TEACHING IN KOREA - Getting here

You are most likely confused about a lot of things and have many questions, as we did, when we first got set on the idea of coming to Korea to Teach English. There are many uncertainties and very few facts out there to help you make your decision. We will do our best to bring some clarity to this topic and shed some light from our personal experiences.

First, a TEFL/TESOL is most definitely required. This is usually the first question asked.

Basic requirements are:

English as a first language (mother-tongue), A degree in any major, and a TEFL/TESOL qualification. The TEFL/TESOL course can be pricey and is offered at specific times of the year, so you have to sign up in advance and start looking for a course asap. We did ours through LANGAHEAD based near Krugersdorp. There are different courses one can do, but we highly recommend you do the one that is at least 120 hours, the 140 hour course will give you a better advantage with the approval of your application as well as giving you experience and confidence to present a successful lesson when you are in Korea.

Getting to Korea:

We went through an agency called Teach Korea – they are based in Capetown but take applicants from all over South Africa, you correspond via skype and facebook as well as email and the postal service. We must say they made the whole process much easier and if you want to get into a public school here we would definitely recommend using them. They charge no additional fees of any sort. They basically work alongside the English program in Korea called EPIK, finding the applicants, assisting with interviews and collecting and sending of necessary documents to Korea. Speak to Cliff at Teach Korea via Facebook. They will also have more information on where to do your TEFL/TESOL. They were really helpful throughout the process of getting here, right up to meeting us in Korea when we landed and making sure we were getting on the right bus to get to our orientation.

The process of getting documents sorted for the job application was a real struggle. But in the end it is all worth it. Teach Korea will notify you of all documents needed and when they are needed. First things first get a police clearance sorted as soon as you can, they can take a while to be issued.

Regarding Schools here: our opinion would be that working in the public school system is better than working in the private sector. Working in what they would call a Hagwon or an English academy demands more flexible hours and less holiday time, this of course varies between establishments. Working in the public school system as Sophia and I do we have regulated school hours (9-5) and better vacation days, there is also a healthier support system in most public schools.

Coming over with Teach Korea into the EPIK program will be our best bet for anyone coming over alone. You'll make friends on arrival during the orientation week and you will have a support network to rely on for any help you need while you are here in Korea. The interview with EPIK can be quite daunting, just be prepared and know your application form that you sent in prior, many questions can come from there. They also like to ask questions, such as: 'what will make you a good teacher in Korea', and 'how will you manage a class with a disruptive student'. Don’t stress though Teach Korea will ensure that you are well prepped for these interviews. P.S. Look your Best.

MONEY, MONEY, Money...

How much money does it take? They recommend about R10 000 living expenses for the first month to see you through. We found it to be more than enough and we even went out occasionally during that month- we were of course inquisitive and couldn’t resist the temptation of experiencing the Korean night life and tasting the local brew.

Getting here though we would bargain altogether on about R 35 000.00 pp- that includes air fare, extra fees for a medical certificate once in Korea, living expenses for the month, and all extra fees for sending documents, getting them certified and so on. Earning wise, you’re looking at roughly R22 000 a month and after your first month of work in Korea you are given a bonus to remunerate you for your expenses incurred. This was around R20 000 as well. **Please bear in mind these are rough estimates to help you budget, they are bound to change and should not be taken as standard.

Things you should know about teaching in Korea.

• The children are awesome, cute and very honest. They can be very rowdy and often extremely tired due to the long hours they are pressurized into studying. I teach elementary level, the children are mostly cute and fun to be around. My wife however teaches Middle school boys, which they have a saying for – “We don’t need to worry about North Korea because we have our middle school boys.” Not to fear though, their mischievous activities are usually harmless.

• You will not know where you have been placed until your week of orientation in Korea is over, ‘Korean Roulette’ or your first of many Korean surprises if you will. Only then will you know what province and town you have been placed in and at what level you will be teaching, it is also at this stage where you will learn of your school. All school experiences are different depending on your principal, vice principle and teachers or colleagues, so it really depends on you and your attitute towards the environment in which you are placed.

