Tefl in South Korea

JFitzgerald

I'm going to be teaching in a public school in Seoul. Will casual clothes suffice in school or will they expect me to wear a suit? Are jeans and trainers allowed?

cassi

JFitzgerald wrote: »

I'm going to be teaching in a public school in Seoul. Will casual clothes suffice in school or will they expect me to wear a suit? Are jeans and trainers allowed?

I'd imagine they would want to wear smart casual, something similar to what teachers wear here. Its best to find out from the school itself.

JFitzgerald

cassi wrote: »

I'd imagine they would want to wear smart casual, something similar to what teachers wear here. Its best to find out from the school itself.

thanks for the quick reply. Yeah - i thought that might be the way to go.
some teachers seem to get away with jeans if they are clean and tidy here in ireland. but perhaps korea is different? I saw a pic somewhere of some girls working in a hagwon and they were wearing jeans. they looked nice and smart.
It would be so great if I could wear (smart) jeans and trainers.
All of my clothes are clean, tidy etc but i don't want to pack anything i won't end up using in korea.

thanks for sharing cassi.
anyone else have any experiences?

cloneslad

JFitzgerald wrote: »

thanks for the quick reply. Yeah - i thought that might be the way to go.
some teachers seem to get away with jeans if they are clean and tidy here in ireland. but perhaps korea is different? I saw a pic somewhere of some girls working in a hagwon and they were wearing jeans. they looked nice and smart.
It would be so great if I could wear (smart) jeans and trainers.
All of my clothes are clean, tidy etc but i don't want to pack anything i won't end up using in korea.

thanks for sharing cassi.
anyone else have any experiences?

For men - Shirts and casual pants should be fine for you. You need to impress, and to be seen well dressed will help get you off to a good start with both the students and the teachers.

You're lucky that it's starting to get cold in Korea now so wearing smart casual is quite comfortable for the weather. You'll also be able to see how the other teachers change their work attire throughout the year and you can adjust accordingly.

I'd definitely recommend dressing in smart / smart casual (no need for a tie) for the first few weeks at least, once you get your foot in the door and have been welcomed you could start going with casual shirts and jeans if you wanted.


When I worked in a hagwon I wore a t-shirt and jeans and converse shoes or trainers. I sometimes dressed up (shirt and pants) but mostly stuck to jeans and t-shirts. In summer I went in with 3/4 lengths and flip flops. This was seen as okay as it was what the rest of the koreans wore and the hagwon was a more relaxed affair than the public school system.


If you're female, dress in the female equivalent of the above, but make sure and keep your cleavage under wraps as much as possible.

roosh

squeakyduck wrote: »

When they make a new thread I think this should be in the OP. I remember being screwed around for ages and being so confused about it. The guards in Ireland don't have a breeze and don't give a ****e really.

You do not need to pay any money for it, a letter stating your name, address, DOB, all your previous addresses and a copy of your passport info page sent to your local superintendent with a stamped addressed envelope is grand.

I think it's a bit harsh to criticise the Gards for that, bcos my recruiter didn't make it clear to me which one I needed; she made it sound like I needed the one from Tipp, but the gards were try to help me figure out which one, and explained it fairly well to me.

based on the poor information from my recruiter, and my assumption that I needed the one for working with kids, i ended up applying for the one from tipp - eventually got the right one tho

squeakyduck

roosh wrote: »

I think it's a bit harsh to criticise the Gards for that, bcos my recruiter didn't make it clear to me which one I needed; she made it sound like I needed the one from Tipp, but the gards were try to help me figure out which one, and explained it fairly well to me.

There has been many questions on this thread about this topic. I'm not saying EVERY guard in the country is like his but a large amount of them are. I had to talk to people that had actually gone to Korea in the last few months to get the info I needed. The guards were snotty and alot of them had the tone that I was wasting their time.

I sent my details off to Kevin street garda station as it was close to work, was told it would take a week or two tops. After a month I was reaching dead ends until I had a phone call from Crumlin station from a lovely woman explaining what had gone wrong. It had to be sent from Kevin street to Crumlin and it took a while etc. This woman restored my faith with the gardai. I don't have much time for most of them anyway for other reasons.

