Tefl in South Korea

cloneslad

vicecreamsundae wrote: »

Hi all,
I pretty much have all my documents ready now and am currently signing up with a million and one recruiters - I reallly just want to go ASAP.

At the moment, the only real preference I have is location. I'm determined to be near Seoul. My ideal spot would be Mapo, but I know I can't be that specific if I want to find a job anytime soon. Basically, I want to be able to go to Hongdae or Insadong or Samchungdong after work in the evenings and come home. I see there are a lot of jobs in places like Gangnam, but can't tell how far that is (in minutes-on-the-subway time) from the places I think I'd like to hang out at.
Can anyone recommend some areas that are near/have quick or easy transport to the areas I mentioned? Or just as important, can people mention some areas to avoid (due to being very quiet/ not having quick and easy transport to more central areas)?
It's hard to know from looking at the map what counts as central and what doesn't.


Thanks for any advice!! Can't wait to get over there.

Gangnam is a really good area, it is probably the wealthiest area in the city. If you work in a hgwon, you will probably be working until late in the eveing, so getting to insadong etc will prob not be too high on your list as you'll not be bothered with it.

Gangnam has a few lines in the station and it's only a 5 minute walk away to a couple of other ones too, plus, lots of buses serve the area too.

vicecreamsundae

Thanks cloneslad. I just watched some videos of Gangnam on youtube, and it does look really nice, I'm not sure why but I had this image of it being mostly residential or offices -I guess I confuse Seoul suburbs with my idea of Irish suburbs! I'm also generally put off by areas described as wealthy, because to me those tend to sound a bit soulless -like places filled with expensive chains but not much culture. probably an unfair prejudice!

But I'd still prefer to find somewhere where I could go to Hongdae easily. I'm a night owl and often would like to head into the city in the evening. Do you have any idea how long it would take to get from Gangnam to the city centre, or Hongdae?

ekevosu

Korean made easy is a good book to start off with if you wanted to stay away from websites.

As for the visa question, Cloneslad said it best that it depends on the person you deal with. I can say that if you get a job with a public school and get a letter of appointment, it means you can get a visa anywhere including while in Korea on a tourist visa (just get status changed) as I did last year on a first E1. Always check with the relevant Korean authorities but be warned a lot will give you the wrong answer so triple check with different sources. My info above was from last april and was direct from the Korean immigration authorities,

cloneslad

vicecreamsundae wrote: »

Thanks cloneslad. I just watched some videos of Gangnam on youtube, and it does look really nice, I'm not sure why but I had this image of it being mostly residential or offices -I guess I confuse Seoul suburbs with my idea of Irish suburbs! I'm also generally put off by areas described as wealthy, because to me those tend to sound a bit soulless -like places filled with expensive chains but not much culture. probably an unfair prejudice!

But I'd still prefer to find somewhere where I could go to Hongdae easily. I'm a night owl and often would like to head into the city in the evening. Do you have any idea how long it would take to get from Gangnam to the city centre, or Hongdae?

I didn't live in Seoul but from what I remember, getting from the gangnam area to around insadong would take about 40 minutes on the subway. I only took this trip once though, I never usually went from one place to the other (in fact the only time I went from the Gangnam area was leaving from Nambu, which is a 10 min walk to gangnam, to go to watch the Seoul DongA marathon in 2008). Have a look at the subway map and allow 2-3 minutes for each stop and about 1 minute or so for waiting at the stop and you'll see how far you are from any area by subway.

Of course it's quicker to go by taxi at night, but it's also way more expensive. The subway also closes very early in Seoul, between 11:30 and 12:30, so if you're a night owl, be prepared to wait out until 5am or so, or else be prepared to get a taxi home (unless you have your own transport and are not drinking).

Choccie Lover

Hey there, I'm heading to a Korean wedding soon and just wondering what the story is with gifts/money. Is money generally given instead of gifts? And if so, what is the usual amount given? Don't want to end up going there with one arm longer than the other. The wedding is of a work colleague of mine FYI.

Also, in your experience, how dressed up do people get for weddings? Is it pretty much the same as at home? Cheers

cloneslad

Choccie Lover wrote: »

Hey there, I'm heading to a Korean wedding soon and just wondering what the story is with gifts/money. Is money generally given instead of gifts? And if so, what is the usual amount given? Don't want to end up going there with one arm longer than the other. The wedding is of a work colleague of mine FYI.

