"English teachers are required to commit to an entire 15-week semester. The spring semester begins in early March and finishes in mid-June. The fall semester begins in early September and finishes in mid-December," the offer reads.
The offer does not disclose the salary or benefits the position brings. However, earlier job offers from the country came with a €1,000 bonus that "covers a return air ticket from Beijing to Pyongyang," plus "a North Korean visa, weekend excursions around the country, all meals and three-star hotel accommodation," according to a 2015 report by Newsweek.
As for the requirements, applicants must have a master's level degree (in any subject) and at least one year's classroom experience teaching English at the high school, college or university level.
"An English teaching qualification (TEFL/ CELTA/ TESOL) is also highly preferred," the offer reads.
The university accepts applicants from a lengthy list of countries, which includes the United States, Japan and Russia. South Koreans, on the other hand, need not apply, and North Korea is known to have banned people who have a history of working in South Korea regardless of their nationality.
The job offer does point out that working in North Korea brings its own set of peculiarities.
"Due to the nature of the work and campus-based lifestyle, candidates should also be willing to work as part of a team, submit to authority, and exercise flexibility, cross-cultural sensitivity and perseverance."
North Koreans have a record of hiring Evangelical Christians, a tradition that goes at least back to 2011, when Kim Jong-Il was still the leader of the country. It is likely that the Korean leadership believes them to be less likely to be spies, according to world-tefl.com blog.
The Pyongyang University of Science and Technology is not only the first privately funded higher education institution in North Korea, it is also a joint effort by "forces from the North and the South Korea, along with contributions from groups and individuals from other nations, in particular China and the USA," according to the recruitment website.
