Teach English Abroad

jdooley28

Thinking about getting out of here ad getting a job teaching english abroad as a foreign language. . .anyone have any ideas of where is best .. iv heard korea is quite easy to get a job in for ok money as long as you have a degree . . . .. Anyone have any experiences/knowledge about where would be best to go go?

monosharp

In korea at the moment.

Korea is probably the best for money + benefits (free housing).

Definitely go to a city, not the countryside and public school jobs are the way to go for a 1st timer.

The works easy, work related stuff might be stressful though.

any other questions ?

jdooley28

By work related stuff do u mean your relationship with the employer? wats it like outside of work?

monosharp

jdooley28 wrote: »

By work related stuff do u mean your relationship with the employer? wats it like outside of work?

It all depends on your school, your employer etc which is why I said public schools are best because theres some government regulation.

Ok in a nutshell. My first year experience:

I worked in a private school (hagwon) and I don't recommend it to anyone. You may get a good one but you may get a bad one. Toss of a coin.

Stress
-> No such thing as sick leave. Unless your literally unable to walk and even then they'll probably drag you in somehow.
-> Korean work culture. i.e > Why am I sitting here 2 hours before I actually start to work ? (Your expected to be in work for long hours even if you are not doing any work)
-> Not questioning the boss. This is korean culture again, your boss asks you for something or you ask him for something and he says no.You say "why", they're genuinely shocked. The boss is God :P

But honestly, my experience was not the norm.If your careful and find a good school, even a private school, things are really good here.

ShaneScouse

What expierance and qualifications do you need to teach english somewhere like Korea, do you need Degrees? or does few years work exp. and various IT certs do?

artful_codger

monosharp wrote: »

-> No such thing as sick leave. Unless your literally unable to walk and even then they'll probably drag you in somehow.
-> Korean work culture. i.e > Why am I sitting here 2 hours before I actually start to work ? (Your expected to be in work for long hours even if you are not doing any work)
-> Not questioning the boss. This is korean culture again, your boss asks you for something or you ask him for something and he says no.You say "why", they're genuinely shocked. The boss is God :P

r u sure you weren't teaching in North Korea?

monosharp

ShaneScouse wrote: »

What expierance and qualifications do you need to teach english somewhere like Korea, do you need Degrees? or does few years work exp. and various IT certs do?

Degree. (3 year diploma will do)

Saying that, I've heard of guys teaching here with degrees they printed off the internet. I wouldn't recommend it though.

For Thailand/China you don't need a degree.

monosharp

artful_codger wrote: »

r u sure you weren't teaching in North Korea?

No what I said is pretty standard for Korean workers, less so for foreigners. But its also possible to work in North Korea if your adventurous (and not American).

petethebrick

I worked in Korea for a few years.
I would definitely recommend living in Seoul as opposed to the other cities or in the countryside - can get so boring living outside Seoul in my opinion.
Don't use an agency here in Ireland to find you a job - they are scam artists.
The schools pay them and then you pay them - esentially they are getting double paid just for acting as an in between.
And more often than not it's badly run schools that use these agencies as they can't find teachers in Korea themselves due to their poor working conditions/ reputations.
My advice is to fly to korea and find a job once your there. You'll just need to bring all your documents -degree, transcripts etc
You'll find a job with better hours, better pay and in a better location.
I worked from 1-5 monday to friday with no prep time for the same salary as those working 9-5 or 1-8. This gave me more time to teach private classes which are a big source of extra income. This is another advantage to Seoul - there are more privates available.
After my first year in Korea I was earning 3.8 million won per month with no rent to pay => could save about 2.3 million won (1,350euro). Could have saved more but I like drinking!
Some people earn a lot more than this while some people are happy with not doing privates and earning an average of 2.3-2.5 million won a month.
If you prefer to get a job before going find one yourself using these websites.

www.eslcafe.com
www.englishspectrum.com
www.worknplay.co.kr

Read/ask questions on the forums there if you need more info

ShaneScouse

So its a no-no if you dont have degree? that sucks. I have alot of qualifications and experiance but no 3rd level degree or diploma. I took the IT MCSA/E route and pays off in IT sector(well it did..) but I would love to go teach engerlish aborad.