Tefl in South Korea

squeakyduck · 25-03-2011 11:54am

Does everyone apply for EPIK through a recruiter? Or can you just do it by yourself?

kraggy · 25-03-2011 12:05pm

Hey guys,

Heading to Seoul in about 2 weeks.

Who did ye fly with? Etihad seem to be the cheapest but their luggage allowance is only 23kg.

What weight did ye carry over for a year? And how much was your ticket?

Also, anyone stay in a dorm for orientation with Epik? What sort of accommodation is it? Decent?

Thanks.

Ps To those of you who are working in public schools,

1. When in summer and winter is vacation?
2. When in summer and winter does desk-warming take place and for how long?

cloneslad · 25-03-2011 1:02pm

kraggy wrote: »

Hey guys,

Heading to Seoul in about 2 weeks.

Who did ye fly with? Etihad seem to be the cheapest but their luggage allowance is only 23kg.

What weight did ye carry over for a year?

Also, anyone stay in a dorm for orientation with Epik? What sort of accommodation is it? Decent?

Thanks.

I flew with Emirates, with stopovers in London and Dubai. They give you 30kg (the 1st leg of the flight is with Aer lingus and they honour the 30kg allowance, providing you don't book the flights seperately through each website or something like that ..I booked on expedia so it was the one ticket).

You can also take a carry on suitcase and a laptop bag, so you could easily bring over 40-45kg, depending what you squeeze into your hand luggage.

Don't bring over too much stuff, you won't need dvds or anything like that. I'd limit the amount of books I'd bring too as you'll be able to get more than enough of them in seoul.

shanem152 · 25-03-2011 1:38pm

I am applying for my position through i to i,

I have heard that Korea is great as it has surfing in the summer and skiing in the winter, this is what i want.

I love skiing and have tried surfin a few times and want to improve.

Can anyone tell me how true this is , and how easy it is to go surfing/skiing in South Korea?

trickydave · 25-03-2011 2:15pm

Bit of a strange one.

But Im going to SK in July and I am just wondering about the community, socially, I have heard that its quite good but my question is this;

I come from a small town in Limerick, and two other people have gone to South Korea from this town, theyre nice guys and all, but I dont want to go to SK just to hang out with these guys,

theyre in Busan, probably where Ill end up, so im wondering how small is the community, the population is like 3 million ,but I imagine the TEFL network is a lot smaller and would we be constantly bumping in to each other?

Should I change my chosen city to enrich my 'new' experience and truly have something or just go to Busan, as I hear its great , has the beach n all, and do i have anything to consider at all?

[some very poor english was used in this post. Maybe I should reconsider the whole idea :P]

cloneslad · 25-03-2011 3:49pm

shanem152 wrote: »

I am applying for my position through i to i,

I have heard that Korea is great as it has surfing in the summer and skiing in the winter, this is what i want.

I love skiing and have tried surfin a few times and want to improve.

Can anyone tell me how true this is , and how easy it is to go surfing/skiing in South Korea?

you can do both, but neither of them are great.

I don't know anyone who goes surfing, my island didn't get good enoughwaves for it as Japan shelters it for the most part. Windsurfing is popular enough, as is sailing. If you are close to the beach, then you'll find enough water based activities to keep you going.

As for skiing, it's more of a case of dodging people while going down the mountain than it is actually skiing. The ski resorts get majorly packed during ski season (as do the beaches in beach season).

cloneslad · 25-03-2011 3:55pm

trickydave wrote: »

Bit of a strange one.

But Im going to SK in July and I am just wondering about the community, socially, I have heard that its quite good but my question is this;

I come from a small town in Limerick, and two other people have gone to South Korea from this town, theyre nice guys and all, but I dont want to go to SK just to hang out with these guys,

theyre in Busan, probably where Ill end up, so im wondering how small is the community, the population is like 3 million ,but I imagine the TEFL network is a lot smaller and would we be constantly bumping in to each other?

Should I change my chosen city to enrich my 'new' experience and truly have something or just go to Busan, as I hear its great , has the beach n all, and do i have anything to consider at all?

[some very poor english was used in this post. Maybe I should reconsider the whole idea :P]

It's big enough to avoid them. There are thousands of ESL teachers in Busan, though there are only a few areas in which they tend to go out in, there are lots of pubs in each area to choose from. I'm sure if you go to the wolfhound in Haeundae (irish bar) you will run into them a bit though.

Don't change your city because ou don't want to socialise with people from back home. I come from a town of about 2,000 people in
Monaghan, and I am able to avoid people I don't want to socialise with when I'm home. An acknowledging hello, how are you, you enjoying it? 5 minute chat here and there will be enough to keep them sweet, keep you in the loop should anything fun happen that they may be able to get you in on while also allowing you to make new friends.

shanem152 · 25-03-2011 3:58pm

cloneslad wrote: »

you can do both, but neither of them are great.

I don't know anyone who goes surfing, my island didn't get good enoughwaves for it as Japan shelters it for the most part. Windsurfing is popular enough, as is sailing. If you are close to the beach, then you'll find enough water based activities to keep you going.

As for skiing, it's more of a case of dodging people while going down the mountain than it is actually skiing. The ski resorts get majorly packed during ski season (as do the beaches in beach season).

Thats disappointing to hear, but a great insight!

Skiing is probably as expensive an endeavor as it is over here so , i mgiht only get to try that once!

Cheers buddy

trickydave · 25-03-2011 4:08pm

cloneslad wrote: »

It's big enough to avoid them. There are thousands of ESL teachers in Busan, though there are only a few areas in which they tend to go out in, there are lots of pubs in each area to choose from. I'm sure if you go to the wolfhound in Haeundae (irish bar) you will run into them a bit though.

Don't change your city because ou don't want to socialise with people from back home. I come from a town of about 2,000 people in
Monaghan, and I am able to avoid people I don't want to socialise with when I'm home. An acknowledging hello, how are you, you enjoying it? 5 minute chat here and there will be enough to keep them sweet, keep you in the loop should anything fun happen that they may be able to get you in on while also allowing you to make new friends.

That is the perfect answer I was looking for.

Yeah I guess I was just worried Id get stuck in a rut with people i dont even choose to hang out with at home, but when you put it like that it does seem easy.

