Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Voodoo27]

I'm wondering if any of you came to Korea and taught and then returned home and went for a degree in Education?

What I'm thinking of doing is coming to Korea for a year or two (pay down some of my student debt and also experience something else besides North America) and then I'll return home and try to get into a Bachelor of Education program.

For those of you who have done this I have a few questions:

-Did you find your teaching experience in Korea helped you get accepted into an Education program and secondly did it help you while you were in said program?

-If you could do it again would you have come to Korea first or got your Bachelor of Education first?

-Do you prefer teaching in Korea or teaching back home?

[thegadfly]

I had my degrees before coming to Korea, but I have taught about the same amount of time in the US as I have Korea (8 years in the US, working on my 9th year in Korea). Depends on the problems that bother you more, and the problems that don't bother you much.

I make more money here than I would in the US, I have more control over what happens in my classroom (in my school, I get to pretty much write my own curriculum). The buck also stops with me -- problems with my classes fall squarely upon my shoulders -- if little Jimmy isn't learning in my class, someone comes right to me, pretty quickly. There's no skating or sliding in my gig -- for some people that is a lot of stress, but I like that kind of situation. I come under a LOT more scrutiny here than I did in the US, and that can be stressful for some folks, but again, I enjoy the situation.

The experience in a Korean classroom can help you anywhere, because classroom management skills translate well -- the subject matter may change, but kids are kids wherever you go. The similarities far outweigh the differences.

Each person is different, and the things that I like about my time in Korea have been the exact things I have heard other people DISlike about their time in Korea... there are problems everywhere, so you need to figure out what bothers you more, and try to find a place with less of whatever that is....

[Mr. Pink]

My experience in Korea helped me get into my B.Ed program. I was talking to my co-worker recently and he basically got into Queens B.Ed program solely on his experience in Korea.

The experience and the money you make will be valuable.

I would suggest you get into public schools or private schools (not hawgwons) if you want it to look good on your resume.