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Do's and Don't of Teaching English Overseas:
-Do search for and go to Dave's ESL Cafe, and lurk on their forums for a month.
-Do follow their links to find out the 'blacklisted' schools, particularly in Eastern Europe but there are many in Korea too. You don't want to arrive and the 'school' is a post box and they've beaten you up and stolen your passport (Point: Never teach in Russia)
-Do get your documents together and make notarized copies (cost me $25 cnd to do this). They'll want: a notarized copy of your degree, and any additional certification you pick up.
-Do make sure you have a 4 year degree in something from a UNIVERSITY, they don't take colleges or technical schools.
-Accreditations:
1.TESOL certification is nice if you take lots of notes to actually get something out of it. Also, steal their syllabus planner; it's the only thing of value I got. You don't even really need it, and seeing that it takes $450-$1000 dollars for 2 months I classify it as a semi-scam. The people who teach them will tell you a lie: You don't need a degree, TESOL is good enough. It's actually the other way around, TESOL (teacher of english to speakers of other languages) is resume padding. Technically it's true, because yes you can go to Tanzania or someplace and make no money and live in a hut with TESOL.
2. CELTA or TOEFL certification costs about the same, but it's actually useful. If you want to do this as a career, then get it because it will open up the 'second tier' of jobs for you after you have experience.
-DON'T take the first offer, and DON'T base your decision on money!! Remember, it sounds funky to live in a remote village, but you will be there at least a year. Get a big city.
-Most important things to do:
-Don't let the recruiter be a complete buffer. DO talk to the actual manager you'll be working with and make sure that they speak good english!!!, have experience, and the school has been running for more than a year.
-Do get an apartment in walking distance, or paid transport costs. 1200 won a day adds up for bus fares, plus in the winter waiting for the unpredictable Asian bus is not fun.
-In the ads, you'll see a lot talking about 'no split shifts'. No slpit shifts is good. When you talk to the manager MAKE SURE YOU CLARIFY WHAT THE HOURS ARE EXACTLY, because in Asian cultures the relation between employers and contracts is 'personal' the great 2-8 over the phone may quickly turn into 10:00 to 9:00.
-Forget about overtime. In korea, to get overtime is almost impossible unless you work all the time.
-Kindergarten: Most schools will ask this 'Do you think you could work kindergarten if you had to?' unless you're totally hardcore, don't fall for it. Asian kindergarten is very long, and early, and very psycho. Unless the school is exclusively a kindergarten school, make it clear you can't/won't or they will think you just said, 'yes, I want to work split shifts'.
-Money: 1.9 mil is the rock bottom I'd settle for. All the 1.8's you'll see advertised are for suckers or bad schools. I make 2.1 mil. Please remember, that even though this is only about $2400 Cnd a month, most things are much, much cheaper here. Outside of Seoul, most FLTs eat out every night, for example.
-Moonlighting: many people come here to make money. The 'goldrush' time is dying as the government cracks down, but it is still possible to do illegal 'privates' on the side for big money. It is very common in Seoul. There are severe consequences if you are caught, fines and ticket confiscated, you'll never be allowed back, etc. My advice: If you really want to, make sure that you do it through the agency of a 'vet' FLT who has contacts, the guy on the street may be a g-man.
-Make sure you talk about vacations with your manager, not recruiter. The recruiter only knows what they need to know to get you in the door. For example, make sure that weekends and sick days are not considered 'vacations'.
I say go for it. Don't let anyone tell you that it's too risky, or wierd, or whatever. It's a great, rewarding job.
I am 23 years old, with a BA, from a family of low-income dope farmers. If I had stayed in Canada, these years would have been a series of desperate job searches, always on the edge, caught in lack of appropriate experience, etc etc. There I would be another despised BA with hopes of a career, like the rest of the horde.
Here I am a 'Sun sang neem' and students move to get out of my shadow.
Do it, do it for mom, God, and the good folks at the 3M corporation who invented the 'post-it'.