Thanks cloneslad!

ibbie · 25-03-2011 6:27pm

So long story short-

I got offered a really great teaching position in a University got all docs sorted and sent to them, got visa number, went to the embassy on Tues then when I got home emailed the professor to say that my visa will be back on Mon but of course they wanted me there this weekend so basically the job is gone and I cancelled the visa.

Now I read on Daves that I will have to wait 90 days before I can apply for a new E2. I rang the embassy to confirm this but they were so rude and basically said that the visa department in the Korean embassy can't answer that question!!!??

Anyone have any other ideas or can confirm that I will have to wait the 90 days. I was going to apply for epik now, do you think that if I do have to wait 90 days that it will affect my application?

Thanks

cloneslad · 25-03-2011 6:28pm

shanem152 wrote: »

Thats disappointing to hear, but a great insight!

Skiing is probably as expensive an endeavor as it is over here so , i mgiht only get to try that once!

Cheers buddy

It can be expensive but you can also get good day trip deals.

for example, I was able to get a bus to and from my bus station (which I live across the road from...it also picked up people at different locations around the island) brought to the ski resort in Muju (just over 2 hours away), got my snowboard and boots, a day's ski pass and a return bus home for 80,000won (about €50) It would have been slightly cheaper to do the trip but ski instead of snowboard.

However, if you just wanted to go by yourself for the weekend it can get expensive. Ski passes are 65,000 for the day time another 60,000 or so for night time skiing, then you'd have to pay 10-20,000 for boots and skis/board, pay for accomodation, food and transport.

cloneslad · 25-03-2011 6:35pm

ibbie wrote: »

So long story short-

I got offered a really great teaching position in a University got all docs sorted and sent to them, got visa number, went to the embassy on Tues then when I got home emailed the professor to say that my visa will be back on Mon but of course they wanted me there this weekend so basically the job is gone and I cancelled the visa.

Now I read on Daves that I will have to wait 90 days before I can apply for a new E2. I rang the embassy to confirm this but they were so rude and basically said that the visa department in the Korean embassy can't answer that question!!!??

Anyone have any other ideas or can confirm that I will have to wait the 90 days. I was going to apply for epik now, do you think that if I do have to wait 90 days that it will affect my application?

Thanks

first of all, it wasn't a really great position if they weren't willing to wait an extra 2-3 days for you. If that's how they start out then you don't want to work there full time.

As for your predicament, did you try cancelling the visa when you called the embassy? You could have asked them not to make it for you.

If you have it, then you have it and you must wait until its worth expires. I think you have 90 days to activate the visa and if you don't then it's void. So you'll have to ride out the 90 days.

You could, (in theory) travel to korea, activate the visa, then cancel it by leaving, but as far as I know you must submit your alien registration card to cancel it, and you won't have one as you don't have a job.

If you want to apply for the bulk EPIK hiring period then you'll be fine as they don't hire until August and your 90days will be up by then.

You will also have to get all your documents together again and get them all stamped by the relevant offices, unless your potential university employers can in someway get them all back to you, but that's doubtful as I'd imagine immigration has them now.

ibbie · 25-03-2011 6:43pm

cloneslad wrote: »

As for your predicament, did you try cancelling the visa when you called the embassy? You could have asked them not to make it for you.

If you have it, then you have it and you must wait until its worth expires. I think you have 90 days to activate the visa and if you don't then it's void. So you'll have to ride out the 90 days.

.

I rang on Wed to cancel it and I just pick up my passport today, but I can't get a straight answer from any Korean embassy official in person or on the phone. I think I might ring the DFA and see if they can find out for sure as I obviously don't want to go through the whole process and cost again for nothing.

I was told on Daves that if you have a visa confirmation number you will have to wait 90 days (till it expires) before you can apply for a new one (same is true if you already applied for and received a visa).

cloneslad · 25-03-2011 6:53pm

ibbie wrote: »

I rang on Wed to cancel it and I just pick up my passport today, but I can't get a straight answer from any Korean embassy official in person or on the phone. I think I might ring the DFA and see if they can find out for sure as I obviously don't want to go through the whole process and cost again for nothing.

You will have to incur the cost of gathering all your documents and getting them stamped again, you'll also have to incur the cost of sending them to Korea. It's an expensive process when the job fails to materialise. It's not often something like this happens. Usually you get let down before it's come this far and you don't have to pay for it financially.

Keep the chin up and get back out applying. Perhaps use a recruiter that way, they'll be sure you have a job before going through the process because they'll want their commission. (though I don't think even they could have seen this happening with the uni).

One of the other posters here, Kraggy, just got an EPIK position. they are still hiring, so there is every opportunity that you could be out in Korea in a few weeks. Just get your stuff together as soon as possible so you can be ready to send it over when a job comes along.

cloneslad · 25-03-2011 7:01pm

Just went on to daves to check who replied to you and it was Ttompatz. He used to work in the foreign help centre so he knows what he's talking about. I guess you'll have to wait the 90 days out.

But I'd still question it to the relevant offices to confirm it. There's no harm in trying.

ibbie · 25-03-2011 7:03pm

cloneslad wrote: »

however if it was Ttompatz who told you that then he's most likely right and I'm wrong[/B]

Yeah it was him, guess I 'll have to wait:(
Still tho how could the embassy not be able to answer that - so unhelpful

Thanks for the advice tho

shanem152 · 25-03-2011 7:43pm

cloneslad wrote: »

It can be expensive but you can also get good day trip deals.

for example, I was able to get a bus to and from my bus station (which I live across the road from...it also picked up people at different locations around the island) brought to the ski resort in Muju (just over 2 hours away), got my snowboard and boots, a day's ski pass and a return bus home for 80,000won (about €50) It would have been slightly cheaper to do the trip but ski instead of snowboard.

However, if you just wanted to go by yourself for the weekend it can get expensive. Ski passes are 65,000 for the day time another 60,000 or so for night time skiing, then you'd have to pay 10-20,000 for boots and skis/board, pay for accomodation, food and transport.

FIFTY EURO for a full day of skiing? that is sweet , and that includes all the gear and a bus to and from, that is great value!

