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	<title>blog.youcanteachenglish.com &#187; Korea</title>
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		<title>Teach English in Korea &#8211; Interview with Nomadic Samuel</title>
		<link>http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea-interview-with-nomadic-samuel/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea-interview-with-nomadic-samuel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:25:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Interviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Korea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teach EFL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teach English Abroad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teach English in Korea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Teach ESL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TEFL]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/?p=252</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<h2><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-256" title="Nomadic Samuel Teach English in Korea" src="http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Nomadic-Samuel-Teach-English-in-Korea1.jpg" alt="Nomadic Samuel Teach English in Korea" width="520" height="347" />How was teaching English in Korea?</h2>
<p>When I was tutoring English in University the majority of my students were from South Korea. They encouraged me to consider trying teaching English after I finished my degree and the idea really grew on me over time. In hindsight, it was one of the best decisions I&#8217;ve ever made in my life. I&#8217;ve had really good experiences in Korea and I now consider it my home away from home. I&#8217;ve found over time that my skills as a teacher have improved and I&#8217;ve always found the students to be a joy to teach.&#8230; <a href="http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea-interview-with-nomadic-samuel/" class="read_more">Read the rest</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-256" title="Nomadic Samuel Teach English in Korea" src="http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Nomadic-Samuel-Teach-English-in-Korea1.jpg" alt="Nomadic Samuel Teach English in Korea" width="520" height="347" />How was teaching English in Korea?</h2>
<p>When I was tutoring English in University the majority of my students were from South Korea. They encouraged me to consider trying teaching English after I finished my degree and the idea really grew on me over time. In hindsight, it was one of the best decisions I&#8217;ve ever made in my life. I&#8217;ve had really good experiences in Korea and I now consider it my home away from home. I&#8217;ve found over time that my skills as a teacher have improved and I&#8217;ve always found the students to be a joy to teach. Korea has a lot to offer in terms of culture, food and interesting destinations to explore.</p>
<h2>How did you find your job?</h2>
<p>I would HIGHLY recommend using <a href="http://www.worknplayconsulting.com/" target="_blank">Work N Play Consulting.</a> They&#8217;re a first class organization and I&#8217;ve  had excellent placements with them.  They&#8217;re very efficient, courteous and professional.  As an example, I arrived late at night for one of my contracts and they put me up in a nice apartment for the evening.  The following day, I was met in the morning by my recruiter who coordinated the rest of my journey.  They followed up several times throughout the year to make sure everything was going well for me at my school.</p>
<h2>How did you evaluate your employer to know that it was a good school?</h2>
<p>I did a very poor job of evaluating my first employer and I paid a price for it in terms of working and living conditions.  My other two contracts were much better.  I take into consideration a lot of factors, but the two I find most important are a high retention rate and age of an institution or school.  I would never accept a contract where a teacher was leaving on bad terms or if a private school has only been existence for several years.  The best way to find out is to insist that you speak with present and former teachers before signing the contract.  Teaching in the Korean Public school system is entirely different.  Those placements are far more professional and the chances of having terrible working conditions are far less likely given that it is a government program.</p>
<h2>Did your school make it easy to get settled in Korea?</h2>
<p>LOL!  My first employer was brutal.  They forgot what day I was supposed to arrive and when I landed in Incheon International Airport I spent hours trying to find my contact person who would take me to my apartment.  To make things even worse my apartment was actually not &#8216;really&#8217; an apartment.  It was a temporary housing structure on top of a roof.  I suffered immensely during the brutally cold winters and stifling summers that first year.  I wouldn&#8217;t do that situation (particular contract) over again for all the money in the world.  My other two jobs were far more reliable in those areas.</p>
<h2>Can you recommend some of the better schools to work for?</h2>
