Teaching English in South Korea can be great time or a huge disaster. How it turns out for you has a lot to do with what you do before you board the plan and head overseas. This article is going to give you a 3-step plan to ensuring a wonderful stay in Korea
1. Choosing a Place to Call Home
Many new English teachers get sent out to the countryside. Some enjoy it. Some hate it. But they all have one thing in common. They allowed their recruiters to tell them where to live. That's a recipe for disaster. Why? Mostly because some people simply can't handle living outside of Seoul or Buson. Other teachers hate the big cities! The problem is that the number of other Western people, Western food, Western-sized clothing, and all other things Western, disappear once in the countryside.
Some in big cities, on the other hand, find that hanging out with other Westerners ruins their Asian experience. What do you think? Do you want to be in Seoul where you can get everything from a beef burrito to a boyfriend from Bulgaria? Or do you want to live where it's quiet, peaceful and authentically Korean? Neither living arrangement is necessarily best, but they are certainly very differnet. Make certain that your Korean taching experience is a great one. Do so by telling your recruiter exactly where you want to live.
2. Find a Suitable Position
Teaching jobs in Korea vary widely. For example, it has been mandated by law that every public school in Korea must have a native-speaking English teacher, which means there are lots of these public school jobs available.. These are good jobs that offer security and a decent wage. School jobs have standard business-hour schedules. There are other English teaching jobs in what are called hagwons. Hagown jobs are characterized by shorter days and higher salaries. Unfortunately, they also tend to be less stable than government jobs.
In addition, you can find jobs teaching in major corporations, like Samsung, LG, and Hyundai. You can teach young children, business people, or housewives. Choose carefully. Can you cope with a classroom full of roudy elementary school students? I would not survive in that atmosphere, as I don't do particularly well with small children. What about you? Which type of Korean English teaching experience are you looking for? Young learners? Adults? Public schools? Private schools? Corporate instruction? You must choose wisely, as you'll be in the position you choose for at least a year.
3. Be a Learner, Then Teacher
Getting a TEFL certification is a smart thing to do Here is why. These days, young college graduates who can't find jobs at home are driving up the the competition to get into Korea. You need to be better than them, or at least just as good. Being the most qualified applicant may get you the position you really want.
Also, TEFL courses provide you with very valuable information. Sure, your first language is English, but that doesn't mean you know how to run a classroom. Knowing how to teach never used to be a requirement. Those days are gone, and now you'll be forced to create measureable results. Also, getting a certification will give the confidence you need to go into your classroom and deliver your lessons like a pro.
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