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Joon
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
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Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 11:12 am Post subject: Question? |
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Hello, I'm new here..I immigrated to the U.S. 23yrs ago and just recently returned to Seoul, Korea..I'm interested in seeking employment as an English instructor...I'm not sure what the exact requirements or what qualifications I must have but Ive seen most schools/hagwon ads stating it requires a 4yr college degree. I only have a 2 yrs. Would getting a Tesol or Tefl certification help or do I absolutely need a 4 yrs to get a job? Thx for your help. |
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peppermint

Joined: 13 May 2003 Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
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Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 1:12 pm Post subject: |
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You absolutely do need a 4 year degree, if you want to work with an E-2 visa. It sounds like you might have other options though. I don't know much about the Kyopo visas, but someone here will. |
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crazylemongirl

Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...
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Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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actually you don't need a 4 year degree (I got my intial e2 on my 3 year degree). But you need a full bachelors from an acredited university though. |
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FUBAR
Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: The Y.C.
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Joon
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
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Posted: Fri Oct 15, 2004 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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peppermint wrote: |
You absolutely do need a 4 year degree, if you want to work with an E-2 visa. It sounds like you might have other options though. I don't know much about the Kyopo visas, but someone here will. |
I'm still a Korean citizen so I don't need a visa.. But since I don't have a bachelors what other options do I have in order to teach English? |
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katydid

Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Location: Here kitty kitty kitty...
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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:59 am Post subject: |
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If you are still a Korean citizen, you better be sure the Military Police won't be the ones to greet you first at the airport.
See what you have to do to get any kinds of exceptions. |
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Joon
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2004 4:34 am Post subject: |
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katydid wrote: |
If you are still a Korean citizen, you better be sure the Military Police won't be the ones to greet you first at the airport.
See what you have to do to get any kinds of exceptions. |
lol...no I'm not worried about the military because I don't have to go..pretty sure of that.. I need to know if I have any other options in teaching English since I only have an associates and not a bachelors.. Any suggestions or ideas anyone?? |
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casey's moon
Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Location: Daejeon
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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2004 4:46 am Post subject: |
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Are you 100% on the military thing? Lots of gyopos and even some adoptees have trouble with this. Unless you're female... |
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katydid

Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Location: Here kitty kitty kitty...
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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2004 4:51 am Post subject: |
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This is a very good point. You should be really very sure before coming over here.
Unless you are a girl, of course.  |
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J.B. Clamence

Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2004 5:25 am Post subject: |
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In the first post, the OP said "just recently returned to Seoul," so it looks like Joon is already here. Seeing that Joon "immigrated", it doesn't look like Joon is an adoptee or anything like that, and seems to know the situation pretty well since citizenship was kept, so if he/she says he's/she's sure, I believe it.
As for your options, being a Korean citizen and not needing a visa, there shouldn't be a problem with you teaching English, although being Korean and a Korean citizen (not to mention not having a degree), you may not be able to get the same jobs a lot of foreigners here have. For example, I know of several students at my university who teach part time at some of the hakwons in town even though they haven't finished university yet (whether that's legal or not I don't know, but since they're citizens, I doubt anyone really cares). You should be able to get a job like that no nproblem if you're up for it, although it wouldn't help to try for something better first. |
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captain kirk
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2004 6:24 am Post subject: |
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That's what they say, a 'four year degree/Ba'. I've got a three year Ba, major in English let, accredited Uni. Always get the E2.  |
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Joon
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2004 8:03 am Post subject: |
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J.B. Clamence wrote: |
In the first post, the OP said "just recently returned to Seoul," so it looks like Joon is already here. Seeing that Joon "immigrated", it doesn't look like Joon is an adoptee or anything like that, and seems to know the situation pretty well since citizenship was kept, so if he/she says he's/she's sure, I believe it.
As for your options, being a Korean citizen and not needing a visa, there shouldn't be a problem with you teaching English, although being Korean and a Korean citizen (not to mention not having a degree), you may not be able to get the same jobs a lot of foreigners here have. For example, I know of several students at my university who teach part time at some of the hakwons in town even though they haven't finished university yet (whether that's legal or not I don't know, but since they're citizens, I doubt anyone really cares). You should be able to get a job like that no nproblem if you're up for it, although it wouldn't help to try for something better first. |
u hit it right on the nose... and thx for your suggestion because that's what i needed to know..whether i can still work as an English instructor w/o a bachelors.. |
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keithinkorea

Joined: 17 Mar 2004
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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2004 8:16 am Post subject: |
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captain kirk wrote: |
That's what they say, a 'four year degree/Ba'. I've got a three year Ba, major in English let, accredited Uni. Always get the E2.  |
Yeah I dont know what the deal is with the four year thing! I have a BA honours degree that I got in the UK and there has never been a problem. Do us British types do a lot more work to get our BAs? It's not something I've ever really though about that much. Why does it take Americans 4 years to get an equivalent qualification?
I dont even think that there are normal degrees that take 4 years in the UK, every British degree holder I know who hasn't got a masters has done it in three years. Is it because we're smarter?
Do they measure it in Korean years? |
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J.B. Clamence

Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 8:30 am Post subject: |
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keithinkorea wrote: |
Why does it take Americans 4 years to get an equivalent qualification? |
How many credit hours is a standard B.A. program in Britain? In the U.S., it's almost always 120. Basically what that means is: a class that meets three hours a week will get you 3 credits at the end of the 16-week semester. 4 hours a week for 16 weeks = 4 credits (usually -- there are some exceptions, like some beginner foreign language classes might be 5 days, but only 4 credits because it's so simple). Usually there are 2 semesters per year, plus a summer semester, which most students don't use). Americans need 120 of these "credits" to graduate. Thus, to finish school in 4 years with summers off, you should take an average of 15 credits per semester (which means 15 hours of class time per week for the 16 week-long semester -- Repeat for all 8 semesters).
It is mathematically possible to finish in three years without summers, but you would have to do 20 credits a semester, which is a lot. The truth is that nowadays, a lot of students are on what we call "The 5-Year Plan". The "5th-year senior" is an all-too-common title on American campuses these days. Most of them are just going slower than the standard pace: like 12 credits a semester or something like that (which is pretty lax, unless you have a job on the side with long hours). I guess some of them are just having trouble passing certain courses they need to graduate.
How does it work with a British 3-year degree? |
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peemil

Joined: 09 Feb 2003 Location: Koowoompa
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Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2004 8:54 am Post subject: |
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I've seen my GF US degree looks like. We don't waste time doing electives like "belly dancing" or "tennis." |
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