<p>I would suggest working in the public school programs:  EPIK (English Program in Korea), GEPIK (Gyeongi English Program in Korea) or SMOE (Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education).  These are essentially the same program but with different jurisdictions.  SMOE deals with teachers working only in Seoul.  GEPIK is for teachers in the surrounding provincial area just outside of Seoul that includes many urban and rural placements.  Finally, EPIK is the organization that places teachers in every other place in Korea outside of SMOE and GEPIK.  The benefits of working in the public system are guaranteed contracts, decent salary, reduced teaching hours and extended paid holidays.</p>
<h2>Can you change employers easily if working conditions are not as promised?</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, this is by far the least appealing aspect of working in South Korea.  Changing employers is extremely difficult.  In certain cases you can press for a release letter which would allow you to change your Visa to another employer; however, the chances of getting this are often slim to none &#8211; especially if you&#8217;re in conflict with your school.  Typically, one is forced to leave the country and return with another Visa for a different school.  However, the advantage of teaching in Korea, compared to other countries in Asia are a higher salary, free apartment and airfare reimbursement.  These characteristics alone make Korea a very popular country for expat teachers irrespective of the very rigid Visa conditions.</p>
<h2>What are the requirements to teach in Korea?</h2>
<p>The basic minimum requirements to teach in Korea are a University Degree (any major) from Canada, America, Ireland, UK, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa.  Although one is qualified for many jobs with only a degree, I highly advise obtaining a TESOL or TEFL certificate.  The benefits include an advantage of beating out competition for highly sought after jobs and guarantee of a higher monthly salary.  Within just a few months, considering salary alone, one can pay off the cost of the certificate.</p>
<p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-258" title="Teach English in Korea" src="http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Teach-English-in-Korea.jpg" alt="Teach English in Korea" width="520" height="284" /></p>
<h2>Is it possible to arrive in Korea without a job and still find employment?</h2>
<p>Unfortunately, it is not possible to legally arrive in Korea and obtain a working Visa while in country.  Korea probably has one of the strictest Visa requirements of any country in Asia for ESL teachers.  There is a lot of paperwork and documents that need to be processed before you even arrive.  Furthermore, one is limited to a specific contract and school, as determined by the contract.  It&#8217;s not possible to suddenly change jobs until your contract expires which makes it necessary for one to do plenty of research before signing on.</p>
<h2>What city did you teach in?</h2>
<p>I&#8217;ve taught in three different areas in Korea:  Seoul, Bundang and Daejeon.  My first teaching contract was in Seoul and I was thrilled to be living there at the time.  I really wasn&#8217;t very concerned with saving money during that initial contract and the opportunities for night life and entertainment were plentiful.  My second stint was in Bundang (a satellite city) just outside of Seoul that is known as the second most affluent area in South Korea.  I really enjoyed living there because it offered a more laid back pace of life during the weekdays and I was only 20-30 minutes away from Seoul which I frequently visited on the weekend.  My third contract in Korea was in Daejeon and I had an entirely different mentality this time around.  I purposely selected a city that was a reasonable distance away from Seoul because I had the clear intention of saving money for backpacking.  I found myself picking up a lot of overtime hours, working extra pay camps and saving as hard as I could.  My efforts really paid off because just that one year of teaching allowed me to fund a nearly two year backpacking journey afterwards.</p>
<h2>What is the quality of life of an English teacher in Korea?</h2>
<p>The quality of a life for an English teacher is generally very high provided they&#8217;ve secured a reputable job. A typical contract includes return airfare, a free apartment, severance bonuses and low tax rate. A teacher is typically left with a lot of disposable income after payday. If a teacher is frugal and lives like a local, there is a potential to save between 50-75% of their salary each month. Overall, in larger cities there is a vibrant expat community with plenty of opportunities to enjoy a variety of different activities. One of the true highlights of living in Korea is the diverse cuisine. Some of my favourite dishes are as spicy as any I&#8217;ve tried in Asia.</p>
<h2>What are the typical salaries for English teachers in Korea in US dollars?</h2>
<p>The average salary for a starting teacher would be anywhere between $1700 to $2200 per month with a free apartment, depending on experience, qualifications and the level which one is teaching (private, public, university). For more experienced teachers the average salary would be between $2100 to $2500. Finally, for those who are working at a prestigious university, large company or doing research or development the sky is the limit. I&#8217;ve heard of individuals pulling in between $5000 to 10,000 but this is very rare and only for those who have advanced qualifications such as a Masters degree and lots of experience teaching in Korea.</p>
<h2>Would you teach English again?</h2>
