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Tefl in South Korea
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Brokentime. I'm heading to China for 5 days at the end of August beginning of September.
Seoul - Bejing - Shanghai - Seoul.
I'm pretty excited what it has to offer. If you have any options as to what I can see that is off the main tourist trail I'd be all ears! I'm gonna try and do as much as possible!
I've been to Hong Kong in March and had a blast! 0 -
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My recruiter wanted my documents ASAP too. I think its common practice, because of how close companies contacting recruiters is to the time of the position starting.
Use DHL via An Post by the way, I've been advised in this thread to allow myself to be ripped off by FedEx (Would have been around 80 euro for just some pages!!!!) but I ended up paying around 20 couriered all the way to S.K., took two days! Great value. Just go into any An Post, the GPO if you can.
I'm writing a big blog post on all this anyway, for newbies like me, but who are still in the process of heading over. Rules have changed very very recently in some areas and there is inaccurate information floating around, and some bad advice too. Hopefully by the time I'm finished this will be remedied. Finally got my ARC card, so I'm straight legal here now!
No more ducking into side allies when I see the 5-0 rollin' by. ;P 0 -
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squeakyduck wrote: »Brokentime. I'm heading to China for 5 days at the end of August beginning of September.
Seoul - Bejing - Shanghai - Seoul.
I'm pretty excited what it has to offer. If you have any options as to what I can see that is off the main tourist trail I'd be all ears! I'm gonna try and do as much as possible! I've been to Hong Kong in March and had a blast!
Shanghai is plenty bigger than HK, and a much different place, all told.
What kinds of things you want to see/do?0 -
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Do you know the percentage of people who get caught? I would be interested to hear it.
I know quite a few people who have been doing it for years and there was no issue.
As if the ROK government would give out statistics like that lol. And I have heard of several people that have been caught for the stupidity in the time that I have been here, so, 'knowing quite a few people' doesn't really count for much. Immigration officers follow people that look like native English speakers on the subway system. They follow them travelling in the morning on the subway 7 days a week (especially weekends), to see if they are going to private classes, if you believe the stories. I've seen it spoken about on youtube and it has been confirmed for me at any waygook gatherings I've been to here.
Also excusing/endorsing this sort of behaviour in a thread where there are so many new people reading is at the very least irresponsible.
This practice, popular or not, is not ok and it will get you ****canned if you get caught.
If you take private classes that break the conditions of your visa, you are a skeevy moron who is stealing from a government that provides a lot of things for it's people and migrants like us, such as dirt cheap transport and other amenities. There are hundreds of thousands of migrants in Ireland that abuse the services the government has set up to help people, are you ok with that? No? Then don't be that guy. Pay your damn taxes. Be a responsible adult. And instead of having to get out of bed early on a saturday to make a fast 30/60,000 won, get the extra few hours in bed instead :pac:
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Anyone head to Mudfest this weekend? It was epic :pac: I'll put some video I took at it together when I get the time. I got really badly burnt today though
Face like a baboons arse. 0 -
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Do you know the percentage of people who get caught? I would be interested to hear it.
I know quite a few people who have been doing it for years and there was no issue.
As if the ROK government would give out statistics like that lol. And I have heard of several people that have been caught for the stupidity in the time that I have been here, so, 'knowing quite a few people' doesn't really count for much. Immigration officers follow people that look like native English speakers on the subway system. They follow them travelling in the morning on the subway 7 days a week (especially weekends), to see if they are going to private classes, if you believe the stories. I've seen it spoken about on youtube and it has been confirmed for me at any waygook gatherings I've been to here.
Also excusing/endorsing this sort of behaviour in a thread where there are so many new people reading is at the very least irresponsible.
This practice, popular or not, is not ok and it will get you ****canned if you get caught.
