Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ceadem]

Hey.

Right so yesterday I decided I wanted to go back to university but having already completed a degree it looks unlikely I'll be financed to do another. So I figure I may try teach for a couple of years and save up, is Korea still the best place for saving cash? I read good things on the FAQ thread but the posts there are 5 years old, what is the situation like in Korea nowadays?
I have a degree, zero teaching experience and no clue whatsoever really of what will be required from me in a teaching role, I have some money saved up so I could do a CELTA or some TEFL certificate, would I be better off getting one of these? I could do the CELTA in the city I live or I could do the TEFL in Korea pro's & con's?
If my goal is to save up around �20k, how long could this take in Korea? could I make it quicker? Of course saving really depends on me but I can live fairly minimally, how much do the children go for around these parts? I hear they're fairly cheap, I have a poor sense of humour so I won't be spending much on social activities

[weatherman]

You don't need a CELTA to teach in Korea. That said, if you are teaching adults or high school kids, it will make your time much more stress free and rewarding. The CELTA is worth all the coin it costs and more. If you live like hermit, 20,000 pounds~ two years. Three years would be more realistic. Good luck.

[Otherside]

Celta/TEFL isn't required to get a job. Might be worthwhile for yourself, but that's a decision you need to make. Private academies (hagwons) won't pay extra for TEFL certification, while having a CELTA/TEFL will get you an extra $100/month at a public school.

With public schools, you will earn between $2000-2300 a month + possible overtime. (an extra $50-150 is quite normal).
With a Hagwon you should be getting around $2300-2400 with possible overtime.

Even though the pay is often less with a public school, as a rule its a much safer gig (less chance of being ripped off etc). and there are other benefits such as longer vacations etc. I'd recommend going the public school route, but do a search here on the pro's and con's of each if you are unsure (a thread on this pops of every week or two, so it shouldn't be hard to find).

In terms of saving, rule of thumb is that on a $2000 salary, its easy to save $1000. Obviously much greater savings are possible, but then you need to be rather strict. Realistically, to get by on under $500 a month for an extended period will be very tough.

To save up $40000 (20K GBP), I reckon that will take about 3 years. ($1000x12x3=36000 + severance (2000)x3 = $42000 after 3 years...no problem). In 2 years would be possible, but you'd need to be saving around $1500/month. (which if you are earning $2200/2300 a month is very possible).

[sistersarah]

When I was paying my loans after I first got here, I saved $15,000 in one year teaching at a hakwon and doing no "extra" work. It was a quiet year though. Now I save much more because of my visa status and freedom, but if you're coming to Korea for the first time, you can definitely save $10,000 in a year if you're careful.

[ceadem]

Thanks for the responses.

Whether or not to do the CELTA or TEFL is what I'm struggling with, someone who has a CELTA told me it came in use whilst he was teaching in Argentina & Spain but maybe unnecessary for Asia. I see that it may provide me with a bit of confidence in the class and some back-up knowledge but what would be the scenario if I were to get a job in a Korean school, would they just put me in a class and expect me to teach, I wouldn't have a clue!

[icicle]

[Hyeon Een]

[hang10]

[ceadem]

[BS.Dos.]

Getting a teaching certificate/training depends on how confident you are to a large extent. If you feel that you could stand up in front of 30 or so, potentially hostile kids, 4 or 5 times a day for a year, and get them both speaking English and involved etc, then don't bother. If like me, the thought terrifies you, then investing in either a CELTA of Trinity College TESOL should be top of your priorities. There have been some messy trainwrecks in the past as these kids don't really take any prisoners. Umming and ahhing your way through the first couple of weeks expecting the students and your CTs to be sympathetic to your plight, isn't going to happen. By Korean standards, you're earning a pretty good wage and I think that it's fair to say that they expect a reasonably level of competence from their FTs.

I can't stress enough how much more confidence my TESOL gave me. As soon as I was thrown amongst them, it started working for me. They're pretty expensive, but you'll be investing in yourself and it'll more than pay for itself out here.

As for saving, you should be able to live reasonably okay on about 100,000/120,000 per week, which should (roughly) equate to about 25% of you're net monthly pay. However, that's all well and good for a month or two, but once you find out where all the costly Western restaurants are etc and start doing a bit of travelling and so forth, you'll obviously be saving less. I sent home about 8,000 (sterling) last year and lived pretty well with the remainder. I didn't actually save that much per se, as I mostly had to pay for my MSc and my Christmas trip to China, but I reckon if you really tightened your belt, then you could probably send home 10,000 easily.

[ceadem]

right, yeh I could potentially be a train wreck victim, certificate it is then, now I have to make the decision of which, CELTA or the others? considering I could take the CELTA in my home-town that'd save the airfare and living expenses, so I'm favouring that so far but the course doesn't start till November, is the New Year a good time for job hunting?