 La Vagabonda - Jenni Jen | All Comments |
Comments | |
| 31st October 2009 Jenni Jen | re: carl -- BCLAD credential - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Hi carl, To be frank, your questions are out of my league. I am not familiar with professional teacher qualifications in the U.S. or what you mean by a self-contained classroom. Do you mean you want to teach at an international school? There are probably not THAT many opportunities for that. I know there are school on the U.S. army base and Seoul International School but not really much about them. ESL schools generally have their own materials they want you to use to teach from, though supplementary activities generally can be helpful for you. However, most of these can be acquired online so you don't have to bring anything with you, I'd say. |
| 31st October 2009 Jenni Jen | re: tori -- kids - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog I don't really know that many people who brought kids with them but know a number, myself included, who had kids there. There is an international school (probably more than 1) in Seoul where diplomats' kids tend to go, but I really don't know much about this. See previous comments if you are interested in the race issue. |
| 31st October 2009 Jenni Jen | re: rose -- kyopos - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Hi Rose, Korean Americans are actually sought after by many companies specifically, so don't worry about not finding work. If you are going with a public school I'd actually recommend NOT going with placement agencies as they can be scammers, if you are worried about not getting paid and having everything stable. Lots of time they work with afterschool programs that require you to travel to multiple locations, which can significantly add to your time as you have to commute quite a long ways from your home. I wouldn't worry about going into debt. If your job turns out totally horrible, there are always other options out there! |
| 31st October 2009 Jenni Jen | re: clay -- taxes - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Hi clay, No actually you get a kind of visa waiver from the U.S. for income under something like 70,000 dollars, can't remember exactly what it is, but you could call a tax accountant and find out if you want to know the exact amount. |
| 31st October 2009 Jenni Jen | re:bill - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog I haven't really had much interaction with older teachers in Korea, but I know a few. Yes you would need a visa still which would require you to get a visa-granting job, i.e. more than just tutoring generally. Unless you just live with your inlaws on a tourist visa and tutor illegally, or if they are your in laws perhaps you are privy to a different visa through your wife which would allow you a much easier status! check the korean embassy for your options. |
| 27th October 2009 jay | Hi - From: 1000 Kilometers Down the Andaman Sea Great something never seen before,Thanks |
| 21st October 2009 Bill | I'm 57 years old & been wanting to teach - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Can you comment on how older people are accepted as English teachers. I am a retired lawyer, my in laws live in Busan, and could go to work privately (as a tudor) while living with them. I would imagine you need a work visa to do this? Any thoughts? Thanks for your site, it is extremely helpful. |
| 5th October 2009 roe | good job Jen!! - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Hi Jen. This is excellent and informative. Have you met or seen any Filipino teachers in Seoul? Just wondering if a Filipino teacher like me would have the chance to work in Korea. Do you think my degree in Elementary Education is enough for me to get hired? Speaking of experience,I'm currently teaching ESL to primary students in two of the public schools here in China since last year. I can say that it was really tough in the first few times, cause they prefer "whites" same in Korea as you mentioned in your blog. But I'm lucky though, I've stayed here teaching for more than a year now. But i'm thinkin to have another place to work and enjoy with. And I'm considering Korea. So what do you think? Is it possible? |
| 22nd September 2009 Clay | Great post! - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Thank you, this is a very informative page. I do have on question, though - do you have to pay both Korean taxes and U.S. taxes? I've been unable to find information about how that works, and I'd appreciate it if anyone had a link to more information. |
| 6th September 2009 sally | - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog One of the most straightforward and thoughtful accounts I've read. Extremely helpful, thank you. |
| 3rd September 2009 Tori | families - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog I wondered how many Americans take their children with them abroad to teach english? Are there schools for them and how are African american treated there? |
| 13th August 2009 Rose | Interested in Teaching English in SK - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog I am a Korean-American female who is thinking about teaching English in S. Korea, but after doing some initial research, I am now terrified that 1) I will have a difficult time being placed in a good working environment b/c I read that Korean recruiters are somewhat racist, and believe that if you are not Caucasian, you are unqualified/unworthy to teach even if you studied in the US and speak the language fluently and 2) I will actually end up in debt because there are so many horror stories about teachers not getting paid. I would greatly appreciate any insight you may have regarding teaching in a public school vs. private school. I'm considering teaching in a public school. Also, I took a look at worknplay and noticed that they have placement services at public schools for no cost. Do you have any idea as to whether or not this is a reputable placement agency? Do you recommend any other placement programs/recruiters? THANKS! |