Twixaroo · 25-03-2011 7:49pm

Hi there.. Lookin for some advice. I'm in the final year of my degree and very much interested in travelling to South Korea to do the TEFL as have heard good things about it and want to travel anyway. Should I do one of the TEFL courses before I travel? How does the actual teaching work? As in I don't speak any Korean, how do I explain myself to the students? How long does it take for the visa to come through? I should have my exam results around the start of July, would I need to apply straight away if I wished to head off in September say? What would one be looking at as regards pay roughly? Is there any particular areas to avoid when looking at jobs? What's the best way to go about finding a job, if you know of someone out there would you be better off trying to go through them or through a recruiter?

Lots of questions I know, sorry! If anyone could help me out I would be very grateful. Thanks!

cloneslad · 26-03-2011 3:54am

Twixaroo wrote: »

Hi there.. Lookin for some advice.

I'm guessing you haven't done any research when you've asked all those questions. Most have been answered in this thread (though it's quite long now). I'll help you anyway

I'm in the final year of my degree and very much interested in travelling to South Korea to do the TEFL as have heard good things about it and want to travel anyway. Should I do one of the TEFL courses before I travel?

It depends if you feel you need to do one or not. If you're going to a public school then it will improve your pay level, if you are going to a private school it MAY help your chances of finding a job.

It can help out with grammar you may have forgotten or never knew existed (this will happen quite regularly when you start teaching), it will also give you an idea of how to teach English as a second / foreign language.

As an aside, you won't get to do a lot of travel to other countries during your contract, so if you think you are coming to Korea to teach a few hours during the week but fly away to Thailand / Vietnam / Indonesia etc at the weekend or on the vast amount of holidays you'll receive as a teacher then you might want to think again. You work in Korea and get very few holidays, if you're in a private school (hagwon) you will be lucky to get 2 weeks off a year and even luckier if they are spaced out at a week at a time. Public schools generally get about 21 days vacation a year, these can be taken during the school's vacation time (jan-feb and July -Aug) with prior consent of the principal

How does the actual teaching work? s in I don't speak any Korean, how do I explain myself to the students?

I get asked this a lot, and all I can say is "in English". You build up their vocabulary so that they are able to communicate with you. It's not as hard as you think it will be. However, if you are honestly lost by how to do it then I'd suggest doing a good TEFL or CELTA course to help you through it.

Though speaking in Korean to the kids is not recommended by most schools, knowing the Korean name of a piece of vocabulary you are teaching or a grammar point (verb, idiom, adjective etc) can make explaining it much quicker. Then you can get them to give you examples of the grammar point of a synonmym of the word you've just taught them to ensure they understand.

How long does it take for the visa to come through?

Once you have been accepted for a job and have all your documents gathered, it takes about 2 days to send them to Korea, 1 week to get your visa number. Arrange an interview with the embassy in Ireland (they only interview 2 days a week) then it takes 5 working days to get the visa back from them.

If you don't know what documents you need, then that's a whole other question, but again, I'll answer it.

Degree scroll (Only a photcopy is needed and accepted since September 2010) this must be notarised by a commissioner of oathes and apostilled by the dept of foreign affairs.

Garda background check - This takes about 1-2 weeks to get. You only want the free check to say you haven't committed any crimes, you do not want the one that requires you to pay 6-7 euro for to apply to Thurles that states you can work with kids.

Health form (signed by you) - this can be downloaded from the internet

Passport photos - this doesn't need explaining

A copy of the information page of your passport

Transcripts of your results for every year in University - Since Sept 2010 these are no longer required by immigration to obtain a visa, however, some schools are still requesting them. When they were complusory to get a visa, they had to be placed in a sealed envelope with the stamp of your college / university placed over the seal.

When you get to korea you'll have to do a medical check and drugs test. If you have HIV / Hepatitis B (i think it's

then you will not be allowed to teach. If you fail the drugs test, you will not be allowed to teach. You will also be asked to leave the country on your own expense.

I should have my exam results around the start of July, would I need to apply straight away if I wished to head off in September say?

you need your degree scroll. If you don't have that then I think you can get a letter from the university saying you have passed the course etc etc, but these can be a pain to obtain. If you are in an I.T. and are doing an add on honours degree (to an original bachelors degree) then you can use the ordinary bachelors degree to get a job.

Have all your documents ready to go before you start applying for joba, or at least be in the process of getting them, Koreans hire when they want someone yesterday, so they don't want to wait for you to get your documents which will mean 1 month for them to get a teacher.

What would one be looking at as regards pay roughly?

Depends on your qualifications, public / private school, the location of the school, the hours you teach, how generous the school feels, what you can haggle.

In general, for someone like you who will only be holding a degree, no TEFL, CELTA, no masters, no experience then a public school job will offer you in the region of 1.8 million per month as you will be on the lowest rung of the ladder (if you can get on the ladder at all).

Private schools (hagwons) pay more than public schools but you have the potential risk of having a crap boss, being overworked, not gettin paid on time or at all and then getting fired towards the end of your contract to avoid paying your airfare home and severance (this doesn't happen often, but it does occur). Hagwons will pay anywhere between 2.0-2.4 million for someone with your qualifications, though to be honest if you get offered anything more than 2.2 you'll be doing well.

Is there any particular areas to avoid when looking at jobs?

That all depends on you, if you like cities, avoid the country and vice-versa. You generally won't be applying to an area, rather to a recruiter so they will try place you somewhere and it's up for you to decide (through research) whether or not you want to go there.

What's the best way to go about finding a job, if you know of someone out there would you be better off trying to go through them or through a recruiter?

Does the person you know have any jobs they can get you? If they do, and the job is good, then use them. If the person you know has no contacts, no potential jobs etc then they are of no use to you. Most people use recruiters as it's recruiters who advertise most jobs online, but some apply directly to ads that have been placed by schools.

Look on Daves esl's jobs pages. / Craigslist and anywhere else jobs are advertised to find one.

I think you could honestly do with looking more into this and deciding if it's really what you want. It's good to ask questions and get them answered, and most of us in here are only to happy to do it, but most of your questions could have been answered with an hour or two of reading through this thread / daves esl or to make it easier, through a google search to bring up the page of this thread or a thread on daves esl that would answer your questions.

