Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chocolate_thundergirl]

In Korea or out of the Korea- All suggestions are welcome!

Just looking for an alternative to online study.

Course offered somewhere between Jan 6 - Feb. 6 would be ideal.

[Troglodyte]

What city are you in or near?

There are several universities in Korea that run TEFL certificate courses in partnership with American universities. Usually they are open to the general public. Most are 1 or 2 months long. Some are weekend courses. Some are held during the weekdays in the evenings. Some are intensive with classes held all day for 4 or 5 days a week. Usually they take 1 month to complete, whereas the weekend courses take 2 months.

Check out the universities near you. If they have a TEFL/TESOL course, ask for some details and then do some background checks to make sure that what they told you is true. (Yes, some universities WILL lie to you in order to get your money.)

[chocolate_thundergirl]

[Troglodyte]

PM sent.

[JBomb]

I live in Busan and also interested in perhaps doing mine in the next few months. Know any info for down and around here?

[Troglodyte]

I know about a few courses but I don't know the exact details. If I hear from a friend who works nearby, I'll ask and forward what I hear. The exception would be the CELTA course. I know that the British Council in Seoul offers it, as does another school in Seoul. You can definitely find that online. The other TEFL courses in Seoul that I've heard of are usually in the range of 3.5 to 4.5 million Won for a regular 125hr course. Outside of Seoul, I think that the going rate is about 2.5 million. Busan may be a bit higher but I can't remember for sure. For the price alone, I'd avoid Seoul and try to find a TEFL course in another city. (Unless it's something very international like the CELTA.) I've heard of them in Busan, Gwangju and Daegu for sure. Wherever you do the course, make sure that you get an American certificate as well. (Or from somewhere else of value.) A certificate that's only from a Korean university will really only be valuable in Korea. An American certificate may be valuable elsewhere (depending on the university).

[calicoe]

What about the CELTA courses offered in Thailand? Does anyone know or have experience with the International House in Thailand?

[Troglodyte]

[calicoe]

Thanks for the feedback, Trog.


edit: I love your avatar, it always makes me chuckle when I see it, lol.

[JBomb]

indeed. nice to see the prices listed as well to get a general sense of things.

[nathanrutledge]

CELTA is available in Seoul during January and July/August as well.

[Caffeinated]

ECC and IH offer CELTA at locations in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. The courses at Phuket and Chiang Mai aren't offered monthly and are also more popular so you need to reserve a spot, do an interview and pay a deposit a couple of months ahead. I did mine at Phuket during summer and recommend both the CELTA and the ECC Phuket instructors/location. Google for more info.

[Troglodyte]

How much did it cost you to do the CELTA in Thailand? e.g. tuition? cost of living? other? What was your general impression of the school there?

I already have the CELTA but sometimes the topic comes up in discussion regarding where to do the course, so I'm curious about the different places that offer it. I'm sure there are probably others as well.

Thanks.

[Caffeinated]

I could have done the CELTA over the weekends for 3-4 months in Kobe but the idea of committing my weekends for such a long time was a frightening prospect while living in Kansai. The lower tuition was a plus as well as the intensive, boot-camp atmosphere of the month-long course.

Tuition: I took CELTA almost a year and a half ago in Phuket and paid around $1400US, I think.

Accommodation: I reserved a room at a hotel for $400 month plus electricity (another $25 max) about 10 minute walk away from central Phuket to steer clear of traffic noise. This included weekly housekeeping, linens and internet. There are many hotels and short-term apartments that offer much cheaper monthly deals vs. the daily or weekly rates. Most in my group found accommodations across the street for about $700/month. The CELTA school will have a list of recommendations available. I found mine through Google.

Cost of living: If you love Thai cuisine there are lots of restaurants that cater to locals. Our CELTA group went to a local lunch place that was less than $2 for two entrees with rice. Lots of Thai and foreign restaurants (Indian, French, Italian) that catered to tourists for more variety. You can eat well for less than $100/week.

Transportation in Phuket is on the expensive side but bartering and travelling in groups helped.

Have a weekend fund available. You'll be so busy with CELTA during the week that the only opportunities you'll have to spend money will be on weekends. There's bars, dance clubs, weekend excursions for diving, kayaking, ziplining, rockclimbing etc. Oh, there's Thai massages as well! Work hard during the week and play hard on the weekends. I budgeted $200 max for weekend splurges.

Impressions of school: Well-run, friendly staff and students, had everything I needed - computer, printer, book library (theory books, teachers guides, ESL textbooks like Interchange etc.), small library of flash cards previous students made. Very knowledgeable and experienced instructors. Instant coffee and snacks provided for breaktimes. You may want to bring realia to use such as English menus, magazines, tourist brochures etc. Although the school was open 8am to 9pm I was glad I brought my laptop to work at my hotel or various cafes. I wish the facility had better audiovisual equipment but it was probably better I spent less time making Powerpoints since not all schools you'll teach at will have a computer with internet hooked up to a widescreen TV anyways.

So in summary, budget for:
airfare
less than $2000 for the course plus accommodation
less than $400 for food, lattes and the like
fund for weekends, transportation, excursions

[calicoe]

Thanks Caffeinated! I'm going to register with Phuket IH for the summer.

Cheers!