Korean Job Discussion Forums

[r.e.a.]

I've been reading through previous posts (as well as several blogs) and came across posts about how teaching at a hagwon is not a step in the right direction in landing other jobs teaching English abroad. I do not have teaching experience but would like to begin a career in teaching English to students in other countries and after researching my options, I've decided that Korea would be an appropriate place to begin. However, after reading comments from other teachers about how teaching in a hagwon may be irrelevant in gaining experience to move on to teaching in other countries, I'm beginning to second guess my plans to venture out to Korea this summer. My question to you all is: would teaching English at a hagwon to kindergarten and elementary level students be beneficial in landing me a tefl job in other countries?

[ttompatz]

[edwardcatflap]

Any question about what how you should plan your future depends on what you want to specialise in in the future and what countries you want to, or will be allowed to, teach in.

[r.e.a.]

Thank you for your responses!

My ultimate goal was to work towards a teaching position in Western Europe (mainly Italy) however being an American without an EU passport I know that is essentially impossible. I have toyed with the idea of applying to an assistantship program in Spain or France but seeing that my Spanish is not great and my French is non-existent (plus the salary is meager) I nixed the idea. Plus, at 28-years-old, I may have missed the age requirements but I'm not sure...

My plan is to head out to Korea this summer to teach for a year then return to San Francisco and enroll in a CELTA program (initially I was going to stay local and do it in SF but may possibly go to Europe to get certified if circumstances allow it). I'm hoping, after certification, I will be able to land a tefl job in Turkey and see where I can go from there. My goal is to eventually teach at an intermediate level (college) and I understand that there are several steps I'll have to take before I can get there so I'm hoping that the hagwon experience (I'm also looking into teaching adults a few times a week if that option is available while I'm in Korea) in addition to the CELTA certification will be productive steps toward landing a decent paying and fulfilling job in tefl.

[TSE]

I'm gonna disagree with ttompatz, I've got numerous friends who went to Korea, came back after a few years and then went somewhere else where their experience at hagwons "counted". Still, if you're really that worried about whether or not you'll be wasting time, perhaps you should just stay home and get a Master's in TESOL and skip the hagwons?

Korea is the biggest market for ESL, with the most perks relative to its barriers to entry. Generally people think of it as a jumping off point. Besides Japan (which definitely counts your hagwon experience as the real deal) I can't imagine where else you'd want to go as far as ESL teaching without an M.A.

[edwardcatflap]

Sounds like a good plan. My advice would be get the CELTA ASAP but presumably your aim is to save money in Korea to pay for it so that's sound. Turkey is a fascinating place to live and work (much more so than here) but you'll probably be on less money. As TSE says though if you're North American it's probably better to go the MA route. For Brits I'd say CELTA then DELTA would be more useful

[iggyb]

If you want to, you can learn a good bit about language teaching and some classroom managment, like someone else stated above, and you build up routines for different levels and ages that you'll be able to trust for years...

And I think future interviews will determine how much it counts. Hakwon work won't be considered the same as public school teaching in some country, but if he get the chance to interview, you can convince them you've learned what you're doing.

But, if Western Europe is your goal, especially since you are from outside Europe, you should seriously consider getting a MA in TESOL. More and more universities are offering it. I believe some let you complete it in 1 year (with 2 summers).

[r.e.a.]

Thank you all so much for your advice--this is all incredibly helpful!

While doing my research, I couldn't figure out whether a CELTA certificate held the same weight as an MA in TESOL and came across some teachers who claimed the CELTA is more widely recognized and offers more practical or hands-on experience whereas the MA is seen as more of an "academic" degree; I've also come across many university job opportunities which require CELTA certification in addition to a year or two of prior teaching experience. That said, I want to be well trained and effective so I have considered enrolling in an MA program in addition to the CELTA when I get back from Korea but would I be better off racking up my actual teaching experience or heading back to the classroom for a year and obtaining the degree in order to reach my goal of teaching English to intermediate learners? I'm hoping that I get lucky and end up in a good hagwon where I'll learn some basics and receive a decent intro to the world of tefl.

[Illysook]

Take the CELTA in Turkey as soon as you can save up the money. The people at ITI Istanbul are really good. Try to find a hagwon situation where you won't hate it and will get paid.