| 9th August 2009 Sarah | specific questions - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Hi! I am actually leaving for Daejeon, South Korea in a little over a month to teach English, and have a few questions. If anybody has been there and has any advice, I would really appreciate it! Do I need to buy plug converters for the walls? I can't seem to find if they have the same size as us or not! Also, this may seem silly, but what is a good warehouse store (to the equivalent of a Wal Mart perhaps) to get some necessaties when I arrive (lamps, shower supplies, etc)? What are the best things to pack, and what are the things that I really don't need to bring? I am bringing a DVD player, and wanted to make sure my DVD's would play over there? I also would like to get some kind of satellite TV service (I've heard Direct TV is big in South Korea) to watch football games on the weekend, any suggestions how to go about getting that? Any other comments/ideas/advice would be very helpful! Thank you! |
| 29th July 2009 Lin | Is is easy for a non-native speaker to teach english in Korea? - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog I am looking forward to be able to teach english in Korea part-time, to see the country and to be able to have the opportunity to learn the local language. I am from malaysia but I have a Masters degree from the United Kingdom. I have no TESL qualification. I notice that in countries like China, Korea and Taiwan they are only interested to take in native speakers as teachers. What is your advice? |
| 27th July 2009 Felicia Palazzo | i love your blog - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog just wanted to say i really like your blog, it's full of great information and you take awesome pictures! |
| 25th July 2009 Carl Kincaid | Thinking about it! - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Great summary and very informative! I am a credentialed multiple subject teacher out of northern California. I have a BCLAD credential which also allows me to teach bilingual-Spanish/English. I speak fluent Spanish and Portuguese having been raised in Brasil. I have taught primary for 14 years K-1, & 3-4. I was wondering whether they hire this late in summer or late Fall for the self contained classrooms. I would only be able to leave by November as I am selling my home and would most likely show up in the winter. I lost my wife to pancreatic cancer in April. I stopped working for two years so I could be a fulltime caregiver to her. If I did show up in November I assume I could perhaps teach ESL as I wait for the new school year to begin in late Summer/Fall so as to work in a self contained classroom. Is it advised to bring your own materials for ESL or do they have their own materials? Do the schools provide the books/workbooks for a self contained classroom? How about the teaching resources available at the schools...I guess it all varies from school to school. I'll be checking in the South Korean Consulate in San Francisco to get the latest Visa scoop. Great pictures...you have a great eye. Thank you for taking the time to look at my post and do answer at your own convenience as I know you are a very busy teacher. I am thrilled I found your site very early on. Stay well...Carl Kincaid |
| 23rd July 2009 Jozef | Fed up in california - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Im desperately looking for employment teaching in korea. I live in California and went to school back east. I hold a BS in Nuclear medicine and a Masters in chinese medicine. I also tutor for the local school systems. Any negotiating strategies for getting a top notch job, decent living quarters and nice area where I can get to the beach or hiking....Im already packing my stuff. Please reply to my email and here as well if you like, but Im scouring the web for other blogs |
| 22nd July 2009 Evan | Degree? - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Hi! I'm a McGill University Graduate and want to teach in Korea. I've finished my program and am just waiting for my diploma to be printed...is there any way to get an E-2 Visa without my actual diploma? I have a notarized letter saying I've finished and my transcript says the same thing.... |
| 19th July 2009 namipueblo | - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Very informative and insightful blog. It would be nice going to Korea. Hope you can visit us too at www.namipueblo.com. |
| 9th July 2009 Anactoria | - From: Making History in the Belly Button of the World Great post. |
| 6th July 2009 Jenni Jen | Re: Meschel E - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Hi Meschel, I can't say that I know any single parents in Korea but I do know parents in Korea (myself included). Each school or job is likely to handle things differently so you should ask them if your child's airfare is included, though I would guess the answer is no. As for school, are you going to put your daughter into Korean school? You may be able to get her in for free as a resident but I don't know. However, everything will be in Korean. If you are sending her to a kindergarten you will probably have to pay as well as for an international school. I have never heard of employers paying for that, but like I said, it doesn't hurt to ask. Maybe you should search on the ESL Cafe Korean forum to find other people in your situation who have done this. |
| 6th July 2009 Jenni Jen | re: louise - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Louise, every school is different, some have their own curriculum that they want you to follow closely, others give you a book 5 minutes before the lesson and thinking on your feet is the name of the game. Just prepare to be flexible and if you feel like you need some preparation just check out some teaching websites for icebreaker/mixer activities and get to know the sites for puzzles and word games just in case you get thrown in at the deep end. |
