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I am going to be teaching in Korea at the end of the year. Helpful advice?
Speedy_Cheese
Registered User new member
Registered User new member
I am a 25 year old female Canadian who is planning to go to Korea to teach at the end of this year. I am currently learning to read, write and speak Hangul so that I am not dealing with a language barrier in the event that I do not get placed in an area that has a plethora of English speaking folks. (Also, I want to talk to people and hear their stories.)
I have heard a variety of things from individuals from Korea, and who have taught there so far -- good and bad. A big one I hear is, attempt to get involved with a public school as opposed to a private Hagwon to guarantee you get paid on time, less work hours in the week and vacation time, etc. (Not just that, but I will care about my students and my job. I don't want it to simply be about money.) Also, I have been trying out Korean recipes at home -- spicy!! Luckily I love spicy food, as does my sweetheart, but my poor boyfriend is getting a wake up call in the meat and potatoes department. I am hoping we will be able to live together -- we won't need a two bedroom or to teach in the same school, just live under the same roof, and I recognize that might be a challenge.
I guess my biggest question is, where are the best locations to apply, and what companies should I trust and who should I avoid in terms of recruiters? If you have any advice to offer, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time!
I have heard a variety of things from individuals from Korea, and who have taught there so far -- good and bad. A big one I hear is, attempt to get involved with a public school as opposed to a private Hagwon to guarantee you get paid on time, less work hours in the week and vacation time, etc. (Not just that, but I will care about my students and my job. I don't want it to simply be about money.) Also, I have been trying out Korean recipes at home -- spicy!! Luckily I love spicy food, as does my sweetheart, but my poor boyfriend is getting a wake up call in the meat and potatoes department. I am hoping we will be able to live together -- we won't need a two bedroom or to teach in the same school, just live under the same roof, and I recognize that might be a challenge.
I guess my biggest question is, where are the best locations to apply, and what companies should I trust and who should I avoid in terms of recruiters? If you have any advice to offer, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time!
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I taught in Korea for two years at a public school. My last year there, however, a lot of people got axed because the five year program to bring English speakers to teach ended and the schools lost funding to have a foreign teacher. That being said, there were still spots available, but schools became pickier.
As a general rule, public school jobs are middle of the way. They're pretty standard and you know what you're going to get. Decent pay, good time off, etc etc. With a Hagwon, the experience can range from terrible to awesome. It's also really difficult to tell which one you're going to get if you're not in Korea. Depending on your level of Korean and your teaching experience, a Hagwon can also pay big money. For example, if you have experience tutoring the SAT or some other exam, you can make real money.
As to recruiters, they're also a mixed bag. Some are nice, some are scum, all are looking to make money. I went with Korea connections as they were one of three who had a contract with SMOE to recruit teachers. Footprints recruiting is also a good company. I can't really say more about recruiters them as I didn't use them after I arrived in Korea.
The only thing I want to say about living in Korea is learn to take everything with a mine of salt. I knew people that left after a month, some that are still there four years later. Some people learned Korean, some can't manage two words. Also, for living together with your boyfriend. Things will be easier if you're married. You don't have to be, but it will facilitate the process greatly.
If you have anymore specific questions, let me know. I'd be happy to answer them.
You should not learn Korean without learning to read the alphabet (Hangul) first. Hangul is a mindbogglingly easy alphabet to learn. Learning it before you dive into learning sentences is a must. Avoid Korean for Dummies like the plague for example, because it only has romanized Korean and you're doing yourself a disservice by learning to speak phrases without learning to read first.
You start off learning Hangul by learning the vowels, (ah, eo (uh), oh, u (ooh), eu (ugh) and i (ee).) I, as a gamer, memorized these by drawing fighting game arrows.
Ah is right.
Eo (uh) is left.
Oh is up.
U (ooh) is down.
Eu (ugh) is a horizonal line with no arrow.
I (ee) is a vertical line.
With a print out like this one, I could speak anything I can read in about eight hours spread out over two weeks. I'm at the point where its a matter of building a vocabulary.
http://alualuna.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/hangul-alphabet-chart-13.pdf
Do yourself a favor and travel every chance you get. I know dozens of military men and women who drink themselves to death without seeing the sights. Koreans party and booze way harder than the Japanese too, with entire families going out to restaurants until five in the morning. In six months I've traveled to the DMZ, Yongmun Mountain, the tomb of King Sejong (astronomer and inventor of Hangul), Seoul Tower, Pheonix Park Ski Resort, Busan, the Coex Aquarium, Daechon Beach, and I'm not done by a long shot. I still need to see Jeju Island, High 1 Ski Resort, and Daegu. And when you think you're bored, travelling to Japan, Thailand, Cambodia or Hong Kong is amazingly cheap. I went to Japan twice and I'm planning to go to Thailand in April.