I think most of the basic questions you need answering have now been answered, so if you have anymore questions, feel free to ask.

cloneslad · 26-03-2011 4:01am

shanem152 wrote: »

FIFTY EURO for a full day of skiing? that is sweet , and that includes all the gear and a bus to and from, that is great value!

It doesn't include clothing, though you can rent that there and you can pick up some ski pants in any of the small markets for about 10,000 won.

Twixaroo · 26-03-2011 1:02pm

Thanks cloneslad really appreciate you taking the time to answer these questions. I have done a fair bit of research, have met with the college career guidance. I know it won't be possible to do any real travel when teaching there, I meant that it is a place I would like to visit at some point so why not now.

I know of a few friends of friends kind of if you get me over there so hoping they might be able to help me out with finding some work. I think from what you said I might be as well off doing some kind of course to brush up on the grammar and the likes. Is there any course in particular you think would be well suited for me? I don't really plan on doing this as a full time career just maybe for 4 or 5 years, in different locations hopefully, if that makes any difference to the type of course I should be considering?

Thanks again for all your help, you're a star!

cloneslad · 26-03-2011 2:33pm

you can't go too far wrong with a CELTA. It's a proper recognised course than runs over the course of a month or so. It's quite demanding in both time and effort. It is also mosre expensive than just doing a TEFL course, but if you plan on teaching ESL for 4-5 years it will more than pay for itself, in fact it will pay for itself in less than 1 year in a Korean public school with the pay rise you'd get from it.

If you are only considering doing an online TEFL course, I'd advise you not to bother wasting your money. Instead, just head to your local library and borrow some grammar books or ESL books. If you have no good library near you, you could just find some resources online and teach yourself.

Using online resources also helps you when you are teaching. I find it helps me explain harder grammatical points and topics in a much easier way than if I just tried to do it without reading up on it first.

livinginkorea · 26-03-2011 3:27pm

Jayus Cloneslad you are on fire tonight!

Slow weekend I guess?

cloneslad · 26-03-2011 4:30pm

Pi$$ing it down in Vietnam, I'm in a quiet beach area so I've nothing else to be at. I was supposed to be relaxing on a beach until Tuesday but I'm leaving tomorrow because it's supposed to be raining all week.

I'm as white as when I left, if it carries on like this, I'm gonna skip the Taj Mahal and find a hotel in India with a pool on the roof.

livinginkorea · 26-03-2011 6:45pm

Grand for some!

Twixaroo · 27-03-2011 11:08pm

cloneslad wrote: »

you can't go too far wrong with a CELTA. It's a proper recognised course than runs over the course of a month or so. It's quite demanding in both time and effort. It is also mosre expensive than just doing a TEFL course, but if you plan on teaching ESL for 4-5 years it will more than pay for itself, in fact it will pay for itself in less than 1 year in a Korean public school with the pay rise you'd get from it.

If you are only considering doing an online TEFL course, I'd advise you not to bother wasting your money. Instead, just head to your local library and borrow some grammar books or ESL books. If you have no good library near you, you could just find some resources online and teach yourself.

Using online resources also helps you when you are teaching. I find it helps me explain harder grammatical points and topics in a much easier way than if I just tried to do it without reading up on it first.

Thanks a mill Cloneslad, much appreciated!

catweasel10 · 28-03-2011 2:23am

Hey,

brilliant thread...I'm hoping to head out to SK in the next few months, and have been put off a bit by the postings on Dave's, so it's really good to hear some positive reports! Just hoping that someone could clarify a few things for me, please? I'm from the South, but I live in NI, and my degree's from here. I assume I'll have to get it notarised here, but can i get it apostillated in Dublin? Also, does anyone know what kind of check I need to get from the PSNI, and where this can be apostillated? Will I need a Garda check too? This is probably a stupid question, but can I have my interview in Dublin, or will I have to go to London for it?

Cheers!

cloneslad · 28-03-2011 3:14am

catweasel10 wrote: »

Hey,

brilliant thread...I'm hoping to head out to SK in the next few months, and have been put off a bit by the postings on Dave's, so it's really good to hear some positive reports! Just hoping that someone could clarify a few things for me, please? I'm from the South, but I live in NI, and my degree's from here. I assume I'll have to get it notarised here, but can i get it apostillated in Dublin? Also, does anyone know what kind of check I need to get from the PSNI, and where this can be apostillated? Will I need a Garda check too? This is probably a stupid question, but can I have my interview in Dublin, or will I have to go to London for it?

Cheers!

you will be able to get everything done in Dublin, you have an Irish passport and are an Irish citizen. My friend only had a great britian and N. Ireland passport but he was able to get all his documents and things like that done in Dublin, as it's still the Embassy of the island.

As for the PSNI check, it might be easier to just get the Gardaí check. If you've only lived in N. Ireland for a few years at college, just give the gardaí your home address, if it's still in their jurisdicyion, they'll sort it for you. I did my masters in Belfast but I didn't bother getting a PSNI check.

Undercover Brother · 28-03-2011 8:52am

catweasel10 wrote: »

Hey,

brilliant thread...I'm hoping to head out to SK in the next few months, and have been put off a bit by the postings on Dave's, so it's really good to hear some positive reports! Just hoping that someone could clarify a few things for me, please? I'm from the South, but I live in NI, and my degree's from here. I assume I'll have to get it notarised here, but can i get it apostillated in Dublin? Also, does anyone know what kind of check I need to get from the PSNI, and where this can be apostillated? Will I need a Garda check too? This is probably a stupid question, but can I have my interview in Dublin, or will I have to go to London for it?

Cheers!

Whatever you do, don't get a PSNI check. As Cloneslad has said you will probably be able to get just Garda check anyway as you're from the south but even if you had always lived in the north the PSNI check is useless. I'm from the north, and I got the PSNI check only to then be told that is irrelevant, the only criminal check accepted for Britain and N.I is from a company called Disclosure Scotland as it is a nationwide check.

virmilitaris · 28-03-2011 9:31am

cloneslad wrote: »

It can be expensive but you can also get good day trip deals.

for example, I was able to get a bus to and from my bus station (which I live across the road from...it also picked up people at different locations around the island) brought to the ski resort in Muju (just over 2 hours away), got my snowboard and boots, a day's ski pass and a return bus home for 80,000won (about €50) It would have been slightly cheaper to do the trip but ski instead of snowboard.

