Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ocalmy]

I’m trying to get my foot in the door at an international school in/around Seoul. I have a BA in English, and I’m just now finishing a M.A. in Secondary Education (language arts) with initial teaching license.

I taught ESL in Korean public schools for three years before going home to finish my master’s—for what it’s worth… Anyway, I know that most legitimate international schools aren’t likely to consider me without two years of post-certification experience. I’ve heard that top schools do offer paid internships, but they’re very competitive.

My only other option (as far as I can tell) would be look for a job at a second or third tier school and work my way up.

I know that most of them are owned and operated by Koreans, and that the student body is comprised of wealthy K kids who may or may not have lived abroad. I think (GIS) Gangnam Int. School may be an example.

Does anyone have any information on these kinds of schools in/around Seoul? Are there other schools out there that would be willing to hire someone with my qualifications?

Also, I’m not even sure working at these kinds of schools qualifies as the kind of experience accredited international schools are looking for. I wouldn’t want to waste my time.

I know that I could join Search Associates, or TIE, and look for jobs in China, but my wife is Korean and insists on living in Seoul. I considered DoDEA schools, but they’re furloughing teachers as it is with sequestration—and they give preference to military wives/husbands.

Not sure what to do. I really don’t want to go back and work in a hagwon while my newly developed skills atrophy. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Nick Adams]

Look into schools with established track records that hire interns. Chadwick International School in Seongdo and Seoul Foreign School downtown both hire interns. I would look into those schools first. Seoul Foreign School is Christian with an increasingly evangelical Christian emphasis, and they will not hire you unless you can prove your history of being a practicing Christian. I know people working at Chadwick and they enjoy working there. If you finished your M.A. and teaching license while working as an intern, odds are good you could transition into a regular teaching position.

There are a bunch of international school start-ups on Jeju island that are a mess and are likely not so picky about qualifications. Sometimes it is possible to get hired without a teaching credential if you teach a non-core academic subject like choir, band, art, aquatics, learning support, etc.

The legit international schools in Korea and elsewhere will not hire you without teaching certification. Even if you worked for 10 years at a third-tier school with a Masters, most international schools will not consider hiring you without a teaching credential.

[Ocalmy]

I appreciate the response Nick Adams. I will look into internships at Chadwick. Seoul Foreign School sounds great, but I'm not a Christian--which I know puts me at an even greater disadvantage in Korea.

Just to clarify, I will be a certified teacher in December when I return to Korea. At the moment I'm doing my teaching practicum at a high school in the States.

I'm posting these questions now so that I can begin applying for jobs/internships at schools that would be willing to consider me with certification, but without post-certification content area experience.





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[I-am-me]

Its not that difficult to work an int'l schools if you have teaching certificate and expereince. There are only so many you can work in Seoul. You are limiting yourself.

[Nick Adams]

Try contacting Korea International School, Seoul International School, and Chadwick.

December through January is peak hiring season for international schools. You should contact schools and school admin directly in the fall. You won't be able to register for the Search Associates or ISS recruiting fairs without completed certification. But you might get lucky through school visits or phone calls. Admins get bombarded with unsolicited email spam so try contacting other ways first. The job fairs are not fun but give you access and face time. Plan on that next year.

There are many decent schools outside of Korea. I personally enjoyed Korea and miss living there five years later. Korea has many starter schools but limited professional growth at the mid or high end. Join TIE and ISR now and start reading. You could get hired at a starter international school via TIE or Skype but you need to sort which schools are worth your time and. which are not.