Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dkteachlife]

Oh wise crowd sourced knowledge base
I don't want to take the time or the money out to go back to California to get my teaching credential and Masters in Education. I would like to do it part-time here. My end goal is to teach in a tier 1 or 2 International School somewhere. I know I'll have to start in Thailand or Vietnam or something for my first two years. But, i'd like to do my school work here in Korea in some sort of hybrid system.
I favor the American Public School curriculum as most International school's lean that way to get the foreign kids into American Uni's. Plus, the British pound is brutal in conversion with the won for tuition.
So, far I have found Framington State University to be a great choice. But, would like to love to hear others thoughts especially those whom have done this already. Framington isn't a credential program so, I was looking at Ready Teach in Florida to get that. Any more advice or experience wrote below please. I prefer in class as I know myself, not disciplined enough to do a full online program. Prestige isn't a huge factor on my list as I look at teaching as a skill developed over time rather than uber awesome training and theory some how making me a brilliant teacher. Somewhere in the middle is likely the reality. Thanks for the CONSTRUCTIVE advice in advance.

[Swampfox10mm]

Forget the MA. Get your CELTA. It is the be-all-end-all of ESL education, and you can get it in about a month if you fork over $2,500.

People with mere MA's cannot teach. To be a real teacher, you need a CELTA. Besides, you'll never get a job in the EU without one.

[le-paul]

[tob55]

Check out a National university here in Korea. You can get foreign student tuition which can be as low as 1.2 mil a semester for 4 semesters. I have a friend finishing up right now and by going that route saved a bundle of cash. The course loead is quite small for programs in English Lang & Lit, Applied Linguistics, or even English Education if you want to go that direction. You can do a program through the Humanities Dept. or the English Ed Dept at most National Universities, and the courses are commonly taught in English (something they do to attract foreign students).

I am finishing up my PhD at a National University next semester and completed my program for right around $10,000 USD, which is a steal when comparing it to an American program back in the States. It definitely did not lack in quality, and I know there are enough "sister" connections to National Universities here in Korea that getting a job in a regional University shouldn't be an issue. Others will try to sell you on what they know and how they feel, but if you are wanting a Master's degree then go for it. The application deadline for fall semester is past, but typically the application deadline for spring semester is the last week of October, so if you are serious about it, start looking around.

Gook luck.

[young_clinton]

[robbie_davies]

[ttompatz]

Post grad certificate in education (1 year), B.Ed as ad add-on to your BA (usually about 3 semesters) and (depending on the state) the Praxis tests.

The MA/M.Ed route won't get you where you want to be without home country certification (a REQUIREMENT in about 60% of cases and a "highly preferred" in 100%).

http://www.searchassociates.com/Candidates/FAQs.aspx and
http://www.searchassociates.com/Candidates/Get-Started.aspx
will probably answer a large number of your queries.

.

[thebearofbundang]

If you are looking to work at an International School, like you mentioned, a CELTA will be useless.

You won't be an ESL teacher.

Also, if you plan on working at an International School, you will likely only be offered an interview if you can show them your teacher's certification card/number from your home country (at least in my experience). This is the most important thing that you will need.

[cam83]

If you want to work at an international school, a CELTA is not necessary. For example, you could just do a 1 year course (PGCE) in the UK, which would then qualify you to teach anywhere. Also note, that in the UK, an MA is also a 1 year course... so as long as you don't live in central London, you'd save money and time (considering you only study for about 7-8 months).

If you are worried about needing to keep working, you can work for up to 20hrs a week on a student visa in the UK. If you are not wanting to leave your comforts of Korea, there are distance learning courses - though you will still need to do in-school practical assessments at some point (possibly when you have your summer/winter vacation from teaching here)

[meangradin]

[philthor]

I work in an international school, and I can't say enough good things about my school (but for the sake of anonymity, I just won't say which school). Thebearofbundang is right about needing to show your certification--which is what you're trying to do--and the others are correct that you'll have to do some form of an internship. My school has hosted several interns (mostly from America but one from Korea). And there is at least one individual who is persuing certification while in Korea, so it is possible to get certified here. Based solely on my small knowledge, you'll have to go the distance/online learning route for certification, and I see you've looked at the Florida program which does require an internship/practicum.

If you are able to do your internship/practicum in Korea, it could easily land you a job. The beauty, as I'm sure you can imagine, is that if you do a decent job, the administration is taking far less of a gamble on you than a more established teacher with whom only interviews have taken place. Most people can polish their personalities long enough for interviews, but very few can do that for a full semester.

The CELTA is very good, but it's more for those interested in ESL/EFL as a career (and I have a few friends working for the British Council who are doing very well for themselves plus have been able to see much of the world--certain positions require that you have a time limit for how long you can stay at a specific school, and since the BC has a decent range of locations, it helps your odds of locating a new, well, uhm, locale).

I've mentioned in a previous post that being an elementary ed teacher is your best bet for finding a job as there is a greater need for teachers of that age range.

You might even be able to do your practicum/internship at one of the DoDEA schools. I don't want to fully get into the positives vs. negatives of the DoDEA, but the pay is great for Korea, and, much like the BC, you'd have a wide range of options for other nations. The negative is that student turnover is somewhat high and behavioral management issues that exist in America are present in the DoDEA. My little compare and contrast doesn't do the DoDEA justice, though.

There are probably (and I'm totally guessing on this) more teachers in the DoDEA with their Clinical Education work (it's the certification/training required to be a teacher who takes on working with interns) than you will find in international schools in Korea.

Okay, I rambled off topic a bit.

1) Yes, you can get certified but it's probably going to be through distance learning.
2) Yes, it can be done part time--I've seen it.
3) Yes, it is possible to do a practicum in Korea (but it's potentially a little complicated because of what your schedule might be like).
4) No, you don't necessarily have to go to Vietnam or Thailand before landing a job in Korea (but many of the schools in Thailand are also really good).


Good luck.

[jeremydc808]

So is it worth spending an extra 12 grand to Get an M.Ed with teaching certification from America OR A CELTA and a Korean M.Ed ?


I have a few weeks to decide. I'm leaning towards the certification/ M.Ed from back home. Its from a Texas school and they reassured me that all tests can be taken in Seoul. The practicum can be done at my school.

Granted, it's an online degree............

[ttompatz]

[jeremydc808]

Ahhh, thanks for the straight answer.