Lads I'm not been smart but it's available for much much cheaper if you plan it right.

First thing I'll say is avoid 'English' travel agents / tour operators / ski trip etc planners like the plague. They are robbing you blind make no mistake about it.

Second thing I'll say is get a Korean to do it / help you do it (unless you speak the lingo of course). The basic price for 5-6 hours snowboarding + renting the gear should not be more than 60 - 70,00 and that's without any of the discounts readily available.

Third thing I'll say is get on to some of the Korean e-commerce sites such as GMarket. They always have coupons available for everything which will take anything from 20 to 40% off the basic price. I've never paid more than 40,000 to go snowboarding and thats for everything.

And lastly if you have a Korean mate or you can get it yourself, get a point card. Just by using a particular kind of credit card you can get up to 40% off.

kraggy · 28-03-2011 12:22pm

Hi guys some more questions:

For a public school...
1. When in summer and winter is vacation? Do you have to take your leave on specific dates or do you pick your own dates within a certain timeframe?

My understanding is that the students are on holidays for a few weeks but that Foreign Teachers have to stay in the school desk-warming and can decide when during that timeframe they take their 2 weeks off. Is that correct?

2. My agency advised taking my original degree with me. Did you bring yours?

3. When does each semester actually start? I know the beginning of March is the start of one of them, but when do the others start?

4. What airlines did ye fly with and what baggage allowance did they allow?

5. Working for EPIK, should I bring a suit? Are there occasions that it might be needed?

6. Lesson Planning in an EPIK School: Do you have to do a lesson plan for each individual lesson?

Waiting on visa package to come back from Korea as they'll be getting my docs tomorrow. So I think I'll be leaving in around 2 weeks.

7. Looking forward to it but trying to figure out what I'm missing. I've a feeling I might be missing obvious items.

What are the absolute necessities?

Thanks!

cloneslad · 28-03-2011 12:48pm

virmilitaris wrote: »

Lads I'm not been smart but it's available for much much cheaper if you plan it right.

First thing I'll say is avoid 'English' travel agents / tour operators / ski trip etc planners like the plague. They are robbing you blind make no mistake about it.

Second thing I'll say is get a Korean to do it / help you do it (unless you speak the lingo of course). The basic price for 5-6 hours snowboarding + renting the gear should not be more than 60 - 70,00 and that's without any of the discounts readily available.

Third thing I'll say is get on to some of the Korean e-commerce sites such as GMarket. They always have coupons available for everything which will take anything from 20 to 40% off the basic price. I've never paid more than 40,000 to go snowboarding and thats for everything.

And lastly if you have a Korean mate or you can get it yourself, get a point card. Just by using a particular kind of credit card you can get up to 40% off.

Mine was booked by a Korean. One of my co-workers and our principal organised it. It's as cheap as you'd get down here for it. The bus itself would usually cost about 40,000won return to Muju before you do anything there.

Geoje is much more expensive than the larger cities. There is pretty much zero unemployment thanks to the Samsung and Daewoo shipyards. Being a smaller place like Geoje also means you have less competition trying to sell you a trip, so you take what you can get.

virmilitaris · 28-03-2011 12:51pm

cloneslad wrote: »

Mine was booked by a Korean. One of my co-workers and our principal organised it. It's as cheap as you'd get down here for it. The bus itself would usually cost about 40,000won return to Muju before you do anything there.

Sorry man keep forgetting you're not in Seoul.

cloneslad · 28-03-2011 1:03pm

kraggy wrote: »

Hi guys some more questions:

For a public school...
1. When in summer and winter is vacation? Do you have to take your leave on specific dates or do you pick your own dates within a certain timeframe?

My understanding is that the students are on holidays for a few weeks but that Foreign Teachers have to stay in the school desk-warming and can decide when during that timeframe they take their 2 weeks off. Is that correct?

You are pretty much correct. The kids get about 6 weeks off and you get to take your holidays sometime between that period. Not all schools make you deskwarm, though it does seem like it is becoming the norm these days.

2. My agency advised taking my original degree with me. Did you bring yours?

You won't need it. They have a copy and immigration doesn't accept the original. You can take it, but it will be a hassle to carry it over and then you have to worry about losing / destroying it.

3. When does each semester actually start? I know the beginning of March is the start of one of them, but when do the others start?

The beginning of March is the start of the new school year, when kids move up a grade. They get their summer breaks near the end of July and then go back again at the end of August / start of september.

I can only speak for my area, but it's strange how they work it. The kids might get their breaks from the end of december until the middle of february, go back to school for a week, then change grade. This seems pretty pointless, especially for those moving from elementary to middle school or middle school to high school.
4. What airlines did ye fly with and what baggage allowance did they allow?

5. Working for EPIK, should I bring a suit? Are there occasions that it might be needed?

I don't teach public, but I'd definitely suggest taking shirts, smart pants and perhaps a few ties. Not sure if you'll ever need a suit though.

6. Lesson Planning in an EPIK School: Do you have to do a lesson plan for each individual lesson?

Not sure.

Looking forward to it but trying to figure out what I'm missing. I've a feeling I might be missing obvious items.

What are the absolute necessities?

Thanks!

Brown sauce.

some spices to add to the vast amount of chicken you are going to end up cooking because beef is stupidly priced.

If you like tea, bring some of that again it's crazy expensive.

You won't need any dvds / cds or anything like that. Download everything, torrents will become your life.

A towel, you'll need to shower as soon as your arrive to help make yourself feel better.

Colgate, it's hard to find, though toothpaste in itself is easily purchased at a cheap enough price.

One for the guys

condoms, I know your g.f is going to come out to you after a short while so I guess she could bring them. You don't want to try korean ones, they aren't comfortable at all, in fact it's one sure way to stop the blood circulating down there.

cloneslad · 28-03-2011 1:04pm

virmilitaris wrote: »

Sorry man keep forgetting you're not in Seoul.