JFitzgerald

cloneslad wrote: »

For men - Shirts and casual pants should be fine for you. You need to impress, and to be seen well dressed will help get you off to a good start with both the students and the teachers.

You're lucky that it's starting to get cold in Korea now so wearing smart casual is quite comfortable for the weather. You'll also be able to see how the other teachers change their work attire throughout the year and you can adjust accordingly.

I'd definitely recommend dressing in smart / smart casual (no need for a tie) for the first few weeks at least, once you get your foot in the door and have been welcomed you could start going with casual shirts and jeans if you wanted.


When I worked in a hagwon I wore a t-shirt and jeans and converse shoes or trainers. I sometimes dressed up (shirt and pants) but mostly stuck to jeans and t-shirts. In summer I went in with 3/4 lengths and flip flops. This was seen as okay as it was what the rest of the koreans wore and the hagwon was a more relaxed affair than the public school system.


If you're female, dress in the female equivalent of the above, but make sure and keep your cleavage under wraps as much as possible.

Thanks for that. I'm female. Yeah, I'm quite pleased that I'll miss the extreme heat of summer.

squeakyduck

JFitzgerald wrote: »

Thanks for that. I'm female. Yeah, I'm quite pleased that I'll miss the extreme heat of summer.

EEEK! Another Munster woman in the Seoulish area! I'm working in a Hagwon and I've not been told off about my clothing yet.

I wear dresses with tights or leggings. I try and cover my chest as much as possible. I am starting to wear jeans with converse now that it's cool enough to wear that but I usually stick to black dresses that are semi high chested and tights/leggings.

They don't seem to mind sandals in my school but flip flops are a no no. As for now I would bring over a good pair of boots its getting very cold already, especially at night and it's just gonna get colder and colder. When are you coming over?

JFitzgerald

squeakyduck wrote: »

EEEK! Another Munster woman in the Seoulish area! I'm working in a Hagwon and I've not been told off about my clothing yet.

I wear dresses with tights or leggings. I try and cover my chest as much as possible. I am starting to wear jeans with converse now that it's cool enough to wear that but I usually stick to black dresses that are semi high chested and tights/leggings.

They don't seem to mind sandals in my school but flip flops are a no no. As for now I would bring over a good pair of boots its getting very cold already, especially at night and it's just gonna get colder and colder. When are you coming over?

Thanks a mil. I'm coming over next week i think. I'm just waiting to get my visa and passport back next wednesday - then i book my flight.

hyperbaby

Timetable for the gathering...
http://globalgatheringkorea.co.kr/xe/index.php?mid=lineup&document_srl=2988


What time is the rugby now?
I would like to see some green faces

dapto1

Anyone else considering Westlife in Seoul on Sunday night? I think it would be an experience!

warofthebutton

just received my garda clearance, it only took them six weeks! thanks for the advice and help everyone. If there's anyone new here thinking about heading to Korea be sure to get this sorted as early as possible, you don't want to be delayed for ages like I was

squeakyduck

hyperbaby wrote: »

Timetable for the gathering...
http://globalgatheringkorea.co.kr/xe/index.php?mid=lineup&document_srl=2988


What time is the rugby now?
I would like to see some green faces

Damn, If I'd seen this I would have PM'ed you my number. Red_bairn came out. Good day was had by all!

dapto1 wrote: »

Anyone else considering Westlife in Seoul on Sunday night? I think it would be an experience!

Jesus, I'd say that would be PACKED, my principal LOVES westlife!

hyperbaby

squeakyduck wrote: »

Damn, If I'd seen this I would have PM'ed you my number. Red_bairn came out. Good day was had by all!



Jesus, I'd say that would be PACKED, my principal LOVES westlife!

Not to worry, i asked some Irish guy with a rugby jersey at Global what the score was.

Yeah they ****ing love You Raise Me Up at school.

red_bairn

hyperbaby wrote: »

Not to worry, i asked some Irish guy with a rugby jersey at Global what the score was.

