Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rookiejet]

Hi everyone, first post, etc.

So the job market where I'm living right now isn't so hot, and teaching English in a foreign country is something I've always wanted me to do, and a friend who is now living in Korea has been encouraging me to try to find a job there.

I'd love to get everything in motion and make the move this summer, but here's the issue: I'll only have my AA. I assume most of you guys have a BA or BS or higher, and I'm wondering if any degree is enough to be taken seriously by recruiters/schools, or if it's even enough to get an E-2 visa. I'm 24 and I'd like to continue my education (whether here or over there via online classes or something), just wondering what my options are.

Thanks in advance!

[Riker]

I believe the only work you qualify for is the TALK program ( I think that is the name of it)

I'm sure someone on this site can fill you in on the details, but I'm pretty sure it only requires a certain amount of college credit.

[CentralCali]

Option 1: Stay in school and get your baccalaureate. Armed with that degree, you can get an E-2 visa and teach in South Korea legally with full-time pay and full-time benefits.

Option 2: (If it is still available) Come to South Korea on the TALK program where you get paid one million won (in the neighborhood of US$1,000) less per month than a teacher with a baccalaureate and E-2 visa.

Option 3: If you are of Korean ethnicity, come to South Korea on an F-series visa and work for a hagweon, not a public school.

Option 4: Come to South Korea and teach illegally. For this one, you'll find a lot of NETs already in country will be quite rightly upset with you.

Option 5: Go to another country with lower standards and lower pay.

Personally, I like Option 1 the best. Have you maxed out on student grants/loans?

[rookiejet]

Wow, thanks for the fast replies. I'm 0% Korean so the F-4 visa is out of the question.

I'll look into TALK and see if it's still available. How livable is that kind of salary? I wonder if they'd still provide housing the way most schools seem to.

Option 1 is nice but I'm currently still living with my parents at 24, which I'm ashamed of, and the environment is a little unsavory to be honest. I can't find a job where I earn enough to support myself and go to school. I'm also losing my current job thanks to Borders closing the location I work at, which just furthers my frustration with the job market around here. It didn't make much but I liked that job. I've also been trying to avoid the whole massive student loan debt thing, but it might just be time to bite the bullet and go that route.

Teaching illegally sounds risky, but I've read differing accounts of that on this forum. Differing enough, really, that I'd like to avoid it altogether. I do however have a place I could stay (long-term ideally, short-term otherwise) while living there which makes the prospect of job-searching illegally less daunting/frightening.

Full disclosure: there is a romantic entanglement involved as well, so if Korea is out of the question I'll probably just stay here and finish my degree.

[cheolsu]

As you're already finding out, going into debt for a degree will (usually) result in better results over time.

You could also study in Korea, killing two birds with one stone.

[ttompatz]

The ONLY legal option in Korea for you would be the TaLK program:

http://www.talk.go.kr/

.

[CentralCali]

If you and your family cannot afford for you to finish college, you certainly cannot afford the detention and fines that result from getting caught teaching illegally. And, you will stay in Korea, unable to earn money, while they wait for you to fork over the fines levied.

[siwawalter]

There's a hiring freeze everywhere. The job market really sucks big time.

[Weigookin74]

[pangaea]

My advice would be to finish your degree. I know you may be in a hurry but it is much more to your advantage to finish your bachelor's degree, not only for jobs in Korea but at home as well. Your options for coming to Korea are extremely limited with only an associate's. You may qualify for the TALK program but I am not sure if they offer airfare, housing, or benefits. Your salary would also be much lower than a teacher with a B.A or B.S. It would probably be very difficult for you to pay your living expenses and pay for school, especially if you wanted or needed to save money.

Of course, I do not recommend working here illegally. That would be illegal. Not only that, but a shady school that would hire an illegal teacher is definitely not worth working for. Their low standards and disregard for the law would also manifest in the way you would be treated. Contracts might not be worth much here, but at least they can be taken to the Labor Board in the event of a problem with your employer. As an illegal teacher, you would have 0 protection under the law. You would have no health insurance or benefits. Your employer could decide to make you work ridiculously long hours, pay you late, or not pay you at all. You would have absolutely no recourse. No to mention the very bad things that would happen if you were caught. You would be deported, but you might be held in jail until you could pay fines and/or your ticket home. As bad as your present circumstances might seem, they are probably preferable to being stuck in a jail cell in a foreign country thousands of miles from home where you don't speak the language.

I definitely think that finishing your degree is your best option. Can I ask what your major is?

[marsavalanche]

I recently did an interview for a school in Seoul and when I asked where the other foreign teacher was from they said Russia. ROFL. I teach in Korea legally, but I will say that OP.

[mungmung]

I worked in Korea as part of the Talk program for 1 year. During that time, I took online college courses too. Since the Talk program only requires 3 hours of teaching a day, it is still possible to study. Though keep in mind that you would still need to plan lessons for your classes.

The salary is very livable if you are smart. Many participants of the program are young and make the mistake of partying most of their money away during the first couple of months. If you live reasonably, you should be able to save at least 500,000 won a month.
Also, housing is provided but can vary greatly from school to school.

If you don't mind being placed in a rural area (sometimes a very rural area), then the Talk program is not a bad choice.

Whatever you choose, I agree that you should do it legally. Living in Korea has enough challenges without having to look over your shoulder ever 5 mins.

[minos]

Talk program seems alright, but they tend to place you in some of the most isolated hellholes in the country. I presume schools that had multiple runners from EPIK or too cheap/unlucky to get an EPIK person.

I'd had the misfortune of living in a few places that had alot of TALK teachers for a few months. These places were rural Alaska level of isolation. Nearly zero foreigners or young adult koreans unless a college was nearby.


Pay is pretty low(1.6 I think) and some schools are a lot of work....I knew a guy who did it and he had to create an entire year's curriculum from scratch to run an after school program with no support.

Other schools are much less work, so it's hit or miss.

Lots of kyopos strangely....they seem to be a...uhh...interesting mix.

Personally I wouldn't do it after talking to a few. I'd rather just study abroad in a Korean college for dirt cheap....you'll learn korean and teach privates on the side. Heck, some international students even have a "tutoring" scholarship before they even come.

Chances are, the korean tuition is cheaper than the american one for international students....some people I know pay 1k a semester.