Tefl in South Korea

waldoajw

Hey guys...have been browsing through this forum and found it all very helpful thus far.

My mind has more or less been made up and i'm planning on heading over on my own early enough in the new year. I've heard good things about Itaewon and other central areas so I am hoping to head there.

Just wondering how people have found various agencies like tigerenglish etc compared to getting all of your documents and searching for a job on davesesl, worknplay or the like?

Is it worth my while getting a basic/advanced TEFL cert? don't really want to fork out a grand unless it will substantially affect my salary/job prospects. I have a degree in english and a year of work as a teacher's aid to call on also.

Any advice is appreciated...

cavanmaniac

Have you, by any chance Rosie, got some connection to the folks at i-to-i?

Tristram

Tom Dunne

RosiePlummer wrote: »

Hi - yes I work for i-to-i Ireland, which I had in my original message in offering contact details too but it seems to have been edited out.

You did not directly declare that you work for them, you merely provided contact details. Hence it was deemed advertising and removed.

If you are formally representing a company on Boards.ie, there are a number of rules you need to be aware of that do not apply to regular users. The most obvious one being in relation to advertising. I will request the Community Managers contact you regarding this matter.

Please take any further communication regarding this matter to Private Messaging and get this thread back on topic.

petethebrick

RosiePlummer wrote: »

The i-to-i course will allow you to gain the skills and confidence required to run a TEFL classroom, especially when in S.K you could be faced with classes of up to 100 students. Having a TEFL qualification will also make you the better teacher in the long run, so students benefit too.
<snip>

Well if you get a job with a dodgy school that i-to-i set you up with maybe!
An average class size in a language institute in Korea is about 10-15 students.
If you work in a public school its about 20-30.
The i-to-i TEFL course is rubbish and will not enhance your employment options or salary range in Korea or any other country.
Also, to those thinking of working going to work in Korea - try to source a job yourself using one of the many websites mentioned on this thread. Agencies like i-to-i are a sham, for the most part setting people up in jobs that the schools themselves are unable to fill due to poor locations, working conditions etc They are getting double paid - the schools pay them and then so do people looking for jobs - doesn't make much sense.

By the way, Korea is a great place to work. Make sure you get a good job though, your time there will be way more enjoyable

DamienH

Just wondering what airline people used to travel to South korea? I had a look at korea air and they're looking for €3.5K one way in March, which I'm figuring is fairly steep?

edit: Just found one way on asiana for around £500 heathrow to incheon.

ARGINITE

Try any of the big travel search engines, I have used this, it's good for finding flights. There are also Expedia and Travelsupermarket.

IzzyWizzy

DamienH wrote: »

Just wondering what airline people used to travel to South korea? I had a look at korea air and they're looking for €3.5K one way in March, which I'm figuring is fairly steep?

edit: Just found one way on asiana for around £500 heathrow to incheon.

:eek: 3.5K? is that in first class? I've used Air France and Korean Air, the cheapest fare I've ever seen was about £430 from Heathrow and economy seats can go up to about £1,200 at certain times of year or at the last minute. I usually pay between £500 and £650 which I think is very reasonable, although obviously the flight over to London adds on another 50 quid or so.

riiight!

Apologies if this question has been asked before; Is it necessary to have a degree and a TEFL/CELTA certificate? Or does it just increase your chances of finding a good teaching position?

ARGINITE

It is necessary to have a degree.

A TEFL/CELTA certificate will increase your chances of finding a good teaching position but is not a requirement.

riiight!

Ok thank you and sorry for my question wasn't as clear as it could be

DamienH

Eatyourkimchi.com is a pretty good site for getting a bit of an insight. They champion the public school cause aswell, does anyone have any experience of public school teaching? I'm off in March hopefully and I'm fairly sure I'm going to choose public school, korvia.com is the recommended recruiter.

teflteacher

I work in public school in Korea, does anyone know if we get our pension refunded on return to Ireland? They are taking a chunk of my wages every month for this and I'm hoping I can reclaim it when I get back? I know that's the case for US citizens but not sure about us.... if anyone has any idea please let me know! Thanks! :rolleyes:

livinginkorea

teflteacher wrote: »

I work in public school in Korea, does anyone know if we get our pension refunded on return to Ireland? They are taking a chunk of my wages every month for this and I'm hoping I can reclaim it when I get back? I know that's the case for US citizens but not sure about us.... if anyone has any idea please let me know! Thanks! :rolleyes:

Yes seemingly it goes towards our pension back in Ireland but we can't access it until we are 60 or something. I don't know how we can prove that we worked X number of years in Korea when we get back to Ireland!