I'm not even in Korea anymore

kraggy · 28-03-2011 1:28pm

cloneslad wrote: »

You are pretty much correct. The kids get about 6 weeks off and you get to take your holidays sometime between that period. Not all schools make you deskwarm, though it does seem like it is becoming the norm these days.

You won't need it. They have a copy and immigration doesn't accept the original. You can take it, but it will be a hassle to carry it over and then you have to worry about losing / destroying it.

The beginning of March is the start of the new school year, when kids move up a grade. They get their summer breaks near the end of July and then go back again at the end of August / start of september.

I can only speak for my area, but it's strange how they work it. The kids might get their breaks from the end of december until the middle of february, go back to school for a week, then change grade. This seems pretty pointless, especially for those moving from elementary to middle school or middle school to high school.
4. What airlines did ye fly with and what baggage allowance did they allow?

I don't teach public, but I'd definitely suggest taking shirts, smart pants and perhaps a few ties. Not sure if you'll ever need a suit though.

Not sure.

Brown sauce.

some spices to add to the vast amount of chicken you are going to end up cooking because beef is stupidly priced.

If you like tea, bring some of that again it's crazy expensive.

You won't need any dvds / cds or anything like that. Download everything, torrents will become your life.

A towel, you'll need to shower as soon as your arrive to help make yourself feel better.

Colgate, it's hard to find, though toothpaste in itself is easily purchased at a cheap enough price.

One for the guys
condoms, I know your g.f is going to come out to you after a short while so I guess she could bring them. You don't want to try korean ones, they aren't comfortable at all, in fact it's one sure way to stop the blood circulating down there.

Thanks Clonesland. That clears a lot up.

Just supposing one gets appointed to a school that doesn't make you desk-warm, does that mean that you'd get the 6 weeks off?

Also, my best friend's wedding is on around the 18th August, do you reckon it would be possible to make it? i.e does the 2nd semester start at the VERY end of August?

And is the winter vacation the same i.e you decide which 2 weeks you want withing the several weeks the kids are off?

I'm definitely bringing as many tea bags as I can. Love me tae!

Finally, with a salary of 2 million, what would that work out at net per month, after tax, medical, pension?

And in Seoul, how much of that would it be possible to save (assuming one night out per week) and a trip to the cinema 1 or 2 times per week.

Thanks again

SpatialPlanning · 28-03-2011 1:41pm

kraggy wrote: »

Hi guys some more questions:

2. My agency advised taking my original degree with me. Did you bring yours?

3. When does each semester actually start? I know the beginning of March is the start of one of them, but when do the others start?

4. What airlines did ye fly with and what baggage allowance did they allow?

5. Working for EPIK, should I bring a suit? Are there occasions that it might be needed?

6. Lesson Planning in an EPIK School: Do you have to do a lesson plan for each individual lesson?

Waiting on visa package to come back from Korea as they'll be getting my docs tomorrow. So I think I'll be leaving in around 2 weeks.

7. Looking forward to it but trying to figure out what I'm missing. I've a feeling I might be missing obvious items.

What are the absolute necessities?

Thanks!

Cloneslad answered most of them.

4. I flew with Emirates and was allowed 30KG. But, stupidly, I flew from London and got a Ryanair flight over which I could only take 20KG on...

5. You will probably never need a suit but it's handy to have just in case. Public schools are pretty lax in general about the dress code. I could (but I don't) wear tracksuit bottoms and a GAA jersey if I wanted and nobody would say anything. I stick to jeans/trousers and a shirt/jumper for the most part.

6. Every school varies when it comes to lesson planning. If you are in a big school then you might only need to make 2 lesson plans per week and just repeat them with each class. If you get a small school, like me, you might have anywhere between 10-20 of them (I come in at around 17 because I teach 7 different grades and most of it is after school)! It's the luck of the draw. It will depend on the size of your school, number of native teachers (usually only 1) and number of grades you teach...

The best part is - you wont find out until you get here! :pac:

7. iPod, shoes/runners/football boots if you have big feet..

kraggy · 28-03-2011 1:56pm

SpatialPlanning wrote: »

Cloneslad answered most of them.

4. I flew with Emirates and was allowed 30KG. But, stupidly, I flew from London and got a Ryanair flight over which I could only take 20KG on...

5. You will probably never need a suit but it's handy to have just in case. Public schools are pretty lax in general about the dress code. I could (but I don't) wear tracksuit bottoms and a GAA jersey if I wanted and nobody would say anything. I stick to jeans/trousers and a shirt/jumper for the most part.

6. Every school varies when it comes to lesson planning. If you are in a big school then you might only need to make 2 lesson plans per week and just repeat them with each class. If you get a small school, like me, you might have anywhere between 10-20 of them (I come in at around 17 because I teach 7 different grades and most of it is after school)! It's the luck of the draw. It will depend on the size of your school, number of native teachers (usually only 1) and number of grades you teach...

The best part is - you wont find out until you get here! :pac:

7. iPod, shoes/runners/football boots if you have big feet..

Thanks SP.

Could you get away with wearing runners at school? I don't mean sporty, running shoes, but smarter runners. jeans and t-shirt?

Where do you get time to write all them lesson plans? Do you have to do them at home in the evening? I'm just wondering as the lesson plans I have done here in Ireland as a Primary Teacher are detailed enough and to have to do up to 20 of them a week over there suggests to me that there wouldn't be enough time at school to get them done.

Looking at flights at the moment but going to have to ring the airlines and ask them what's the deal with bringing a hurl and guitar. Would that be included in the baggage allowance I wonder. I'll ring them anyway.

What's the net pay SP? I know that you're with EPIk so I'm presuming you're on the standard salary?

livinginkorea · 28-03-2011 3:40pm

I don't know if anybody has said it yet but deodorant is pretty hard to come by even in the cities (usually Homeplus, i.e. TESCO but they don't always have it). Especially with the summer approaching you will certainly need it. Bring the roll-on ones, don't think the sprays would be allowed on the plane.

Other have mentioned shoes, tea, spices, etc but there are becoming more and more available in Korea via in store or online.

About contraception, Korea does not require a doctor's subscription to purchase the pill (unlike Ireland) and it is available over the counter (one or two are not but most of them are OTC). Other medicines is readily available here except for Calpol, which I know will upset some people

kraggy · 28-03-2011 3:53pm

Is it hard to find size 9's in footwear? Are shoes/runners expensive?

livinginkorea · 28-03-2011 3:54pm

kraggy wrote: »

Thanks SP.

