Tefl in South Korea

hyperbaby

ekevosu wrote: »

The apostille is done on the spot as it's just a stamp so they should be able to do it straight away once they see your notarised copy. Bring the original just in case.

The EPIK interview I did was for gangwon-do so perhaps a bit easier than most as the lady interviewing was the head of regions education and had perfect American english and was very friendly. I didn't really get asked many teaching questions at all. She told me halfway through I had the job and even let me choose my location out of what was on offer. Just relax, have a look at the list of questions posted by someone earlier in the thread and let us know how you get on. Best of luck.

Okay, thanks for replying.
I'll probably have to blow into a brown paper bag to relax beforehand.
Okay I will look for the questions now, thanks for the tips.

dapto1

squeakyduck wrote: »

Im trying to get my interview tomorrow. Just got the email about it today. Ill try and make a list of questions tonight to prepare.

What did people wear?? Shirt and jacket? I want to look nice, thinking blouse and hair and makeup nicely done...might wear my pj bottoms underneath...they will never know!!

I had an interview for EPIK a few nights ago, the questions were:


- Describe your strengths and weaknesses
- What would you do if your co-teacher was embarrassed about his level of English and did not participate
- Why did you choose Korea over China, Japan etc
- What do you know about cultural differences
- What makes a good ESL teacher
- How would you deal with mixed level classes
- How would you deal with bad behaviour

squeakyduck

kraggy wrote: »

Most people do phone interviews. Have you arranged to a skype interview or what?

I had a skype interview with my recruiter as my mobile coverage wasn't great. I got an email this morning from another recruiter on the team titled: available skype webcam interview time. I emailed her back and she said it would take about a week to set up. I wonder is it a good or bad thing that they want to see AND speak to me?! :eek:

dapto1 wrote: »

I had an interview for EPIK a few nights ago, the questions were:


- Describe your strengths and weaknesses
- What would you do if your co-teacher was embarrassed about his level of English and did not participate
- Why did you choose Korea over China, Japan etc
- What do you know about cultural differences
- What makes a good ESL teacher
- How would you deal with mixed level classes
- How would you deal with bad behaviour

Thank you very much, I have a friend in Taegu at the moment, he was gonna give me a few pointers, but these will get me started. How do you think it went? How long was it altogether? Most importantly what did you wear?!

ekevosu

kraggy wrote: »

If you're going over to teach English, you need an E2 visa which is different to a tourist visa.

It's needed before you go over to Korea and can be got from the South Korean embassy in Dublin. I'm getting my visa package from Korea by Fedex tomorrow, then have to bring that to the embassy in Dublin, wait about 5 days for them to process it and then I can book the flight.

Yeah I know that, just saying that you can book the flight at any stage with the expectation of the visa arriving as costs will rise closer to the date. As the visa takes 5 days to process it makes sense to book now if flight was a few weeks away.

I guess it's obvious but it sounded like the poster, can't remember was it you or someone else, thought that there were restrictions on booking flights and required the visa to book.

kraggy

ekevosu wrote: »

Yeah I know that, just saying that you can book the flight at any stage with the expectation of the visa arriving as costs will rise closer to the date. As the visa takes 5 days to process it makes sense to book now if flight was a few weeks away.

I guess it's obvious but it sounded like the poster, can't remember was it you or someone else, thought that there were restrictions on booking flights and required the visa to book.

It was me. I know you don't need the visa for immigration but you need for EPIK otherwise what's the point in going to the embassy? You need the visa to teach.

I'm just worried that if they tell me the visa will be ready on Wednesday, and I book a flight for Thursday, that the visa might get delayed and I'll miss the flight.

kraggy

Do you have to book an interview in the embassy in Dublin if you're going to Korea for the first time or do you just show up with your docs, passport, passport photos etc?

ekevosu

kraggy wrote: »

Do you have to book an interview in the embassy in Dublin if you're going to Korea for the first time or do you just show up with your docs, passport, passport photos etc?

If you have a letter of appointment from The government then you do not have to do an interview otherwise you have to ring and book. I think they do them on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you live far away you can probably arrange it via skype.

kraggy

ekevosu wrote: »

If you have a letter of appointment from The government then you do not have to do an interview otherwise you have to ring and book. I think they do them on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you live far away you can probably arrange it via skype.

