Tefl in South Korea

ekevosu · 17-07-2011 05:07PM

livinginkorea wrote: »

ekevosu wrote: »

First few are a pain in the ass but some of the other lessons are quite useful. [SNIP] You have to watch each lesson for 15 minutes. Doesn't mean you have to watch it though, just have it on the screen for 15 minutes.

Interesting..video lecturers or sample co-teaching lessons? Must be a recent invention.

It was video lectures. There were some sample classes there as well. The start is pretty boring and unhelpful unless you are studying childhood psychology. Classroom management and changing energy levels in the classroom was good as were the Korean lessons for anyone new to it.

Apologies to the mod for offering help against the charter. It's a work requirement to do but not really much in there that will affect you if you never did the course. There is no grading for the test, just to do it.

col89 · 18-07-2011 12:01AM

Hi everyone,

I've spent the last number of weeks searching through different jobs, applying left, right, and centre, whilst sorting out my documents, and despite being offered a few different jobs, I have only really been offered jobs in places that I didn't really want, so it just leaves me questioning whether anyone else is having difficulty getting responses from some agencies on Dave's or maybe I'm alone in this? Is there any other site I could check out that might be worthwhile?

I have my heart set on traveling over there by end of August/start of September, and I really don't want this to pass me by!

col89 · 18-07-2011 12:56PM

Okay, today I just got news that the application that I made for in regards to the Data Protection from the Irish Gardai is, in fact, not valid for applying to teach in South Korea and/or work with children.

After many time-wasting phone calls between my local garda station (with another nearby garda station) and the Thurles Vetting Centre, I have FINALLY found that what is supposedly necessary for such a line of work is something called a Police Certificate of Character - can anyone who has dealt with this before confirm this? We really do have some of the most clueless authorities in the world.

ekevosu · 18-07-2011 01:25PM

col89 wrote: »

Okay, today I just got news that the application that I made for in regards to the Data Protection from the Irish Gardai is, in fact, not valid for applying to teach in South Korea and/or work with children.

After many time-wasting phone calls between my local garda station (with another nearby garda station) and the Thurles Vetting Centre, I have FINALLY found that what is supposedly necessary for such a line of work is something called a Police Certificate of Character - can anyone who has dealt with this before confirm this? We really do have some of the most clueless authorities in the world.

Yeah, that's what you need, should only take a week or so.

hyperbaby · 18-07-2011 01:30PM

That happened to me as well, it was not very clear that one is supposed to get a Police Certificate of Character.
Due to the mix-up there was a delay with my documents and it ended up slightly changing my plans.
You wouldn't mind but I asked them a few times on the phone in Thurles was this the right document and there were like yeah of course it is but when i got it back I knew it couldn't be used as the language was so vague.
Damn nuisance.

JFitzgerald · 18-07-2011 02:16PM

Hi,

I have now gathered all my documentation to send on to Korea. however, i'm to get them 'notarized' / 'apostilled' first. can i just get a notary solicitor here in waterford to do this or do i HAVE to go to the Foreign Office in Cork (-which will be a major arseache for me)? Thanks.

king of cork · 18-07-2011 03:40PM

@col89

It may take some time to get a job in a specific location. Where do you want to work? Some recruiters deal with certain areas of Korea. It took me months to find a job in Busan that was acceptable. If you are in a hurry to get here you may have to accept something that is not in your ideal location. But recruiters will always try to send you out into the sticks or to somewhere that is "very close" to your specified area but is in fact a hundred miles away. Apply to many recruiters and do not be afraid to remind them by email frequently that you are looking for a job(in a certain area).

@JFitzgerald

Yes. To get your Police Certificate and Degree apostilled you must go to either the Consular section of the passport office in Cork or to the Dublin equivalent. Make sure the photocopy of your Degree is notarised as authentic by either your College or a solicitor before travelling.

JFitzgerald · 18-07-2011 04:02PM

Thanks, king.

Elba101 · 18-07-2011 04:29PM

Hey,

I've found this thread so helpful!

I have 2 more questions though, I have my background check and now i need to send it off to Dpt of Foregin Affairs. Anyone know how long it takes?

