Tefl in South Korea

RighteousDude

Story dudes,

Anyone know what DaeJeon city is like? I could have an interview for a job there. There is only one other foreign teacher in the school. I thought that was a bit unusual. Any info is very much appreciated. Thanks!

Choccie Lover

Thanks for the info Clones Lad.

Another question for any takers....... What salary should I be looking for as a second timer in Korea? I presume I can look at salaries that are marginally higher than a total newbie. I only spent one year there before but I do have TEFL experience in Ireland too. I don't have a Masters though.....

Again, any feedback would be great....

cloneslad

Choccie Lover wrote: »

Thanks for the info Clones Lad.

Another question for any takers....... What salary should I be looking for as a second timer in Korea? I presume I can look at salaries that are marginally higher than a total newbie. I only spent one year there before but I do have TEFL experience in Ireland too. I don't have a Masters though.....

Again, any feedback would be great....

depending where you want to go, and all that. Busan is harder to get hire salaries in. There are quite a few irish peole there though, but it's sought after, as is seoul, so you can't realistically go expecting high high salaries in either of those places without good contacts, experience and qualifications.

2.2/2.3 is a good average to be looking at. I wouldn't go less than 2.2 though. After tax and pension, 2.2 would leave you at 2million a month. I mean you can easily live on it but it's nice to be able to save a bit or go on holidays without being broke because of it.

Check the salary the position you look at is offering and if it's higher than you were hoping then great, if not, try negotiate. If they are offering 2 million then I wouldn't even waste my time discussing it to be honest.

if 2.1 is on the table try for 2.2 / 2.3...You could always try go 1ook more than they offer if the offer is not good enough for you.


However..........don't get greedy, getting too greedy will put you out of securing jobs.

My school is hiring people for march and we only have 3/4 positions available (depending on who extends) but we have had 6 people apply for the job, even though has not been advertised.

The job is one of the best on the island, and the bosses treat us really well. With so many people applying for a job 6 months before it's available and months before it will be advertised, my bosses know they can pay these people less than they pay me and my g.f.

Some people with 1 year experience in Korea, living on our island and previous experience teaching in Korea are only being offered 2.2, which is what the newbie, fresh out of college with no experience teachers currently working in our school are making.

livinginkorea

Choccie Lover wrote: »

Thanks for the info Clones Lad.

Another question for any takers....... What salary should I be looking for as a second timer in Korea? I presume I can look at salaries that are marginally higher than a total newbie. I only spent one year there before but I do have TEFL experience in Ireland too. I don't have a Masters though.....

Again, any feedback would be great....

I agree with Cloneslad, 2.2 or 2.3 is reasonable but it does depend on where you are planning to work. Seoul would give a higher salary but would be more expensive to live in. Depends on what your short/long terms goals are.

For me it's not about making money but the conditions of the job itself. I left hagwons to go to public school. Left the public schools to teach Samsung. Left Samsung to teach TESOL, etc. If you are only in it for the money then Pagoda or one of those big schools in Seoul allow you to work as much as you can. If you are into teaching for the professional experience and development then try to get into teaching public schools which seems to be more creditable than hagwons (although I think in some cases public schools are becoming the new hagwons). If you can try looking into the after school programs but they are difficult to get into at this time. From there you could get into a university in a couple of years if you are lucky.

You could also take a MA course in Korea too while working.

Choccie Lover

Thanks for the info again Clones Lad. Thank you also Living in Korea.

That's good to know. I have no intention of getting greedy Just
wanted to get an idea of the current figures in Korea. I have a habit of being stumpedby the salary expectation question when applying for jobs in general.

And I agree that working conditions are the most important thing, but I thinkI know what to look out for on that front having worked in Korea before.I'm sure I'll have more questions in due course...... Thanks again folks.