-Do search for and go to Dave's ESL Cafe, and lurk on their forums for a month.
-Do follow their links to find out the 'blacklisted' schools, particularly in Eastern Europe but there are many in Korea too. You don't want to arrive and the 'school' is a post box and they've beaten you up and stolen your passport (Point: Never teach in Russia)
-Do get your documents together and make notarized copies (cost me $25 cnd to do this). They'll want: a notarized copy of your degree, and any additional certification you pick up.
-Do make sure you have a 4 year degree in something from a UNIVERSITY, they don't take colleges or technical schools.
-Accreditations:
1.TESOL certification is nice if you take lots of notes to actually get something out of it. Also, steal their syllabus planner; it's the only thing of value I got. You don't even really need it, and seeing that it takes $450-$1000 dollars for 2 months I classify it as a semi-scam. The people who teach them will tell you a lie: You don't need a degree, TESOL is good enough. It's actually the other way around, TESOL (teacher of english to speakers of other languages) is resume padding. Technically it's true, because yes you can go to Tanzania or someplace and make no money and live in a hut with TESOL.
2. CELTA or TOEFL certification costs about the same, but it's actually useful. If you want to do this as a career, then get it because it will open up the 'second tier' of jobs for you after you have experience.
-DON'T take the first offer, and DON'T base your decision on money!! Remember, it sounds funky to live in a remote village, but you will be there at least a year. Get a big city.
-Most important things to do:
-Don't let the recruiter be a complete buffer. DO talk to the actual manager you'll be working with and make sure that they speak good english!!!, have experience, and the school has been running for more than a year.
-Do get an apartment in walking distance, or paid transport costs. 1200 won a day adds up for bus fares, plus in the winter waiting for the unpredictable Asian bus is not fun.
-In the ads, you'll see a lot talking about 'no split shifts'. No slpit shifts is good. When you talk to the manager MAKE SURE YOU CLARIFY WHAT THE HOURS ARE EXACTLY, because in Asian cultures the relation between employers and contracts is 'personal' the great 2-8 over the phone may quickly turn into 10:00 to 9:00.
-Forget about overtime. In korea, to get overtime is almost impossible unless you work all the time.
-Kindergarten: Most schools will ask this 'Do you think you could work kindergarten if you had to?' unless you're totally hardcore, don't fall for it. Asian kindergarten is very long, and early, and very psycho. Unless the school is exclusively a kindergarten school, make it clear you can't/won't or they will think you just said, 'yes, I want to work split shifts'.
-Money: 1.9 mil is the rock bottom I'd settle for. All the 1.8's you'll see advertised are for suckers or bad schools. I make 2.1 mil. Please remember, that even though this is only about $2400 Cnd a month, most things are much, much cheaper here. Outside of Seoul, most FLTs eat out every night, for example.
-Moonlighting: many people come here to make money. The 'goldrush' time is dying as the government cracks down, but it is still possible to do illegal 'privates' on the side for big money. It is very common in Seoul. There are severe consequences if you are caught, fines and ticket confiscated, you'll never be allowed back, etc. My advice: If you really want to, make sure that you do it through the agency of a 'vet' FLT who has contacts, the guy on the street may be a g-man.
-Make sure you talk about vacations with your manager, not recruiter. The recruiter only knows what they need to know to get you in the door. For example, make sure that weekends and sick days are not considered 'vacations'.
I say go for it. Don't let anyone tell you that it's too risky, or wierd, or whatever. It's a great, rewarding job.
I am 23 years old, with a BA, from a family of low-income dope farmers. If I had stayed in Canada, these years would have been a series of desperate job searches, always on the edge, caught in lack of appropriate experience, etc etc. There I would be another despised BA with hopes of a career, like the rest of the horde.
Here I am a 'Sun sang neem' and students move to get out of my shadow.
Do it, do it for mom, God, and the good folks at the 3M corporation who invented the 'post-it'.
our streets are full of brown bears with balalaykas.
You are pretty! That is why Russian gay hoodlums haunt you all over Seoul. 
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