Job Discussion Forums

[mortilap]

Hi all, two questions:

1. What is the best recruiter/program to go through? JET? Aeon? Any recommendations?

2. Do I need a certification? I will be graduating from university in USA in May 2014 with minimal prior teaching experience. Part of me wants to feel competent in what I'm doing, as opposed to not getting a certification and just winging it. And I would get a certification in person- I heard online programs suck.

Also, how is the pay relative to South Korea?

Thanks!

[rtm]

[Pitarou]

What RTM said. Baseline professional standards are low, so certification generally isn't necessary, but it might get your foot in the door.

On the whole, I don't think Japan should be your number one destination, unless you can get on the JET program. The market is shrinking, and there are too many weaboos fresh out of college who will happily bid down your wages. But it may still be a good place to get started if you're unqualified.

JET is much cushier than other entry-level teaching jobs. From your perspective, the downsides are:

- slow, bureaucratic application and interview procedure
- zero choice about where you get assigned -- you'll probably end up in a place which had trouble recruiting ALTs through other means, because nobody wanted to live there

I don't know much about South Korea, so don't take my word as gospel, but my general impression is that, when costs of living are taken into account, South Korea is a little better. However, you should also bear in mind that, in South Korea, your visa names the employer your can work for, rather than the kind of work you can do. There's a sticky Japan vs Korea thread at the top of the Japan forum.