Choccie Lover

Hi again. Trying to organise my documents and just want to 1) clarify something and 2) ask what is perhaps a stupid question. These are based on the information (or absence of information) below.
1. So there is no longer a need for the sealed Transcript results? At least that’s what it says on the new legislation, right? I think you mentioned that already Clones Lad but just double checking as I got forwarded an attachment saying the contrary (but perhaps they haven’t amended the changes).
2. The Apostille Stamp refers to the stamp you get at the Department of Foreign Affairs. Is that right? So is that the only stamp you need for your degree photocopy? What about getting it notarised at a Commissioner for Oaths, getting a stamp at the Supreme Court, getting a stamp at the Korean embassy? Are these procedures obsolete now? It’s just that there’s no mention of that below.
Thanks again to all who contribute here

Visa documents

· Copy of your passport

· From September 1st on, Korean Immigration will no longer require or accept Original Degree scrolls/certificates. Instead you must send one of these following options;
a. Photocopy of your Degree Scroll/Certificate with an Apostille Stamp or
b. If you’re a Canadian, you need to submit your University Letter to the Korean embassy for notarization/authentication instead of an Apostille Stamp

· 4 Colour passport photos

· Medical History form (Attached with this email)

· Police Check + Apostille stamp (Please ensure it has an Apostille stamp on it / for Canadians please get it notarized/authenticated by the Korean Embassy

RighteousDude

I, like choccie above, would love to know exactly what is needed with regards the Degree copy. Is it just a straight forward apostille stamp from the Dept of Foreign Affairs? Also I have a Masters degree, will i need to do the same with this in order for it to be recognised? (i.e. so it is reflected in my pay). Thanks again all.

cloneslad

As most, (prob all) of us have been here since before september we have not had to use the new visa rules.

I would suggest you ring the embassy and find out exactly what you need to obtain your E2 visa.


With regards to the masters degree. You don't need it to get a job but if a pay rise is based on it then ask your employer what they want. It will not need to be used during the visa application.

cloneslad

RighteousDude wrote: »

Story dudes,

Anyone know what DaeJeon city is like? I could have an interview for a job there. There is only one other foreign teacher in the school. I thought that was a bit unusual. Any info is very much appreciated. Thanks!

Only just noticed this post.

It's not unusual for a school to have only one foreign teacher. Perhaps it's a small school that doesn't need two (or maybe it's a public school).

It's prob better to have a school that knows that it's small rather than one that hires too many people and can't afford to pay them.

As for daejeon itself, I have never been there (that I remember) but it's a large city, with well over 1 million people there. You wouldn't bee too far from seoul either, prob an hour and a half on a bus.

kraggy

Anyone hear of this lot?

They don't charge and don't take a cut in salary. They charge the school once.

Also, do most people have a job set-up before leaving Ireland for Korea and if so, where do they do their interview or is it over the phone?

Also, what are the steps, from beginning to actually teaching in the classroom?

i.e. do you apply for a job first, or a visa first etc?

Finally, what are the most popular places to teach in South Korea? Is Seoul top? Where else is good? Thanks,

K.

LimerickJoe

Hi guys,
I have an interview in the morning for the below position. Suwon city is nearby Seoul. Anyone know it?
There is only 8 days holidays being offered, that sounds rough! All the other benefits seem standard. working hours 1pm - 9pm suits me. If I can talk to a current foreign teacher I'd be happy. Is that an essential rule with Hagwons , to talk to someone who has worked there before, if this is not possible, something very dodgy is going on with the school. The school is called Herald School English Academy

http://kgcesl.com/job/list.htm?bmain=view&page=2&total_page=23&num=424&search=&key=&mode=

Let me know what ye think .

I also registered with a recruitment agency called " Avail Teachers Consulting" based in South Korea offering this public school job in Busan
http://www.teachersbus.com/jobs_view.php?pNum=801&page=&1=1 .

Does anyone have any experience teaching in public schools? The holidays
are great for this job. The application process is thorough, I had to fill out a 10 page form, write a personal essay and submit a sample lesson plan. My main concern is I would be the only foreign teacher in the school and the class size is 30 students/ class. How difficult would the teaching be, as I would have to prepare all lessons etc.. It sounds like alot of responsibility. Are private school jobs easier?

