Korean Job Discussion Forums

[seoulmon]

Preamble

My story starts on the rainy streets of TAIWAN.

I had arrived in Taiwan and things just weren't working out. I came for my VISA. In Korea, you need to leave the country and apply for the VISA OUTSIDE of the country. So on the rainy Monday that I arrived in Taiwan, I went immediately to the Korean embassy.

I arrived soaked to the bone, still carrying my luggage, only to be told: KOREA DOESN'T ISSUE VISAS FROM TAIWAN.

It was sometime soon after that moment of despair that I found out it all didn't matter. I was going to Thailand. My school canceled the KOREA course and offered, very kindly, to fly me and two other students out to Thailand. One of the students casually asked if they would also cover accommodations, and when they agreed we jumped.

So in less than three days I was traveling again, this time to sunny THAILAND.

The School



Our school is located just outside the city limits, nestled in between some greenery. Everything in THAILAND is nestled between greenery. Even the greenery is nestled between greenery, which is nestled between even MORE greenery.

And so on....

The Students



I really love Thai students. They were really playful and they really enjoyed learning English.

Teaching Thai students was a lot different than Korean students and I was always being surprised. I had a lessons on tattoos and everyone had something to say. One student told me about the tattoo on his mom. Another told me about the tattoo on her friend's butt. "What was it?" I asked. "Pokimon!" she said and everyone laughed.

The PETS topic went over very well too. Everyone had a pet and not just dogs and cats. Some had fish or birds. One student had a chicken.

The Curriculum



Basically, the math worked out like this: one hour of teaching, four hours of prep. In the mornings we would teach and then in the afternoon we would develop our lesson for the next day. It usually took about 4 hours, more if there was something computer related that we had to work on. The computers were terrible, obstacle-ridden machines. But for the most part, you didn't really need a computer.

We would start with a lesson plan. The plan was five pages, although near the end I was able to whittle it down to a mere three pages. We planned our lessons and mapped out the days planed activity. It was actually pretty detailed. We mapped out what we did minute by minute.



Then we made pictures for the daily activity. Other students had better pictures than me, but mine were nice enough. I may have trouble selling them on Ebay, but in the classroom they went over pretty well. One girl thought my arm was a foot. After I scowled at her, nobody made that mistake EVER AGAIN! (until the next picture).

We also made a dialog, which we taped. It was pretty dry. Mine was about tattoos. "Where's your tattoo?" the first person would ask. "It's a picture of my girlfriend and it's on my butt" the second person would reply. Yea, pretty dry standard dialog stuff.

Last, we had the students do a six-line dialog based on the theme. The students told about their tattoo. 6 lines and then cut. Class over. Next teacher. First teacher now observes.

The Hotel



I liked it.

Things I noticed about THAILAND...

1. CATS



I really like how Thailand people treated cats. It was a pleasant change from Korea.

2. The wicked double Dong-chim (����) technique pioneered by Ronald McDonald.



3. One thing I dig about T culture is that they really lay it on the line with CIGARETTES and their DANGEROUS effects. They also have a few other choice pictures, including the cancer lung shot.



4. Thailand Temples



That's all. I hope you enjoyed my post and it inspired some of you to get your TESOL (and maybe travel outside Korea too!). Bye! seoulmon

[hellofaniceguy]

When comparing Thailand to korea....it's a no brainer!
I think that if the ESL industry in Thailand paid better....korea would have almost no foreign ESL teachers! They would teach in Thailand instead!
Korea is great also...but not as great as Thailand.
Enjoy your stay and tell us some great stories with pics!

[Rock]

Seoulman,

Where are you planning on teaching, just Korea? How much did this TESOL course cost you? What are the job benefits, paywise and all, after completing this course?

The prep work seems a little too astronomical, and probably superficial, for jobs here in Korea. Maybe in Japan it would suffice. I'm not saying you'll gain anything from this program though. It just sounds quite, quite in depth.

The people in Southeast Asian countries are more of the nature lover types than the Koreans. I found this to be true in Taiwan too. It'd be nice to live there, yet it's not so nice jobwise.

[seoulmon]

[inthewild]

Great post seoulmon! So I assume you recommend the TESOL course through TEFL International? Not implicitly stated in your posts (maybe I missed it), just want to make sure!

Thailand looks sweet.

[Keepongoing]

Man, I saw this ideal positon. 15 hours a week in a resort in Koh Samui teaching the staff! If only it paid better. Not sure how that one paid but it included lodging in its hotel. I love Koh Samui. I would be diving every weekend. And what a nightlife!!!!!!!!

[seoulmon]

[gajackson1]

We took the TEFL course in March-April, down in Phuket (I'm guessing SM took his in the Ban Phe location). Some things are similar; others were very different, however - like the lesson planning, etc.

It is 1 am here now, & I have work tomorrow. But, C & I will try to write more & answer questions anyone has on Thursday, since we have the holiday.

In short: it was a good course, we felt the money well spent, and had a great time there & in Cambodia afterwards. Depending on the person, goals, etc. we can freely recommend it to anyone.

Regards,

Glen

[Zark]

Congrats on your new TEFL Cert. TEFL Int'l provides a quality course.

A short word on wages in Thailand - B30-40,000 a month is fairly average - but the islands often pay a little less - and the cost of living is a little higher. You can't save much on that. While you won't spend much if you are there on a course - you will spend significantly more - when you are paying your own rent, telephone, transportation, replacing clothing, and just living a regular life.

All that said, Thailand is a wonderful place to work and live. And Thai students - as the OP said - are great!

[Captain Corea]

[coolsage]

It hardly needs to be said here, but almost everything in Thailand surpasses what Korea offers. The people, so pleasant; one doesn't have to adopt 'defensive walking' there, and smiles are omnipresent. The food: don't get me started; there's no comparison at all. A distinct lack of noise pollution; no one shouting at you from veggie trucks and in supermarkets all day. The climate: sometimes too hot, but never too cold. And again, the people: a sense of civility pervades the daily discourse there; no pushing, no shoving, no spitting (although the public bathrooms leave a lot to be desired). It's got everything except serious money. And that's why I'm still here, plowing every excess won into the building of a house in Thailand.

[Bozo Yoroshiku]

[plato's republic]

So I checked out Tefl International's website and there was something about a PELT course that they offer, for people who already have some teaching experience, does anyone know anything about such a course or has anyone ever taken this course?

I've recently been thinking about taking a TESOL cert. course in order to improve my teaching ability and I was wondering whether someone with over 3 years of teaching experience, such as myself, should stick to a TESOL/TEFL or perhaps try a PELT.
Can anyone tell me what the difference between the two courses is?

If anyone can give me some advice as to what the best move would be then I would really appreciate that. If you require any further information about my particular teaching experience then feel free to ask.

[coolsage]

If your BA is in a subject such as art history or beekeeping, and if you're serious about teaching in Thailand, you might consider the CELTA program. That one has some currency there. For more info check out www.ajarn.com.

[Big_Bird]