Also, I have if I have all my documentation and I get a job how long does it take to get a visa? From when i get the job could I start 2 weeks later with my visa if they needed me to?

col89 · 18-07-2011 07:03PM

king of cork wrote: »

@col89

It may take some time to get a job in a specific location. Where do you want to work? Some recruiters deal with certain areas of Korea. It took me months to find a job in Busan that was acceptable. If you are in a hurry to get here you may have to accept something that is not in your ideal location. But recruiters will always try to send you out into the sticks or to somewhere that is "very close" to your specified area but is in fact a hundred miles away. Apply to many recruiters and do not be afraid to remind them by email frequently that you are looking for a job(in a certain area).

Busan was actually my ideal place, just to get away from the dreariness of Ireland, and to start off somewhere quite exotic! But I understand that it is a very competitive city to find teaching work in. I've been speaking with a good few recruiters over the past six weeks or so, from various websites, and it's hard to keep track on who I have spoken with and/or who I should expect the next phone call from! I have to make a few interviews via Skype, as well, and they're such a nuisance because you have to look respectable to take them, as opposed to just rolling out of bed and answering the phone at 9am. :P

Roughly, how long did it take you to get your offer for Busan? Are you a recent graduate, if you don't mind me asking? And, if you've started your position, has it liven up to your expectations thus far, along with where you're living etc.? Sorry about the barrage of questions, I'm really curious about how you went about things, because I see that we're similar in our preferences!

king of cork · 18-07-2011 07:07PM

@Elba 101

I didn't know that you could post your documents to the Dept of Foriegn affairs to be apostilled so I have no idea how long it takes. If you go there in person( Cork or Dublin ) it takes 10 minutes.

Re the timeline for the E-visa: When you accept a job, you send your documents to Immigration in Korea by DHL/FEDEX ( 3-4 working days). Korean Immigration then processes your application ( 5-10 working days, 7 days for me ).
Then your recruiter/school issues you with a visa confirmation/notice of appointment number by e-mail. At this point you go to the Korean Embassy in Ballsbridge, Dublin with your passport. They will say it takes 5 working days to stamp your passport with the E-visa. You can go back to the embassy to collect your passport or have it posted it to you( bring a registered envelope ).

So it could take from 13 to 19 business days to complete the process after accepting a job offer. Then your recruiter will book your flights to Korea.

king of cork · 18-07-2011 07:59PM

@col89

Yeah, Busan by the sea looked like the best option for me( I do like to surf a little ).Busan is fairly exotic but I suppose most of Korea is. And no, I am far from a recent graduate, I'm in my thirties but needed to escape from Ireland for a while. I could not get a job close to the beach after 3 months of searching so I took one in Dongnae which is 30 minutes from Haeundae beach by subway.

I had a few offers in the first weeks of searching but they were nowhere near the sea so I just waited and kept applying to jobs as they were advertised. My biggest obstacle may have been the preference for Female/North American teachers. And of course the recruiters would try to push me into positions in Ulsan or Gimhae.

My advice: Have a look at the Busan Subway map, the city is huge but the sea is usually only 30 minutes away by metro. If you live near a subway station then you can get anywhere pretty quickly. Try RBI korea, esljobskorea,etc they all advertise on Korea Bridge (http://koreabridge.net/jobs) which is the best spot for jobs in Busan. Use a dashing photo of yourself and you will get many offers!

I live in Dongnae and 'teach' there too in a hagwon(private English school). I knew from the outset what teaching in a Hagwon entailed. As native speakers of English we give some authenticity to the English school, whose main business is to make a profit ie, education is usually not the top priority. As for Busan itself, I must say that I like it, even though I live in a fairly traditional area where I have yet to see a westerner. I saw a few white faces the other day when I took the subway down to Haeundae beach for a swim. But there are 2/3 districts here that are hotspots for meeting other foreigners: PNU, Haeundae and KSU. If you take a job in a school where there are other foreign teachers then your social life will be set up for you, that is if you are seeking a wild night life. Hope this helps!

squeakyduck · 18-07-2011 08:16PM

col89 wrote: »

After many time-wasting phone calls between my local garda station (with another nearby garda station) and the Thurles Vetting Centre, I have FINALLY found that what is supposedly necessary for such a line of work is something called a Police Certificate of Character - can anyone who has dealt with this before confirm this? We really do have some of the most clueless authorities in the world.

