!

Hyun Woo-jin is a graduate of Stanford University in the Mathematics Department and has been a very famous lecturer at hagwons in Gangnam since 10 years ago!

As of 2021, he is said to be in the first place as the highest-paid instructor in all subjects combined.

Source: Megastudy Facebook

In 2018, Hyun Woo-jin stated on his Instagram that a total of 990,000 copies of one of his textbooks were sold.

If you stack up all the books that Hyun Woo-jin has made and sold so far, it is said to be three times the height of Mount Everest!

Source: tong

Although his exact annual salary has not been disclosed, it is estimated to be between 20 billion and 30 billion won (approx. 17 to 26M USD).

Considering that the annual salary of Son Heung-min, a world-renowned soccer player, is about 10.8 billion won (approx. 9M USD), that is a HUGE amount of money!

Source: theMEGASTUDY on YouTube

He lives in the most expensive apartment in Korea, worth about 25 billion won (approx. 22M USD), and it is said that he has a fortune big enough to purchase a building worth 32 billion won (approx. 28M USD) in Gangnam with cash, without a loan!

Isn't that an unimaginable amount?

Lee Ji-young

Source: Lee Ji-young Twitter

Lee Ji-young is also a famous and popular star instructor! She currently teaches social studies.

It is said that the cumulative number of her students is over 3 million. When I was preparing for university entrance exams for two years, I also listened to her lectures online!

Source: Leejiyoung official on YouTube

Lee Ji-young is counted as a top role model for many high school students. She had a really poor upbringing, but studied hard every day with only three hours of sleep and is now a very successful instructor admired by many.

Lee Ji-young is also famous for giving her students a lot of helpful life advice during her lectures.

Source: Leejiyoung official on YouTube

Lee Ji-young once mentioned her fortune on her YouTube channel Q&A. She stated that since the year of 2014, her annual salary has not fallen below 10 billion won (approx. 9M USD).

Also, at the request of one of her subscribers, she showed her balance on her bank account and there was a whopping 13 billion won (approx. 11M USD) in cash!

Source: Leejiyoung official on YouTube

Lee Ji-young is also known for her love of supercars. She owns about 10 luxury cars such as Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Mclaren. She even owns a private yacht, isn't that crazy?

Today we learned about the unique career of an online instructor in Korea.

Of course, there are instructors in other countries as well, but the culture of online lectures in Korea is quite peculiar. The intense demand for high-quality education has definitely contributed to the idolization and popularity of online instructors.

Have you ever listened to online lectures in your country? What was your experience like? Let us know down in the comments below!