TEACHING ABROAD: JAPAN/CHINA/SOUTH KOREA

ultron

Hi,

I am considering teachin abroad for a while in Asia somewhere, preferably Japan but i am pretty confused by the sheer volume of sites on the internet that offer jobs, courses, placements etc. Firstly some say you should get a TEFL certificate while others say it is not necessary, has anyone gone teaching abroad and actually know if this is a requirement? Also would i be better off paying money to an agency to try set me up with a job or doing it myself? If anyone has taught abroad and used a good agency or website could they please let me know. Any information would be much appreciated as i am in no better position than when i began searching online for information.

AARRRGH

From what I've read, TEFL (note CELTA is better) is very useful if you are a little bit nervous about teaching as it gives you that bit of extra confidence. I've also read having a TEFL qualification is not necessary in Asia, but will give you an advantage.

yellowstar

It really depends where you decide to base yourself. A degree is a must for most places bar thailand which is fairly relaxed in most aspects. If your female have a degree and tefl cert you will get a very gud job in Bangkok. For South Korea, I think you need to have both a TEFL cert and a degree. Japan has the highest requirements, I think you mite even need a CELTA for there but I may be wrong about that. I just did the 40hr online tefol course and that got me a job. It really just depends where you want to go and how well paid you want to be. You will get a better job with a CELTA and if you have a CELTA your can teach English in Ireland, Oz, NZ, etc so it might be worth your while getting one.
As for whether you should go through an agency, I would say no. Daves cafe is a gud website for Asia and for Thailand ajarn.com is the site to look at.
For Korea your better getting a public school job as private schools may pay better but are more likely to rip you off. In Thailand opt for a private school, they have smaller classes and better pay usually. Im not really sure about Japan. Hope that helps

yellowstar

oh yea and if you decide on Korea have your job sorted before you go. Its easier to sort the visa from home where as you can just land in Thailand and find one. Though the job market has slowed down somewhat.