If you take private classes that break the conditions of your visa, you are a skeevy moron who is stealing from a government that provides a lot of things for it's people and migrants like us, such as dirt cheap transport and other amenities. There are hundreds of thousands of migrants in Ireland that abuse the services the government has set up to help people, are you ok with that? No? Then don't be that guy. Pay your damn taxes. Be a responsible adult. And instead of having to get out of bed early on a saturday to make a fast 30/60,000 won, get the extra few hours in bed instead :pac:
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Anyone head to Mudfest this weekend? It was epic :pac: I'll put some video I took at it together when I get the time. I got really badly burnt today though Face like a baboons arse.
You've only been there about a month, yet you know of all these people?
I wouldn't endorse people to break the
Law either, however, the chances of you getting caught are pretty slim, though you could be unfortunate enough to be that ,001%
I always said I would never do privates, as I was happy with the money I earned and with my free time, I also woe never steal a student from my employer, because I think it's highly unethical!
Then, one of my ex students, who I kept in touch with via e-mail, when I moved back to Ireland, asked me would I teach him, because he didn't like academies and he liked learning from me. I agreed because I like him and I didn't want him to lose his abilities. He was also out of age and education range for my school. I never asked his family for money, as I was unsure what to charge for such a service. Anyway, I taught him for a month, without receiving money, then his mom paid me a lump sum, equating to 50k an hour! I taught him for about 5months, we had a lot of casual speaking time, and also a pretty intense amount of high level grammar, which he would never learn at public school, or in most academies.
Was it wrong to accept payment? Yes!
Have I ever done nixers in Ireland? Yes!
Did I pay tax on either? No!
Do I care? No
I don't care because I know I have helped him achieve some of the highest test scores in the district, his mother and father were happy, they paid less to me than they would for an academy, and most importantly, i still keep in touch with him, send him presents, and i always will.
I would never advise someone to teach a private class, as it's illegal, but the chances of being caught are pretty slim. Your biggest chance of gettin caught is if the person you're teaching informs the authorities. The chances of them doing that aren't very high, as it's also illegal for them to pay for these lessons
* I typed this on my phone, so excuse any errors caused by fat thumbs or auto fill0 -
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So "having heard of several people" counts for more than "knowing quite a few people"?As if the ROK government would give out statistics like that lol. And I have heard of several people that have been caught for the stupidity in the time that I have been here, so, 'knowing quite a few people' doesn't really count for much. Immigration officers follow people that look like native English speakers on the subway system. They follow them travelling in the morning on the subway 7 days a week (especially weekends), to see if they are going to private classes, if you believe the stories. I've seen it spoken about on youtube and it has been confirmed for me at any waygook gatherings I've been to here.
Also excusing/endorsing this sort of behaviour in a thread where there are so many new people reading is at the very least irresponsible.
This practice, popular or not, is not ok and it will get you ****canned if you get caught.
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I have also heard of people being caught for it, but I have heard of more people who don't get caught; so telling someone that they should go to China or Japan if they intend to teach private lessons is entirely excessive.
I would seriously question the level of surveilance you allege the Korean government put English teachers under; the resources required to track every English teacher in Seoul, alone, would far outweigh any benefits that might be accrued from catching those that are teaching private lessons.
From what I have heard, it is more likely that the people who get are reported by Koreans who might have some beef with the person receiving the private lessons. But I dare say, neither of us are authorities on this subject.
Also, I neither condone, nor excuse the practice of teaching private lessons; the decision to do so is entirely down to each individual and their own moral compass. But, if someone is going to make a decision on it they may as well do so with as much information as possible; not just sensational opinions that advise them to go to an entirely different country when it isn't actually necessary; that is what is irresponsible.
As I have said, it is right that people should be made aware of the risk that they are taking, but they should also be made aware of just how big a risk it is. You have tried to paint it as being an almost fait acompli, that you will get caught, when this couldn't be further from the truth.