Could you get away with wearing runners at school? I don't mean sporty, running shoes, but smarter runners. jeans and t-shirt?

Where do you get time to write all them lesson plans? Do you have to do them at home in the evening? I'm just wondering as the lesson plans I have done here in Ireland as a Primary Teacher are detailed enough and to have to do up to 20 of them a week over there suggests to me that there wouldn't be enough time at school to get them done.

Looking at flights at the moment but going to have to ring the airlines and ask them what's the deal with bringing a hurl and guitar. Would that be included in the baggage allowance I wonder. I'll ring them anyway.

What's the net pay SP? I know that you're with EPIk so I'm presuming you're on the standard salary?

A lot of public schools use slippers so you can buy a pair when you get here (probably the school will have a good few pairs around for visitors so you could use those).

In the public schools it would be best to be semi-casual. Your contract will have more specific details on this. I generally used to wear a nice shirt and pants and kept a jacket and tie(s) in the office for special occasions. You will be amazed by how many times you will have to put on a tie (photos, special meeting by the educational supervisor, open classes, etc) and your co-teacher will have forgotten to tell you so it is BEST to have one ready. Appearance is very important in Korea. Remember that you are representing the 'western world' in your class so dress smartly for it! :P

You would not have to develop many lesson plans per week, of course it depends on the school but you will be teaching the same lesson a couple of times. For me, when I was in GEPIK, it was one lesson per day - basically one lesson per grade taught 4 times a day.

I assume that your contract would have the basic pay outlined already and that you will be on the scale. A quick search for GEPIK got me this:

http://www.teachaway.com/content/public-schools-gepik

Here is EPIK:

http://www.teachaway.com/?q=node/11

I used to be on 2.0 back in the day which was 100 hour cert., with one year teaching experience but naturally they have changed it a lot during that time. Once you know your number on the scale then you will have a better idea. Make sure you bring your documents with you too to prove that you took those TEFL courses (if you did).

livinginkorea · 28-03-2011 4:01pm

kraggy wrote: »

Is it hard to find size 9's in footwear? Are shoes/runners expensive?

I can't remember what size 9 is but I think I was 11 or 12 back in Ireland. It's all cm here. Seriously Korean guys (people in general) are a lot taller than before. I have one undergrad class and nearly half of them are easily my size (6 foot). I never had trouble getting shoes in Korea. It will probably depend where you are but a trip to one of the bigger cities/towns should help you out. Two pairs of shoes should be enough for the plane (one for work/one for play) and you can buy shoes here (hiking, football, running, etc). Certainly a lot cheaper than Ireland, especially if you use decent Korean brands. You will be surprised by how decent some of the Korean clothes / brands are here (I still have my pair of hiking shoes, over 7 years old). When it comes to clothes Koreans definitely do a good job once you spend a little money (i.e. the clothes come from Korea, not China).

kraggy · 28-03-2011 4:07pm

Thanks LivinginKorea.

Great info as always.

I'm going to be on 2 million per month. Probably about 1.8 million net?

livinginkorea · 28-03-2011 4:12pm

kraggy wrote: »

Thanks LivinginKorea.

Great info as always.

I'm going to be on 2 million per month. Probably about 1.8 million net?

I think 1.7~1.8 would be more realistic but don't you have to pay some sort of deposit for housing for the first couple of months? Will the school be paying your bills (electricity, gas, water, cable, mobile, internet, etc)?

SpatialPlanning · 28-03-2011 4:18pm

Could you get away with wearing runners at school? I don't mean sporty, running shoes, but smarter runners. jeans and t-shirt?

The way it works in my school - we wear slippers in the classroom so my shoes spend all day in my locker anyway! Don't know about other places, I'm in an elementary school. Yeah, smart runners should be grand. You'll be able to suss it out after the first day anyway..

Where do you get time to write all them lesson plans? Do you have to do them at home in the evening? I'm just wondering as the lesson plans I have done here in Ireland as a Primary Teacher are detailed enough and to have to do up to 20 of them a week over there suggests to me that there wouldn't be enough time at school to get them done.

Well, last semester, waygook.org was a life saver! Any lesson plan you will ever want is on there if you spend enough time looking. I don't know anyone else who has to do as many as me though. The lesson plans themselves don't have to be that detailed. All the co-teacher wants to see it a basic outline. 2 or 3 activities to go with the general theme of the lesson will do. In the beginning, I wrote detailed plans but that changed pretty quick. I have 22 classes and 18 free periods so there is more than enough time to get it done if you set your mind to it and stay off facebook!:D You will rarely, if ever, have to take work home with you.. If you are used to writing them from home then you will have no trouble whatsoever.

Looking at flights at the moment but going to have to ring the airlines and ask them what's the deal with bringing a hurl and guitar. Would that be included in the baggage allowance I wonder. I'll ring them anyway.

Yeah, ring them up and they'll tell you. You can pick up a basic guitar out here for about 140,000-160,000, so about 100 euro. I know a few people who brought theirs over with them too..

What's the net pay SP? I know that you're with EPIk so I'm presuming you're on the standard salary?

Yeah, bottom of the ladder in Busan is 1.8million. Then it goes up with qualifications and experience. I'm on 2.1 (2.0 base with 100,000 for teaching in a rural location) and my net pay works out at 1.85ish after tax/ins/school lunches...

cloneslad · 28-03-2011 4:26pm

kraggy wrote: »

Thanks Clonesland. That clears a lot up.

Just supposing one gets appointed to a school that doesn't make you desk-warm, does that mean that you'd get the 6 weeks off?

You may not have to desk warm (in the sit around do nothing sort of way) but there is a good chance the school will run some summer / winter camps during this vacation time and you will have to teach in them. You don't get bonus pay for these as they tend to fall within your normal working hours.

If you don't have any of that to do and your principal doesn't mind you not coming in and EPIK are okay with that too, then yes, I'd imagine you can just have the 6 weeks off, though you may be limited to the amount of time you can spend outside the country during those 6 weeks off.