I love going to Seoul in a suit and tie and partying every now and then but its the travelling that gives my time here substance. Your ability to have fun without alcohol will make or break your time here. And also, sadly, Seoul is South Korea. The amount of fun you have will hinge on how easily you can get to Seoul.
The weather in Korea is psychotic all year long. Fairly severe winters with Siberian wind chill make it colder than effing Germany. Spring brings trade shift winds that deliver a concoction of Gobi desert sand mixed with Chinese pollution called Yellow Dust. In the summer, monsoon rains make is hotter and more humid than Mississippi. Mid-September through October brings a nice, beautiful autumn though.
Give @narwhal a buzz, she's been to Korea too.
I also studied Korean full-time at Yonsei University, so if you have any language questions I can give you a hand there. Although not as much of a hand as a native speaker. You will find, as others have mentioned, that reading is exceptionally easy. However, the sounds of the letters can be very difficult for English speakers to replicate or differentiate, and the grammar forms are very challenging. If you can find a native speaker with whom to practice you will be at an advantage. Or you can just not bother, which sounds like asshole advice, but it's one of the most English-friendly Asian countries I've been to. What I mean to say is you'll be fine if you don't learn.
I'm on my way to work right now but when I return home in the evening I'll give some general recommendations in terms of the job application process. It would help to know what experience you have as a teacher or what your degree background is! Also, is your boyfriend also going to be searching for a teaching job?
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
Hey, thanks for your response.
As for learning to take things with a grain of salt . . . well, I guess that comes with travelling. I have had some rather salty and unsavoury things said to me in my travels, but of course, I have heard people from my own country say equally unsavoury things. I know it is a given that there are jerks no matter where you go.
Hey, thanks for the reply! I have been learning the alphabet.
Hey, thanks for getting back to me! Where did you work while you were there, and did you use a recruiting agency to get placed? Yeah I heard a lot of people go over and don't really need to learn the language, it's just a personal goal of mine. If I am going to be living amongst another group of people, I want to be able to have full conversations. I would love to be able to talk to the kids I teach and fully understand them, it's just something I would deem valuable. It's just a half hour out of my day and I feel the pay off will be rewarding. ^_^ My friend Yongjin is from Korea and he has offered to help me improve my conversation skills -- also I am using Rosetta Stone along with the textbooks and lessons, and that has an online service which enables you to practice having conversations in the language. I have to especially thank you about offering to help with advice on the paperwork, as I am sure I will need it when the time comes! One big question I have is, aside from the language, is there anything I should be preparing well in advance that is required? Thanks so much for the help!
If you ever have any questions about grammar or want to practice, I did a whole mess of tutoring and I'm more than willing to loan you a hand. It'd be good for me too to keep my hand in the language learning process, as my long-term goals are to work liaising between English and Korean language speakers in an educational or cultural capacity.
In terms of things prepared in advance: you probably already know that you'll need your background check, although I'm not precisely sure which kind is mandatory for Canadians. Then your basic run-down of travel abroad things: copies and scans of your important documents (passport, etc), extra money to see you through to your first paycheck (often you won't be paid for the first month or change, although companies may advance you money), adapters for the electric.
If you're really attached to any western brands of pharmaceuticals I'd recommend buying them in bulk now. You won't be able to find stuff like Nyquil, Pepto, etc without some real searching, and you'll pay an arm and a leg when you do find them. Most medicines are not sold without a prescription and there is no refill service in Korea, so if you have a preexisting condition or will need regular refills it might be simpler to explain to your doctor in Canada and get a year's supply before you leave.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
Hello there!
I am curious, do you already have a job in Korea? My current job is at an all girl's private school that is always looking for what is called "teacher dons". You only get to work in the day school part time as a co-teacher, and part time you work in residence, but you get lots of nice school breaks, real experience teaching in the day school, and a lot of benefits with it. It's also a Canadian International school, so if that sounds worthwhile to you, maybe send me a PM and I can tell you where it is and what it is.