Cheers

cloneslad

kraggy wrote: »

Anyone hear of this lot?

They don't charge and don't take a cut in salary. They charge the school once..

you didn't name the people you were talking about.

That is how all recruiters work though. They find you a job and they charge the school. It's how recruiters back home work too.

Also, do most people have a job set-up before leaving Ireland for Korea and if so, where do they do their interview or is it over the phone?

phone interview, always!

If it's your first time applying for the visa then you will need to do an interview in Ireland in the korean embassy. Coming over to Korea and getting a job is noy unheard of but you would have no contacts, would have to pay for your own flight, would have to pay for your own accomodation and then do a visa run once you secured a place (if you were lucky the visa run could be to japan but if you haven't been here before you will most likely have to go to Ireland)

Also, what are the steps, from beginning to actually teaching in the classroom?

i.e. do you apply for a job first, or a visa first etc?

1. Get all your documents together (i would be doing this now if I was you)
2. start applying for jobs through recruiters and sites
3. wait a while for replies
4. get a potential job offer
5. review the contract
6. have an interview
7. speak to the current teachers - find out if the school / area is good
8. research the school / area yourself
9. accept or decline the job
10. repeat steps 4-5-6-7-8 -9 until you find a job you like
11. send your documents to korea
12. get a visa number fback from korea
13. ring the embassy confirming your name and visa number
14. go to the embassy for your interview
15. get visa back in your passport (about 5 days after interview)
16. book ticket to korea
17. go to korea
18. feel lost and wonder what you did
19. go into classroom
20. teach
21. go eat kimchi and drink soju and enjoy the year

you can't apply for a visa without a job. The E2 visa (English instructers visa) is tied to an employer, should you get fired, quit your job etc etc, you can't simply go find another job because you have a 1 year visa. You must apply for another visa which will belong to a new school.

The only way to avoid having to apply again should you leave your initial school is to have your previous employer fill out a letter of release which allows you to transfer your initial E2 visa to a 2nd employer.

Finally, what are the most popular places to teach in South Korea? Is Seoul top? Where else is good? Thanks,

1. Seoul
2. Busan

others like living in the surrounding area of seoul. Perhaps an hour away on the bus, subway, train. This allows them to get to seoul easily on weekends but not have to live in the place 24/7.

Incheon and Suwon are examples of this.

For me however, I like living in a smaller place. (my city has 200,000) but I am close to the beach, in fact I live right on the harbour but you couldn't swim in there due to the ships being built in the area.

It's dependant on what you like. If you like cities then you could always try; daegu, daejeon or gwangju

cloneslad

Hi guys,

I have an interview in the morning for the below position. Suwon city is nearby Seoul. Anyone know it?
There is only 8 days holidays being offered, that sounds rough! All the other benefits seem standard. working hours 1pm - 9pm suits me. If I can talk to a current foreign teacher I'd be happy. Is that an essential rule with Hagwons , to talk to someone who has worked there before, if this is not possible, something very dodgy is going on with the school. The school is called Herald School English Academy

http://kgcesl.com/job/list.htm?bmain=view&page=2&total_page=23&num=424&search=&key=&mode=

Let me know what ye think .

Suwon is a nice city, it's got some great facilities. It's own K-league soccer team and you are only a stones throw from seoul itself.

As for the position. Yeah, 8 days holidays is not very good, but contracts can be rewritten. If the school sounds good, then don't be afraid to ask for more days off. get it written into the contract before you sign it though.

It's always advisable to speak to a current teacher there. I do suspect this is going to be a problem for you at this school though as they need a teacher a.s.a.p, which means the current teacher has already finished their contract, quit or died. It could also mean that they have never hired a foreign teacher before. they only have 3 korean teachers so it seems like quite a small school.