How do you mean letter of appointment from the Government? Does the fact that I'm with EPiK mean that I will have a government appointment letter? Should be getting my docs from Korea tomorrow..

Also, how many passport photos do I need?

ekevosu

kraggy wrote: »

How do you mean letter of appointment from the Government? Does the fact that I'm with EPiK mean that I will have a government appointment letter? Should be getting my docs from Korea tomorrow..

Also, how many passport photos do I need?

If you employed directly by the government you get a "letter of appointment". If not then you get a visa issuance number. Usually when you go directly through EPIK you get this but not always if its through a recruiter. With the letter of appointment an interview is not needed even if it's the first e2 visa. Your recruiter should be able to let you know about this. This is the reason I was able to get my e2 visa without leaving Korea even though it was my first e2.

Not sure about the photos. Bring at least two and have a few spares just in case.

kraggy

ekevosu wrote: »

If you employed directly by the government you get a "letter of appointment". If not then you get a visa issuance number. Usually when you go directly through EPIK you get this but not always if its through a recruiter. With the letter of appointment an interview is not needed even if it's the first e2 visa. Your recruiter should be able to let you know about this. This is the reason I was able to get my e2 visa without leaving Korea even though it was my first e2.

Not sure about the photos. Bring at least two and have a few spares just in case.

Thanks a million Ekevosu!

Seems like a marathon of paperwork but hopefully the job will turn out alright and Korea is an alright place.

Showtime!12

You only need the one passport photo, The days have changed to Mon,Wed,Fri half 9 to half 11 probably because it's getting busier. I'd say give them a call just to make sure and you'll be laughing.

kraggy

Showtime!12 wrote: »

You only need the one passport photo, The days have changed to Mon,Wed,Fri half 9 to half 11 probably because it's getting busier. I'd say give them a call just to make sure and you'll be laughing.

Thanks Showtime. Will do.

Do_Lers

Heading to Seoul in less than 3 weeks! Cant bloody wait! Just sent all my document with UPS this morning, so I guess I'm finally on the home straight (slightly unnerving to say that as there have been many hiccups along the way!)
So for those of you in Korea I have a few questions-

1) Who would you recommend flying with?
2) Anything you wish you brought more of?
3) Anything difficult to find that you could have brought with you?
4) Clothes? Is shopping really as difficult a eslcafe.com forums make it out to be?

Basically Im just wondering about the essentials what should I DEFINITELY bring?

Thanks a million,

A Very Exited Do_Lers

hyperbaby

Do_Lers wrote: »

Heading to Seoul in less than 3 weeks! Cant bloody wait! Just sent all my document with UPS this morning, so I guess I'm finally on the home straight (slightly unnerving to say that as there have been many hiccups along the way!)
So for those of you in Korea I have a few questions-

1) Who would you recommend flying with?
2) Anything you wish you brought more of?
3) Anything difficult to find that you could have brought with you?
4) Clothes? Is shopping really as difficult a eslcafe.com forums make it out to be?

Basically Im just wondering about the essentials what should I DEFINITELY bring?

Thanks a million,

A Very Exited Do_Lers

I was on holidays there so it's not the same as living there.
When i booked my flights I went with Air France, stopover in Paris, KLM was pretty much the same price with a stopover in Amsterdam but I think Lufthansa offers flights to Seoul too.
No 2 and 3, i can't help you.
No 4, when I was there, I bought a lot of clothes. Was going to buy shoes/boots but couldn't get them in my size but then again i didn't try that hard. There is loads of "Western brand" shops in Seoul.

ekevosu

Cadburys chocolate and galtee (or any brand) sausages are what I miss.

How big are you as the young Koreans are fairly tall but mainly thin. There shouldn't be a problem unless you are very very tall.

I think cloneslad covered some stuff to bring earlier in the thread.

I've flown to Korea with air France, lufthansa, klm and Turkish airlines, all good. Try and avoid going through china as sometimes it can be a hassle. Ethiad airlines is another one mentioned a lot but I've never tried. I think they have better baggage allowance.
Congrats.

Showtime!12

Lot's of teabags and an eggcup I couldn't find one last time I was over and shot glasses just didn't cut it.

ekevosu

Showtime!12 wrote: »

Lot's of teabags and an eggcup I couldn't find one last time I was over and shot glasses just didn't cut it.

