Is a four year visa essential? jinjja? Jen, amazing post as many other people have said. Incredibly interesting and informative. Would like to ask either you or Michelle a couple of questions as I am suddenly starting to worry. I am currently in Australia but am going back to England via Seoul with my fiancée who is South Korean, and intend to be in Korea by the end of the year. I previously taught English as a volunteer in China for a year at a junior/middle school. I am planning on doing my TESOL course when I get back to England which I am applying for at the moment. My worry is that I don’t have a university degree. Will my previous experience and TESOL course be enough to qualify me for a visa grant and position teaching in Korea? I appreciate you told lemon and Charles an answer for this already, so I am more interested if you know more about the marriage or if you can point me in the right direction to find information. Thank you. Mike.
Realistic & inspirational site! Hey, my name is Al- I am American and will be teaching esl near Seoul in afew wks. I had taught esl way back in Japan in '98. There I did the FT school (NOVA) and after school I had quite afew private lessons. I am hoping in Korea to do the same. I read that this is technically 'illegal', but you write everyone is doing it! Really, you are one of the first blogs I've noticed that advises to Go for it and I like that!
I'd appreciate any advice you may offer re: private lessons and who is supposed to know about my business and who isn't ?
Thanks,
Al
work hello mate.
Are there jobs in south korea which require english native speakers other than teaching in schools.
Is it better for me to go through an agency here in england rather than just getting a flight to south korea and looking for work while am there.
Thanks
Chris
Nice blog I just read your blog, it is a really nice blog. It makes me want to travel again. We just finished a year on the road (travelblog.org - we are the travelbugs), but havent seen a lot of the things you have seen. Enjoy and keep on writing.
Hey Jen! just wanted to say, i love this post to death, it's very thorough and insightful and you really get an inside view of what korea is like! if you could do it again from the start, how would you do it differently? would you have moved to korea for a short summer teaching job and then used the free time to look for a good job?
May I ask for some advice? Hello! I've been planning to go to Korea for the past 5 months now and it seems like all I need to do is purchase the plane ticket! To be honest, I've visited this blog of yours several times and I want to thank you for sharing your experience with everyone. You're very helpful to many of us!
Haha.. that's enough kissing up on my part. So anyways!..
I believe I'm taking a risk because I don't have a degree and I've obviously never taught English before. Do you have any suggestions about getting the right teaching material? I've googled plenty of online lessons for conversational English and other exercises, but I can't decide if they're "legit" for an actual private lesson. Where do I start? Or better yet.. HOW do I start? I'm sorry if you've answered this question already!
I hope to hear from you soon! Thanks again for your blog! =D
-June
Teaching Private Lessons Dear Jenn,
You mention early on in your blog that one can make $30-50 an hour doing private lessons. My two questions are the following: 1) Where would these jobs be advertised? and 2) If they are illegal, why do so many people do it? Is it the Koren authorities just look past it? I would not want to be asked to leave the country if I was caught.
When to begin I will not graduate with my bachelor's until the end of this summer, and I won't get my diploma until mid-fall. Are jobs constantly available or would it be wise to wait until the Spring Semester starts to look for a teaching position in Korea. I realize you may not know, which is fine, but any information would be appreciated. Thank-you for your post and thanks to other contributors for making this a great site for information. :)
Re: Dan, Laura, and Lemon Please read again, and see Michelle's comment: to get a work visa, you need to have a degree. However, Dan, I know plenty of people personally who are working and either A) do not have degrees and/or B) are not on a legal work visa, so yes you can work there without one, it's just that you would be working illegally!!
same with lemon: no degree? I just want to let you know that I'm really impressed with your detailed blog and I just wish I can write as well as you do. Anyway, I'm actually a high school senior right now and I want to work in SK over the summer, but most schools require a uni degree.. Are they strict on that? Is a degree really necessary even though I will be attending an "accredited university" in the fall?
Awesome Info! Thanks so much for posting this blog! It was very helpful! I don't think I'll get a chance to go to Korea anytime soon to search for a job by touring the country...so I'll check out your suggested websites! I graduated last may with my BS in Elem. Ed. and I also have my TESOL and Reading endorsement certifications. Just looking for a job in Korea is overwhelmng and exhausting. It's so difficult to know who to trust! I need to fully scope it out. Thanks so much for your great suggestions and heads up on teaching abroad. :)
Salsa Hi Jenn,
I am writing because I am planing to go to Panama city. I am a salsa dancer and see that you go dancing in Miami. Do you have any recommendations about places to go where there are good salsa dancers adn I might be asked to dance? Feel free to email me!
Thanks!
Teaching in Korea w/o degree Thank You for your info..it will be a big help for me..I'm retiring in 2012 or maybe sooner. I'm from Hawaii and want to expend my knowledge in korea.
question Jen, im an irish lad and i have a job in a public school next month in Incheon, have no teaching experience, dont know what to expect and im goin alone, i know il meet plenty people, (im indecisive of whether to go or not) have i reason to be nervous with lack of experience and an american accent or wil it be one of the best things ill ever do in my life...?
Doing some research Hi,
Firstly, can I say thank you for a very informative blog post! I have decided against Seoul as a place to work (for a few reasons, more expensive to live there, heard a lot of reports that people are less friendly (like most capitals)), but it was still interesting.
I have done quite a lot of research (can't wait to go, but need to finish my teaching degree first, so getting impatient) and I can answer a couple of the questions on here, however, bear in mind, this is from research and not from experience.
Lemon and Charles: You cannot work legally as an English Teacher without a degree if you aren't married to someone already over there. To be honest, I'm not sure if it is even possible if you are. Basically, working on a tourist visa is illegal, and they will only offer a English Teaching visa to those with a BA or BSc. This is the law in Korea, and has nothing to do with individual schools, so any school who claims it is legal is lying to you.
Also, I think someone asked a question about TEFL certificates and which one to get. I am from the UK and the two big ones over here, which are internationally recognized as being awesome are CELTA certificates and Trinity TESOL certificates. In general though, anything with a 4 week intensive course with teaching practice included (above 10 hours is good I think) is seen as a pretty worthwhile certificate by most employers. I have read time and time again, however, that having a TEFL certificate isn't necessary (I'm doing one because my grandparents offered it to me as a present, and I want to go to other countries afterwards, plus extra qualifications can't hurt!).
Anyways, I hope that is useful. As for recruiters, I am currently looking at teachkoreans, which is run by a guy called James Cranshaw who has a facebook profile and a group on there (although, the group is under the full web address). As I said, I haven't been out there yet, but he is the recruiter I have found which I feel most comfortable with. He only recruits in Cheongju most of the time though, so if you have your heart set on being somewhere else, you might want to look at other recruiters.
"As long as possible live free and uncommitted. It makes but little difference whether you are committed to a farm or the county jail.... If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." -- Henry David Thoreau (Walden)
So I did it, escaped the conformity of the corporate ratrace while I still had my youth and sanity, to see the world with my own two eyes and embrace all its beauty and ugliness. Central America to Europe to Southeast Asia in 2005; 2006 will find me ex... full info
bree
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language barrier
how well developed should my korean be if i want to go over there?