Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Poker]

Hi, I need some advice. I will be at a crossroads in August next year. Don't know what will be the best for me.

A brief background... I will have taught English for 2 years in Korea by then. I will be 27 next year. I hold a BSc in Biochemistry and a TEFL certificate (and a Post Grad Diploma in Sport Management, but that's irrelevant). I am from South Africa.

There are two career paths that I could take.

1) I go back to South Africa next year in August and apply for a one year PGCE in Biology/Science. Then another 2 years for a MS in Science Education. By 2015, I would be 30 yrs old when I graduate. During this period, I would take the CELTA and DELTA too. Then I come back to Korea and teach both English and Science in English, preferably at a university or private science school/college.

Problem with this one though is that I would be studying full time. My entire savings will have gone by the time I'm 30.
Benefit with this path is that I would be a relatively scarce "commodity" compared to teaching only English. My career should be more stable. Age is a major factor in Korea, when I am older, I would prefer not to be fighting with 20-something year olds for job positions teaching English.

OR

2) I stay in Korea. After 2 years in middle school, I teach for another 2 years in high school. During those high school years, I do a MA Tesol/AppLing through distance(Birmingham, UK). After that, I apply for university positions. I would aim for a low ranking university at first, during that time, I take the CELTA and DELTA. Then with university experience, I apply for a better post, where I would also do a PhD in English education. I will be past 30 yrs old.

Problem with this path is that I would be depending heavily on the distance MA for my career. Also, I have a South African accent(not great to have when teaching English conversation) and I am an Asian. I know the hurdles with regards to my appearance. Competition for English teaching jobs are higher too.
Benefit with this is that I would be earning money all the way through. I won't be broke! At the age of 30, I would like to buy things, lol. I hope to have learnt Korean fluently by then. Then I would be able to speak English, Korean and a bit of Mandarin.

As you can see, both have its pros and cons. Please do share your thoughts, anything to make my choice easier. Thanks for reading all this!

[ttompatz]

[sirius black]

Do you plan on staying in Korea and teach for a long time or do you plan to go back to S. Africa after a few years as a uni teacher?

Option one, would be the best of both worlds. MsEd can get you a job both in Korea, S Africa or other areas of the globe. An alternate suggestion may be to go to the Middle East and teach at a uni there after either degree. The pay is great and you can get back the cost of the Ms Ed if you chose that. You can then come back to Korea with not only a few years uni experience but money in your pocket. You can get into a well established and higher paying uni job.

Overall though, your first option gives you more options. It depends on your long term goals though.

[enchoo]

I think you should get a scholarship to go to graduate school or teach full time in a public school and use a fellowship to pay for your night master's degree classes like I did in New York City through a teaching fellow's or teaching opportunity program if there is such a program.

[Poker]

Thanks for the advice. I did some numbers and Plan 1 would leave me with around 40 mil Won by the time I'm 32(added an extra year teaching in Korea), while plan 2 would leave me with an estimated 135 mil Won(6 years of teaching in Korea).

I don't plan to teach forever, I would like to go into small business when I'm in my mid 40s, which is why this is such a hard decision to make. Who knows what I could do with plan 2's money if I invested well.

But I am leaning towards plan 1 for the reasons you guys have pointed out to me. Also, at that stage of my life, I might feel like moving and going to Singapore(my prefered place to settle down). I think it is easier to get a job in Singapore as a Science teacher compared to teaching English.

Thanks!

[ThingsComeAround]