And you're perfectly entitled to your subjective opinion. I'm lucky enough not to have to teach private lessons, because my salary is sufficient, but I know many people who have large debts to pay and the extra money earned from teaching private lessons is a huge help to them. The only moronic thing is trying to draw a correlation between someones level of intelligence and their decision to teach private lessons.If you take private classes that break the conditions of your visa, you are a skeevy moron who is stealing from a government that provides a lot of things for it's people and migrants like us, such as dirt cheap transport and other amenities. There are hundreds of thousands of migrants in Ireland that abuse the services the government has set up to help people, are you ok with that? No? Then don't be that guy. Pay your damn taxes. Be a responsible adult. And instead of having to get out of bed early on a saturday to make a fast 30/60,000 won, get the extra few hours in bed instead
The provision of private lessons simply represents a natural dynamic of an economy; it is demonstrative of disparity between socio-economic classes within the economy, and area that potentially requires addressing to ensure that the system is fair for everyone. Not every family can afford to send their kids to a Hagwon; this can, and does, have an adverse affect on a child's prospects of getting into university as well as their future job prospects. Private lessons help to bridge this gap to a certain extent.
It was good banter alright; how'd you get badly burned though? I hardly saw the sun all weekend.Anyone head to Mudfest this weekend? It was epic :pac: I'll put some video I took at it together when I get the time. I got really badly burnt today though Face like a baboons arse.0 -
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Brokentime wrote: »Reading your post again, you just sound like you're in the first stage of culture shock; the honeymoon stage. You think that Korea is the bee's knees and that people should "obey" and pay their taxes and be grateful of the cheap transport and all that guff. Come back to us when you hit the next stage of culture shock and we'll see how you're doing, noob.
I'm not in culture shock of any kind, and also I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as what you just described. I think you are mixing up bereavement with culture shock
I'm on top of my ****, and have a great network of people around me, and hated where I came from, and I'm kept quite busy.Brokentime wrote: »To be honest, if they did catch you and deport you, you could just go somewhere better like China or Japan. Korea is the wet dream of the unimaginative.
This essentially invalidates everything you've just said. Korea is the wet dream of the unimaginative? Seriously? All most people know of Korea is 'oh, there's a war there right?' As much as I like both places, Japan is actually the wet dream of the unimaginative, going by the full spectrum of people from anime-tards to people that loved Lost in Translation. There aren't even that many guide books on Korea, they are far outweighed by places in other parts of Asia. Korea is still being discovered by the western world in a lot of ways, and if you go there, you are not in the least unimaginative.It was good banter alright; how'd you get badly burned though? I hardly saw the sun all weekend.
That's the most dangerous time. The sun was out in force on saturday and I didn't burn, but I burnt badly in 2-3 hours on Sunday when it was overcast. The clouds have some kind of magnifying effect on the sun. I've read about it before, not sure what the effect is called though. But I was in the water enjoying the waves so any sunblock I had on didn't last long.
Tomato festival next!Yeah I sent it via DHL on Thursday based on what you said earlier in the thread! They told me 4 working days because the courier had already been the day I went in. So I'm kind of in a race against time to get my visa number because I'm leaving on the 1st!
My recruiter said I can do a visa run to Japan if it's too late. Has anyone done this before?
Good luck galwayj I thought you were going to Jeju too. It must be hard trying to pack your life into 30kg!
Yes people do make this visa run to Japan. Try not to panic, instead just try and be ready. That parcel may not take 4 days, I'd say 3. Then, 4 more days for the Koreans to get the number. Then AS SOON as you get that, it's embassy time. Do you live in Dublin? If not just get yourself up here. The Korean embassy website has incorrect information on when they take visa application. It states it only happens on certain days after 2 PM. THIS HAS CHANGED NOW and now happens Mon-Fri, 9-11AM. Then it takes a week, and you're golden.
I think you just might make it, so don't worry. I did by the skin of my teeth (flew out the next day) and I know several other people who were the same. Don't worry. Glad I was able to save you a few bob. I am in Gimpo, so if you're on an island off Incheon, you're not too far. You'll be going to the same immigration office I went too (There is one in Incheon).