<p>I would definitely teach English overseas again. I think it&#8217;s a wonderful opportunity to experience a new culture, travel and save money. Unlike backpacking, it offers one the opportunity to feel as though they are part of the local community. The one tip I would suggest is to carefully research your potential school before signing any contract. Although there are excellent schools, the ESL industry is also rife with dodgy operators who have little concern for the welfare of their teachers or students.</p>
<h2>If you were to go back to Korea, what would you do different?</h2>
<p>That&#8217;s a tough question to answer.  I think some of the worst experiences I&#8217;ve had in Korea have provided for great lessons; however, with that being said, if I could redo a few things I would most certainly have been more diligent researching my initial few jobs.  At the time, I was just excited to have the offer and opportunity to go overseas.  Had I been more selective I could have got on with more reputable institutes that provided better working conditions and salary.  Overall though, it&#8217;s very easy to say this in hindsight and I think my mistakes were quite common for somebody fresh out of university.</p>
<p><span style="color: #515151;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Samuel Jeffery is the wizard behind the curtain pulling the strings of </span></span></span><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.nomadicsamuel.com/">Nomadic</a> Samuel – Travel Site</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #515151;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> a travel blog featuring photos, videos &amp; quirky travel stories along with photography tips, interviews, esl tips, reviews and general travel advice. Additionally, Samuel runs other travel related sites: </span></span></span><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://smilingfacestravelphotos.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Smiling Faces Travel Photos</span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: #515151;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> , </span></span></span><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://travel-photography-tips.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Travel Photography Tips</span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: #515151;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> , </span></span></span><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://teach-english-travel-overseas.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Teach English Travel Overseas</span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="color: #515151;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> &amp; </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://howtomakemoneytravelblogging.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">How to Make Money Travel Blogging</span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">. </span></span></span><span style="color: #515151;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">One can get in touch with Samuel by following him on his </span></span></span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/nomadicsamuel"><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">F</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">acebook Fan Page</span></span></span></a><span style="color: #515151;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> , </span></span></span><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/nomadicsamuel"><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">T</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">witter</span></span></span></a><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> , </span></span><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/stumbler/nomadicsamuel/"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stumble Upon</span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="color: #515151;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> , </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/nomadicsamuel"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Youtube</span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="color: #515151;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> &amp; </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://plus.google.com/112131332057209914458/posts"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Google +</span></span></a></span></span><span style="color: #000080;"><span style="color: #515151;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> .</span></span></span></span><br />
<strong>More links<br />
</strong><a title="Find English Teaching Jobs in Korea" href="http://youcanteachenglish.com/category/asia/korea/" target="_blank">Find English Teaching Jobs in Korea</a><br />
<a title="Korea General Information" href="http://youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea/" target="_self">Teach English in Korea (General Information)</a><br />
<a title="Korea (Cost of Living)" href="http://youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea-cost-of-living/" target="_self">Teach English in Korea (Cost of Living)</a><br />
<a title="Korea Visa Requirements" href="http://youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea-visa-requirements/" target="_self">Teach English in Korea (Visa Requirements)</a></p>
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		<title>Teach English in Korea, Interview with Jordan Lunan</title>
