Korean Job Discussion Forums

[aznhybrid]

I just have a couple questions regarding teaching other subjects in Korea.

As some background:
Currently, I have applied to a few recruiters to try and get an ESL job. I applied to Pegasus, ASKNow, Teach ESL Korea, and directly to YBM. One problem I am facing is that I am trying to go in May (after I graduate) and there aren't that many jobs open at that time. I will be going to Korea holding a BS in Biology and a MS in Medical Sciences. Overall I have a little over a year of teaching experience (classroom of 10-20 and private 1 on 1) but mainly in the sciences.

I would like to teach as a science teacher, but I do not have any certification and I'm not sure I will be able to get one before I plan to go. I am in the process of getting my F-4 visa so I won't need sponsorship.

Does anyone that work at an international school/university have any insight into if I will be able to land a science position? I ideally want to be in the Seoul/Incheon area because I have family that live there and that is one of the reasons I will be going to Korea.

I looked online at the websites for a few international schools but they all require 2+ years of experience.

Any advice or info would be greatly appreciated.

[rowdie3]

There is another thread going about International schools on this board right now just below your thread. http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=216620

International schools require certification and experience. There are rare cases where you can get in without certifcation, but those are generally schools that call themselves international schools but have very few students who are from other countries. The real international schools require full certification.

[noobteacher]

Private elementary/middle schools may be another option. I mean private as in a public school where the parents pay extra money to send their children and are usually more like immersion schools where the majority of the kid's classes are taught in English. This means that they hire teachers not only to teach English but also history, math, science, etc. I think you usually need at least a few years of teaching for those kinds of schools though. My suggestion would be to come over, get your feet wet teaching English, and once you either have a year or two of teaching under your belt, OR certification, then you could jump into teaching science.

[wallythewhale]

Korean international schools - yes.

There are a few international schools in/around Seoul that are not accredited by big agencies such as WASC so they sometimes hire English speakers to teach multiple subjects (ie. science, math, history). Certification is not necessary, but a degree in the specific subject is ideal.

American/UK accredited international schools - no.

Because they are accredited, they want their teachers to be certified. There's really no way around it especially if you want to teach a major subject such as science. On top of that, they want 2+ years of experience in YOUR HOME COUNTRY, not Korea. They do not count your experience in Korea as actual teaching experience.

Hope this helps.

[aznhybrid]

Thanks for the replies, and sorry about posting another topic. I completely overlooked that other thread.

I'll give it a shot, but I don't think it will work out. Either way, I'll be going to Korea to teach.

[chrisblank]

Come teach ESL for a year then apply to Uni's. Many schools look for people with your qualifications to work in departments. Inha University is regularly looking for people with biology or science degrees to work at its school and hospital. They hire for March and advertise in the late fall/early winter. Start looking around October for good March jobs.