Talk to the school, ask them questions. Remember, you are moving there for at least 12 months. You should be interviewing them too. Find out as much as you can, write it down, ask us about it, think about it yourself. In the end it's your decision.

I also registered with a recruitment agency called " Avail Teachers Consulting" based in South Korea offering this public school job in Busan
http://www.teachersbus.com/jobs_view.php?pNum=801&page=&1=1 .

Does anyone have any experience teaching in public schools? The holidays
are great for this job. The application process is thorough, I had to fill out a 10 page form, write a personal essay and submit a sample lesson plan. My main concern is I would be the only foreign teacher in the school and the class size is 30 students/ class. How difficult would the teaching be, as I would have to prepare all lessons etc.. It sounds like alot of responsibility. Are private school jobs easier?

Cheers

I have no experience personally. LivinginKorea has worked in the sstem in the past.

The holidays are much better than most hagwons and they are also set pretty early (for the majority of schools) allowing you to book tickets to travel and to plan ahead.

There are waaaay more students per class. You will be teaching with a Korean teacher. He/she will (or legally should) be in the class with you at all times.

I have heard stories of the foreign teacher pretty much standing there having to bite their tongue and not correct the korean teachers poor English while the Korean teacher does not let the foreigner do anything.

Others who expect the foreigner to do all the work, lesson plans etc while they rarely turn up for class and if they do they just sit there.

However, a good majority of them will share the work, use you as an extra source of information to help improve the students' ability.

As for lesson plans and work. Yes, there will be muich more paper work to do than in most hagwon positions. You can get lesson plans on the internet anyway, so if you are too lazy then you can just copy and paste.

Teaching in a public school on your own could be annoying. You will be last to find out information as you don'e speak Korean, but most people will be friendly to you.

You will easily make friends with the other foreigners in the area so don't worry about that side of things.

livinginkorea

LimerickJoe wrote: »

Hi guys,
I have an interview in the morning for the below position. Suwon city is nearby Seoul. Anyone know it?
There is only 8 days holidays being offered, that sounds rough! All the other benefits seem standard. working hours 1pm - 9pm suits me. If I can talk to a current foreign teacher I'd be happy. Is that an essential rule with Hagwons , to talk to someone who has worked there before, if this is not possible, something very dodgy is going on with the school. The school is called Herald School English Academy

http://kgcesl.com/job/list.htm?bmain=view&page=2&total_page=23&num=424&search=&key=&mode=

Let me know what ye think .

I also registered with a recruitment agency called " Avail Teachers Consulting" based in South Korea offering this public school job in Busan
http://www.teachersbus.com/jobs_view.php?pNum=801&page=&1=1 .

Does anyone have any experience teaching in public schools? The holidays
are great for this job. The application process is thorough, I had to fill out a 10 page form, write a personal essay and submit a sample lesson plan. My main concern is I would be the only foreign teacher in the school and the class size is 30 students/ class. How difficult would the teaching be, as I would have to prepare all lessons etc.. It sounds like alot of responsibility. Are private school jobs easier?

Cheers

I live in Suwon now. Lovely place and I live 30 minutes by bus from Seoul. Check out the city website for some pics

http://eng.suwon.ne.kr/index.asp

I have seen that school bus here and there so I guess a couple belong to your school. Although there are only a couple of teachers there does not mean you will have to do more work. If they can offer you a job then their school is big enough to give you a visa (schools have to have a certain size to be allowed to hire a native speaker). I have worked in some really small schools and to be honest they care about you a lot more. They will treat you out to dinner and show you around the place.

8 days isn't a lot but that could be changed once you make some deals. If I work more than can I get more time off, etc etc. Money seems the going rate. Let me know if you have any specific questions about Suwon. There are a good few foreigners around, mostly in Yeongtong. I don't know where your school is but unlike Ireland there are no real rough areas in Korea, only some poor areas. Suwon is rich enough with most of the people working in Seoul daily.

livinginkorea

When it comes to private vs public schools it always comes down to your boss / manager / co-worker and your style of teaching. They can held or hinder you a lot.

