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centeredki69
Joined: 15 Jun 2006
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 Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 8:16 pm Post subject: What's the real deal on teaching in Korean? |
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I am a 37 yr old male and live in Florida, USA. I am currently working as a quality assurance rep in our local citrus industry. I do not have a degree but am considering returning to school to earn one. I have been interested in living in an Asian country for some time now. I thought that teaching English would be a for sure way to make money seeing there is such a great demand. After doing some research I found out that a 3 to 4yr degree is needed in most countries to find employment. I have also been told that it's not that you need a degree to find employment, but to acquire the government visa to work legally. In regard to Korea I have gotten mixed info as to the degree requirement, some say yes its needed some say you can still make a living working under the table. After reading a few Korean sites I see that there is a crack down on fake diploma visa holders and English schools. To me breaking the laws is no way live in a foreign county or the USA for that matter.
Here is my situation. I do not have a degree and have no teaching experience. I am a native US speaker. My wife is a Korean immigrant here in the USA working as a medical professional. We thought we might move to Korea in about 5 years. I would then acquire a marriage type visa (not sure the # F-2, F-5, F-7 please help) that would allow me to work in Korea. My question is could I legally work as an English instructor or conversational teacher/tutor and would honest employers be willing to hire me being a non degree holder? I guess my question is. Can an English speaking immigrant that can legally work in other fields of employment legally teach English without a degree? If so, will a school hire them without a degree?
Of course my other option is to earn the degree over the next few years.
Also is learning to speak Korean fluently easy while living there? This is a great desire for me and I am already studying thanks to my wife.
Is it really a bad place to work as reported on some web sites?
How do the Koreans feel about foreigners with Tattoos?
The info gained from the cafe will help in deciding whether to move or not. If Korea is not a viable place to teach then I would remain with my present employer and continue to pursue my carrier with them. Also the degree would mean investing a great deal of time and money which could go to other areas in my life.
I am going to Korea with my wife in October for the first time to visit her family, I can�t wait.
I really appreciate your help!
Last edited by centeredki69 on Sat Jun 17, 2006 3:58 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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If your wife is a Korean citizen you should have no trouble getting a visa that allows you to reside here. Then the field is wide open. If your wife is good at networking, you can probably make more money by doing private tutoring, which will be completely legal. I believe you would still need a degree to get a working visa. Some of the other Dave's members who are married to Koreans can probably better explain it.
Re: tattoos - if you're in a large city and otherwise look professional it shouldn't be a huge issue. Some mummies might be afraid to send their kids to you, but with most it shouldn't be a big deal. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 9:20 pm Post subject: Re: What's the real deal on teaching in Korean? |
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| centeredki69 wrote: |
I am a 37 yr old male and live in Florida, USA. I am currently working as a quality assurance rep in our local citrus industry. I do not have a degree but am considering returning to school to earn one. I have been interested in living in an Asian country for some time now. I thought that teaching English would be a for sure way to make money seeing there is such a great demand. After doing some research I found out that a 3 to 4yr degree is needed in most countries to find employment. I have also been told that it's not that you need a degree to find employment, but to acquire the government visa to work legally. In regard to Korea I have gotten mixed info as to the degree requirement, some say yes its needed some say you can still make a living working under the table. After reading a few Korean sites I see that there is a crack down on fake diploma visa holders and English schools. To me breaking the laws is no way live in foreign a county or the USA for that matter.
Here is my situation. I do not have a degree and have no teaching experience. I am a native US speaker. My wife is a Korean immigrant here in the USA working as a medical professional. We thought we might move to Korea in about 5 years. I would then acquire a marriage type visa (not sure the # F-2, F-5, F-7 please help) that would allow me to work in Korea. My question is could I legally work as an English instructor or conversational teacher/tutor and would honest employers be willing to hire me being a non degree holder? I guess my question is. Can an English speaking immigrant that can legally work in other fields of employment legally teach English without a degree? If so, will a school hire them without a degree?
Of course my other option is to earn the degree over the next few years.
Also is learning to speak Korean fluently easy while living there? This is a great desire for me and I am already studying thanks to my wife.
Is it really a bad place to work as reported on some web sites?
How do the Koreans feel about foreigners with Tattoos?
The info gained from the cafe will help in deciding whether to move or not. If Korea is not a viable place to teach then I would remain with my present employer and continue to pursue my carrier with them. Also the degree would mean investing a great deal of time and money which could go to other areas in my life.