		<link>http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea-interview-with-jordan-lunan/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea-interview-with-jordan-lunan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:06:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Interviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Korea]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/?p=107</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_114" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/JordanLunan.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-114" title="JordanLunan" src="http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/JordanLunan-300x225.jpg" alt="Teach English in Korea, Interview with Jordan Lunan" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Teach English in Korea, Interview with Jordan Lunan</p></div>
<h1>How long have you been teaching English in Korea?</h1>
<p>Just over 10 months ago. My wife and I started in early March 2009.</p>
<h1>How did you find your first teaching job?</h1>
<p>On the internet. There are several websites (Dave&#8217;s ESL Cafe) dedicated to providing job postings for teachers from schools and recruiters.</p>
<p>We initially dealt with a recruiter who was helpful in explaining the process and helping us prepare all the paperwork, but we eventually found the school through another recruiter and negotiated a contract about 6&#8230; <a href="http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea-interview-with-jordan-lunan/" class="read_more">Read the rest</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_114" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/JordanLunan.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-114" title="JordanLunan" src="http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/JordanLunan-300x225.jpg" alt="Teach English in Korea, Interview with Jordan Lunan" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Teach English in Korea, Interview with Jordan Lunan</p></div>
<h1>How long have you been teaching English in Korea?</h1>
<p>Just over 10 months ago. My wife and I started in early March 2009.</p>
<h1>How did you find your first teaching job?</h1>
<p>On the internet. There are several websites (Dave&#8217;s ESL Cafe) dedicated to providing job postings for teachers from schools and recruiters.</p>
<p>We initially dealt with a recruiter who was helpful in explaining the process and helping us prepare all the paperwork, but we eventually found the school through another recruiter and negotiated a contract about 6 weeks before our departure.</p>
<h1>How easy is it to find English teaching positions?</h1>
<p>I found it very easy at the time. There were plenty of opportunities, but we were patient and interviewed with 15-20 different recruiters and schools before settling on our eventual destination. We received at least 10 offers but were very specific about salary, working conditions and location so we wanted to wait for the right fit.</p>
<p>I understand that it&#8217;s a little bit harder to find a good job as there&#8217;s been an influx of new teachers who are fleeing North America during the current economic downturn. Also, many of the current teachers here are opting to renew or extend their contracts instead of returning home to uncertain job prospects.</p>
<h1>Is it necessary to have teaching certificates or training to find employment?</h1>
<p>No, I have no formal training or teaching certificates. My wife is a certified teacher so it certainly helps and will garner a higher salary, but as long as you have university degree and your native tongue is English, most schools will give you consideration.</p>
<h1>How did you get your first work visa?</h1>
<p>The school arranged all of this for us. We had to go to the Korean consulate in Canada to finalize some paperwork and an informal interview, but most of it was just procedural. I recommend getting all of your documentation in order prior to beginning the job search so that there isn&#8217;t any delay once you find a school you&#8217;re comfortable with.</p>
<h1>Is it possible for teachers to arrive without a work visa and look for a job?</h1>
<p>I believe so. Sometimes schools hire teachers but can&#8217;t get all the Visa documentation finalized before the start of the school year. So they bring the Teacher to Korea on a tourist Visa and then once the work Visa is ready, they ship the teacher to Japan for 48 hours and bring them back in order for the work Visa to take effect. This is commonly referred to as a &#8220;Visa-run&#8221; and I know several people who have done it. The school pays for everything in the cases I&#8217;ve been privy to.</p>
<h1>What is the cost of living in Korea?</h1>
<p>In my experience, most schools will pay for your accommodation. I highly recommend asking for pictures and description of the dwelling and to speak or correspond with current teachers at the school to ensure that they are provided with appropriate living quarters.</p>
<p>The cost of living is actually quite cheap compared to North America. Most restaurants are dirt cheap compared to back home and there&#8217;s no shortage or eating options, especially in our neighbourhood.</p>
<p>It helps to live with someone else and share certain costs or being able to buy food in bulk without having it go bad, but I know certain individuals who are smart with their money and are able to live comfortably and still save money to send home for other expenses (student loans) and put into savings.</p>