• Coming to Korea solo - your accommodation will be quite small, think of something like a college dorm room. Most teachers in a town will usually be placed in the same building, however it happens, like with us and many of our friends where you are placed on your own, surrounded by Korean neighbors- we have loved ours, they are really neighborly and love trying to speak to us to improve their English, often bringing us Korean dishes and even a cake on my birthday.

• Your accommodation is included in your contract, so you will only have to pay the levies.

• You will often be stared at, especially if you are placed in a smaller town or city or a rural area and especially if you have any other hair color other than dark. This can either freak you out, or make you feel like a famous personality/movie star. This will not really happen in Seoul as it’s very international. It is is not uncommon for men to tell other men that they are handsom and request to have a photo taken with them.

• Learn a bit of Korean before you come over, even for your interview during your sign up period, this will go a long way. You can find many useful resources to learn online and practice the pronunciation with Youtube and so on. Just the basic greetings and a simple conversation will help you immensely. So many people will appreciate that you have taken an interest in their language and culture and so many more will try display this appreciation by doing and giving things to you. HINT: the alphabet is really easy to learn and will help you so much in learning to speak the language.

• You teach in sandals or slippers. Don’t let anyone tell you different. So when they say you will need school shoes, many people assume smart shoes because the general dress code is smart - smart/casual. However, once you get to school your shoes go straight into a cabinet and out come your sandals or slippers which you wear for the day. This helps keep the school clean and is my wife's dream come true as it is an incredibly comfortable way to spend your day.

• You're never too wise for a Korean Surprise. I cannot explain this any further, it is best left as just that - a surprise.

• This next bit certainly depends on many things but it can take a long time for the teachers at your school to warm up to you - they are shy to mingle with you mostly because they believe they have a poor English ability and therefore shy away from communicating with you. This will change over time and then, the English will flow from these silent giggly teachers who avoided you before at every corner. The best thing to do is just be yourself and have patience, they will come around. This again depends on your school.

• Teacher work dinners happen at least every month and it’s a dinner party where you drink Soju and beer until you can barely stand up, and usually eat till you pop. Drinking Soju is part of the culture and there is a traditional way to drink it and show respect to your seniors. For e.g having a drink with the principle is a whole procedure of sharing the glass and passing the Soju bottle. Always pass with two hands and never pour your own drink. This has to be done to show respect. It's best to remain respectable and not over indulge.

• For the active person there are many mountains to hike and an abundance of cycling routes throughout Korea. The natural scenery is quite splendid and makes for great photography. If you’re a city bug you’ll love the convenience of the well-oiled transport system to get you to the nearest concrete jungle.

• To learn more about EPIK, please click here.

We are loving the country and the experience thus far, we are actually in the process of signing up for our second year. Yes the culture is very different and the food is too, but for the most part the people are amazing. They are so giving and you will often feel like royalty as they take pride in being ambassadors for their magnificent country. It is also incredibly safe here, you don't need to watch your belongings or be afraid of burglaries- it’s basically unheard of. We often sleep with all our windows and doors open to enjoy a bit of a fresh breeze in the summer. Now the FOOD. We can go on forever about the food, there is such a variety of dishes and, for the most part, they are delectable. Our sudden weight gain on getting here was testemony to that, luckily we have managed to contain that disaster. The seasons are all very different. Spring and autumn are really beautiful, it snows in the winter and the summer is really hot and humid, soooo humid, but you get used to it. Travelling in Korea has been so easy due to the amazing transport system, there has not been a month we have not done some sort of exploring. If you'd like to know more about these explorations, follow our blog.

Finishing we want to add that any trip you make, whether it be across the ocean or around the corner, depends entirely on what you make of it. Give it all that you have and you will reap unbounded rewards from your experiences, leaving life lasting memories, weightless treasures you carry with you forever.

If you have any questions or queries about teaching in Korea, please feel free to drop us a message and we will be happy to help.

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