Private schools have higher levels of English with less prep but mostly a few different language levels and classes teaching various skills. Public schools have larger classes but you could teach the same lesson 4 or 5 times in a day reducing your prep time. Public schools also have lots of extra days where you could be just sitting around, especially during the holidays when the kids are out but you are contracted to be in the building. Again, if you have a decent boss they could let you go home early or you could read or study Korean or something like that. Totally depends on the style or person you are. Personally, I hated nothing more than being in front of the computer all day long back then. Now I'm used to it.

Private schools are usually in block shifts which could be late in the afternoon to evening while public schools are 8.30ish to 4.30ish.

A lot really depends on your co-workers / management. I remember loving both jobs but the vice-principal in the public school drove me crazy back in 2005 with so many volleyball games (seriously twice a week is too much, took up my prep time). Private schools will generally leave you alone if you want since they care more about money than the public schools. That being said, facilities in the public school may be 10 times greater than the private school where you will have to hide markers and stuff on other teachers!

Both have their pros / cons and to be honest both of them were enjoyable. If you have any specific questions then I can help you out.

Good luck!

Choccie Lover

Thanks everyone for the visa advice. I'm still waiting on my police clearance so haven't been able to progress any further with that. But once I have I'll write advice on the thread geared towards people applying for the visa post September 1st. Might eliminate some confustion:D

I've just been offered an interview for the job below and am going to do a google search of the school and area now. In the meantime, I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience of living in/ visiting Osan city?
Also, does this look like a pretty standard contract in people's experience?
Any feedback or observations would be much appreciated.


Job Description:
Location: Osan city, Gyeonggido
Name of the school: IPTT language school
Salary: 2.2 million won
Starting date: November 2010
Type of students: Elementary & Middle school students
Maximum teaching hours per week: 30
Working hours: 3pm ~ 10pm
Working week: Monday ~ Friday
Overtime payment: 18,000 ~ 20,000won per hour
Number of current foreign instructors in this institute: 1
Type of housing: single housing
Airfare: Prepaid/free of charge
Contract Completion bonus: yes, one month’s salary
Holidays: Summer 5 days, winter 5 days
Medical Insurance: 50% paid by employer

livinginkorea

Choccie Lover wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the visa advice. I'm still waiting on my police clearance so haven't been able to progress any further with that. But once I have I'll write advice on the thread geared towards people applying for the visa post September 1st. Might eliminate some confustion:D

I've just been offered an interview for the job below and am going to do a google search of the school and area now. In the meantime, I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience of living in/ visiting Osan city?
Also, does this look like a pretty standard contract in people's experience?
Any feedback or observations would be much appreciated.


Job Description:
Location: Osan city, Gyeonggido
Name of the school: IPTT language school
Salary: 2.2 million won
Starting date: November 2010
Type of students: Elementary & Middle school students
Maximum teaching hours per week: 30
Working hours: 3pm ~ 10pm
Working week: Monday ~ Friday
Overtime payment: 18,000 ~ 20,000won per hour
Number of current foreign instructors in this institute: 1
Type of housing: single housing
Airfare: Prepaid/free of charge
Contract Completion bonus: yes, one month’s salary
Holidays: Summer 5 days, winter 5 days
Medical Insurance: 50% paid by employer

The job looks pretty standard to me, block work shift so you can stay in bed. Probably you will try to contact the other foreigner at the school to get their opinon. Prepare a few questions to ask them. The vacation is split which can be a good or bad thing. If you are planning to get back home you might need more than a week so you can talk about that a few months down the line with the boss. I would ask the current teacher about the working conditions (no. of students per class, what are the working hours (to double check) and housing (they may have seen it), etc). You could also ask for that person's email address too if you want.

I think Osan has an US airbase there if I remember correctly but not in the city, a few miles away. Haven't been there but talked to a few guys who were. Small enough city but not too far from Seoul.