Also, in your experience, how dressed up do people get for weddings? Is it pretty much the same as at home? Cheers

Not as dressed up as home really, Shirt and pants is fine (tie if you want) for males, or a smart dress if you're female.

As for gifts, 30,000-50,000 is seen as a standard gift. You bring it in cash, go to the guys in the wedding hall, they'll give you an envelope and you put the money in it and give it back to them. When you do that, you'll also be given a ticket for the buffet, which is usually in the wedding hall building.

Choccie Lover

cloneslad wrote: »

Not as dressed up as home really, Shirt and pants is fine (tie if you want) for males, or a smart dress if you're female.

As for gifts, 30,000-50,000 is seen as a standard gift. You bring it in cash, go to the guys in the wedding hall, they'll give you an envelope and you put the money in it and give it back to them. When you do that, you'll also be given a ticket for the buffet, which is usually in the wedding hall building.

Cool. Thanks for that!

kraggy

@Chocolover

I gave 30,000. It's the standard amount here. I was told to give it to the father of the bride. But I also heard about giving it to someone at the desk in the church and they give you a ticket for the meal. Quite bizarre the way they had a dining area under the church. Not like at home where you go to a hotel.

@vicecreamsundae
There's not a whole lot in Insadong. One walk around and you're done.

Gangnam is good. 2 cinemas, big buildings, plenty of places to eat. A few bars but not a whole lot. Great area though. ONe of the few places in Seoul where you feel like you're in an international city.

Hongdae is student central. Cool bars, restaurants and the streets are busy night and day. Young and hip crowd. Bars that have bands play etc.

Either Hongdae or Gangnam would be good. I'd probably go with Hongdae becuause it's closer to Itaewon which is where most of the westerners live, drink and hang out. A bit seedy at times but it's where you'll find yourself a lot of the time I imagine.

R.D. aka MR.D

Anyone who is the middle of applying/just heading out hear about needing two copies of the garda clearance?

Was told this yesterday by a recruiter. He said it was a just new in rule.

JFitzgerald

i'm teaching elementary public school here in seoul. the new academic year is almost here and i'm wondering are there any bank holidays/long weekends this coming semester? i looked at a calendar and a lot of korean public holidays seem to be on a saturday - which is rubbish as i'm always off weekends. unless of course, they are in lieu and we get the following monday off. which would be nice. any info appreciated. ta.

cloneslad

JFitzgerald wrote: »

i'm teaching elementary public school here in seoul. the new academic year is almost here and i'm wondering are there any bank holidays/long weekends this coming semester? i looked at a calendar and a lot of korean public holidays seem to be on a saturday - which is rubbish as i'm always off weekends. unless of course, they are in lieu and we get the following monday off. which would be nice. any info appreciated. ta.

I haven't looked at the calendar myself, but I think when they fall on a saturday you just miss out on them. With the Hagwon that I worked at, we only had to teach the kids a certain number of classes per session. With 12 sessions in the year, so the days off that fell on a saturday meant we were able to finish the sessions earlier than planned.

If the holidays fell on a saturday it worked out better for us, even though we would miss out on that actual day off, it meant we were able to build up the days off and use them in block periods around summer hols / Chuseok / Christmas etc. In 2010 we ended up getting 10 days off for Summer and the same again for Chuseok because of the build up.

Not sure how it works in the public school system, but I seem to remember the teachers on Daves Esl always moaning about missing out on days off when they fell on a saturday. I don't visit that site anymore, so I don't know if it is still the case for you.

vicecreamsundae

R.D. aka MR.D I am in the process of finding a job, and hadn't heard that. Was the recruiter who told you that Korean, or Irish or from somewhere else?
That's kind of a pain... is it possible to make a copy of your current cert, or do you need another original? Mine is already apostilled, so I don't suppose I could photocopy it and get it notarised and apostilled again..
I'll probably wait until a recruiter mentions it.


How long did it take people to find your first teaching position? I'm currently hoping to find a position in central seoul... areas like mapo-gu, jung-gu, mokdong, sinchon, daebang etc. It's been less than a week since I started really looking, but so far when I see jobs in these areas posted and I email the recruiter, they reply back offering me jobs in gangnam or jamsil instead (good areas, but not my peferred areas).

Is this simply recruiters trying their luck to fill the slightly harder to fill jobs first? If I hold out for a few weeks is it likely I'll find a job closer to my preferred location? I feel like there's no need to give in after only a week, and I can always adjust my preferences if I still can't find something in another week or two. At the same time, I want to go as soon as possible ha.