| 6th July 2009 Jenni Jen | re: JJ - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog If you are a Korean citizen then you don't have to go through the U.S. for a visa and they would probably be offended that you do so. If you are a citizen you have the right to work there like every other Korean citizen. |
| 30th June 2009 Meschel E | Teaching in Korea w/ dependents - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog I am a single mom and want to teach in Korea but I have a 4 year old daughter. Do you know of any other teacher in this situation and if so how did they do it? School for my daughter? and is school and airfare paid for dependents? |
| 29th June 2009 Louise | Typical day in the classroom? - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Hey Jenjen, I am considering taking a teaching job in Korea. I have a degree but no teaching experience and was wondering if you could elaborate a bit on the teaching methods used? Were you teaching from a book or were you left to your own devices?? Any info on this would be much appreciated thanks!! Louise |
| 24th June 2009 Anactoria | Thanks! :-) - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog I'm thinking of going to South Korea in October, just stumbled onto your blog -- it looks great and I'm very much looking forward to reading it! Thanks for posting! |
| 21st June 2009 Jenni Jen | re: jennifer du - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Please realize that visa restrictions have changed since I first posted this blog and that you are probably better off getting something lined up beforehand, due to the fact that you can no longer due visa runs to Japan. Other people have posted comments on this, perhaps you can scroll down and read their advice about it. |
| 18th June 2009 JT | Fabulous - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog I have been researching South Korea for months and walked away with more information from your 1 post. Thank you. |
| 13th June 2009 mariaana | - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Im really sorry to bother you with my question but since you’ve already experienced this im hoping you can help me out. I was wondering if you recommend I go through an agency to get a teaching job or should I look for one myself. This is my first time doing this so I have no experience and no clue in what to do that’s why I am leaning more for finding an agency or program which can help me with every step but ive heard it is better to do this process yourself..what do you recommend? |
| 10th June 2009 Jennifer Du | Going to Korea before obtaining work/a contract - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Thanks for all the info. Everyone suggests going to Korea ahead of time. The idea just makes me really nervous but I'm more concerned with having to find my own apartment which can require a huge key money deposit. Also, the earliest I can start is mid August and have to leave the same time next year to start grad school in the States so organizing everything beforehand is really convenient. So my question is, if I go and find a job there, will the school still provide me an apartment and will it still likely require a one year contract? What recruiting agency did you use and can you suggest any good schools from your work experience? Thanks! |
| 8th June 2009 Jason Park | beware of Korean hiring practices - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Many Koreans have tendencies to judge people solely on their physique, rather than their talents or inner beauty. The Korean employers are no exception, they think a white American or a Canadian are absolutely the best English teachers, if you are a African of any nationalities or a Asian, you will have harder time acquiring a job in Korea. Perhaps this is the reason why Koreans cannot speak English or make any improvements on it due to their fixation on physical beauty rather than talents or teaching abilities. |
| 6th June 2009 JJ | Lost transcripts - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Hi Jenni. Certain provinces in S.Korea have for a time now allowed those with two years worth of uni credits to teach esl. I went to a vocational-tech school for my AA and still have my original diploma, however, the school filed for bankruptcy several years ago, shut down and I CANNOT get a hold of my transcripts as they were destroyed by the Custodian of Records(they were only required to keep them for 5 years). Is this going to effectively be an insurmountable wall blocking me from teaching legally? I still have my original diploma... but without transcripts am I going to be rejected outright? btw, I'm still a S.Korean citizen, I have a S.Korean passport... do I even NEED a "visa" to teach esl legally?? lol I left S.Korea for the U.S. when I was only 8 months old back in 1972. So, yes, English is my native language. I can now read Hangul and speak several Korean words :) |
| 5th June 2009 Jenni Jen | re:vicky - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog is this recruiter based in your country? the only reason i can think they would use your passport itself is if they were procuring the visa for you or something. i don't know much about this as the visa processes changed after i had my work visas, but sending your actual passport sounds sketchy. |
| 5th June 2009 vicky | how much information do they need - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog hi, i was also looking at a recruiting agency and it seems like they want a lot of documentation, what was the process you went through before getting on the plane? this certain organization wants my passport.. like the actual passport. is that normal?? |