Col, I got an awful run around about the cert of character. The gardai just don't have a breeze! :rolleyes:

SpatialPlanning · 19-07-2011 03:53AM

Squeakyduck - Did you end up taking that job in the Busan Global English Village?? I know someone who works there.. Sorry, I haven't been on this in about a month!

Anyone coming to Busan soon (or recently arrived), check out 'Busan GAA' on facebook! Great way to meet people if you don't know anyone, or if you want to play some GAA. First mini-competition is this weekend (23rd).

squeakyduck · 19-07-2011 09:43AM

No so. I have sent docs away for a bmoe job. (Busan ministry of education) waiting on a decison. My brother emailed me something about the pan Asia Gaelic games in Seoul in october....looks fun.

JFitzgerald · 19-07-2011 11:56AM

Ok - i have another question. I went to the solicitor this am to get my police check document notarized. He notarized a PHOTOCOPY of the document. He said (nay - insisted) that it wasn't the original that should be notarized but a copy. Is this corrrect? I thought it was the ORIGINAL document that was to be notarized. I'm fair doing some running around with all of this...

net86 · 19-07-2011 04:15PM

JFitzgerald wrote: »

Ok - i have another question. I went to the solicitor this am to get my police check document notarized. He notarized a PHOTOCOPY of the document. He said (nay - insisted) that it wasn't the original that should be notarized but a copy. Is this corrrect? I thought it was the ORIGINAL document that was to be notarized. I'm fair doing some running around with all of this...

You do not need to get the police check notarised as it has already been done by the superintendent of the station. You just bring the original to get apostilled - I did mine last week

Elba101 · 19-07-2011 04:24PM

king of cork wrote: »

@Elba 101

I didn't know that you could post your documents to the Dept of Foriegn affairs to be apostilled so I have no idea how long it takes. If you go there in person( Cork or Dublin ) it takes 10 minutes.

Re the timeline for the E-visa: When you accept a job, you send your documents to Immigration in Korea by DHL/FEDEX ( 3-4 working days). Korean Immigration then processes your application ( 5-10 working days, 7 days for me ).
Then your recruiter/school issues you with a visa confirmation/notice of appointment number by e-mail. At this point you go to the Korean Embassy in Ballsbridge, Dublin with your passport. They will say it takes 5 working days to stamp your passport with the E-visa. You can go back to the embassy to collect your passport or have it posted it to you( bring a registered envelope ).

So it could take from 13 to 19 business days to complete the process after accepting a job offer. Then your recruiter will book your flights to Korea.

Cheers for that! I'm in a different coutry so it's gonna take me a little bit longer, thanks!

col89 · 19-07-2011 08:13PM

king of cork wrote: »

@col89

Yeah, Busan by the sea looked like the best option for me( I do like to surf a little ).Busan is fairly exotic but I suppose most of Korea is. And no, I am far from a recent graduate, I'm in my thirties but needed to escape from Ireland for a while. I could not get a job close to the beach after 3 months of searching so I took one in Dongnae which is 30 minutes from Haeundae beach by subway.

I had a few offers in the first weeks of searching but they were nowhere near the sea so I just waited and kept applying to jobs as they were advertised. My biggest obstacle may have been the preference for Female/North American teachers. And of course the recruiters would try to push me into positions in Ulsan or Gimhae.

My advice: Have a look at the Busan Subway map, the city is huge but the sea is usually only 30 minutes away by metro. If you live near a subway station then you can get anywhere pretty quickly. Try RBI korea, esljobskorea,etc they all advertise on Korea Bridge (http://koreabridge.net/jobs) which is the best spot for jobs in Busan. Use a dashing photo of yourself and you will get many offers!

