Teaching English Abroad

[Renzokuken]

Slight necro, but I'm probably going to apply for a public school teaching job in Korea in the next couple weeks. I already have a year of experience teaching English in Japan for a year, and a good friend just landed a two year gig in Seoul.

I've been considering applying through korvia and just wondering if anyone has any experience with them, or if the are other recruiters that could be recommended.

For those who have been to Seoul, is it as easy to get around in as Tokyo? The recruiter said my apartment could be up to an hour train ride away, which sort of scares me.

Also, any good books out there for beginner's Korean? Already picked up Rosetta stone, but I'm a sucker for a good language textbook.

[Clash Perez]

My fiancee is in Pohang; she applied through the EPIK program. I'm not sure her program let her choose a specific city, though. As I recall she had the option to rquest urban or rural, and that was about it. She used a third party to help with the processing of her application, which was apparently pretty common and generally recommended to ensure all paperwork requirements were met.

She used Gone2Korea (http://www.gone2korea.com/public-school-korea/epik.html), but there are several which will process applications.

[MF Perm tha Fineass]

I love teaching broads english

[Renzokuken]

I love teaching broads english

Thanks for getting this joke, which seems to be mandatory once on each page, out of the way so early.

[Viq]

If you're going to be teaching in a public school and it isn't through TALK (if you're a student) or EPIK then I would avoid it.

On the other question, Seoul is pretty easy to get around, as is Korea as a whole. Huge subway system, lots of buses, cheap taxis, etc. MaachaaQ lives in Seoul, so she might have more insight on this. I just know that every time I've taken the trip up there I've never had any problems getting where I want to go.

If you're looking for a book to pick up some Korean before you go there, I would suggest something like the level 1 Seoul National Univ. textbook. If you're planning to try and learn the language while you're here, hold off on getting a book. Take classes at SNU, Yonsei or Seogang Univ and get the appropriate book for their classes.

[Meat]

a friend of mine is teaching in Vietnam, she lives like a queen on a teacher's salary there

[Renzokuken]

If you're going to be teaching in a public school and it isn't through TALK (if you're a student) or EPIK then I would avoid it.

I would be going through SMOE, which is basically EPIK, but just for the Seoul metro area. I could also do GEPIK, for the areas surrounding Seoul, but I'm a little worried I'll end up farther away than I would like.

[Viq]

GEPIK is alright too. Honestly, the areas around Seoul are so well built up and connected that you could be in Inchon, Suwon, even Chunan, etc. and still have easy access to Seoul when you aren't working.

[Renzokuken]

Should I take that as I should stay away from SMOE?

[MaachaQ]

I'm actually moving to Chuncheon tomorrow, but yes it's easy as hell to navigate Seoul by public transit. 1 hour by train isn't that bad, you can get free wifi on most of the train routes AFAIK, so bring a smart phone or laptop and you can pass the time easily. I wisited Tokyo about 10 years ago and I'd say the subway system is similar, if not better here in Korea since much of the system is quite new. They are still expanding line 9 and adding new lines to areas that were not as close to the older stations, and if not subway then there is always an extensive bus system. If you have an iPhone you can get the Jihachul app, Naver Map, and Seoul Bus app to help you see the routes and schedules.

The new school year here just started a couple weeks ago, so I think if you get recruited now you'd probably start in the next semester after summer break (July/August). I don't have any experience with recruiters I'm afraid; I moved here with my Korean husband and 2 kids and have only been working unofficially as a tutor so far. My kids are now going to a special school in Chuncheon, and I've agreed to help teach English there in exchange for a discount on the tuition. Whatever official job you get, it should be pretty easy to pick up extra tutoring gigs for some extra cash. I get $50 a week for a 1 hour class tutoring the mothers of some of my daughter's friends (we read a children's bible ^^; Beware the Christians, they can be a bit fanatical sometimes).

Overall the people here are pretty friendly, and the education system/afterschool study system here is a very big industry so you can expect to made a decent chunk of cash while here.