1c1a

hi guys,

I havent had a chance to read through the whole thread so dunno if this has come up already. I was of the understanding that you didnt need a tefl qualification to teach in South Korea? I'm planning to go in April but have no TEFL course and have a degree in English so was kinda hoping that I'll just get a job.

livinginkorea

1c1a wrote: »

hi guys,

I havent had a chance to read through the whole thread so dunno if this has come up already. I was of the understanding that you didnt need a tefl qualification to teach in South Korea? I'm planning to go in April but have no TEFL course and have a degree in English so was kinda hoping that I'll just get a job.

Hello,

No, you don't need a TEFL qualification to teach in South Korea but it would be benefical for you as an introduction about teaching. Speaking English and teaching it are completely different. A degree in English will look good on paper but if you don't have a teaching qualification then you could get less pay than others. Also with no teaching qualifications then you could expect to get institute positions rather than public school or universities.

Best of luck!

RighteousDude

I got my criminal record check back from the Garda Vetting agency there last week. Its quite a frustrating document though as the first thing it says is "This document is not to be construed as proof of no criminal record". In then goes on to say (in quite a round-a-bout way) that I have no record. Anyways the recruitment agency I am currently in contact with, Touch4Teaching, say that the letter must say in clear terms " This person has no criminal record".

I suppose what I'm trying to ask is did anyone else use this letter as proof of no criminal record. I'm assuming ye did cos the woman in the Vetting Unit told me that this is the standard letter for everyone.

ARGINITE

It is what my girlfriend and I used, we had no problems with it.

bcdccm

Hi,
I'm finishing post-grad at uni this year and thinking of tefl in S. Korea. I've read through the thread (very helpful!) and just wanted to ask about Tiger-English. Maybe this is an obvious question, but do tiger-english charge you a fee for their service? (and if so how much roughly?) Had a look over their site and they seem very helpful; Sorry of this is an obvious question!

ARGINITE

They don't charge you, they get paid by the school when you accept the job. So it is free for you.

cadburys

livinginkorea wrote: »

Yes seemingly it goes towards our pension back in Ireland but we can't access it until we are 60 or something. I don't know how we can prove that we worked X number of years in Korea when we get back to Ireland!

It's ridiculous, especially considering other nationalities get it refunded on finishing contract..
Do you work in public school? Is there anywhere I can get some information on this?
Thanks..

SpatialPlanning

I'm looking into different TEFL courses. The CELTA course seems to be the best course out there but I dont want to pay 1000 euro to do it. As most schools (both public and private) require a TEFL course of some sort, should I do a 100/120 hour course? Will it really make that much difference in terms of salary which course I do?

Also, once you complete a TEFL course, does that make you a certified teacher considering that you get a certificate on completion of the course? Or am I clutching at straws?

Baruch

RighteousDude wrote: »

I got my criminal record check back from the Garda Vetting agency there last week. Its quite a frustrating document though as the first thing it says is "This document is not to be construed as proof of no criminal record". In then goes on to say (in quite a round-a-bout way) that I have no record. Anyways the recruitment agency I am currently in contact with, Touch4Teaching, say that the letter must say in clear terms " This person has no criminal record".

I suppose what I'm trying to ask is did anyone else use this letter as proof of no criminal record. I'm assuming ye did cos the woman in the Vetting Unit told me that this is the standard letter for everyone.

I had a hiccup because of this too, it's not very clear, even to a native English speaker! Basically the Garda Vetting Office offers 4 similar services, and the first thing written on top of the paper tells you that it's not the other 3 (Garda Vetting, Proof of no Convictions, etc). I explained that to the immigration officer and they seemed to accept it. They wouldn't get much practice with the official papers from Ireland. So just tell the recruiter that it's correct, check it again, preferably with a different person at the Immigration Office. Good luck!

livinginkorea

cadburys wrote: »

It's ridiculous, especially considering other nationalities get it refunded on finishing contract..
Do you work in public school? Is there anywhere I can get some information on this?
Thanks..