<p>My wife and I have actually been able to able to live off just one of our salaries for the entire year and put the other salary in savings to use for our 3-month long trip at the end of our contract. We have  been more frugal than we are accustomed to  living back in North America but still go out to eat a couple times a week and enjoy at least one night out at the bar with friends during the week as well. Others aren&#8217;t as disciplined and live paycheck to paycheck but saving money is very possible.</p>
<h1>Do you recommend Korea for other English teachers?</h1>
<p>Yes. My expectations have been exceeded and I couldn&#8217;t be happier with the outcome of our experience. The students are very respectful for the most part and our working and living conditions have been favourable.</p>
<h1>What do you love and hate about Korea?</h1>
<p>I don&#8217;t really hate anything about it. Sometimes it can be frustrating not being able to communicate with strangers or being starred at on the subway, but these are small petty things that you have to expect coming in.</p>
<p>I like most of the food. I admire the pride and work ethic of the Korean people and their rise from virtual poverty as a nation. I like living in central Asian country that has allowed us to take trips to China, Japan, Taiwan and all over Korea for much much less than it would cost coming from North America.</p>
<p>I love the friends I&#8217;ve made with both the foreign and Korean people that I&#8217;ve met here and throughout our travels abroad. I love going to Korean baseball games for less than $5 and drinking beers that cost less than $2, not to mention being able to drink anywhere you want whenever you want.</p>
<p>Some of the public bathrooms can be pretty nasty and people have less regard for personal space here, but once again, petty differences that shouldn&#8217;t deter someone from the benefits of the overall experience.</p>
<h1>What advice would you offer for others thinking of teaching English Abroad?</h1>
<p>Do as much research as possible and familiarize yourself with Korean culture and etiquette prior to arrival. Don&#8217;t obsess and compare everything to how things are done back home. Be respectful of their cultural differences and embrace them as best you can.</p>
<p>With patience and the right attitude, you&#8217;ll have no problem getting comfortable and integrating yourself into their society.</p>
<h1>How long to you plan on staying in Korea?</h1>
<p>Two more months. We signed a one year contract and will be traveling for three months throughout Southeast Asia and Europe before returning home to Toronto in June 2010.</p>
<p><strong>Links</strong><br />
<a title="An Asian Odyssey" href="http://jorkat.com/" target="_blank">An Asian Odyssey</a> Jordan Lunan&#8217;s Blog</p>
<p><a title="English Teaching Jobs in Korea" href="http://youcanteachenglish.com/category/asia/korea/" target="_blank">English teaching jobs in Korea</a><br />
<a title="Information on Teaching English in Korea" href="http://youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea/" target="_blank">Information on teaching English in Korea</a></p>
<p><a href="http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/JohnUntemplated.jpg"><br />
</a></p>
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		<title>Teach English in Korea, Interview with Simon and Martina Stawski</title>
		<link>http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea-interview-with-simon-and-martina-stawski/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea-interview-with-simon-and-martina-stawski/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:18:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Interviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Korea]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/?p=94</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_93" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-93" title="SimonMartina" src="http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/SimonMartina-300x285.jpg" alt="Teach English in Korea, Simon and Martina from EatYourKimchi.com" width="300" height="285" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Teach English in Korea, Simon and Martina Stawski from EatYourKimchi.com</p></div>
<h1>How long have you been teaching English in Korea?</h1>
<p>We&#8217;ve been teaching in Korea now for a year and a half.</p>
<h1>Have you taught English in other countries?</h1>
<p>We taught English in two high schools and one elementary school in Canada. This was during our practicum for our Bachelor&#8217;s of Education. It was much different than what we teach now, because here we&#8217;re teaching the basics of conversation while there we worked with students who already knew English, and were already conversationally competent. So, apart&#8230; <a href="http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea-interview-with-simon-and-martina-stawski/" class="read_more">Read the rest</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_93" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-93" title="SimonMartina" src="http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/SimonMartina-300x285.jpg" alt="Teach English in Korea, Simon and Martina from EatYourKimchi.com" width="300" height="285" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Teach English in Korea, Simon and Martina Stawski from EatYourKimchi.com</p></div>
