Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ecuebl]

Hi

I'm a 25 year old guy living and working in London, lived in England all my life. Have a bachelor�s degree and worked in the financial industry for 3 years. I�d like to move to Korea from next April to teach English. Looking forward to living in a completely new location and culture, making new friends (no slight on my current ones!), and trying a job that doesn�t involve sitting at a desk most of the day. Saving money is not a priority, I�d like to use any leftover to travel round Korea and other parts of Asia.

I�ve been looking through the posts on here for the last few weeks and have found them really helpful. Would be really grateful if anyone could give me any feedback on my following questions or just any general advice:
- I�m leaning towards private schools for the later starts and having more people in a similar situation to me around but wary of the volatility and problems that can arise. Do people have any advice for a first timer?
- Recruiters seem like a good starting point until you get to Korea, even if you have to be wary of them. Are there any recruiters people would recommend?
- I like big cities because I like going out to bars, clubs, restaurants, gigs, films, sport and generally socialising. I�m thinking Seoul or Busan because they�re the biggest cities and sound like they have the most appeal to somebody like me. Any others people would recommend? Are there many jobs there?
- It sounds like teaching positions come up all year round but when are the best times to look? Would looking from April 2011 be a problem?
- I�m half English, half Chinese Malaysian but people find it hard to place my race (had from all over Asia to Mediterranean to Latino!). Black hair, brown eyes but not particularly dark skinned. I�ve read about problems in private schools with race, would it be better to just say I�m English?
- I�m not thinking about doing this for a career but if I enjoy it would be open to a few years, maybe trying other Asian countries as well. Would a TEFL type certificate significantly help my job prospects, not bothered about getting one just to bump up pay? If so which one, would you recommend, type and length?
- My plan from here is to start sending my CV out to recruiters and keep checking the boards obviously! Anything else I should do or further advice?

I know that all of these topics have been covered before, and I�ve read many of them but would appreciate all the help I can get and hope that I will hear from people in Korea and those in the same position as me to make contact with people before I (hopefully!) get to Korea. It�s a big, old, scary move and I just want to get out there and enjoy the experience!

Thanks

[Xylox]

Sup.

There are some differences between hogwans and private schools, basically hogwans will pay you a higher wage and give you smaller classes, while public schools will give you less hours, bigger classes and a lower wage. Pros and cons for both, do some more digging and you will find out whats good for you. Public school vacays can be way longer also, depends on the employer really.

Basically, Korea is one big city. Unless you are on some island or in the woods somewhere, you will have easy access to the big city where the party never stops. Koreans love drinking, and most places have districts that bumb all night, plus your salary is big enough to get trashed several times a week and take a $30, 000 won cab ride home without breaking the bank.

There is no best time to look. Just start looking when you get your docs ready and crap should come up. Many people here will tell you to use a million recruiters and to lie through your teeth to all of them. Personally, I used one, Korearecruiting and they have been extremely helpful with me. I still talk to my recruiter and we have a good relationship.

[RMNC]

Do your research and get second opinions before you sign anything. If you do that, you'll be fine. Sadly, Korea gets a bad rap because 90% of the people that work there don't do it.

[northway]

[ecuebl]

Thanks for the advice folks, really helpful.

Xylox, thanks for covering a few of my questions. I got the impression that at public schools although you teach less, you have to be there longer - I've read 9-5 type hours; and although I'd read about varied hours at hogwans 4-9 seemed quite common which would be great. Is it a case of teaching more at hogwans but less hours in total? Also is 4-9 quite common or is that really random?

Would be good to hear about your personal experiences with hogwans and public schools. The extra vacation at public schools definitely appeals.

Thanks for the recruiter tip, will check them out.

Cheers

[lifeinkorea]

[cragesmure]

[ecuebl]

Thanks for the advice.

How do you find being the only foreign teacher in your school, I thought it might get lonely especially after a few months and the novelty wears off?

Also, how do you find getting to meet other foreign teachers at other schools, is it pretty easy? I'm happy socialising and going out and meeting people, but I thought it would be easier at first to have people in the same school. Also, I've read a lot about people struggling after few months so thought it would be good to have people in a similar position at your school to able to talk about the experience. Any thoughts?

[lifeinkorea]

From my first experience in Japan, I found that I was living in a bubble by only being around other foreign teachers. I had 2 Australian roommates, and I never had this experience before. Yet, I wasn't ready to stay in Japan after 3 months when the school and I were at odds.

Fortunately, I found another school in the final days and stayed in Japan for 3.5 years. However, I made a big change. Interact with the locals.