Yeah they ****ing love You Raise Me Up at school.

I was there in a green hoodie, my terrorist scarf and scruffy beard. God i was exhausted today. Got back at 10am and slept till 6.

hyperbaby

It was good craic.
Felt like summer all over again

Met more Irish people last night than I have in the past two months in Gwangju haha.

red_bairn

hyperbaby wrote: »

It was good craic.
Felt like summer all over again

Met more Irish people last night than I have in the past two months in Gwangju haha.

:rolleyes: Well I was a bit disappointed that the main acts were finished before 12 and that the main acts and some of the smaller djs sampled a feck load.

No originality bar from this japanese dj. Was getting fed some free vodka at the end of the night. The bar tender was standing up on the table pouring the vodka straight into peoples mouths.

Note: Drink responsibly .

cadburys

Hey there,

Does anyone know the story with Irish citizens getting their pension back upon finishing a contract in SK?

Thanks

cloneslad

cadburys wrote: »

Hey there,

Does anyone know the story with Irish citizens getting their pension back upon finishing a contract in SK?

Thanks

They don't.

You can carry it over to your irish pension and if you haven't made enough contributions when you reach retirement age, then it can be used.

roosh

I don't suppose there is anyone here who will be on the upcoming EPIK orientation (starting October 21st)??

Just wondering if anyone has the link for the online, pre-course training?

hyperbaby

red_bairn wrote: »

:rolleyes: Well I was a bit disappointed that the main acts were finished before 12 and that the main acts and some of the smaller djs sampled a feck load.

No originality bar from this japanese dj. Was getting fed some free vodka at the end of the night. The bar tender was standing up on the table pouring the vodka straight into peoples mouths.

Note: Drink responsibly .

Sure everything always finishes way to early here!
Was a little bit disappointed about Groove Armada.

Yeah, the bartenders were generous with their shots and it wasn't that pricey either. Nice one

red_bairn

hyperbaby wrote: »

Sure everything always finishes way to early here!
Was a little bit disappointed about Groove Armada.

Yeah, the bartenders were generous with their shots and it wasn't that pricey either. Nice one

Nah man, they had the main gigs on till 3am last year.

hyperbaby

Oh really, feck that noise if that is the case.

I'm a girl by the way

red_bairn

hyperbaby wrote: »

Oh really, feck that noise if that is the case.

I'm a girl by the way

You're one of the guyz in my books!

hyperbaby

I'm a total tomboy so I'm down with that.

RadioClash

cadburys wrote: »

Hey there,

Does anyone know the story with Irish citizens getting their pension back upon finishing a contract in SK?

Thanks

Hold onto your ARC number(this doubles as your pension number), you'll need this should you need to claim from it in the future(widow/widower/invalidity pension etc.)

cloneslad

Hyperbaby

you are in Gwangju, have you met these people? Please for the love of god track them down and tell them I love them.

I could watch boring people on youtube all day, my girlfriend on the other hand wants to, and I quote 'put my thumb through their eyes'.

I've just discovered they have a blog, my god, I can't wait to read it.

I actually admire people for taking the time out to make these videos, I'm sure they help out a lot of people before they first move to korea.

hyperbaby

cloneslad wrote: »

Hyperbaby

you are in Gwangju, have you met these people? Please for the love of god track them down and tell them I love them.

I could watch boring people on youtube all day, my girlfriend on the other hand wants to, and I quote 'put my thumb through their eyes'.

I've just discovered they have a blog, my god, I can't wait to read it.

I actually admire people for taking the time out to make these videos, I'm sure they help out a lot of people before they first move to korea.

No i haven't met them but the girl looks very familiar!
That video is great, aww the orange lotus flower
I posted it in a couple of places on Facebook, cheers for sharing it

squeakyduck

Got a flu shot as a thank you from a students mother. I thought it was gonna be a proper injection...turns out it was nasal spray that does the same thing!

Happy Days!

livinginkorea

Anyone hear about the Asian Games in Suwon this weekend? Would love to have a look and meet some people. The Tanaiste will be in Korea this weekend too for trade and such.