Only Canada and the US get it back, as far as I know and only when they leave the country, not when they finish their contract. Both the UK and Ireland pay contributions which goes into our pension when we retire. The rest of the teaching seven countries (Australia. New Zealand and South Africa) have no deals, therefore get nothing back. Ireland and Korea only made a deal last year so we are lucky to get something back.

I teach in a university (i.e. not a language teacher) and pay into the private pension fund (most universities have this here) which means I pay for all of it (9%), same as tenure-track professors eventhough I am a not. For institutes it is 50/50 (you pay x and your employer pays x) and for public schools it is slighty different but you end up paying the same (the other 50% that the employeer pays is divided up between them and the government).

More up to date information here

http://wiki.galbijim.com/Korean_pension_plan

and the official website is here

http://www.nps4u.or.kr/jsppage/english/main.jsp

and directly from their FAQs

If a Irish National has paid contributions to the NPS, does he/she receive pension benefits?

If a Irish national has enough periods of coverage to satisfy specified eligibility requirements under the National Pension Scheme of Korea, he/she is entitled to pension benefits under Korean law.

And if a Irish national does not have enough periods of coverage to establish pension eligibility, he/she can be entitled to the Korean National Pension through totaling the Korean and Irish periods of coverage.

For reference, a Irish national cannot receive a lump-sum refund under the Agreement between Korea and Ireland.

cloneslad

livinginkorea wrote: »

Only Canada and the US get it back, as far as I know and only when they leave the country, not when they finish their contract. Both the UK and Ireland pay contributions which goes into our pension when we retire. The rest of the teaching seven countries (Australia. New Zealand and South Africa) have no deals, therefore get nothing back. Ireland and Korea only made a deal last year so we are lucky to get something back.

Australian citizens can get a lump sum refunded to them, this was brought in at the beginning of summer of 2008.

Also south africans and french citizens do not have to pay into the pension agreement at all as they don't require Koreans to pay in to theirs.

It seems unfair on Irish, u.k and new zealanders, but we have to pay prsi here and don't even get dental out of it anymore and optical has been cut too.

cloneslad

I posted this in the travel section, I know it's against the policy to double post but i only found this thread after I originally posted so anyway, here it is again.

To obtain an E2 visa for Korea as of the last few days.

You will need:

• Transcripts of your results, sealed in an envelope with a university/college stamp on the seal.
• Original degree or a *copy of your degree, notarised and apostilled (more info below)
• **Criminal background check (apostilled, more info below)
• 2 passport photos
• a copy of your c.v
• a copy of your passport (the picture page)
• a health form (can be downloaded here)
• A signed contract from your school

*To notarise your copied degree: Photocopy your degree, take it to a commissioner of oathes. You should find one easily in your hometown, if you don't know any, just pop into a solicitors and they should be able to inform you of one or two (do not just get a soliciter to sign it, they must be a commisioner of oathes) get it signed and stamped by the commissioner of othes (mine worked as a pharmacist). This should cost approx €10

Take your copied degree with signature and stamp to the office of the supreme court, which can be located in the four courts in Dublin. Just ask for directions when you get there. The will attach a piece of paper to the degree copy which confirms that the person who signed and stamped your degree copy is a commisioner of oathes. This is free


After this you must take your degree copy to the dept of foreign affairs which takes up 5-6 bulidings at 80, st stephens green in dublin. They will then stamp the copied degree again for you. The cost of a stamp here is €20

You should take the original degree to the commisioner, supreme court and dept of foreign affairs just incase they request to see it.

Once you have this done then your degree copy is good to send to korea for the visa.

** Criminal Background check: you will need to apply to your garda station for your criminal background check. It is issued by the superindendant in your general area (county if you're from a rural area)

There are two types of background checks available, one you pay for that may take 6 or 8 weeks to get back from thurles, and one which is free that should take no more than 2 weeks. You want the free one.

