Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Nesski]

I have a question regarding ESL Teaching that may or may not be appropriate on this particular board.

I just finished 5 years of university and am now about to enter the workforce. I am considering working for a year in Korea, teaching English, as I think it would be interesting and challenging for me. But English-teaching - or teaching generally - is not my long-term career.

I have two degrees - one in InfoTech, the other in Science (Psychology) - and, speaking in the long-term, I am more interested in pursuing a career in one of these two areas rather than in English-language teaching. Thus, teaching English would be a "gap" year - a break between my study and the beginning of my work career. But I am worried that taking a such a gap year (or gap 18 months, as it may turn out, as it's March already) may adversely affect my career prospects, as it would essentially be a year-long hole in my resume (teaching English is not really related to either InfoTech or Science).

The question I am asking is this: Has anyone else found that teaching English as a "gap" year has adversely affected their other career choices, especially those in the areas of InfoTech or Engineering? Do you find employers are generally positive or negative about such experiences? All in all, how much time can you generally have "off" in teaching abroad before it starts to limit your other career options?

I realise that the answers to these questions depend greatly on individual people and different careers, but if anyone could provide any advice or tell me how it worked for them, I would be greatly interested in reading it.

Thanks!

[bulgogiboy]

I'm pretty sure a spell abroad for a year will help your career prospects.
If an employer sees that you had the ability to live and work thousands of miles away from home immersed in a totally different culture and language(with all the accompanying stresses and strains) for a year I think for the most part they'll be impressed.

I know lots of people back home who say they'd love to work in Asia or some far-flung place for a while but how many of them actually have the guts to do it? Not many.

[Ekuboko]

I did the JET Programme a few years ago. It was a great experience which led me to become a qualified EFL teacher in my home country, and I also developed a great love for Japan.

One of the good friends I made there had an engineering degree and had actually secured a job with an international consulting company, which he was able to put off for the year he was in Japan. I think he got a lot out of it and now after being in the workforce and getting his MBA, he's realised that Japan is under his skin and he wants to go back work there again, this time in his field of work.

I think overseas experience would be good for your future job prospects, especially if you make an effort to assimilate into the local culture and learn the language. The JET programme is not just about teaching English, but also promoting cultural understanding - in fact, the programme provides Japanese language correspondence courses for those interested.

[Old fat expat]

Please do not think of teaching English as something benieth you while you rest.

Language is the MOST complex behavior humans do. If you really are smart, be preparred to be challenged by teaching a language.

ESL is the new frontier! There is a lot of opportunity and money--but only if you are on game.

[Ya-ta Boy]

The first thought that came to me was that you didn't pay much attention in your Psych courses if you think they have nothing to do with teaching and education.

My second thought is that you are not in the right frame of mind to benefit from an experience here, nor are your students. You are thinking of Korea as a 'gap' before your 'real' life begins. Wrong. Lots of people come here with the goal of making money. They are often unhappy. If you come here with any other idea than to teach because that is something you want to do, then you are coming for the wrong reasons. Teaching is a real job. It is demanding and gratifying on its own terms.

I think if you want a vacation between school and your future job, maybe you should consider being a lifeguard at a very unpopular beach, or something similar. [/code]

[Homer]

[pest2]

Yeah, teaching is not a working holiday job. Teaching conversational English may not be like the 'teaching' you expected either, though. Just starting out teaching in a Hakwon, you will not be trained about how to be a teacher. What you will do is not really teaching... its mostly just standing there generating English conversation for class to practice word pronunciation, at best... and babysitting, at worst. If you're lucky, maybe you can teach advanced writing or essay classes and then maybe you're really teaching. Most who just come for a short time without a masters degree dont do that though....
Actually, the fact that you dont want to teach English for the long term is probably BETTER for you... I've know at least 2 people who came to Korea with the expectation of being a real teacher only to experience the reality of what 'conversation teaching' is.. and one of those stuck it out and left after a year while the other went home sooner...

It CAN benefit you by:

Teaching you to work in an adverse work environment (trust me, I had 2 professional jobs after University in America and nothing is anywhere near as difficult as working with Koreans). If you can deal with it here, you can deal anywhere.

Management skills can be heightened at work with the experience you had managing your classes at hakwon. Learning patience and how to keep a level head when controlling others.

Employers back home are impressed that you work overseas.

Job market sucks in America, still, now... come here and wait it out til things get better back home.

[Pandora]

I don't think Nesski ever said or even suggested that a year of teaching English would be some kind of walk in the park, or that it is beneath him/her as a career option. Nesski did in fact say, that he/she was expecting a challenge and an interesting experience.

I'm coming to Korea in about two weeks, and I'm also looking at this as a 'gap year.' The only difference is that a teaching career is a possible option for me in the future.

Nesski, like others have said, most employers will probably look favorably on your year abroad. I have a few friends who are excited for me, but said they would not take a gap year themselves because their respective fields (interior design and engineering) require them to be competetive straight out of university and to keep afloat with recent trends and technologies. You'll probably want to speak to people who are in your fields of study.

[chinook]

I don't think that all employers think that a year of working overseas is always a positive. First off, sometimes they can worry that you are going to want to go off and live overseas again, so you might be less likely to stay with the company. Also, some will not think the interpersonal skills you gain will be worth it compared to industry specific skills. Things like references from Korea are IME also sometimes not considered on par with a reference from at home.

Then there is the additional questions - do you want to do it? do the interpersonal skills matter to you? have you always wanted to try living overseas? is korea the right place? only you can decide.

it occurs to me, if you want to live overseas but gain more relevant working experience, why not go to britain?

[bobbyhanlon]

nesski,
be warned- you might never want to go back! i came here in november 2003 with the intention of staying for one year tops, before going home and being an investment banker (haha..)
but as time went on, i realised that actually, i really enjoy the life here. these days i'm not an english teacher any more (there are other jobs out there if you try hard enough) and as far as i'm concerned, i'm staying here until they throw me out!
money-wise, its great here too. as you know, an english teacher earning 2 million won a month can save quite a lot, so imagine how much you could save if you were an engineer (i think thats what you said you were interested in). right now i earn a fair bit less than my friends who went off to become investment bankers in london, but after tax, cost of living, etc. i find that i'm doing as well as they are, and i have the added benefit of not working 18 hours a day doing something i hate!

[Nesski]

Thanks for some of the contributions, guys.

For the record, I don't think teaching English is "beneath me" or just a "holiday" like some of you seem to think. I understand it would be hard work. It's just not work that's directly related to the fields I studied at uni and wish to pursue later in life (I'm interested in psychology from a research / academic perspective, not practicing psychiatry), hence my dilemma.

[Homer]

No one said you thought teaching was beneath you or that you thought a year here wasa holiday.

Most of us warned you not to come with such an attitude because many do.

Sorry if my comments gave you the impression that I thought you were coming here with those pre-conceived notions. Rest assured I don't think that at all.

Best of luck if you do decide to head out here!