[ARGINITE]

Originally Posted by Sabastien

Hey, I've done quite a bit of research on this but I seem to be getting conflicting info everywhere.

Some people say that the i to i weekend/online courses are quite adequate for teaching abroad if your not planning on doing it for a career and yet others say, that the courses are close to worthless and that their qualifications don't make your application much more attractive.

I want to go teach in Seoul for the year, I doubt Id stay any longer to be honest but am just in a bit of a quandry as to what route to go down.

The Celta qualification seems like a great qualification to have but the four weeks of classroom required and the 1,000 plus euro required seem a bit hefty when you can also get a qualification in one single weekend. This seems to good to be true so im assuming it is.

I would be very adamant that I want to teach in Seoul (or as close as possible to it) so would I be safer off getting the CELTA qualification as im sure competition in the hagwons is much stiffer there than elsewhere in Korea and perhaps, that qualification would be your best bet of getting a job.

Thanks guys.

Getting a job in a hagwon in Seoul seems pretty easy to me. Their seems to be plenty of jobs on all the ESL communities that I have signed up to. If I was going to do any of the courses I would do the Celta one or none at all. As the i-to-i one seem like they are not worth the paper they are written on from my own research.

Best of luck with the search.

[chipsbebo]

Anyone know any good links for teaching jobs in busan? Busan seems like a good spot to go...

[saram]

Originally Posted by chipsbebo

Anyone know any good links for teaching jobs in busan? Busan seems like a good spot to go...

http://www.worknplay.co.kr/jobseeker/jobSearchList.php
Type Busan into the search engine here and you will see jobs advertised for Busan.

Also this one http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/korea/index.cgi?search
Again type Busan in here and there you go...

Here is a thread about a shortage of jobs in Busan...(well everywhere in Korea these days). http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=155300
Browse around and go for what you like!

[Showtime!12]

Heya! Hows everything going for everyone?? Im after applying on tigerenglish myself had an interview with a school from Daegu and hopefully will get a contract offer from there! was talking to and american whose been teaching there 4 yrs and he seemed like a gas man!
Has anyone had any experience of (SLS sunflower language School)Daegu?? Ive also got an interview for Child U school Gwangju, Gyeonggi anyone know or heard anything about these!
Looking forward to getting out of Ireland again was teachin in the UAE last year had a great time except for the teaching!! messing I love work!

[ARGINITE]

Your best bet would be to google the names of the schools and see what is turned up. Their is a website that gives details of schools other teachers have had problems with but I just can't find the link I had to it right now, I will give a better look a little later.

[livinginkorea]

Try to read as much as possible about the school you are going to and talk to one of the teachers there, don't email them, talk to them first. If you can't talk to them, for example the school says they have nobody there or they are busy then this isn't a good sign. It's amazing how many people I have come across who are in a terrible school because they 1) signed the contract in a rush, 2) didn't talk to the current teacher 3) signed the contract before coming to Korea.

Nothing wrong with coming to Korea as a tourist and then spending a month looking for a decent job, getting a feel for the place and checking out what the school if like. A picture is a thousand words. Just bring all your documents with you and the school that you sign with will pay for a Visa trip to Japan or China and away you go in a couple of days.

A good few places will want you to start right away and then start your Visa process. This is illegal but it's very common here. Just another option to think about.

A couple of people are talking about Pusan. For those of you outside of Korea please check the map to see how far it is from the International Airport and from Seoul. However living near one of the most popular beaches in Korea can be an interesting experience with the sun and sand this summer.

[Geezy]

Hey guys,

My GF and I want to teach english in South Korea but are unsure how exactly to go about it. I have been looking up various online forums and some people are saying that getting a job through agencies such as tigerenglish is the best route whilst others are saying you are better off going over to Korea and arranging a job when you get there. Was just looking for other peoples experiences and advice.
Thanks guys!!

[ARGINITE]

If you don't know Korean or anybody in Korean then going through an agency is an easier and safe bet. Also you will have your visa taken car of before leaving your home country.

My GF and I went through TG and we recommend them highly. Five months into the contract and I am still in contact with them about odds and sods, they are really help full.

[Geezy]

Thanks Argentine,
Do you mind me asking what are your hours like and do you see yourself staying with the school for a year? I hear the contracts are difficult to get out of.

[랴연]

Lads, some facts.

Childrens Hagwons (Private schools) All you need is a degree. Full stop. TEFL/CELTA is great for YOU, the school however could not care less unless its one of the few top class ones who pay a lot. Then it may make a difference.

Public schools are great. Again, a degree and a pulse and your in.

After school program. This is kind of public school but its after normal classes and its ran by a private company paid by the government. Most of these go to people with residents visa's, spousal visa's etc.

University -> They ask for a PHD or at least a Masters. Its quite possible to get in with a BS. Just be in the right place at the right time.

Adult hagwons (Adult private schools) little more picky but a degree + a pulse is usually fine.

My advice:

I personally would never go back to a childrens hagwon after my first year. Its not the kids, its the working hours for relatively crap money + the late finishes. (middle/highschool kids)

So if your going to go teaching in a kids hagwon make sure its one of the good ones.

e.g > Your not working 9 hours a day for the same money some other guy is working 6 hours a day for.