<h1>How long have you been teaching English in Korea?</h1>
<p>We&#8217;ve been teaching in Korea now for a year and a half.</p>
<h1>Have you taught English in other countries?</h1>
<p>We taught English in two high schools and one elementary school in Canada. This was during our practicum for our Bachelor&#8217;s of Education. It was much different than what we teach now, because here we&#8217;re teaching the basics of conversation while there we worked with students who already knew English, and were already conversationally competent. So, apart from the obvious proficiency difference, the biggest differences are the class sizes here (40, compared to roughly 26 in Canada) and the lesson planning prep time. Here I&#8217;ll make two lessons, one for every grade, and teach them for a week, which adds up to two lesson plans a week, essentially. Back in Canada, we had to make two to three different lesson plans PER DAY! It was intense. We&#8217;d stay up until 3AM every night trying to make decent lessons. So the workload is much lighter here, and the quality of sleep is muuuuuuch greater.</p>
<h1>How did you find your first teaching job?</h1>
<p>We attended a presentation during a workshop day for teachers while at Teacher&#8217;s College. Different representatives from different districts came by to give presentations to prospective teachers, and among them was a small recruiting agency. We listened to this recruiting agency talk about teaching in Korea. We spoke with them for a bit after the presentation, and then got job offers immediately. It was a very bizarre experience.</p>
<h1>How easy is it to find English teaching positions?</h1>
<p>Well, for us it was exceptionally easy. Step 1) Sit through a presentation. Step 2) Talk to the presenters afterwards. Step 3) Get offered a job. I can&#8217;t say what it will be like for others, because we haven&#8217;t really looked for any other positions since. We were placed in two good schools and we haven&#8217;t thought about finding jobs elsewhere. We have looked into this for other people, though, since we get many emails about how to become a teacher in Korea. And so we made a video, which we call &#8220;<a title="How to Become a Teacher in Korea" href="http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/index.php?id=6259337569458161860" target="_blank">How to Become a Teacher in Korea</a>,&#8221; in which we outline the difference between public schools and after school programs, as well as what recruiting agency you should go through. Essentially, we suggest that you teach in Public schools, and that you go through <a title="Korvia Consulting" href="http://www.korvia.com/" target="_blank">Korvia</a> Consulting.</p>
<h1>Is it necessary to have teaching certificates or training to find employment?</h1>
<p>It&#8217;s not necessary, but it&#8217;s very, VERY helpful. You&#8217;ll have your &#8220;Teacher Voice&#8221; which will do you a world of good in a class full of 40 students, and you&#8217;ll also have a better sense of how to prepare lessons. Many schools &#8211; from what I&#8217;ve heard &#8211; will simply put you in your class and say &#8220;teach!&#8221; and the experience can be overwhelming if you haven&#8217;t had teaching experience beforehand.</p>
<h1>How did you get your first work visa?</h1>
<p>We got it through our recruiters. They told us to fill out some paperwork and mail it to them. We did as we were told and, voila! Visa in hand. Getting the paperwork done was a bit of a hassle, because we had to get criminal record checks, notarized copies of our degrees, have an interview at the Korean Consulate in Toronto, have a health check in Canada and then another in Korea after we arrived. What makes this process a bit easier is that your recruiter should give you a checklist of things you need, so you won&#8217;t have to do the research yourself. Just complete the list and you&#8217;re good.</p>
<h1>Is it possible for teachers to arrive without a work visa and look for a job?</h1>
<p>I&#8217;m not too sure about that, so I don&#8217;t want to give a definite answer about this. I know of someone who was between jobs in Korea for a couple of months, and surely his Visa must have expired by then, so I&#8217;d assume it&#8217;s possible to be in Korea without a Visa, then find a job and get a Visa for it afterwards.</p>
<h1>What is the cost of living in Korea?</h1>
<p>God! So cheap! Our rent is covered by our schools (and our place is totally awesome as well!). Taxis cost us an average of 5 bucks or so. The subway starts at 90 cents and charges you for distance, but the most we&#8217;ve ever paid (for a two hour subway ride) was something like a buck fifty! Can you believe it! Compare this to the TTC we&#8217;re used to in Toronto, which is charging something close to three bucks! Absurd! Otherwise, we can eat for anywhere from 2 bucks if we&#8217;re feeling cheap or 20 bucks if we&#8217;re feeling lavish. The only things that are more expensive, we&#8217;ve found, is fruit and clothing. Watermelons can set you back 12 bucks. Yes. 12 bucks. They are the most delicious watermelons I&#8217;ve ever tasted, though, so quality over quantity wins out here. Also, clothing is more expensive. Levis jeans will set you back over 100 bucks. I&#8217;m not joking.</p>
<h1>How much money can the average teacher expect to save?</h1>