I am going to Korea with my wife in October for the first time to visit her family, I can�t wait.
I really appreciate your and help! |
If you wife retained her Korean citizenship then you can acquire an F2.
If your wife renounced her citizenship then she will need to acquire status before you can get a visa.
With an F2 (you can change this to F5 AFTER being resident for some long period) you are legally entitled to work.
Department of education rules state that you CANNOT be a teacher without a degree. This is why the department of immigration requires you to PROVE you have the credentials BEFORE they will issue a work visa (E1/E2).
This means that even with an F2 you cannot work in a hakwon or a school legally without a degree (of some kind). You can however do "private" teaching and make a good income. This is akin to "Small Office / Home Office" (SOHO) work back in the states.
IF you do NOT acquire an F2 visa before your arrival then you CANNOT legally work when you get here. You would join the ranks of the illigal migrant workers in this country (similar to the Mexicans and other migrant workers in the States).
. |
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SirFink
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 12:54 am Post subject: Re: What's the real deal on teaching in Korean? |
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| centeredki69 wrote: |
I am going to Korea with my wife in October for the first time to visit her family, I can�t wait. |
You can't wait for what? Kimchi and Starcraft? Florida is a far more interesting place. Heck, a coal mining town in Serbia is more interesting. |
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Yo!Chingo
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Location: Seoul Korea
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| Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 3:17 am Post subject: Re: What's the real deal on teaching in Korean? |
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| SirFink wrote: |
| centeredki69 wrote: |
I am going to Korea with my wife in October for the first time to visit her family, I can�t wait. |
You can't wait for what? Kimchi and Starcraft? Florida is a far more interesting place. Heck, a coal mining town in Serbia is more interesting. |
Don't listen to em' OP  Korea is a great place to visit. It's really quite an experience; working and living here may be a different matter however. Do you speak any Hangul??? That makes one hell of a lot of difference! |
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Corporal
Joined: 25 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 6:21 am Post subject: Re: What's the real deal on teaching in Korean? |
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| Yo!Chingo wrote: |
| Do you speak any Hangul??? That makes one hell of a lot of difference! |
Especially considering that hangul is written--not spoken--Korean. |
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merlot
Joined: 04 Nov 2005
Location: I tried to contain myself but I escaped.
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| Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 11:57 am Post subject: Re: What's the real deal on teaching in Korean? |
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| Corporal wrote: |
| Yo!Chingo wrote: |
| Do you speak any Hangul??? That makes one hell of a lot of difference! |
Especially considering that hangul is written--not spoken--Korean. |
Oh but Hangul can be spoken, albeit time consuming and a bit awkward.
Hello (in English Hangul): "top circle-upside down backwards L, top L, backwards top skeleton key, bottom circle, top small horizontal line, mid length horizontal line, circle" ....don't make me finish...
Of course by the time you get all that out you should be either saying goodbye or unpacking your sack lunch.
The only known practicing group using English Hangul are some waygooks who were ostracized from the expat community in the late 90s and formed a cult in a little village south of Daegue. It is said they have abbreviated the language to where it is not quite so cumbersome these days, but last time I was there to pick up some mushroom kimchi (that's how they make their living) it still took nearly twenty minutes for the guy to tell me this years batch was extra potent.
Now, you know. |
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Qinella
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Location: the crib
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| Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 9:21 pm Post subject: Re: What's the real deal on teaching in Korean? |
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| merlot wrote: |
Oh but Hangul can be spoken, albeit time consuming and a bit awkward.
Hello (in English Hangul): "top circle-upside down backwards L, top L, backwards top skeleton key, bottom circle, top small horizontal line, mid length horizontal line, circle" ....don't make me finish... |
 Nice-uh!
Hey, OP:
As ttompatz said, you should be able to do only privates if your wife is still a citizen. This is a MUCH better gig than working for a hagwon or public school. The money is way better, the working conditions are better, etc. etc. The couple people I know who do only privates make about 5,000,000 a month.
Now, that being said, you should at least get some sort of TEFL/TESL/CELTA training before you do this, if it's what you decide to do (only doing privates). Because then you will be better equipped to give them their money's worth, you know.
I used to live in Florida. I went back to visit after 2 years in North Carolina and a year in Korea and could not believe how rude the people were. Just in general, people are rude and hostile (at least in central FL where I was). It reminded me how much I'm glad I left.