| 28th May 2009 cana | Finding a job - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog My bf is thinking of applying as a teacher in korea for a year and I want to go too but I dont have a degree. I have professional work experience and have about 1.5 years left of school - what are my options for finding a job in Korea PT??? Is teaching out of the question? |
| 19th May 2009 Sarah Fauset | Teach English in Korea - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog I hire university graduates to teach English in Korea at www.eslteacherrecruiter.com |
| 16th May 2009 Jenni Jen | re:bianne - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog yes, online english teaching is sought by some, but to be honest i dont really know where to go about searching for clients! you might look on dave's esl cafe to see if anything is there about it (they have a whole korea forum that you can search) if you don't see any ads listed on the work websites. |
| 16th May 2009 Jenni Jen | re: meredith - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog there are sometimes contracts for less than a year, but they are much rarer. you might look into your possibilities for getting a spousal visa through your husband and doing privates if you dont find a short term contract. |
| 16th May 2009 Jenni Jen | re: dave - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog sorry this is late, but maybe the answer will help someone else. (i obviously havent logged in for quite awhile!) yes they need your original degree to organize your visa, and you will get it back. (and probably be asked to show it again sometime when they get in one of their periodical frenzies about fake degree holders). |
| 5th May 2009 bianne | Online English Teaching - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog great blog...very informative and inviting..wonderful pictures too! I'd like to know though whether online English teaching (fr Philippines in particular) is sought in Korea? I am interested to teach Koreans however I just cant leave because I am starting a family. |
| 1st May 2009 Meredith | Question - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Jenni, thanks so much for all the useful information. Do you know if there are any contracts for less than a year? I would like to move to Korea for 6 months (my husband happens to be one of those annoying GI's) instead of the whole year. What are your suggestions? |
| 30th March 2009 Mell | - From: Malaysia Truly Asia? Another cool blog! :) ''Do you have something around your neck that offended people ?'' If she does, then we all do. Blog bashing seems to be major hobby of trolls. I am glad it does not seem to put people off writing all these great blogs. :) |
| 7th March 2009 Dave | recruiters asking me to send my original College Degree - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Nice detailed info--would any one happen to know what are the chances of I sending my original college degree to one of those recruiters in Seoul--is it safe and would I be able to get back the degree upon my arrival in Seoul? Thanks for your help! |
| 24th February 2009 Julia | considering... - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog Hi Jenn, This blog was very insightful and made my process of deciding to teach in Korea a little bit easier. I was wondering which company or recruiter you had. I have been getting a lot of e-mails from recruiters that post on my college job postings like travel and teach and asiaservices but I just am not sure who to trust. I am looking for a reputable and reliable recruiter/company. Also too, I was adopted from Korea when I was 18 months; what do you think the response would be from the prospective students? |
| 23rd February 2009 Ashley | Thanks! - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog This was VERY informative thanks a lot for posting. I feel like most of the things you wrote I have been thinking and Ive only been here for 2 months |
| 2nd February 2009 ED | Boca Brava is nice - From: Feria, Flores, & Frank but definitely not the place for high maintenance tourists. As mentioned earlier, there's no clubs, restaurants, bars, kayaking, windsurfing, etc. etc. BUT, if you're the tourist who can slow yourself down, this is a fine place to do it. Read, go hiking - the island is something like 30 km long. Yes, there's a fairly steady trickle of tourists through the place, but the party-ability factor varies quite a lot. I've been there for a week a couple of times and have a hard time slowing down to really enjoy it - it's VACATION damn it! It has to enjoyed to the utmost! :) That said, yes, Christina is very nice too. |
| 25th January 2009 Claudine | Teaching in Korea - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog I am seriously thinking about going down this summer, taking my chances with a school, and trying to find another school while there. Thanks so much for this info. I understand that all of this will be a challenge, since I happen to be black with teaching experience. |
| 15th January 2009 Rita | Handmade molas from the San Blas Islands - From: Paradise Found I normally travel to the San Blas Islands and meet with some of my Kuna suppliers, San Blas is truly a Paradise, the Kunas are so simple and friendly people, live is so peaceful out there I wouldn't mind living there if I had enough food and good water every day. check out my website for more beautiful molas www.molaartandcraft.com |
| 4th January 2009 Iman | Public vs Private - From: The Teaching-English-in-Korea Blog I have been reading that public schools are more reliable to work for. Is this true? I also know they dont pay as much, but i am less concerned with making as much money as possible than reliability and not getting screwed when I get there. Also, do know anything of the SMOE positions? |
| 18th December 2008 Mell | - From: The King and We I met an opinionated Dutch guy when I was on those islands 10 years ago. Really annoying he was. Maybe the same one and still there then. :D |