I found an eggcup in homeplus by accident but hard to find. Don't think daiso even have them. I found barrys tea over here as well but very expensive.

dapto1

squeakyduck wrote: »

Thank you very much, I have a friend in Taegu at the moment, he was gonna give me a few pointers, but these will get me started. How do you think it went? How long was it altogether? Most importantly what did you wear?!

It must have gone well, I passed it! Altogether it took about 40-45 mins. And I wore a suit.

Cool Running

Do_Lers wrote: »

Heading to Seoul in less than 3 weeks! Cant bloody wait! Just sent all my document with UPS this morning, so I guess I'm finally on the home straight (slightly unnerving to say that as there have been many hiccups along the way!)
So for those of you in Korea I have a few questions-

1) Who would you recommend flying with?
2) Anything you wish you brought more of?
3) Anything difficult to find that you could have brought with you?
4) Clothes? Is shopping really as difficult a eslcafe.com forums make it out to be?

Basically Im just wondering about the essentials what should I DEFINITELY bring?

Thanks a million,

A Very Exited Do_Lers

1. I would definitely recommend flying with emirates. They allow for 30kg baggage as opposed to 20kg with other companies. Actually when I got to the airport the lady at the desk told me I could have had even more than 30kg but anyways 30kg is the official figure. The 10kg difference makes a big difference I think.
Also biggest thing I would advise is to look at the prices on the US version of Expedia when shopping around. The difference between the Irish version and the US version of that site is crazy. I know you might not be paying for the flight but the US site gives more flight options and is a good bit cheaper.

2. Wish I brought a hot water bottle Couldn't locate one in Korea but Winter is over now so I don't need one.

3. I would advise bring a few extra deodorants. I like to use Lynx and it is hard to find here. The foreigner shops sell it but most normal Korean shops don't so I would advise bringing some over to do ya till ya can find somewhere that sells it. Also bring over a few things from home such as jerseys, t shirts etc. Its nice to have reminders sometimes when ya start to miss home.

4. I find it real easy to get clothes here. Although my first few weeks in Seoul and I couldn't find my way round and was looking in the wrong areas and I taught the clothes shops were useless but then I found the proper shopping areas. Its getting hot now so t shirts etc would be advised. It's get extremely cold in the winter so you could bring over a good jacket but ya could just as easily pick up a good North Face one when its starts to get cold. Would be handier than bringing it over.

JohnJoe1987

Hello everyone,

I'll keep this short and sweet. I have an interview tomorrow morning for a job in korea with the following details.

Location: Bupyeong, Incheon city
Name of the school: Hello Segye (World) language school
Salary: 2.1 - 2.2 million KRW a month
Starting date: May 2010

Type of students: Elementary /Middle school students
Maximum teaching hours per week: 30
Working hours: 2:30pm - 9:30pm
Working week: Monday - Friday
Number of current foreign instructors in this institute: 1
Type of housing: Single housing
Round trip airfare: Free
Contract Completion bonus: One month salary
Paid Leave: 10 days of paid vacation in addition to public holidays
Medical Insurance: 50% paid by employer


What do you think of this offer? I was trying to research info on the school but cant find too much and i havent heard too many good comments about incheon either but its not too far away from seoul on the subway. Has anyone ever heard of the Hello Segye (World) language school and does this seem typical of the offers other people have received? thank you

virmilitaris

JohnJoe1987 wrote: »

Hello everyone,

I'll keep this short and sweet. I have an interview tomorrow morning for a job in korea with the following details.

Location: Bupyeong, Incheon city
Name of the school: Hello Segye (World) language school
Salary: 2.1 - 2.2 million KRW a month
Starting date: May 2010

What do you think of this offer?

Typical.

I was trying to research info on the school but cant find too much and i havent heard too many good comments about incheon either

Some parts of Incheon are holes. Some parts of Seoul are holes.

Bupyeongs a good spot actually, I live pretty close to it at the moment and used to work there and go out there a lot. It's like it's own little mini-city. 2 or 3 foreigner type bars there.

but its not too far away from seoul on the subway.

To Itaewon (main foreigner place) it takes about 40 minutes.

JohnJoe1987

Thanks for the info, very good website.

Also whats the story about the cost of flights to Korea? I'm not sure if i can afford them but it depends on the price or would it be acceptable to ask the school to pay and then deduct from the wages

trickydave

just to swing back to the notarisation / apostille debacle

are they the same thing?

i was looking up to get a notary for my degree and found this

"An Apostille is a certificate issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs verifying the genuineness of the signature and/or seal of a public officer e.g. a Notary Public, on a public document and the capacity in which he or she has acted. It is sometimes referred to as a ‘fast-track’ version of legalisation.