<p>That really depends on your saving habits, but it is definitely very easy to save money here. We live very comfortably, eat out every day, take the taxis whenever we want to, and still send back half of our paycheques. I think our situation might be a bit misleading, though: I&#8217;m sure if we could fit into the clothing here, we&#8217;d be sending back a lot less. We really like Korea&#8217;s fashion sense, but we both don&#8217;t really fit into Korean clothes. It&#8217;s heartbreaking, but good for saving money.</p>
<h1>Do you recommend Korea for other English teachers?</h1>
<p>I highly, highly recommend Korea for other English teachers. We love it here. We&#8217;re staying another year, as soon as our contracts expire in June. Teaching presents different challenges than what we were used to as teachers in Canada, but it&#8217;s still a lot less work (did I mention I don&#8217;t have to mark any homework or tests? Yeah: no homework or tests). As well, since we were teachers in Canada, teaching English is a very useful experience for us if we ever go back. Since Canada has a very high immigration population, I feel like we can much better understand the students in Canada who are struggling because of the language, and I feel like we will be better teachers for them now as a result.</p>
<h1>What do you love and hate about Korea?</h1>
<p>This isn&#8217;t something that I hate about Korea as much as I find it a bit disappointing: as a teacher in Canada, I was able to communicate with my students much better, to joke with them more. Here, I can&#8217;t speak with my students as much as I&#8217;d like to. There&#8217;s a big bridge between us. The more I pick up on Korean the smaller that bridge will become, but right now the ability to joke with my students is something I sorely miss. As for the stuff I love, the list is huge, but I think my number one choice is the streetfood. I have no clue how we will be able to go on without it.</p>
<h1>What advice would you offer for others thinking of teaching English Abroad?</h1>
<p>I think it depends on how long you have before your planned teaching stint. If you want to go in a few years, and want to prepare yourself for it in the meanwhile, I think the best things you can do is a) pick up some teaching experience and b) learn the language beforehand. I think that would make things much easier for you. If you don&#8217;t have the time to put into getting teaching experience, I&#8217;d still suggest learning the language. It&#8217;s something I kinda regret not putting enough effort into beforehand.</p>
<h1>How long to you plan on staying in Korea?</h1>
<p>We still don&#8217;t know. When our contracts expire in June we plan on re-signing with our schools, so that means we&#8217;re here for at least another year and a half. What started out as &#8220;oh, we&#8217;ll teach for a year and then go back&#8221; has now become a three-year plan. Maybe more. Who knows. What we do know is that we&#8217;re enjoying our time in Korea far more than we ever imagined we would, and we have far more reasons to stay here than to leave.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.eatyourkimchi.com/">EatYourKimchi</a> Simon and Martina&#8217;s Blog<br />
<a href="http://twitter.com/eatyourkimchi">Follow EatYourKimchi on Twitter</a><br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/simonandmartina">Simon and Martina on YouTube</a><br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eat-Your-Kimchi/196183141101">Eat-Your-Kimchi on Facebook</a></p>
<p><a title="Information on Teaching English in Korea" href="http://youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea/" target="_blank">More Information on Teaching English in Korea</a><br />
<a title="English Teaching Jobs in Korea" href="http://youcanteachenglish.com/category/asia/korea/" target="_blank">English Teaching Jobs in Korea</a></p>
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		<title>Teach English in Korea, Interview with David Deubelbeiss</title>
		<link>http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea-interview-with-david-deubelbeiss/</link>
		<comments>http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea-interview-with-david-deubelbeiss/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:58:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>John</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Interviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Korea]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/?p=47</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_48" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-48" title="David" src="http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/David-300x225.jpg" alt="Teach English in Korea" width="300" height="225" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Teach English in Korea</p></div>
<p>David Deubelbeiss is a teacher, writer and runner. He is an educator with over 17 years experience teaching ESL / EFL . He has taught and presented in Korea, Canada, France, the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Russia. and specializes in Web 2.0 and using technology in the classroom. Currently, he is giving professional development courses within the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. He is an avid creator of instructional materials and shares his resources through his online community <a title="EFL Classrom 2.0 Ning" href="http://eflclassroom.ning.com" target="_blank">EFL Classroom 2.0</a> – a professional development&#8230; <a href="http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea-interview-with-david-deubelbeiss/" class="read_more">Read the rest</a></p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_48" class="wp-caption alignleft" style="width: 310px"><img class="size-medium wp-image-48" title="David" src="http://blog.youcanteachenglish.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/David-300x225.jpg" alt="Teach English in Korea" width="300" height="225" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Teach English in Korea</p></div>