Related, pictures from my classes ^^ https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=6727754c4c

[Viq]

Should I take that as I should stay away from SMOE?

To be honest, I haven't even heard of SMOE before. Given that it seems to be a Seoul-only program and I live about 5 hours from Seoul, that could explain it.

EDIT: Maacha, the picture of the school lunch tray brings back bad memories. I didn't realize how cheap food was before I moved here, so I signed up for the meal plan my first semester here at 울산대학교. That same exact tray with almost the same exact foods got pretty old pretty fast. Suffice it to say, after my first semester I just skipped buying the meal plan and started eat real food all the time.

[Deadgye]

This thread made me start looking into the JET program again.. I might attempt it after I finish the next(final) year of my BE. I'll have at least two semesters of moon minimum, but if I work my ass off this semester I might be able to have four semesters of moon in by graduation.

How is the JET prgoram nowadays with Japan in the situation it's in? If shit hits the fan I could start capturing pokemon over there.

[Renzokuken]

The jet program is notoriously difficult to get into. Last I heard, the Japanese government is cutting back on their involvement with this and working more with outside recruiting companies to bring teachers into public schools.

I worked for a private school in Japan and it was great for a first experience. You mostly get to work with older students, many of whom you will get to be social with if you so desire. The pay was great, and I got a lot of vacation time.

On the flip side, I had to work into the evenings 5 days a week (which wasn't that bad at all.) I had to be a salesman twice a year when the school was pushing students to buy additional books and classes. The Japanese management staff at my particular school was difficult to get along with a couple times, but nothing too overwhelming.

If you decide to try a private school, just be thorough with your research, go with a reputable company, and you'll probably enjoy your time.

[Renzokuken]

Blanked out on the name earlier, but here is one recruiting agency that is replacing the JET program: https://www.interacnetwork.com/recruit/

I knew several teachers who went through this program while I was over there. They had some small complaints, but imo they had it better than I did. Biggest complaint was that Interac is a Mormon company and tried to push their religion on you during the recruiting and training.

[MaachaQ]

So, I don't suppose there's anyone who is now or has recently taught English over here in Korea and happens to have a copy of the CD-ROMs that come with the textbooks? My school is missing a couple of them and the principal asked me to try to find a copy of at least the songs to use in class ^^; One of our teachers is out for a few days (she's having IVF done, it's rather a long story), so I'll be teaching solo for a while with very little actual teaching experiance... I've found some of the songs on YouTube, but to have the actual CD would be fantastic.

[Tekoa]

Can anyone say roughly the U.S. equivalent of how much teaching English in a foreign country makes each month? I know it can vary depending on where you are, but I am just looking for an idea. I have a degree in Elementary Education and a degree in English and am having trouble finding a job in NJ (had 1.5 years of experience and lost my job due to budget cuts) so I'm looking into any viable options I can.

[MaachaQ]

Can anyone say roughly the U.S. equivalent of how much teaching English in a foreign country makes each month? I know it can vary depending on where you are, but I am just looking for an idea. I have a degree in Elementary Education and a degree in English and am having trouble finding a job in NJ (had 1.5 years of experience and lost my job due to budget cuts) so I'm looking into any viable options I can.

I don't have experience working in the regular school system, since I don't have an education degree, but the listings on http://seoul.craigslist.co.kr/edu/ show an average of ~$2000 a month with paid housing, airfare, and health insurance. You'd also have your evenings in which you could pick up tutoring gigs for decent extra cash. I get $600 a month from 12 hours worth of tutoring (2 hours a week for a middle school girl, 1 hour a week reading with 4 women about my age).

A good site I found today while looking for my CDs is http://waygook.org/index.php Lots of people posting lesson plans, game ideas, and many other things helpful for teaching over here. They have an active forum where you can even post background checks about companies and schools you might work for.

I decided to record my drive from home to school a few days ago, maybe a bit boring but I thought some people might wanna see what my new town is like

[Viq]

That video makes me miss Korea so bad. I've been back in the States for almost two week now, and I already can not wait until next February when I get to go back (assuming I get accepted to 부산대학교.)