Korean Job Discussion Forums

sherbert · Joined: 27 Sep 2003

Hi,

Im totally new to this, so pls be nice!
Seriously interested in persuing a career in teaching english as foreign language.
l am an looking at Korea. Am 26, no teaching experience.

Am a bit over whelmed by the no. of courses (celta and tesol) on offer? all varing prices (am looking at the ones that offer some teaching practise 120 hours etc)

has any one got any recommendations? theres a huge difference in price and want to do course in the uk first, or is it best to go to Korea? and what are peoples views on placement companies ? (not the ones that charge but that the Korean schools pay)

any help, tips or pointers in the right direction to get started would be great!
Cool

buddy bradley · Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Location: The Beyond

Relax! I'm South African, and as such I'm the lowest of the low (according to Koreans). So instead of using a recruiter, I'm just gonna fly to Korea and 'sell myself'. If you're confident and speak clearly, just go. How do I explain this logic? Maybe I don't want to (less competition - you know)...

Maybe someone will give you better advice, I don't know...Either way, I've just spent a lot of money on a ticket for Korea (hey, I could've gone to Canada for less) but I still reckon that it's worth it.

Good luck.

peppermint · Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2003 1:03 pm Post subject:

I've been here for a year and a half, and Buddy's advice isn't far off the mark. It's not really necessary to fly here first and then look for work- its a pretty big investment.

Take a look at the jobs offered section of this site, think about location, and ages that you want to teach, and then start applying. For most jobs here, a certification beyond a university degree is unnecessary, so why not come and try it out before you commit yourself to if. Before you accept any job, do lots of research, check the blacklists, ask questions here, run a search through Google. This is one situation where forwarned definitely is forarmed.

Good luck!

buddy bradley · Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Location: The Beyond

Peppermint seems correct, but remember - you're British! In South-East Asia 'British English' is the norm - but in Korea there is no English other than 'American English'. Get used to that cold, hard fact.

Oh, I advise you to get some advice...

peppermint · Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2003 1:30 pm Post subject:

Be prepared for incredibly anal questions about grammar. It's hard to tell which rules are important and which aren't when you're learning a new language.

From Dictionary.com

buddy bradley · Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Location: The Beyond

'Twas but a sick joke. Somebody shoot me!

posco's trumpet · Joined: 20 Apr 2003 Location: Beneath the Underdog

buddy bradley · Joined: 24 Aug 2003 Location: The Beyond

Okay, posco's trumpet has some sound advice. Unfortunately, you're not American enough. End of story.

sherbert · Joined: 27 Sep 2003

Thankyou for the advice! Its nice its not all negative, as theres a lot of negative stuff on here. But I suppose if you can read all that and still want to do it, its worth a shot!
And I apologise for the bad english, trying to research this and write a message with a boss behind you is not easy, plus the fact I dont think I have used my brain since graduating.

I met several people (British) who have been in Korea for a few years, a couple are northeners with strong local accents and they put me on to the idea of Korea. They had no problems and love Korea and teaching, but thanks for making me aware.

I'm not planning on going till April, so will look at the books recommened, buy a decent grammar book (and yes I know that it is no subsitute for teaching experience) study that and maybe look at one of the cheaper intro tesol courses over a week for tips on teaching.

Just one thing - to start up in Korea, how much do you recommend to have in the bank?

waterbaby · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Location: Baking Gord a Cheescake pie

Have a look at my FAQ Sticky at the top of this Q&A Forum. It's a collection of links, mostly for newbies, that will answer a lot of the questions you have.

EG

purrrfect · Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2003 4:08 am Post subject:

Hi Sherbert!
I'm also really new to the board, although I've lived in Korea for around two years, and I figured I could start by giving some advice...
About money, I arrived in Korea with only about $30 to my name, a scary situation which I would not recommend to anyone. I ended up surviving the first month ok, because I got an advance from my hagwon and some teachers at my hagwon were really great and helped me out. But, I'd recommend bringing as much money as you can. It's possible to get by on less, but I generally budget about 600,000 Won per month for daily expenses and any other small expenses that may come up.
About being British, it's true that North American teachers are favoured, but I've also met plenty of British teachers during my stay here.
So, come on over to Korea - you probably won't find any other place where it's so easy to find a job at the drop of a hat!