Korean Job Discussion Forums

starshine · Joined: 01 Dec 2005

Hello,

I'm thinking of teaching in S. Korea next year, mainly so that I can afford to travel through Southeast Asia and then teach in Africa the next year. Does anyone have opinions about the reliability of the organization i-to-i? For $995, you take a 60hr online course, and they connect you with a recruiter who then gets you a contract with a school. I have a bachelor's degree, but not a tesol certificate. I don't have experience teaching abroad, but I teach some ESL classes for a non-profit here in Austin. Are there other reliable recruiters that you can contact directly, or can you only contact them for a specific job posting on this site? I really appreciate any advice you can offer.

blunder1983 · Joined: 12 Apr 2005

Well, first up how long you wanna teach for? If its only one year then you dont really need a TEFL cert.

Secondly, in my opinion, if you are going to pay that much for a cert get a CELTA. Its internationally recognised, unlike I to I and is a much better experience. 60 hours is very low, I work for EPIK and they are quite lax on the certifcate area but to qualify for their certificated tier of pay you need to have completed a 140 hour course.

In all honesty I didnt find my course massively useful. It certainly eased me into the first few weeks of teaching but I found the actual experience of teaching much more useful in that regard.

So I'd avoid I to I and do a CELTA. If you got money go do it somewhere like Thailand, which will be masses of fun.

billyg · Joined: 16 Feb 2005

I met a guy who's company (from the UK, I think) is in the process of setting up a recognized TEFL program somewhere in Seoul, part-time, to suit the needs of all the people teaching here. He combs these boards too... not sure why he hasn't chimed in.

Also, I was told that if you do go the online route, it's good to inquire about whether or not the certicificate/diploma will denote that it was done online. Shady as it sounds, it does matter. Most TEFL schools, if they have any creditability, will reveal this if phoned by your prospective employer.

BigBlackEquus · Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2005 5:48 pm Post subject:

Before you get sucked into the church/cult of CELTA, which seems to be pushed and bragged about as being a requirement mainly by those who have taken it rather than the job ads, you might want to read some of the many topics already posted about that on this board. The CELTA is good for brushing up on grammar, but is geared toward adult learners, and many teachers who have taken it say that much has not been applicable in their Korean classes. Will it make you a better teacher? Perhaps. If you're starting from nowhere, then yes. Is it worth the money? That is an opinion. Is it needed for a job here? Definately not. Would I like to take it? If I had the need, money, and ambition, I would. But mainly, there is no need for it, so I don't.

And last I heard, EPIK only required more than 100 hours for a TEFL/TESL. Here are just a few interesting lnks..

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=38607&highlight=TEFL+CELTA

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=42563&highlight=TEFL+CELTA

And perhaps the most interesting reading will come from www.efl-law.com , where they devoted an entire section to this issue, and they discuss I to I as well. Join there and you'll learn a lot. They also have a free course (minus book costs) you can take to get your TEFL/TESL. Read this link first: http://www.efl-law.com/Tesol_Certificates.html

And as for I-to-I, I would stay away. As was previously mentioned, the hours are not enough (below 105) and the price is high.

starshine · Joined: 01 Dec 2005

Thanks for all of the responses! Especially thanks for the site recommendations. I didn't see anything about i-to-i on the EFL-LAW site, but it did not have kind words about EPIK-anyone care to respond to those criticisms? I'd like to know about the EPIK interview process and experience if anyone would like to share. I don't know; I feel more comfortable going with an i-to-i or an EPIK rather than a random recruiter. A larger organization I'm sure is a false sense of security, but for a newbie, I feel it's a safer route. Am I disillusioned? From what I've read, a CELTA or any other certificate is completely unnecessary in S. Korea. I'm only going to be there a year after all. Then, hopefully I'm off to Africa for a year, and I don't believe I need a certificate there either. I'm not trying to sound like a total underachiever; I'm just trying to be practical.

blunder1983 · Joined: 12 Apr 2005

I went through a recruiter to get my EPIK job, Worknplay. They are very helpful, I'm having problems getting my degree back from the province and even though its 6 months since i started the recruiter is still helping me out.

EPIK is fun, I know lots of people who are really enjoying their time in the programme. That said, without a cert you'll be on LOW pay. I'd personally go to schools and try and find a job independantly instead of EPIK, with no tefl cert you only start on 1700000 (thats before you minus penison, health, tax and school dinners). I live very confortably off 1mill a month however so if you arent here to save you'll have no worries.

Recruiters arent that great, if you dont come over here to look for a job your always running a risk. Personally though, I'd say take a job while ur at home, come over and give it a month, if it sucks quit and find a better job.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

If you want to work for a year and then travel some more don't waste your time on a course like this. A BA in geography or women's studies will do just fine.

schwa · Joined: 18 Jan 2003 Location: Yap

You'll be ahead of the game if you throw out your idea that you need any kind of intermediary to find an acceptable job here. Depending on strangers in this biz is asking for trouble -- trust your own research skills.

An online course of that duration is money down the toilet.

EPIK is fine for many. Gangwondo runs a good program as do other provinces I'm sure. Check their websiite to see if a 100-hr course would kick you up a pay bracket -- http://epik.knue.ac.kr/ -- then it might be a sensible investment. Otherwise, forget it.

Your plan sounds realistic. Africa is enticing.

VanIslander · Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2005 11:31 pm Post subject:

ANY ESL training is better than nothing.

It builds your confidence and should provide some help and sense of perspective.

Though if one only was gonna teach for one year then I'd only recommend an ESL course to (a) those who want to do a good job more than they want to save money; and (b) those who are a bit timid or hesitant, and want some grounding.

But if one was thinking of teaching for two years or more then I highly recommend ESL training. I took the CELTA after teaching for two years first, and I wish I'd taken it before I'd started teaching. It's entirely practical, focussed on teaching practice, developing lessons, teaching classes.

ilovebdt · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Nr Seoul

deessell · Joined: 08 Jun 2005

Don't waste your time and money. Even the smallest bit of research on this company will tell you that it is rubbish. An online certificate is not well regarded. If you are interested in brushing up on some skills check out the British Council site...they have a lot of good information and ideas.

I will try and look up then exact address.