And no my suitcase actually came in a good bit lighter than 30KG! :pac:0 -
I'm not in culture shock of any kind, and also I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as what you just described. I think you are mixing up bereavement with culture shock I'm on top of my ****, and have a great network of people around me, and hated where I came from, and I'm kept quite busy.
Hated where you came from? Yikes. Seriously?Korea is still being discovered by the western world in a lot of ways, and if you go there, you are not in the least unimaginative.
Still being discovered? Take a walk around most of the cities in Korea, like Seoul, Busan/Pusan, Cheongju, Daegu etc., and you'll see there's loads of foreigners. I'm sorry, but even though I can't speculate on your knowledge of the world, most people I know in Ireland have known a fair bit about Korea since the Olympics in the 1980s. It's a very narrow view to assume people only know about the DMC and North Korea and that. Whilst people might not necessarily know about kimchi and soju, how many Koreans know about boxty and guinness?0 -
There's lots of foreigners, but ask them how much they knew about Korea before deployment, or seeking employment abroad as an English teacher Before they were here, they were the same as everyone else who knows little about the place. Stop anyone on O'Connell street. They will be able to tell you much more about Japan than S.K., guaranteed. Even if it's just cultural stuff. Any junkie in Dublin will be able to tell you what sushi is, but they won't have a clue what you are talking about if you ask them what kimchi is. It's just a fact, no point denying it. There's lots of waygookin here, but for people outside of here, it's not a very well known place.
And yes, I think Dublin is a rat infested ****hole. So glad to be shot of Ireland (hopefully forever). No junkies/howyas in the streets here, I'm happy.0 -
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It's just a fact, no point denying it.
I'm not disputing people's knowledge of Japan. I'm just saying that people know more about Korea than you might think.There's lots of foreigners, but ask them how much they knew about Korea before deployment, or seeking employment abroad as an English teacher
Before they were here, they were the same as everyone else who knows little about the place.
You can say this about quite a range of professions. How much do people know about laws and how the system in Ireland works before they start in the civil service? How much do people know about online theft before they start working for eBay? How much do you know about drugs until you work in a drug treatment clinic? Unless it's something you studied about in college, you're naturally going to have a somewhat limited knowledge.And yes, I think Dublin is a rat infested ****hole. So glad to be shot of Ireland (hopefully forever). No junkies/howyas in the streets here, I'm happy.
To be honest with you, I have a hard time disagreeing with you on this. However, recently I was back in Ireland for the first time in 2.5 years; since I began working abroad as a teacher, actually. I must admit, it was nice walking around the city. Familiar sights and sounds (albeit, maybe not including the howyas), my heart ached just a little. I really didn't think I'd miss that place until I got back. My Chinese GF was blown away by it; she loved it. Living in a city of about 24 million people now (Shanghai), it was nice to rediscover personal space and relative quiet. I can't tell you that you're wrong about hating Dublin; all I'll say is to wait until you go back for a visit before judging.0 -
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I know loads of people that are doing privates, I even know a girl subbing at a public school on a holiday visa while her boyfriend gets ready to leave the country, its definitely more common than you think. I myself don't do it because 1 I am scared of getting caught and 2 I couldn't be bothered as I like my down time just for me. I don't want extra money.
I left Dublin to come here. Dublin is a ****hole in areas yes but I wouldn't tarnish the whole place with one brush. I was pissed with my job, taxes, governmental crap and just people whinging about the recession in general. I love Dublin and Waterford (my original home) and I am bazillion times more proud to be Irish over here than I was at home.
I am still in the honey moon phase of Korea but I am still coming across things I really dislike/hate about Korea, every day I find out something new. Ajjimas being rude, thoughts on foreigners and even racism but you just have to deal with it.
My back got burned at mud fest as I never put sun tan lotion on it, not bad though. My nose always turns red. I have about 40 bites all over my legs though. I frightened the pharmacist when I pulled up my trousers to show my legs today. I really reacted badly to the the bauld mogis! 0 -
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