Recruiters ? I wouldn't be overly fond of them. They'll stick you into any hole.

So basically I would recommend teaching adults.

Look for adult schools like Pagoda.

jobpagoda.com

Also check out www.worknplay.co.kr for jobs.

[livinginkorea]

Originally Posted by 랴연

Lads, some facts.

Childrens Hagwons (Private schools) All you need is a degree. Full stop. TEFL/CELTA is great for YOU, the school however could not care less unless its one of the few top class ones who pay a lot. Then it may make a difference.

Public schools are great. Again, a degree and a pulse and your in.

After school program. This is kind of public school but its after normal classes and its ran by a private company paid by the government. Most of these go to people with residents visa's, spousal visa's etc.

University -> They ask for a PHD or at least a Masters. Its quite possible to get in with a BS. Just be in the right place at the right time.

Adult hagwons (Adult private schools) little more picky but a degree + a pulse is usually fine.

My advice:

I personally would never go back to a childrens hagwon after my first year. Its not the kids, its the working hours for relatively crap money + the late finishes. (middle/highschool kids)

So if your going to go teaching in a kids hagwon make sure its one of the good ones.

e.g > Your not working 9 hours a day for the same money some other guy is working 6 hours a day for.

Recruiters ? I wouldn't be overly fond of them. They'll stick you into any hole.

So basically I would recommend teaching adults.

Look for adult schools like Pagoda.

jobpagoda.com

Also check out www.worknplay.co.kr for jobs.

Some very sound advice. I would like to add some more for the couples...

Going as a couple can be great but be prepared to have some difficulties in finding schools that hire you. Just a couple of weeks ago, the university I work in hired 20 people. There were 200 applicants and it narrowed it down to 60 who were interviewed. One couple were asked if one would work there if only one was picked and they said no. They weren't picked.

Also many places don't want to pick couples because 1) they don't have a big enough house for two people and 2) if one is unhappy with the job then very possibly both will quit but some places will look for couples because 1) they are cheaper then hiring two single people 2) they can be used easily, "your bf/gf said yes to these classes already."

I knew one couple who took a job position and turns out that the school didn't have enough work for both of them so they ended working one job between them meaning that they only got one salary and didn't work the same hours or at the same time. One had mornings and the other had evenings. Just because you are hired as a couple doesn't mean you are going to work at the same time, have lunch at the same time, etc. Could be completely different schedules changed easily by the boss.

So you should really think about working as a couple. I think working in two different places, and having one house would be the best way. Living and working together can be great but also you need some time apart at times.

[Geezy]

Thanks so much guys,
Just joined Boards and it's amazing how helpful the advice can be. If anyone else has some helpful advice for a couple teaching in Korea I would be very greatful!!
Thanks again guys

[랴연]

Originally Posted by Geezy

Thanks so much guys,
Just joined Boards and it's amazing how helpful the advice can be. If anyone else has some helpful advice for a couple teaching in Korea I would be very greatful!!
Thanks again guys

Don't try and get a job togeather.

My advice.

Step 1 - Bring the relevant documents, get on a plane and come here. (I don't know the new rules, do you have to take an interview in the Korean embassy in Ireland these days ? )

Step 2 - One of you get a job in Seoul or one of the other major areas.

Step 3 - Other one apply for jobs in the same-ish area and bum off the other one until you get sorted.

The advantages to this are;

- You can have a look around and see what your getting into, schools, area's etc.

- One of you can get a job as a single, they will provide an apartment so the other can bum around looking for a good job and when they do get that job they can tell the employer they don't need an apartment in the deal so instead of providing an apartment they will give you more money. (not a huge amount but enough to make a difference)

[Geezy]

Originally Posted by 랴연

Don't try and get a job togeather.

My advice.

Step 1 - Bring the relevant documents, get on a plane and come here. (I don't know the new rules, do you have to take an interview in the Korean embassy in Ireland these days ? )

Step 2 - One of you get a job in Seoul or one of the other major areas.

Step 3 - Other one apply for jobs in the same-ish area and bum off the other one until you get sorted.

The advantages to this are;

- You can have a look around and see what your getting into, schools, area's etc.

- One of you can get a job as a single, they will provide an apartment so the other can bum around looking for a good job and when they do get that job they can tell the employer they don't need an apartment in the deal so instead of providing an apartment they will give you more money. (not a huge amount but enough to make a difference)

Cool thanks for the heads up,
I know that they are quite strict in their contracts over there but is there much they can do if you only fulfill say 6 months of your 12 month contract? And also way if we were to last the whole year, would we not save a fortune on plane fares as most companies? (e.g. tigerenglish) pay for your flights

[ARGINITE]

Originally Posted by Geezy

Cool thanks for the heads up,
I know that they are quite strict in their contracts over there but is there much they can do if you only fulfill say 6 months of your 12 month contract? And also way if we were to last the whole year, would we not save a fortune on plane fares as most companies? (e.g. tigerenglish) pay for your flights

If you only stay with the school for 6 months then they will not pay for your flights home, flights back to Ireland are expensive.
Also your E2 visa is tied to the school that you start working with in Korea, to move school would require a new visa I think.

If you last the year you would get your return flights paid for and also a bonus, normally about one months pay.

Tigerenglish do not pay for your flights, it is the school that pay.