The Improvement of Total Rewards and Working Condition for Taekwondo Instructor in the COVID-19 Era

A Comparative Study between the U.S. and Korea

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the overall difficulties of the Taekwondo industry due to the COVID-19 situation and to find ways to improve the total rewards and working condition so that Taekwondo instructors can play their roles while maintaining their self-esteem. The method of this study was a comparative study of the U.S. and Korea, which is the home country of Taekwondo. For this study, 12 American and Korean instructors were interviewed and additional surveys were conducted. As a result, both American and Korean Taekwondo instructors were playing their roles with high self-esteem. However, there were differences in job classification, allowances pay, incentives, and self-development opportunities. In U.S., Taekwondo instructors are clearly defined their tasks based on the job classification system and are applied well-designed overtime pay, incentive system and vacation plans. On the other hand, Korean instructors were working overtime and overworking without additional compensation to maintain long-term vision and employment relations. Comparative studies show that both countries have improvements to learn from each other. Taekwondo instructors in the U.S. need to increase their self-esteem in taekwondo while providing instructors with a vision for long-term careers. Taekwondo instructors in Korea need to improve total rewards and develop new skills such as mental training, counseling, and online lessons. The study will contribute to the overall improvement of total rewards, working condition and career development of taekwondo instructors in the U.S. and Korea.