If you can't get in contact with your superintendant personally then type out a letter informing him/her that you need a criminal background check to obtain a visa for south korea. tell them you do not need one from thurles (the safe to work with kids one) it is simply one that states who have no criminal convictions etc. Supply him/her with your name, date of birth, pps number, passport number, and your previous addressess. you don't need all that information but more is better than less.

You should receive your criminal background check in the post, I got mine about 5 days later.

Next you must take this criminal background check with you to the dept of foreign affairs in st stephen's green. (again, just like with your degree copy this will cost you €20 for the stamp.)

You no longer need to bring these documents out to the embassy to get stamped overnight. the stamps from the dept of foreign affairs are sufficient.

When you have all the above collected, simply pop them all in an envelope, ring fedex and get them mailed over night to Korea (should cost about €60 to send them)


******NEXT STAGE********

Your school/recruiter will submit your documents to immigration and after about 10 days they should have your visa number. Here is the important bit.

You need to then contact the Korean Embassy in Ballsbridge. Inform them that you will be applying for an E2 visa. They will then advise you to e-mail them/fax them a copy of your passport page along with your visa number, to ascertain whether you need an interview or not.

If you have previously worked in korea you will, most likely not need an interview, but you must still send them your passport page and visa number for them to tell you this, (you can not apply for the visa without them telling you you do/do not need an interview) otherwise you will be making the trip to ballsbridge two days in a row after finding out the hard way (like I did).

Once you have been informed that you don't need an interview you can go up to the embassy and apply for the visa.


If you have not Previously worked in Korea you will still have to get in contact with them and be told that you need to have an interview. Interviews take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays ONLY. When you go for the interview you can then apply for the visa.

To apply for the visa everyone will need:

• your passport
• 1 passport photo
• your employers name
• employers address
• employers phone number
• €40

If you are going through the public school system then you could just let the embassy know this and they can sort it out, but try bring your recruiters information just in case.


Your passport will be ready to collect in about 4 days and your new visa will be in it and you will be ready to go eat all the kimchi you want.

Hope this helps everyone

James

billdara

Hi

Ill be finished college at the end of may, but obviously wont be revieving my degree until the start of september. Will I have to wait until I actually have the degree in my hand to start the whole process? Or can I start applying for jobs and tell the school that my degree will be arriving in september? How long do you reckon it will take until I get my hands on my degree until I can actually arrive in South Korea?

Thanks in advance
Billy

livinginkorea

billdara wrote: »

Hi

Ill be finished college at the end of may, but obviously wont be revieving my degree until the start of september. Will I have to wait until I actually have the degree in my hand to start the whole process? Or can I start applying for jobs and tell the school that my degree will be arriving in september? How long do you reckon it will take until I get my hands on my degree until I can actually arrive in South Korea?

Thanks in advance
Billy

You will have to wait until you get your scroll to apply for an E-2 Visa (Teaching visa). However you could look around for jobs and go to Korea on a tourist visa if you want.

September is a fair bit away. Agencies won't be that interested to be honest until you have your degree scroll because that would mean investing time and money in you and what proof do they have that you graduated? Would you hire somebody over the internet if they said their scroll would be coming in September?

The whole process takes a couple of months as far as I know. Just take your time now and get information about Korea.

cloneslad

livinginkorea wrote: »

You will have to wait until you get your scroll to apply for an E-2 Visa (Teaching visa). However you could look around for jobs and go to Korea on a tourist visa if you want.

September is a fair bit away. Agencies won't be that interested to be honest until you have your degree scroll because that would mean investing time and money in you and what proof do they have that you graduated? Would you hire somebody over the internet if they said their scroll would be coming in September?

The whole process takes a couple of months as far as I know. Just take your time now and get information about Korea.

+1

as said above use the time now to find out at much information about korea as possible, use daves esl cafe as a source of information, but take the critics of the country with a pinch of salt cos there are a lot of moaners on that site.

Also start looking for jobs in august, if you are going to have your degree in september then you could easily look for jobs in August, could take a month or two to find a good one anyway, then you will have all your stuff to apply when a good job comes around.

Oh and if you already have an ordinary bachelor's degree then you don't need to wait for the honours degree as the bachelors ordinary degree is enough to obtain an E2 visa.

1c1a

hi does anyone know what is involved in the health check when you actually get to korea