The Apostille certificate may be stamped on or attached to the public document required to be apostilled. It is obtained by presenting the document at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Hainault House, 67-71 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2 and paying the appropriate consular fee.

The Apostille procedure applies in lieu of Legalisation between countries that have signed and ratified or acceded to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961. Ireland ratified the Convention in 1999.
Other countries in which the Apostille procedure applies may be checked on the the Hague Convention website, where a list of countries adhering to the Apostille system abolishing the need for legalisation, and also those countries not Hague Convention Countries Adhering or likely also on the Department of Foreign Affairs webpage."

suggests to me they are...

So can i bring my degree and garda clearenc eto dep of FA all at once , get them notarized / apostillesed altogether?

ekevosu

trickydave wrote: »

just to swing back to the notarisation / apostille debacle

are they the same thing?

i was looking up to get a notary for my degree and found this

"An Apostille is a certificate issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs verifying the genuineness of the signature and/or seal of a public officer e.g. a Notary Public, on a public document and the capacity in which he or she has acted. It is sometimes referred to as a ‘fast-track’ version of legalisation.

The apostille verifies the notary public. If you don't have the notarisation they can't apostille and verify the notarisation as you posted and I quoted above. You need to get degree copy notarised and then apostilled in FA. Garda check is already notarised so you just need apostille.

ekevosu

Info on finding notary public by county

http://www.notarypublic.ie/finding_a_notary.html

hyperbaby

I hate when I get asked the Strengths and Weaknesses question!
Please don't as me that.

ekevosu

Try kayak.com for flights, gives you the different flight options and cost.

ekevosu

I'm posting a bit too much at the moment but have too much free time, a good complaint to have. Heres some interview stuff I looked up before my interview, might be useful for some:


**Why do you want to teach?
(1)I love children and enjoy working with children. I’ve coached childrens sports teams in the past and it’s a very rewarding experience.
(2)As a teacher every day is a different day, while in many other jobs every day is the same. Every day in a teacher's life is unique. There are different challenges to face and new decisions to be made.
(3) My third reason is that I love to learn and help others to learn. As a teacher I am constantly learning and helping my students to learn and see them finally understand something that they have been trying to understand for a while is rewarding.

**Tell me about yourself.
I'm a very energetic, friendly, hardworking and positive person.
**Describe yourself as a teacher in three positive adjectives.
I am patient, diligent and dedicated

**How do you teach? What is your teaching style philosophy?
I think that the teaching should be student centered. What I mean by that is that the students should be actively involved in all lessons and using what is being taught so that they can see its practical use.
There is not a single student in my class that is not capable of learning. I just have to find the way that works best for them. Secondly, I am not the centre of the classroom. I am simply a facilitator. I consider myself a life-long learner and I want my students to learn to love learning, and to understand why they are learning.

**Describe a typical lesson plan.
When writing lesson plans, I need to know what my students already know about a topic, what I want them to know, and how and when they will apply this skill or knowledge once they have learned it. The students need to know the WHY behind what we're working on in class. We usually begin with a review of the prerequisite information, followed by a brief and engaging hands-on activity designed to identify and build upon existing knowledge.
Each lesson ends with some type of assessment, usually informal. If a student does not understand the concept or is not able to perform the skill, I know to reteach the information in a new way.

**How do you control/manage a classroom?
Behaviours come up when students are bored or do not understand, so I make sure my lessons are student-cantered and engaging the students. I also use strategies that require 100% student participation. For example, students write down their answers to questions. As they write, I monitor, considering who is getting it all right and who still needs some extra assistance. Then we develop the rules of the classroom and compare a great classroom to a not so good classroom, and what we would see in each of them.

**What is your greatest weakness?
I plan so much and have somany creative ideas activities that class time might be limited I have understood that it is very important to prioritize in order to enhance student learning.

