Korean Job Discussion Forums

[superaley]

hi, i am 25 and have applied for korea through (i-i)

1. firstly are (I-I) any good
2. I only have a 3rd class BA Honours degree in History, is this good enough. they say they place over 90% of applicants, should i envisage any acceptance problems
3. if accepted will i be placed in accomodation, with other people my age, doing the same thing as me etc
4. should i buy a laptop b4 i go, or wait until i get there
5. would i be better to get a job once i am out there, or if reapplying should i stick to an agency

many many thanks

[Grotto]

1. firstly are (I-I) any good

whats I=I?

2. I only have a 3rd class BA Honours degree in History, is this good enough. they say they place over 90% of applicants, should i envisage any acceptance problems

As long as its a 4 year degree and you are young and white(preferably blond) you wont have any problems finding work. The BA degree is the key!

3. if accepted will i be placed in accomodation, with other people my age, doing the same thing as me etc

What do you do? You should demand single accomodations....shared accomodations suck!

4. should i buy a laptop b4 i go, or wait until i get there

B4 you go.

5. would i be better to get a job once i am out there, or if reapplying should i stick to an agency

If you have connections its better to get a job once you get here.....if you dont then you're probably better off with a recruiter.

[superaley]

i-i are an agency that takes a 595gpb fee to place you including online tefl coure

the accomodation, to quote them, is a fully furnished private room in acc usually shared with other english teachers. as i am going alone, it would be nice to think i had some english speaking company from the outset

ps this online tefl course, it is unclear whether i must complete this before i go

[Mr. BlackCat]

I did the i-to-i course and it wasn't really necessary. It helps to refresh some grammar and so forth, but nothing you couldn't do on your own with some effort.

I wouldn't go through them for a placement. There's no problem getting a job here on your own, or even through a recruiter. There's no reason why you should have to pay to be placed. They'll make it sound like they offer stuff no one else does, but almost everyone offers accomodation, airport pick-up, etc.

to reiterate: DON'T pay anyone to get a job here. There's a teacher shortage, so its your ball.

As for the laptop I'd agree with Grotto on getting it at home. And I was into living with others when I got here so as not to get too isolated. Its alright, but realize you'll be working with your roommates and probably hanging out with them as well, which unless you don't mind being around the same people 24/7/365, can get to be a bit much no matter how cool they are.

Hope this helps. DON'T pay anyone to get a job. Just thought I'd throw that in again

[superaley]

thanks but its too late, they have the money

oh well whats another 600 sheets in my scale of debt anyway!!!

i assume then there will be no problem in me getting placed then, i will supposedly undergo some phone interview in next 28 days

[Natalia]

[daz1979]

You shouldn't be allowed to teach with a 3rd IMO!!

You obviously don't care about education as you have evidently just thrown yours down the drain for the past 4 years!

[sonshine20]

What exactly is a "3rd class" B.A.?

[crystal]

I think its less than 50% overall in final examinations

[JLarter]

[superaley]

my actual examinations were all in and around the 60 % mark but messed up my ISP which was worth 33%. i got 29% for it. although i though it was better than that, it was a last minute effort which was silly because i had all year to do it. i finished up with 49% and expected to get the appeal as my exam rsults were good but alas they wouldnt budge

i have learned from that though and just hope that selectors are not as harsh as you

[superaley]

another thing...


am i right to assume that they accept a mere three year regular degree, if so then i surely i must be more than qualified, as my third year reults average out at 62% which is equivelant to a 2:1

JUST A BIT CONCERNED, I CANT TAKE ANOTHER DAY IN A CALL CENTRE!

[crystal]

for most jobs here, how good your results are is pretty irrelevant. Any level of degree is OK as long as you have one. Having a first will not necessarily make you a better teacher - your ability to speak English is the most important selling point when coming to Korea

[Topo Gigo]

Hi, I'm also doing the i-to-i online course, I was never expecting it to be brilliant, but I wanted some kind of experience before plunging straight in, and I don't have the time to do a proper course.

Anyway, I'm also considering applying for a teaching placement in Korea through them - I know everyone says you can easily get a job out there, but I'm tempted as it's easy, they sort everything out for you, and you get reimbursed for your flight eventually, which would cover the money you pay i-to-i to start with. As I wouldn't get this if I just turned up, I'm wondering if it's worth being paid slightly less for the convenience and piece of mind. Having no previous teaching experience, I would like to go somewhere I know there will be some sort of support.

Any advice??

[crystal]

if you sign a contract from home then your airfare will be reimbursed to you, post your resume and you will be innundated with calls from recruiters who want to place you at no charge. Do your research and talk to current teachers, past teachers when they put you in contact with a school. Don't feel that i-to-i are the only "safe" option, there are no truly safe options when you come here, but if you make an effort to inform yourself then you will be doing better than some