Q. |
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Yo!Chingo
Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Location: Seoul Korea
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| Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 12:28 am Post subject: Re: What's the real deal on teaching in Korean? |
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| merlot wrote: |
| Corporal wrote: |
| Yo!Chingo wrote: |
| Do you speak any Hangul??? That makes one hell of a lot of difference! |
Especially considering that hangul is written--not spoken--Korean. |
Oh but Hangul can be spoken, albeit time consuming and a bit awkward.
Hello (in English Hangul): "top circle-upside down backwards L, top L, backwards top skeleton key, bottom circle, top small horizontal line, mid length horizontal line, circle" ....don't make me finish...
Of course by the time you get all that out you should be either saying goodbye or unpacking your sack lunch.
The only known practicing group using English Hangul are some waygooks who were ostracized from the expat community in the late 90s and formed a cult in a little village south of Daegue. It is said they have abbreviated the language to where it is not quite so cumbersome these days, but last time I was there to pick up some mushroom kimchi (that's how they make their living) it still took nearly twenty minutes for the guy to tell me this years batch was extra potent.
Now, you know. |
Well kiss my grits!  |
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cboulton72
Joined: 17 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 3:02 am Post subject: rofl |
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| Quote: |
Oh but Hangul can be spoken, albeit time consuming and a bit awkward.
Hello (in English Hangul): "top circle-upside down backwards L, top L, backwards top skeleton key, bottom circle, top small horizontal line, mid length horizontal line, circle" ....don't make me finish... |
OMG~~ I am laughing too hard! Thanks. Stress relief! |
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cboulton72
Joined: 17 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 3:06 am Post subject: BTW |
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I thought this was gonna be about "teaching in Korean". I am kinda curious... does anyone else get the guilt trip if they can speak Korean? I mean I've lived here for 6 years and think it cuts to the chase if I know Korean. Some directors don't agree.
Whaddaya think? |
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jinju
Joined: 22 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 4:04 am Post subject: |
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| Count yorself lucky that you wont be able to work in a hagwon. Those are the pits. With an F2 you will be able to do corporate gigs. No stupid MoE rule apply. A decent corprorate gig starts at 45 to 50,000 won an hour. There are gigs that pay you 60-70,000 and far more. You can do minimal work and earn much more in 10 hours what a hagwon lackey earns in 30 hours a week. If you score some really good ones, you could be raking it in, and it will all be legal. |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 8:52 am Post subject: |
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centeredki69,
You said that you're planning to move here in about 5 years. You've got the time. Why not get your degree? It'll make you a much better teacher and you'll be able to earn more money and avoid any possible legal complications. More people will want to hire you with a degree. You can focus your studies on your goal of teaching ESL, and some business, accounting, contract law and foreign language classes would help you, too. You've also got time to learn Korean.
Enjoy your visit this fall. |
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centeredki69
Joined: 15 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 11:17 am Post subject: Still not sure. |
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Some say yes. Some say no. Some say I can do private TUTORING but not TEACHING. Seems like the same thing to me. I was also told this from another site.
I was informed that it is legal to privately tutor English students in Korea with a F-2 marriage Visa, also that a 4yr degree is need for F-2 holder to teach English at a hagwon or school is needed. Please help! Is this information true?
In order to teach any private lesson legally in Korea...whether you are a foreigner or a Korean, you must apply for a Private Teachers Licence.
Why you ask?.... Just like in other countries, any income which is unreported and untaxed is illegal. Thus, even if you do not need a work visa because of your F class status, you do need to pay taxes on your income.
The only way to do this is to register as a private teacher with the ministry of education.
As for the institute jobs, you are correct in your assumption that you require a 4 year degree in any subject to legally teach English.
Thank you for your help. I would Of course pay taxes as I have all my working life in the US. I would assume this would be like a self employed filling in the US.
The next question is does a person need to have a 4 year degree to obtain a private English tutor /teaching license. Or would a TEFL or TESL certification be accepted.
Of course a four year degree....same requirements if you want to teach at any school in Korea.
Who knows? I guess I need a degree to help Koreans Learn to speak my native language, but only if I charge them money. |
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Grotto
Joined: 21 Mar 2004
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| Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 12:40 pm Post subject: |
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| doing privates out of your apartment would be the smart way to go....you could get a couple dozen students and make money hand over fist! |
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