I say that because my mate's school gave him 4 weeks off at winter but he was only allowed to spend 3 weeks of that out of country as the school board told the principal that it would void his contract or something like that. Apparently he should have been desk warming but he gets on with the principal so he didn't have to desk warm when there was no camp on, but to get around this and the whoever is over him (GEPIK, EPIK etc) they had to have him back in country for the week he should have been in sitting on his ass doing nothing.

Also, my best friend's wedding is on around the 18th August, do you reckon it would be possible to make it? i.e does the 2nd semester start at the VERY end of August?

It starts around the end of August, I think our lot went back to school on August 30th last year. You would be able to make the wedding no Problem, especially if you went home a week or week and a half before it and came back whatever time you had left after it. Flights will be very expensive around that time though and you would really need to be booking sometime around now to get any decent price. You'll be looking at over a grand for return flights.

And is the winter vacation the same i.e you decide which 2 weeks you want withing the several weeks the kids are off?

Same as summer

I'm definitely bringing as many tea bags as I can. Love me tae!

So does my g.f, she brought over a big bag of 700 or something like that and then her mum sent her over another one of them halfway through the year. She was drinking them on her own too, cos I can't stand the stuff.

Finally, with a salary of 2 million, what would that work out at net per month, after tax, medical, pension?

Pension is 4.5% and Medical for 2011 is 2.82% so for your 2million that's

P and I = W90,000 + W56,400 = W146,400

Tax - this is an interesting one for hagwon workers as a lot pay 3.3%, which is what a private contractor should pay, not an employee of a company, which is what an E2 holder is. I think you should pay something along the lines of 1.4%.

If you are a hagwon worker reading this and you are paying 3.3%, you are being screwed over, at least make sure with the tax department that your total deduction is making its way to them so you can claim a refund, rather than lining your bosses pocket.

As a public school teacher you can also be exempt from paying tax for the first 2 years, but you will have to get provide information from the Irish tax authority to show that you've informed them of it (or something like that), It doesn't make sense to do this as you will most likely have to pay tax on your earnings on the Irish tax band when you come home which yould be up at 20% or whatever the hell our tax bracket is. I know I'd rather pay 1.4% myself.

Tax = 28,000

You may also have to pay a residence tax, not sure if this is only for someone who has been in Korea more than 12 months though. In any case, it's only about 3,000 or 4,000 (from memory).

Total deductions: W146,400 + 28,000 + 3,500 (average) = W177,900 (give or take a few thousand)

so your total net income will be: W1,822,100

And in Seoul, how much of that would it be possible to save (assuming one night out per week) and a trip to the cinema 1 or 2 times per week.

Cinema is quite cheap, about 8,000 - 10,000 won or so for a movie, double that for a 3D movie. Then it all depends what you want to spend while out on Saturday night.

You could easily save 1million per month, probably not for the first month or two though, they are always the most expensive.

even if you saved 600k per month for the first 2 and then 1million for the next 9 that would give you 10,200,000won. Then for your 12th month you would spend very little of it, just really paying your last month's bills. So you'd get your W1,822,100 salary, minus 150k or so for leaving expenses plus your contract bonus month wages / severance pay (which is pension and insurance free) so W1,972,000.

Public school teachers also get a 1.3million exit allowance to cover the cost of their flight, assuming you just spent this on your flight, I won't add it to your savings.

So for the year you could save about W14million won. This is a very realistic target to reach, one of my friends in my school (though earning 2.2million) was able to save pretty much that amount and he drank 2-3 nights a week until the early hours, went to mongolia and Japan, did a 4 day stint skiing in Muju, and was pretty useless with money.

Where do you get time to write all them lesson plans? Do you have to do them at home in the evening? I'm just wondering as the lesson plans I have done here in Ireland as a Primary Teacher are detailed enough and to have to do up to 20 of them a week over there suggests to me that there wouldn't be enough time at school to get them done.

I don't think they have to be as detailed and I think you can find a lot of lesson plans online, as far as I know. I don't have to make lesson plans but I've seen and heard people taking about grabbing them from different sites.

Looking at flights at the moment but going to have to ring the airlines and ask them what's the deal with bringing a hurl and guitar. Would that be included in the baggage allowance I wonder. I'll ring them anyway.

Not sure about the Hurl. Seeing as your starting the trip in Ireland, they must have previous dealings of allowing people to take them with them. you can actually pick up guitars easily enough in Korea. I think I'd leave it behind if I was you, then if you go travelling next year, you'll not have to worry about carrying it/ shipping it home or having to sell a guitar you really like.

kraggy · 28-03-2011 4:27pm

livinginkorea wrote: »

I think 1.7~1.8 would be more realistic but don't you have to pay some sort of deposit for housing for the first couple of months? Will the school be paying your bills (electricity, gas, water, cable, mobile, internet, etc)?

Yeah, think it's 300,000 each month for the first 3 months.

How much of 1.7 would be needed to live on per month? Could you get by on 800,000?

(I'll be in Seoul).

Thanks for all the help guys. Heading over in 2 weeks so trying to get as much knowledge and organising done this week as possible.

Edit: Posted this before I saw Cloneslad's info on savings above. Thanks guys.

cloneslad · 28-03-2011 4:34pm

size 9 shoe in Korea is 280. I know this because it's my size.

I bought quite a few pairs of asics while in Korea. These were all for running, not casual wear. The last pair I bought cost me 140k.

I bought a pair of adidas football boots, you can get lots of different types but I got short rubber blades for playing on astroturf. They set me back 120k. The damn things busted on my right foot after about 8-9 wears, but I persisted with them our of ignorance and used to tape them up. Another one of the lads bought the exact same type (different colour) at the same time in the same store and his never had a problem....príck

You can get a pair of converse shoes for about 40k or so.

Everywhere will have a size 9, it was at the higher end of the shoe market a few years ago, but most places are going up to size 11 now.

cloneslad · 28-03-2011 4:36pm

oh, and if it ever stops raining here, I'm not helping anyone until I get back to Ireland.

kraggy · 28-03-2011 4:38pm

It will stop soon. Never lasts more than 2 or 3 days there.

Go for a swim in the sea anyway. It's nice to go swimming in the rain.

Tefl in South Korea

Comments