Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hollygolightly]

Hi,

I'm interested in coming to Korea to teach English and my interest stems mainly from having a Korean mother and wanting to finally learn the language and experience the culture. I have a BA in English but no teaching experience. From what I've gathered on the forums, it seems like most everyone is down like EPIK, though what intially drew me to that was it was presented as a package program, with a training/orientation and job placement.

I was wondering if anyone had any advice to offer for someone like myself who doesn't have any teaching experience? Do most hakwons offer some kind of curriculum/teaching guidance or training? For those of you who weren't teachers before you came to Korea, how did you hone your teaching techniques? Just on the job?

I wasn't really seriously considering TEFL certification or anything because I'm not really planning on doing this long-term, just a year or so.

Any info/feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[VanIslander]

Many hagwons just throw you into the classroom on day one, sometimes with a book put in your hand at the last minute, sometimes with nothing.

If you're going to just teach for a year then simply work at one of the many hagwons which want conversation- and pronunciation-based classes out of the foreigner, not really organized lessons.

Self-confidence is what training mostly provides a newbie with short term plans. Read a bunch of ESL literature available online to get yourself ready.

Then simply make the best of it when you arrive. Sooooooo many of us have had no training prior to arrival. You don't need it unless you feel overly nervous and uncomfortable being in charge of a room of 8-10 students. But even then, the fear is part of the initial thrill: get up the courage and just make the best of it as you go!

Good luck whatever.

[Grotto]

Be confident....believe you me, you have a more thorough knowledge of any of your students.

Go with the flow.

Do your best.

Relax.

[hollygolightly]

[Happamitta]

Hi there. As far as teaching goes, the previous posters' advice is sound: read a lot of EFL/ESL literature. Also, it might be useful to sit in on some ESL classes back there in the States before you get here. Perhaps you could ask the teacher if you might observe his/her class for purposes of research.. just explain your situation and I'm sure most teachers would have little problem with an observing guest.

You could also compile a folder of classroom activities you brainstormed or researched. This would be useful for lesson planning as well as giving you something to fall back on when you find yourself out of ideas and activities for any given class.

I wouldn't fret about being ill prepared for teaching English - like Grotto said, you know far more about the subject in question than any of your future students will. As long as you know more about something than someone else, you have something that can be taught.

Like you, I came to Korea because I have a Korean mother and wanted to learn the language and connect with the culture - teaching English was mostly just a means of staying here. I'd grown to like living here more than I thought I would, though, and am staying a second year (and maybe more~).

If I was in your shoes (and I was), the first thing I'd do is acquire an F4 visa in the States, which is possible since your mother is Korean. You'll need her family registry papers and a few other things - the process for getting an F4 visa is outlined in one of the posts from the FAQ board of Dave's Cafe. I'd definitely fly to Korea before signing any contract. Seeing a hagwon/school in person and talking with the staff is far more revealing than any number of phone calls or emails. If you have relatives who live here, perhaps you could stay with them as you job hunt.. you could study Korean in the meantime as well.

Anyhow, best of luck.

[Rteacher]

Keep in mind before selecting books that there is a difference between ESL (teaching English as a second language) and EFL (teaching English as a foreign language...) The latter is more applicable for teaching English in Korea because practically all Koreans converse with each other in Korean - except during classes with a native English teacher ...

An excellent book on English language teaching in general is Learning Teaching by Jim Scriviner (published by Heinemann as part of "The Teacher Development Series" edited by Adrian Underhill...) It was strongly recommended by the instructor of the TEFL certificate course I took in Thailand (so, of course, one student made available photocopies of the whole 218 page book so that all the students could buy it for a cheap price...)

Actually, I just googled it, and apparently it's availabe through MacMillan:
http://www.macmillaneducation.com/catalogue/teachers/methodology/learnteaching.htm

[caligirl78]

Hi..

Like you, I had no real teaching experience minus the few times I subbed for a public school district. I got pretty lucky and found a job through one of my dad's friends. I thought I'd have to come up with an entire lesson plan but the school I taught at was really (surprisingly) organized. They had their own curriculum and syllabus for each of the levels. I was also trained and underwent orientation for 3 days prior to my first day teaching.

When you interview, you should ask those types of questions. Remember that schools are looking for good candidates.. but more importantly, you have to find a reliable school to work for. Don't jus apply anywhere.

GOOD LUCK!

[SPINOZA]

OP,

There are other options than just EPIK or hagwons. Have you considered Seoul public schools? That said, with no experience/tefl cert the pay is poor...1.7m. But you've mentioned that money isn't that much of an important factor, so you might want to consider it. Public school seems to be less of a gamble than hagwons. Larger class sizes, yes, but you soon get used to it.

One thing you might wanna consider is doing a TEFL cert, preferably CELTA. It's not a requirement for most jobs in Korea but is useful and can, in the case of public school, get a bigger salary. It's not cheap, but if you're really worried about lack of experience, that's one option. CELTA makes you less nervous and have some semblance of knowing what you're doing. It'll be helpful in learning how to critically evaluate material and how to speak to the class, techniques and stuff. None of it's rocket science though.

Try not to worry. It's quite an easy job really.

[Homer]

Ok, here goes


1- Do most hakwons offer some kind of curriculum/teaching guidance or training?

That really varies from school to school. No quick answer here (no matter what others might say here ..such as hakwons are all crap...). You will have to research your schools yourself (i.e. ask teachers who work there).

2- For those of you who weren't teachers before you came to Korea, how did you hone your teaching techniques?

Sink or swim. You hone your teaching techniques with experience and hard work. I was a teacher back in Canada before I came here and I still had to adapt and learn new teaching skills. Just call it growing pains

Now, general advice for a newbie:

a) Research the market before applying for a job and know what you want.

b) Be reasonable with your expectations and demands (you have no experience afterall).

c) Ask around for advice (here is ok but teachers at the schools where you apply are your only real source of relevant information).

d) Ask yourself if you are ready to commit to a new job you are not really into (you stated you do not see teaching as a long term option) in a new country you have never been too.

This is an important question to ask yourself.

e) Consider using a recruiter. There are decent ones out there. To find them you need to do some research on your side of things.


As for the comments above that tell you expect the worst (or hell on earth??) I would take those with a huge grain of salt. Be prepared for a shock and a change but do not come here with a pre-conceived notion that Korea will be hell and that you will get screwed.

The getting screwed factor diminishes in proportion with the effort you put into looking for a job and researching the job. Then again, you will most likely not be able to get all your ducks in a row and eventually, if you want to come here to teach, you will have to take the plunge with a certain amount of uncertainty. That is just part of the game.

Best of luck.