I guess I'm asking if other people held out for specific areas they wanted, and if it worked.

R.D. aka MR.D

vicecreamsundae wrote: »

R.D. aka MR.D I am in the process of finding a job, and hadn't heard that. Was the recruiter who told you that Korean, or Irish or from somewhere else?
That's kind of a pain... is it possible to make a copy of your current cert, or do you need another original? Mine is already apostilled, so I don't suppose I could photocopy it and get it notarised and apostilled again..
I'll probably wait until a recruiter mentions it.


How long did it take people to find your first teaching position? I'm currently hoping to find a position in central seoul... areas like mapo-gu, jung-gu, mokdong, sinchon, daebang etc. It's been less than a week since I started really looking, but so far when I see jobs in these areas posted and I email the recruiter, they reply back offering me jobs in gangnam or jamsil instead (good areas, but not my peferred areas).

Is this simply recruiters trying their luck to fill the slightly harder to fill jobs first? If I hold out for a few weeks is it likely I'll find a job closer to my preferred location? I feel like there's no need to give in after only a week, and I can always adjust my preferences if I still can't find something in another week or two. At the same time, I want to go as soon as possible ha.

I guess I'm asking if other people held out for specific areas they wanted, and if it worked.

They are in Korea. But none of the other recruiters i am working with, mostly Canadian, have mentioned it.

On the second part of your post, I'm wondering the same thing.

I've only been signing up with recruiters for the past 2 weeks and i've already been interviewed and sent a contract from a school in Yeosu. I don't know if i should take it, is it suspicious that it happened so quick? I've read through the contract and I'm waiting for them to get me an address of a current/past foreign teacher.

I can't find much info online about the school, it is an iSponge, which seems to be a franchise I think??

Another question: Do the recruiters get annoyed if you're turning down jobs?

cloneslad

vicecreamsundae wrote: »

How long did it take people to find your first teaching position? I'm currently hoping to find a position in central seoul... areas like mapo-gu, jung-gu, mokdong, sinchon, daebang etc. It's been less than a week since I started really looking, but so far when I see jobs in these areas posted and I email the recruiter, they reply back offering me jobs in gangnam or jamsil instead (good areas, but not my peferred areas)..

have you checked where the accomodation is with these jobs?

Also, you might get a job in your preferred area, but you may not be living there. Make sure to find that out before you sign.

Jamsil and Gangnam, are, as you said 'good areas', they are actually much better than most of the areas you want to work in.

vicecreamsundae wrote: »

Is this simply recruiters trying their luck to fill the slightly harder to fill jobs first? If I hold out for a few weeks is it likely I'll find a job closer to my preferred location? I feel like there's no need to give in after only a week, and I can always adjust my preferences if I still can't find something in another week or two. At the same time, I want to go as soon as possible ha.

I guess I'm asking if other people held out for specific areas they wanted, and if it worked.

No, they aren't trying their luck, you want seoul and they are giving you two of the most inhabited areas in terms of schools and hagwons. Asking for a very specific area in Seoul is just a pain in the árse for the recruiters, so they'll offer you what they have.

Are you going to take a bad job in Mokdong over a good job in Gangnam? Take everything into consideration.

R.D. aka MR.D wrote: »

I've only been signing up with recruiters for the past 2 weeks and i've already been interviewed and sent a contract from a school in Yeosu. I don't know if i should take it, is it suspicious that it happened so quick?

No, they have jobs, you want a job. It's not suspicious. Just be sure to get as much information as possible from current teachers. If you don't feel happy with it, then decline it.

R.D. aka MR.D wrote: »

Another question: Do the recruiters get annoyed if you're turning down jobs?

Who gives a shít. They are working for you. If they get annoyed, just deal with others instead.

vicecreamsundae

I don't think you need to be suspicious about it happening quickly -once you have all your documents ready the process moves pretty swiftly. If you're happy with the location, contract and what the current teachers say, then go for it!
I'm slightly worrying because it's been one week and I *haven't* found the perfect job, which is probably a bit silly!

As for annoying recruiters.. it's more that I worry after turning them down on a few jobs will they just stop bothering with me, but there are so many recruiters out there, and they get paid for placing you so I'm not too worried about it.

cloneslad

You'll be fine, sometimes it can takes months to find the right job, sometimes it's days. It all depends on the job you want.

I took the first job I was offered when the recruiter contacted me in 2006. I spoke to the teachers, checked out the location and signed up. I only used one rectruiter too.