Choccie Lover

Thanks for that Living in Korea. Yeah, it does appear pretty standard as far as most contracts go. Will have to think about it further.

I'm also wondering what the etiquette is with recruitment agencies and job interviews. I know you can choose not to do an interview and that's fine. But, If you go ahead with an interview and subsequently refuse the job, are they unlikely to look for further positions for you? I just want to behave appropriately.

kraggy

cloneslad wrote: »

you didn't name the people you were talking about.

That is how all recruiters work though. They find you a job and they charge the school. It's how recruiters back home work too.



phone interview, always!

If it's your first time applying for the visa then you will need to do an interview in Ireland in the korean embassy. Coming over to Korea and getting a job is noy unheard of but you would have no contacts, would have to pay for your own flight, would have to pay for your own accomodation and then do a visa run once you secured a place (if you were lucky the visa run could be to japan but if you haven't been here before you will most likely have to go to Ireland)

1. Get all your documents together (i would be doing this now if I was you)
2. start applying for jobs through recruiters and sites
3. wait a while for replies
4. get a potential job offer
5. review the contract
6. have an interview
7. speak to the current teachers - find out if the school / area is good
8. research the school / area yourself
9. accept or decline the job
10. repeat steps 4-5-6-7-8 -9 until you find a job you like
11. send your documents to korea
12. get a visa number fback from korea
13. ring the embassy confirming your name and visa number
14. go to the embassy for your interview
15. get visa back in your passport (about 5 days after interview)
16. book ticket to korea
17. go to korea
18. feel lost and wonder what you did
19. go into classroom
20. teach
21. go eat kimchi and drink soju and enjoy the year

you can't apply for a visa without a job. The E2 visa (English instructers visa) is tied to an employer, should you get fired, quit your job etc etc, you can't simply go find another job because you have a 1 year visa. You must apply for another visa which will belong to a new school.

The only way to avoid having to apply again should you leave your initial school is to have your previous employer fill out a letter of release which allows you to transfer your initial E2 visa to a 2nd employer.

1. Seoul
2. Busan

others like living in the surrounding area of seoul. Perhaps an hour away on the bus, subway, train. This allows them to get to seoul easily on weekends but not have to live in the place 24/7.

Incheon and Suwon are examples of this.

For me however, I like living in a smaller place. (my city has 200,000) but I am close to the beach, in fact I live right on the harbour but you couldn't swim in there due to the ships being built in the area.

It's dependant on what you like. If you like cities then you could always try; daegu, daejeon or gwangju

Sorry Cloneslad! This crowd

www.gone2korea.com


Also, the holidays seem fairly short. Is it a total of 10 days for the whole year or are there Public Holidays as well on top of the normal annual leave?

cloneslad

kraggy wrote: »

Sorry Cloneslad! This crowd

www.gone2korea.com


Also, the holidays seem fairly short. Is it a total of 10 days for the whole year or are there Public Holidays as well on top of the normal annual leave?

never heard of them, which is probably a good thing. I have had no need for recruiters in a long time and you generally only hear bad things about them, so hearing nothing is probably a good sign.

The recruiter only finds you your job, don't be worried about them, worry more about the school. Oh, and use more than one recruiter for maximum results.

as for holidays, they all depend on the school. Most public holidays fell on a sat / sun this year so we didn't get them at the time but we have been given them for summer and chuseok to make the hols longer for us.

ask the school what the deal is with hols.
Do you get to take them when you want them?
are public hols extra?
Are holidays set on the schools terms?
when are the hols set for?

I would just ask the school any questions you might have as it's best to know than to assume. Koreans take rather short holidays, they prob get about 10 days off all year. 5 day holidays to s.e. asia are seen as a long trip. I know koreans who have taken in 5-6 countries in europe and been back to work before the end of the week.

livinginkorea

Choccie Lover wrote: »

Thanks for that Living in Korea. Yeah, it does appear pretty standard as far as most contracts go. Will have to think about it further.

