Job Discussion Forums

[lynneireland]

Hi all,

I am a 21 year old irish girl and by august of next year I will have a Bsc in science education and a tefl certification. So far my only teaching related work experience has been teaching science in a boys secondary school. I am very interested in travel and, once qualified, would love to teach abroad for a few years to experience different cultures and different ways of life. That said, I don't really have any one country I would like to teach in and was wondering if any of you would have advice about where the best countries would be for someone in my shoes.

Thanks for any help,

Lynne

[Anda]

If South Korea is still standing by August next year then I would start there for the first year so that you can get a bit of spending money saved up. Then give China or Vietnam a go.

You can teach in public schools in Korea and China. I don't know about Vietnam. If you have home country teacher certification then you can look at teaching in International Schools where you can get better pay.

The paper work for teaching in Korea is a lot so start getting everything ready. For University and public school jobs you need to apply about two to three months before hand. Instutites on the other hand take two to three weeks, sometimes less.

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http://www.teachenglishinasia.net/obtaining-a-work-visa-for-teaching-english-in-korea

What documents are required for obtaining a visa teaching English in Korea?

Sponsorship guarantee form (notarized) - shin won pojunso
Contract of not less than one year and not more than two years - ko yeong kyeyakso
Certificate of Employment - chaejik junmyungso
These three forms will be supplied by your employer. It is recommended that you arrange to have the documents one month in advance to allow for errors or anything else that may holdup the process.

In order to get sponsorship from a Korean company or academic institution you should also prepare the following:

Statement of purpose, or short essay about why you want to teach in Korea
Resume or CV
Passport-size photos
Original university/college diploma (must be at least a BA)
Official university/college transcripts
Reference letter
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You can add a police clearance to the above and a few other things like a medical. Also you have to pay the airfare up front, you get it back later.

[denise]

If you don't have a specific place in mind, you could ask yourself a few questions to narrow it down:

1) How much money will you hope to earn? Enough to save or just enough to live comfortably?
2) What climate do you prefer?
3) How important are things like learning the language, meeting the locals, dating, etc.?

These are just a start. There are loads of other considerations...

d

[lynneireland]

Thanks Anda that really is great information on a start in Korea which I will look into. As for Denises questions. I like to live comfortably but at this stage I am not hugely concerened with saving money as I have no dependants or loan payments to worry about. As for the climate Im used to wet miserable weather so anywhere where there is less rain and more heat would suit me just fine. I would love to learn the language of wherever I end up and would like to be able to learn about the local cultures, Im not looking for somewhere which is similar to Ireland but somewhere altogether different.

[Anda]

Look lynneireland there are many things to consider, even the hot cold thing. Places like Vietnam you could end up with heat rash, even in Korea the summer is hot and humid. Medical well I travel with a return ticket in case I run into big problems like I did in Indonesia where I got a bacterial infection into my heart. A million dollars later after three months of hospital and open heart surgery on my home countries free medical I was back at it.

Working in government schools here in Asia usually gives plenty of time off but you need money if you want to travel around in that time off. Korea no problem but China well you don't usually get that much money.

New country new clothes and bed stuff, it costs. Want to make your accommodation a bit more comfortable it costs. Get stuck with a bad boss it costs big time to job change these days what with visa runs etc.

Now I am doing a job change in China. Got a new job lined up but I have a visa to worry about as there is two months between when I finish where I'm at and where I'm going to start next. So I have an apartment full of stuff to store and two months without wages. Sure I'll manage but it will cost me.

Now I'm in China so I go out with my poor Chinese friends as I work in a poor area. then I shout cause they don't have the money. Korea I take it in turns to shout as they have money.

China is full of pick pockets. It can cost. Don't rule out money too much as working this game is different from being in ones home country.

When you get here you will probably get sick a bit while you adjust to the local bugs and that can cost.

Hope this helps you a bit.
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http://hiteacher.com/job/2008-03-30/7664

BENEFITS:
AT LEAST 2 weeks vacation ( most teachers get between 4 - 8 weeks )

THE BOSS:
ALL bosses are different all over the world. All bosses are different in all of these schools.
It is a bit of a lottery what kind of boss you will get. Some will make you work even though the kids are not at school on vacation, others will tell you to take an extended paid holiday. Some will leave you to your own devices, some will be all over you like a fat kid on a smartie. Impossible for us to tell what kind of boss you�ll be getting. Suffice it to say that your boss will be male, late 40�s � early 50�s, VERY Korean, pretty happy with himself that he has made Principal and most certainly the Lord of the Manor! Treat him with this in mind.

[Glenski]

JET Programme for Japan is pretty nice.
www.jetprogramme.org

You get one shot at an application per year (deadlines are near the end of the year for the following August; you've missed the deadline for the 2008-09 hiring).

Advantages:
* better pay than most starting jobs
* paid airfare (a rarity here)
* sometimes subsidized or even free rent (case by case)
* sensible working hours compared to conversation schools
* an organized support system with regular training presentations
* the comfort of NOT being the main teacher
* rural location can give you the feeling of "the real Japan" or help you learn Japanese language by full immersion

There are disadvantages, too, and I don't know if you want to wait until end of this year, you can still apply. Not sure if JET will accept the fact that your degree will come as late as August, simply because that is the date they send the ALTs out, and prior to that you have to have your visa processed (work visas require a degree). I'll leave it to you to inquire.

[Serious_Fun]

[naturegirl321]

YOu have have the world at your feet, having a BS in Science Ed means that you might get into international shcools, or at least bilingual ones. For money, Asia is the place to go. Try Korea, Taiwan, or Japan.