Choccie Lover

Have to agree with Clones Lad. Gangnam (and Jamsil) are better than the areas you mentioned. I'm guessing it takes around 45 minutes from Gangnam to Hondae. I'm situated between the middle of the two on the green line 2.

Has anyone any experience of English speaking dentists in Seoul? Is it possible to just go in for teeth cleaning? Is it possible to do so on a Saturday? I've almost done my year in Korea and reckon dental stuff here will be cheper than at home

vicecreamsundae

Choccie Lover -Not that I have been to Seoul or know anything about particular dentists, but I have read that often dentists in Korea will just go ahead and do whatever work needs to be done -unlike here where after taking a look the dentist will explain what needs doing and ask if you want them to go ahead and do it now. So if you just want a teeth cleaning maybe be extra sure to stress you don't want anything else done.

cloneslad

Choccie Lover wrote: »

Have to agree with Clones Lad. Gangnam (and Jamsil) are better than the areas you mentioned. I'm guessing it takes around 45 minutes from Gangnam to Hondae. I'm situated between the middle of the two on the green line 2.

Has anyone any experience of English speaking dentists in Seoul? Is it possible to just go in for teeth cleaning? Is it possible to do so on a Saturday? I've almost done my year in Korea and reckon dental stuff here will be cheper than at home

Guarantee you they'll tell you that you need a root canal.......they frickin love giving root canals.

Just go in to them, ask Daves Esl for one that speaks decent English. A cleaning in Geoje was between 30k and 50k from what I've read on the geoje teacher's page on facebook. It was just a scraping type cleaning, in one place but a proper polish in another (don't know how much the polish was) I'd prefer to pay extra and get a Hygienist to do it in Ireland.

Choccie Lover

Thanks for the heads up! Think I'll just hang on til my trusty hygienist at home, then:)

vicecreamsundae

Hi all,

I just got offered a public school job in Bucheon, and wondering if anyone has heard of it or has any information on it, as I can't seem to find anything online. It's called Bucheon Buk Elementary School -according to my Korean recruiter anyway. The lack of info online makes me worry it's spelled incorrectly.
Thanks for any help!

JFitzgerald

vicecreamsundae wrote: »

Hi all,

I just got offered a public school job in Bucheon, and wondering if anyone has heard of it or has any information on it, as I can't seem to find anything online. It's called Bucheon Buk Elementary School -according to my Korean recruiter anyway. The lack of info online makes me worry it's spelled incorrectly.
Thanks for any help!

Bucheon is just south west of Seoul city centre. It's on the Seoul subway - line 1 - which connects Incheon airport to the city centre. It wouldn't be the worst place to be offered at all - i'd have thought. And you're close to Seoul. you can find it on google maps. getting an elementary public school is good news too. much better than middle school - where a lot of the kids are mental.

cloneslad

You'll rarely get a lot of information about public schools online. It's mostly hagwons (and more specifically, chained hagwons) that you will get information from online.

Search for information on the area rather than the school. The post above gives information on where it is, now you can find out if you want to live there. Daum or naver maps is also a good way to have a look around the area through their street view, though you will need a basic understanding of Korean to navigate it.

vicecreamsundae

Thanks JFitz. Yeah I'm pretty sure I'd like Bucheon enough. I do like that is seems to have a decent sized foreigner community, and you can get a lot of western food there. It was more the specific school I wanted info on. But as Clonelad points out (thanks Cloneslad) I guess it can be hard to find info in public schools. I was a bit worried that a lack of information might be suspicious.

Public school work sounds great in so many ways, not least because of the vacation time, but I am bit nervous about being the only English teacher in a school when I have no experience. Hopefully my confidence will grow quickly.

A friend also mentioned her school in Nowon-gu is hiring. I hadn't wanted to be that far north, but her school (a private elementary) sounds nice and offers 40 days vacation which sounds unreal. Anyone have any opinions on Nowon?

vicecreamsundae

Sorry about all the queries, but definitely could use some advice here.

So I had an interview with a public school in bucheon and it went well and I was offered a job, and said yes. I emailed the recruiter saying there were a few questions I forgot to ask in the interview about whether I get training, and little questions about the curriculum (as in how much it's already planned or how much I need to create lessons) and the vacation. I also said I would like to speak with the current teacher.

