Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Scorpio]

Is a TESOL certification worthwhile, or is it a waste of time? Will it open doors if I have a BA in business management and no MA? I'm a total newbie (actually, not even...yet) Does experience take presidence over all that...how would you rank all that stuff in terms of importance (what will open university doors too? Pretty face, nice smile?) THANX

[hellofaniceguy]

Not in korea. All immigration requires is a BA/BS. Universities usually require MA's.
TESL/TEFL is a good idea. Just because English may be your native language does not mean you can teach it. I know in Canada or the U.S., you need to be certified to teach that subject. I'm not getting on your case, but in korea and elsewhere, thousands of teachers are not doing a good job of teaching English because they do not have the proper training. But that's another subject and if immigration doesn't care, then why should you?!

[some waygug-in]

It depends on where you want to work, or end up working. All the training in the world will not prepare you for what you may face in some Korean hagwans. YOu may end up baby-sitting kindergarten classes, while your director tells naive parents what a fantastic kids' teacher you are. A lot of what I learned in my TESOL course is useless here in Korea.
Simply because the schools don't care what you know about teaching, they want you to be a smiling "white" boy who is everyone's friend. The teaching is secondary, even unimportant compaired to the PR side of things. What they want is someone they can "sell" to the students. If you are a Brad Pitt look alike, you've got it made. You can get a job at an adult hagwan and the young Korean women will come swooning.

If you are the world's greatest teacher, but you are not the most handsome dude around (that means you could lose 20 lbs or so and the receding hairline doesn't help either) you will be able to find work, but you are going to have a far harder time than the above mentioned type.
This may seem cynical, but it's the way things are here.
Cheers

[Scorpio]

Could Brad Pitt walk into a University with a BA?

[kimcheeking]

[kylehawkins2000]

I would have to say that the TESOL degree is not all that important. The basic degree is a very short course and does not guarantee that you can teach english. If you are unsure of whether you really want to teach it might me a good idea to do it just as an introduction.

Experience and type of B. degree are probably more heavily emphasized by Hogwan employers. An english, linguistics, or education degree are more highly prized. Experience is what really counts when bargaining for a position.

If you want a Uni job a Master's degree is preferred but not always necessary. Experience is usually required. I haven't heard of anyone being hired at a Uni without a Master's or experience.

[Scorpio]

Which city woud be the easiest to fly into, having known NOBODY, no recruiter, try to find a taxi to take me to a cheap hotel, and wake up the next day, throw on a shirt and tie and (should I bring a suit?) and knock down some opportunities? Also, which city would Brad Pitt have wanted to work in (serious question) if Brad Pitt had the "Yellow fever"

[FierceInvalid]

I took a TESOL and I'm glad I did, just because it gave me some classroom experience before I came (you can't be prepared for everything, but at least I'd run a class before) and I learned English grammar, which was boring but very useful for me. Bottom line is you don't need it just to get a job, but it will almost definitely help - and certainly won't hurt.

As to your second line of questioning, I think for pretty much everything you mentioned Seoul is it. Unless you have an aversion to the whole "big city" thing, there's just more of everything - more jobs, more events, and more girls...just don't take a cab from the airport - it's too far away and will cost a crapload. Yeah bring a suit - it'll be a big plus for you when interviewing for a job, plus suiting up and splashing out on an Apgujeong night is fun sometimes.

[Scorpio]

plus suiting up and splashing out on an Apgujeong night is fun sometimes.[/quote]

Whoa...whats that? Seems kinda monkey like, Will I like it? Can't wait to learn all that stuff...