**What will you do to make sure all your students are learning? Not just the high, middle OR low level students. You have to teach all 3 at the same time.
What I do is split the class into three groups (not every class) by level. We have the Eagles, Falcons and Condors. (or 1,2,3...3 is going to be sad) Yes, they will know that they are grouped by ability, but if you and your co-teacher don't label it that way, they shouldn't feel ashamed. Also, they will be more motivated to do work that they can understand and be successful at then doing something that is too easy or too hard. So for 10-12 minutes I work with one group. My co-teacher works with another group. And then the third group works independently on a task. Then they rotate. Then they rotate one more time. Each group has their own material they are working on that is tailored to their level.

**Where do you want to be five years from now?
In five years I still want to be learning and improving and I hope I never stop learning and improving.

**You seem to have little experience in ESL teaching. How do you intend to perform well in this job?
although I have little experience in ESL teaching, you have a lot of theoretical knowledge in this field; this knowledge will help you to pick up practical skills as soon as you start teaching. I've always been considered as a fast learner.

**What do you dislike about the job of an ESL teacher?
teaching sometimes can be very frustrating when students have developed a negative attitude towards school and ESL learning, before they walk into the classroom. They may not be willing to trust me as an ESL teacher and they may be resistant towards ESL learning. It can be frustrating when a teachers efforts are met with opposition or no response at all. As a teacher, I must keep on motivating these students by applying methods and strategies of teaching that can suit best

**Why would we hire you over another candidate?
Well, being a relatively new teacher, I can bring a freshness into my teaching. I am enthusiastic about my work, have many new ideas to try and am not set in a specific teaching style. I am open to trying new things, have a great grip on new technology and have the desire to utilize it in my classroom. However, I am not fresh out of college

**Can you adjust yourself to rapidly changing environment?
I consider myself as a person who can easily adjust to changing environment. I never had problems in this respect. I travelled a lot and I worked in different countries

**What kind of people do you work with most effectively?
I usually work most effectively with people who are honest, open-minded and enthusiastic about their job.

**How are you different from the rest of the teachers?
I can effectively teach ESL students without a textbook, as well as with a textbook.

**What would you never want to do as a teacher, and why?
I would never want to yell at my students. I also would not want to think that there was nothing more for me to learn from my students

**How would you get subject matter across to the ESL students? What strategies would you use?
Make my lessons more visual (animations, pictures, concept maps, etc.) and would make sure I teach important vocabulary along with whatever material is being covered.

**How would you teach students with diverse backgrounds (different cultures, different socio-economic backgrounds)?
I will try to build a classroom community, allow your students to share things about themselves and their families and embrace the different cultures.

**Is it better to be strict or caring? Which type of teacher are you?
I think it is far better to be caring but to also provide limits and boundaries that are so necessary in a child's development. Students should not fear you but rather know that you care about them and that they can trust you to help guide them in making good decisions. Setting limits and boundaries helps them to take responsibility for their own learning.

**How would you handle a student who is disrespectful to you?
I would pull this student aside to find out the problem the student is having with me and try to come up with a workable solution for us both.

**How would collaborate with fellow teachers? Or: Why would you collaborate with fellow teachers?
I believe it is essential to work with my colleagues to help create activities and lessons that are engaging, hands on, and fit the needs of my students. I work with my fellow teachers by sharing teaching materials, in the development of lesson plans, the collection of materials for special projects, and the sharing of resources.


*******************************************
Questions to ask
*******************************************
Will there be any orientation?

What resources are provided for teachers who teach English

what is the dress code like

how many foreign teachers will be at the school

What is the age range of my students?

class size

what is the next step

Cool Running

trickydave wrote: »

So can i bring my degree and garda clearenc eto dep of FA all at once , get them notarized / apostillesed altogether?

Ok so ya cant get anything notarized in the Dept

So what ya need to do is
Get your degree photocopied. Bring your original degree and the new copy to a commissioner of oates/solicitors and they will notarise the copy to make sure it is authentic. Then bring/send the copy which has been notarized to the Dept of Foreign Affairs who will apostille it. You cant send originals anymore so that's why you get a copy and then notarize it.

As for the Garda clearance, it doesn't need to be notarised just apostilled in Dept of FA.

Good luck

trickydave

ekevosu wrote: »

The apostille verifies the notary public. If you don't have the notarisation they can't apostille and verify the notarisation as you posted and I quoted above. You need to get degree copy notarised and then apostilled in FA. Garda check is already notarised so you just need apostille.

ah ok, that clarifies it!

Just gave a ring there, 50 euro for notary, man this process loves money!

Cheers for all your help ekevosu, nice questions list above too!!