If you aren't ready to interact with the locals, there isn't much point in going to a foreign country.

There are groups that meet in Seoul on the weekends and after work. Foreign co-workers are only a stepping stone to these larger gatherings. I don't quite see how being the only teacher at a hagwon in Seoul is that significantly different than working 3 classrooms from another teacher.

You won't be able to talk that much, as you will both be teaching. The only real opportunity comes at the end of the day when you are finished. So, you go to a bar? A restaurant? Why can't 2 teachers from different schools do this?

Korea has great food, why not meet Koreans? They will show you some good places and translate the menu for you. You will be more aware and understand things the "Korean way" better than a fellow teacher who just says "Order this", "Buy this", "I don't know the name of this, but it tastes good", "Isn't this a great time we are having?".

Yea, but I would actually like to know what "this" is.

[ecuebl]

Thanks for the advice.

I didn't mean to but it did sound like I just wanted to meet foreigners and hang around in a little Korea bubble made in the West!

I want to meet local people and interact with them, I've met a few Korean people in England and they seem like nice, warm people so looking forward to making Korean friends. When in Korea, I'm hoping this won't be so hard and thought it might be harder to meet foreign people in a similar position so I was just trying to gather the advice on that. Having a large group of diverse friends is the aim.

You make a good point about them teaching at your school being pretty irrelevant, so if it's pretty easy to meet other teachers, I shouldn't be limiting my choice of schools.

Any other advice, would be welcome?

[Fishead soup]

You'll have no problem making friends both Korean and Foreign. Unless you are a total freak people will gravitate towards you. The best thing to do is get a cell phone ASAP. Most social interaction is made via Cell Phone if you don't have one you'll be out of the loop. Lots of plans are made last minute. Usually after work. When you go out with Koreans they follow a three places routine. Sit down restaurant sometimes sitting direction on the floor Second place fried chicken with cold beer third place singing room.

For foreign friends both Iteawon and Hongdea are popular. One of the advatages of the bars in these districs is they are very westernised. You can go into a bar alone just order a cold beer with no food and casually meet people. With more traditionally Korean places it is common to go out in groups order a large plate of fruit or fried chicken even when ordering just a few beers. It is considered hightly anti-social in Korea to order a beer with no side dish usually refered to as Anju. Some bars restaurants wont serve you if you insist on just ordering a beer.

[wiganer]

[tottenhamtaipeinick]

Hey Ecuebl!

you seem to be in the same boat as myself. I am a bit sick of work with the stress etc, while not wanting a career change I would like a year or so off in Korea (not to relax but experience). I want to head over earlier though it seems 29th or March 2011 is the only time after my sisters wedding. I am 23 and enjoy going out and big cities etc. I understand the feeling of wanting clear cut answers to specific questions and the fact that this will be a daunting yet exciting move. I have no experience in Teaching and am opting to try and teach smaller/younger class at Hagwons around the same time you want to head over. I will be living in Seoul with my gf so hopefully I can land a job off a subway line somewhere.

As for the TESOL/TEFL etc I am doing a course online as I have heard completing this gives you greater chance of landing jobs within Seoul and also I would be dumb not to gain some knowledge as to how English is taught as a second language. It has so far been easy to complete after work hours online. I wish I had time to do it in person but the online one is still very interactive. I did it at linguaedge 100hrs it was cheap online $300 or so. Other than that I understand lesson planning is a big part of teaching and I found downloads and sites to access what current teachers use for references in Korea.

[ecuebl]

Thanks for the replies.

Sounds like I can stop my angst about socialising and concentrate on actually trying to find a job! Thanks for the advice about going out and heads up regarding etiquette. Like the sound of beer and fruit, the best way to get your 5 a day.

I'm combining hours searching through the boards with the 'on a platter' advice I'm getting from here, honestly! This is good for getting any extra information I missed, reminding me of stuff I read before and getting in contact with people. Also, I've read lots and there's many conflicting views and stuff I forget. Do you have 5 key tips/advice for a first timer overseas trying to get a teaching placement in Korea?

The first reply from somebody in the same position as me, thanks tottenhamtaipeinick it was starting to get lonely! Sounds like we're looking for similar stuff, I'm thinking Seoul or Busan - big cities and beach in Busan sounds appealing. Have you started applying, how you finding it? I'd like to do a course for the teaching benefits and if it's useful in getting a job but not just to get more money. Thought a weekend course would be good but apparently it's not recognised. How are you finding your online course? 100 hrs seems like a long time when you have to fit it in after work.

[tottenhamtaipeinick]