I live in Dongnae and 'teach' there too in a hagwon(private English school). I knew from the outset what teaching in a Hagwon entailed. As native speakers of English we give some authenticity to the English school, whose main business is to make a profit ie, education is usually not the top priority. As for Busan itself, I must say that I like it, even though I live in a fairly traditional area where I have yet to see a westerner. I saw a few white faces the other day when I took the subway down to Haeundae beach for a swim. But there are 2/3 districts here that are hotspots for meeting other foreigners: PNU, Haeundae and KSU. If you take a job in a school where there are other foreign teachers then your social life will be set up for you, that is if you are seeking a wild night life. Hope this helps!

Cheers for the lengthy write-up, there!

That website you recommended is an absolute Godsend - I thought Busan jobs were virtually nonexistent at this stage of the year, but it has reassured me that I still have a chance to get a good position.

One final thing I would like to ask any general person that knows about TEFL-ing: is getting a document notorised not the very same thing as getting it apostilled (i.e. paying for it to be 'certified' at the Department of Foreign Affairs)? I had just gathered that the term 'apostilled' was more of an American term, and whereas 'notorised' was more of a European/UK/Irish term, but since someone above posted something about both, it has made me doubt my former theory.

squeakyduck · 19-07-2011 08:17PM

:mad: So this time last week I sent my documents via DHL to Korea, there were 8 public school spots. My documents were delivered yesterday and I emailed my recruiter to let him know.

...... He rang today. Bad news. The Busan ministry of Education decided in the past few days to look elsewhere for teachers. They took excess EPIK people and filled the spaces.

Is this common place? I am majorly pissed off.

net86 · 19-07-2011 10:54PM

col89 wrote: »

One final thing I would like to ask any general person that knows about TEFL-ing: is getting a document notorised not the very same thing as getting it apostilled (i.e. paying for it to be 'certified' at the Department of Foreign Affairs)? I had just gathered that the term 'apostilled' was more of an American term, and whereas 'notorised' was more of a European/UK/Irish term, but since someone above posted something about both, it has made me doubt my former theory.

They are 2 different things unfortunately:) You need a commissioner of oaths -generally a solicitor to notarise a copy of the original document (photocopy of degree for example).This is to just say that the copy is the exact same as the original. This cost me €10. You then need to being your notarised copies plus the original police certificate to the dept of foreign affairs and get them to stamp the documents - €20 per document. Absolute pain!!

cloneslad · 19-07-2011 11:48PM

squeakyduck wrote: »

:mad: So this time last week I sent my documents via DHL to Korea, there were 8 public school spots. My documents were delivered yesterday and I emailed my recruiter to let him know.

...... He rang today. Bad news. The Busan ministry of Education decided in the past few days to look elsewhere for teachers. They took excess EPIK people and filled the spaces.

Is this common place? I am majorly pissed off.

Was there really a job at all? Perhaps the recruiter wanted you to commit to them, and you've done that now by giving them all your documents!!

Don't let them bully you into takin a position you don't want, just for the sake of saving €100 in getting your documents together again and sending them back out.

I hope you get somewhere really good after all this.

col89 · 20-07-2011 12:02AM

net86 wrote: »

They are 2 different things unfortunately:) You need a commissioner of oaths -generally a solicitor to notarise a copy of the original document (photocopy of degree for example).This is to just say that the copy is the exact same as the original. This cost me €10. You then need to being your notarised copies plus the original police certificate to the dept of foreign affairs and get them to stamp the documents - €20 per document. Absolute pain!!

Thanks for this!

I just went ahead and got the two documents I needed apostilled (i.e. sent to the DFA) - will this still be okay, or is it always generally necessary that copies are made of them first (or is the original for my own use only?)?

I really hope I didn't screw things up, or set myself back a few more weeks.

net86 · 20-07-2011 01:48AM

col89 wrote: »

Thanks for this!

I just went ahead and got the two documents I needed apostilled (i.e. sent to the DFA) - will this still be okay, or is it always generally necessary that copies are made of them first (or is the original for my own use only?)?

I really hope I didn't screw things up, or set myself back a few more weeks.

TBH I dont know if it is still correct if you did not get your degree notarised first. The originals are for your own use - the only original I used was my garda certificate. I had to get a notarised and apostilled copy of my degree and then just apostilled the certificate. That was what I was asked to do by my recruiter.

