Korean Job Discussion Forums

Felix the Cat · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: Medell�n

Just daydreaming here. Has anyone taught on one of the smaller islands of Korea? I'm thinking Ulleungdo, Deokjeokdo, one of the islands off the southwest coast?

Tell me about it.

curiousaboutkorea · Joined: 21 Jan 2009

http://briandeutsch.blogspot.com/2009/12/teaching-on-haui-do.html

check out the comments section. There's some accounts of teaching out on the islands. Very interesting.

VanIslander · Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 6:18 am Post subject:

I'd love to hear about it!

Have wondered if possible for me to do it. When I visited Ulleungdo in '06 I thought it'd be cool to be the only resident waygook teacher. Plus indeed there are charming little islands off the southwest coast.

I met a Korean guy who said he did his military service teaching English on some remote islands because they couldn't attract English teachers and he spoke it from his years in America as a child.

Smee · Joined: 24 Dec 2004 Location: Jeollanam-do

Thanks for the link, curiousaboutkorea. I think it'd be interesting as well, if you could stand it for an entire year.

I doubt these places have many applicants, so if you asked for it---in Jeollanam-do you can request your placement, for the time being---you'd likely get it. Some islands and remote areas, however, are just using teachers in Wyoming to teach English via videophone. I think Deokjeok-do is one of those areas.

AsiaESLbound · Joined: 07 Jan 2010 Location: Truck Stop Missouri

warmachinenkorea · Joined: 12 Oct 2008

I think there are 2 teacher on Ulleungdo now.

Gaber · Joined: 23 Apr 2006

Man, teaching on Deokjeok-do would be amazing. (Provided they still have decent internet)

Can't imagine what it would be like in winter though

azzwell · Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 3:49 pm Post subject:

I met two of the three teachers on Ullengdo last weekend, nice people. There is one, small, hogwan, a GnB that looked out of business. They do get more pay and more vacation but said that it is very isolating without a lot to do. It is very beautiful though and gets the most snow in Korea in the winter. They applied/were recruited through Gyoungbuk POE and said that Ulleng really wants more teachers, they teach at four or five schools a week. It takes them an hour and a half to get to some of them.

curiousaboutkorea · Joined: 21 Jan 2009

azzwell · Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 4:09 pm Post subject:

no scooters, don't know about reimbursment. The island is small to look at but the roads are of the very twisty variety with a lot of one lane tunnels.

jacksthirty · Joined: 30 Nov 2009

I haven't worked on an island, but I worked in a small county in Gyeongsamnam-do. I worked for 7 different middle schools spread throughout the countryside. The smallest school had 7 students (one was mentally handicapped). This was the place where that madman went on a killing spree in the early eighties which might account for the lack of people living there! The school closed down a couple of years ago though, although there's another one with only 15 students in it.

curiousaboutkorea · Joined: 21 Jan 2009

wormholes101 · Joined: 11 Mar 2003

Here's an article about a guy that did a year teaching on Chujado.

rickpidero · Joined: 03 Sep 2009

Ukon · Joined: 29 Jan 2008

Met a guy who did the same, but in Japan....loved the country but couldn't last any longer than a year.

Since he was on JET, he could afford to leave every month or so(by plane of helicopter)....the other foreigners working at Hagwons couldn't and were stuck on the island with no mainland access for most of the year....

Talk about being marooned....It's be interesting to do for 3 months....they should just rotate teachers every few months....I'd give it a go for a few months.