I'm also wondering what the etiquette is with recruitment agencies and job interviews. I know you can choose not to do an interview and that's fine. But, If you go ahead with an interview and subsequently refuse the job, are they unlikely to look for further positions for you? I just want to behave appropriately.

In theory yes they would look for another place for you as long as you are not being difficult or have some unreasonable demands. They will try to push you into making the deal saying 'it's the only job available' or 'you have to hurry because...' but do not be rushed too much. It's true that in Korea, things are sometimes done yesterday but if you get a funny feeling about the school then make up some excuse to give the agency. However, a lot of the jobs are going to look the same on paper and the manager will be nice on the phone so you will have no idea until you go there.

SpatialPlanning

I will be starting in Busan in about 3 weeks and was wondering what the best sites are to book flights? Should I fly to Busan or to Seoul and get the train down? Also what cost am I looking at?

Thanks!

monosharp

SpatialPlanning wrote: »

I will be starting in Busan in about 3 weeks and was wondering what the best sites are to book flights? Should I fly to Busan or to Seoul and get the train down? Also what cost am I looking at?

Thanks!

Lufthansa or KLM usually have the best deals. But check out others as well. I think it's about 700 yoyos these days but I haven't been home in ages.

You can fly directly to Busan but from what I know it's a bit more expensive and there are less flights. Taking the train (fast train 3 hours) to Busan would set you back about 30 euro for a seat, 20 if you are happy standing. If you take the standing seat on an early weekday morning u can probably grab a free seat but don't count on it.

The slower train (5 & 1/2 hours) is less, maybe 20 euro for a seat, 15 for standing. btw these are all estimates from memory but they should be relatively close.

cloneslad

emirates are good to fly with, you get a 30kg bag limit too for check in. Stopover in london and Dubai.

When I came over on my last flight I got it for about €400 on expedia.com (book it though the u.s site as it's cheaper than the irish one)

I have flown lufthansa, KLM, Air France, British Airways and Emirates to and from Korea and the leg space for Emirates is much roomier than the others with many more movies and games too.

I'm pretty sure you can get a bus from the airport in seoul (incheon) direct to busan, probably take you about 5-6 hours depending on traffic. You could also ask your school to book you an internal flight from incheon to gimhae (busan airport) as it's cheaper than getting it as a connection through expedia and the likes.

SpatialPlanning

Thanks for the info. Emirates seems to be coming out cheaper alright and I'm sure the extra 10Kg will come in handy. It's public school I'm going for so I will be booking my own flights. I think I'll just grab the fast train down, 5-6 hours on a bus would be the end of me!

Is there a train connection at the airport?

monosharp

SpatialPlanning wrote: »

Is there a train connection at the airport?

Nope. You need to go into Seoul.

cloneslad

the buses are probably more comfotable than any mode of transport. the seats recline waaay back, there are only three seats in a row so they are really wide too.

it's not like travelling bus eireann, it's more akin to travelling 1st class on a plane (and the bus driver ill try to do the speed of a plane too)

ARGINITE

Look for flights from London to Seoul, give kayak.com a go, I find it pretty handy.

governor

This is a really informative thread, so thanks to everyone for contributing to it.

Anyone have any experience re the TaLK programme?

http://www.talk.go.kr/newtalk4/main.jsp?idx=010201

I know the money ain't as good as other jobs I've seen advertised, but for a complete TEFL beginner the fact that it is (a) run by the government, (b) able to offer six months contracts and (c) can pay airfare up front, really appeals to me.

governor

This is a really informative thread, so thanks to everyone for contributing to it.

Does anyone here have any knowledge or experience of the TaLK programme in S. Korea?

http://www.talk.go.kr/newtalk4/main.jsp?idx=010101


I understand that it doesn't pay as well as a lot of TEFL jobs, but as a complete beginner the fact that it is (a) run by the Korean Government, (b) offers six-month contracts and (c) pays airfare up front, makes it really appeal to me.