Maybe someone else on this site will know if that is still okay.
Sorry couldnt be of more help

dory · 20-07-2011 06:33AM

Can I just jump in here and ask, does anyone know any sites for ESL resources? I love Dave's Cafe but need more! Googling brings up a lot of crap.
Cheers

squeakyduck · 20-07-2011 08:08AM

cloneslad wrote: »

Was there really a job at all? Perhaps the recruiter wanted you to commit to them, and you've done that now by giving them all your documents!!

Don't let them bully you into takin a position you don't want, just for the sake of saving €100 in getting your documents together again and sending them back out.

I hope you get somewhere really good after all this.

Im not waiting around to get more docs. I was trying to hold out for a job like this..epic holidsys good pay....yhe novelty of actual hokidays! They are setting up an interview for an English village for me that has a set curriculum. So it might not be so bad!There are a few irish teachers there so it should be grand! l get somewhere

col89 · 20-07-2011 08:37AM

net86 wrote: »

TBH I dont know if it is still correct if you did not get your degree notarised first. The originals are for your own use - the only original I used was my garda certificate. I had to get a notarised and apostilled copy of my degree and then just apostilled the certificate. That was what I was asked to do by my recruiter.

Maybe someone else on this site will know if that is still okay.
Sorry couldnt be of more help

Thanks for your reply.

To be honest, for most of the recruiters I have applied with, I have rarely seen them mention getting the documents notarised but to have them apostilled. Unless it's possible to get the apostilled document notarised afterwards?

The amount of paperwork that is needed for this is crazy - my best friend helped to teach in Spain for a year and he didn't need any of this done! :eek:

col89 · 20-07-2011 10:30AM

col89 wrote: »

To be honest, for most of the recruiters I have applied with, I have rarely seen them mention getting the documents notarised but to have them apostilled. Unless it's possible to get the apostilled document notarised afterwards?

Just to further on this, I called the DFA and asked them about it and they said that I don't need to get the documents notarised, so I'm hoping that this stands. Also, I haven't received my degree yet because I only finished in May, and what the university issued me is an official statement that I am in the process of obtaining my degree in September, so for that reason I don't think it's necessary getting it notarised in this case because it's a 'temporary' document in a sense.

Maybe I'm completely off the mark with this one, but the consular at the DFA reassured me that I don't need either documents notarised, so hopefully he's right!

Galway1987 · 20-07-2011 11:00AM

col89, I also finished up in college in May and have since passed my interview with EPIK/SMOE and am waiting on placement details etc. Because I won't be receiving my actual degree scroll until September they asked me for a letter from the University stating the date of my expected graduation, which I sent them. Then the fella who is dealing with me for EPIK/SMOE asked me (after my documents were sent via DHL) for a letter stating

".........you have completed all the course work/requirements for your BA".

He said SMOE (Seoul only) now requires this letter for someone in my graduation situation. This is just a tip incase you are applying to Seoul too.

col89 · 20-07-2011 11:17AM

Galway1987 wrote: »

col89, I also finished up in college in May and have since passed my interview with EPIK/SMOE and am waiting on placement details etc. Because I won't be receiving my actual degree scroll until September they asked me for a letter from the University stating the date of my expected graduation, which I sent them. Then the fella who is dealing with me for EPIK/SMOE asked me (after my documents were sent via DHL) for a letter stating

".........you have completed all the course work/requirements for your BA".

He said SMOE (Seoul only) now requires this letter for someone in my graduation situation. This is just a tip incase you are applying to Seoul too.

Cheers for the heads up! That makes sense to me, so I'd say what I have at the moment should be sufficient for the school/recruiter.

Does anyone know what Yangsun, Busan is like? Is it close to the social areas, shops, beaches etc.? I'm being offered a position but they're telling me that they can fly me out straight away, even without my documents being finalized. Basically, I'll be a 'tourist' working in the school and still getting a wage, but I'll be made an official member of staff from the moment I get family to scan/send on my documents. Plus, they're saying that I have to go to Japan(!) for a day to sort out something with my visa, which I've never heard with any of my other recruiters. Can anyone tell me if this is the norm, and what the location is like? If I do take it, I'm hoping that the position is decent enough so I can travel around a bit and enjoy some of the nice spots around Busan.

Tefl in South Korea

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