He wrote back glossing over my queries, basically saying it's a good job and I should take it. He said I would have 'some quick training from my co-teacher' and he said that while they always help applicants contact a previous teacher when dealing with hagwons, that they don't do that for public schools.
Has anyone heard this before?
I was feeling hopeful about this job, but now wondering if that's a bit suspect..

cloneslad

vicecreamsundae wrote: »

Sorry about all the queries, but definitely could use some advice here.

So I had an interview with a public school in bucheon and it went well and I was offered a job, and said yes. I emailed the recruiter saying there were a few questions I forgot to ask in the interview about whether I get training, and little questions about the curriculum (as in how much it's already planned or how much I need to create lessons) and the vacation. I also said I would like to speak with the current teacher.

He wrote back glossing over my queries, basically saying it's a good job and I should take it. He said I would have 'some quick training from my co-teacher' and he said that while they always help applicants contact a previous teacher when dealing with hagwons, that they don't do that for public schools.
Has anyone heard this before?
I was feeling hopeful about this job, but now wondering if that's a bit suspect..

ou will be doing well to get shown where the school is, never mind getting good training. Koreans (almost as a rule) are poor at planning and will often tell you things at the last minute (or most likely, 10 minutes after the last minute).

If the school sounded good during the interview, and you like the area, just go for it. I would have asked a bit about the accomodation though. You'll be guaranteed to get paid from the public system and the attitudes of the korean teachers towards the foreigner will change with every person, so what the current teacher tells you about the school will be limited.

Also, you'll find that the majority of Korean teachers will interact very little with you. They won't have the capabilit to converse in English, so they'll tend to keep their distance so as not to feel too uncomfortable. You will always get those who can speak it and will want to show off, and every now and again you'll get those who can't speak it, but will annoyingly try to.

roosh

vicecreamsundae wrote: »

Sorry about all the queries, but definitely could use some advice here.

So I had an interview with a public school in bucheon and it went well and I was offered a job, and said yes. I emailed the recruiter saying there were a few questions I forgot to ask in the interview about whether I get training, and little questions about the curriculum (as in how much it's already planned or how much I need to create lessons) and the vacation. I also said I would like to speak with the current teacher.

He wrote back glossing over my queries, basically saying it's a good job and I should take it. He said I would have 'some quick training from my co-teacher' and he said that while they always help applicants contact a previous teacher when dealing with hagwons, that they don't do that for public schools.
Has anyone heard this before?
I was feeling hopeful about this job, but now wondering if that's a bit suspect..

Is the position through the EPIK program? If so, then I would assume you'll do a 5 day orientation course before you start. That is effectively the training.

Not everyone does one when they start - some people on my orientation had been teaching for 3-6 months by the time they did it; but if you are coming in the period of the main intake then you will probably do it alright.

As for the teaching side of things, it will vary from school to school; because your co-teacher relationship will play a big part in your experience, you can imagine it depends on the person. A buddy of mine has a really nice co-teacher, who is really helpful, but is a major stickler for seemingly inconsequential details. My co-teacher on the other hand isn't the most helpful or well organised, and doesn't plan lessons with me - probably because he is the head teacher.

My situation thus far has been that I have the majority of classes with my co-teacher, where he teaches from the coursebook and DVD and uses me as a human tape recorder; I have about 9 other classes on my own then where it is up to me to come up with the curriculum. The Korean home room teachers usually take those classes as an opportunity to take a free period.


For someone with pretty much no teaching experience, the positive is that it seems as though I only need to show up and speak a bit of english to be doing my job, so there's no pressure; The negatives of this are that you are left to deal with things on your own, and coming up with a decent, coherent, and developmental curriculum can be a bit taxing. It could be easy to get into bad habits, without guidance, and the kids education could suffer as a result too.

R.D. aka MR.D

Okay another question for all you wonderful helpful people!


So I've been offered a job in Bundang. It's 2.2 mil. Kindy- Mon-Fri.

So what's wrong:

The school just opened, this will be its first year
It is a wonderland

Would I be absolutely bananas to take it?

seamie89

hey,

anyone know how long until you find out where exactly you are being placed when going through the EPIK programme? as in town/ city?

I know i have a job in Gyeongbuk and orientation begins in 3 weeks, do i find out when iu arrive where in Gyeongbuk i am going?

cheers in advance

munsterdevil

seamie89 wrote: »

hey,

anyone know how long until you find out where exactly you are being placed when going through the EPIK programme? as in town/ city?

I know i have a job in Gyeongbuk and orientation begins in 3 weeks, do i find out when iu arrive where in Gyeongbuk i am going?

cheers in advance

You will find out on the last day of orientation