<p>David Deubelbeiss is a teacher, writer and runner. He is an educator with over 17 years experience teaching ESL / EFL . He has taught and presented in Korea, Canada, France, the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Russia. and specializes in Web 2.0 and using technology in the classroom. Currently, he is giving professional development courses within the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. He is an avid creator of instructional materials and shares his resources through his online community <a title="EFL Classrom 2.0 Ning" href="http://eflclassroom.ning.com" target="_blank">EFL Classroom 2.0</a> – a professional development site with thousands of members.  Also, find many of his ideas for teaching on <a title="Teaching Recipes" href="http://teachingrecipes.com" target="_blank">Teaching Recipes</a>. He shares the simple teaching philosophy of inspiring both teachers and learners, believing &#8220;when one teaches, two learn&#8221;.</p>
<h1>How long have you been teaching English in Korea?</h1>
<p>4 years today! I’m presently the head teacher trainer, training both foreign and Korean teachers in the world’s largest school board, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.</p>
<h1>How did you find your first teaching job?</h1>
<p>I went out to Vancouver to get a job “in paradise” after finishing teacher’s college in Ontario. However, it was the summer of 92 and they were in the middle of a teacher’s strike. While out and about, I met a retired couple who had started a school in Karlovy Vary, the Czech Republic so I decided, “why not?”.</p>
<h1>How easy is it to find teaching jobs?</h1>
<p>It depends. These days generally, native English speakers ARE in demand as teachers but conditions vary. National visa policies, salary levels, credential requirements, economic conditions, and local demands (accents/nationalities, age, education) all are pertinent factors. People around the world want to learn English and see it as a way to upward mobility and economic opportunity. However, as time goes by, demand will decrease.  The internet will offer more opportunities to learn English online through self-learning and access. Travel will be more available so students will in greater numbers be able to travel and learn in English speaking countries. Most importantly, there will be a larger pool of non-native speaking teachers, fluent enough to teach well in many developing nations. All this will decrease demand for teachers in 5-10 years. See David Graddol’s excellent online book, “<a title="English Next PDF" href="http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-research-english-next.pdf" target="_blank">English Next</a>” for lots more information about this.</p>
<p>I recommend a recent Radio Canada Int. <a title="Ben Glickman Interview" href="http://www.footprintsrecruiting.com/fun/ben-interview-08-05-2009.mp3" target="_blank">interview</a> with Ben Glickman from Footprints Recruiting who talks about  the present dearth of teaching jobs as so many recent graduates are clamoring for teaching jobs overseas.</p>
<h1>Is it necessary to have teaching certificates or training to find employment?</h1>
<p>No, it isn’t but it can be helpful. Employers always like credentials. However, I’m of the school that teachers are born, not accredited. Meaning, the most important thing is the person and their emotional and intellectual qualities. Only upon that, can one “make” a teacher.</p>
<h1>How did you get your first work visa?</h1>
<p>It was in the Czech Rep. and taken care of by the employer.  Compared to Korea though (and they complain here!), it was still a lot of work on my part in terms of documents and paperwork. I even had to check into the police station every month my first year there!</p>
<h1>Is it possible for teachers to arrive without a work visa and look for a job?</h1>
<p>In Korea, this is possible but I personally don’t recommend it. A visa in Korea is offered through one&#8217;s employer. If you arrive without a work visa (on a tourist visa), you will have to fly out of the country after finding a job and do what is called a “visa run”.  The usual run is Osaka, the closest foreign Korean embassy. From there, your visa is processed, usually within a few days. However, I advise teachers to avoid the perils of this (unless having previously worked in Korea and knowing the ropes) and work with a reputable recruiter or employer to first secure an offer of employment and then get the visa before flying to Korea. And one big “caveat emptor” for teachers – never, never, never pay for a company or employer to get you a visa!!!!!! You are that which is valuable and there is no need to pay a cent. If they ask, run for the hills.</p>
<h1>What is the cost of living in Korea?</h1>
<p>Generally, employment in Korea comes with accommodation or an accommodation allowance. So without paying for this, expenses are low. Utilities are very reasonable, also cell phone costs.  Eating out is very cheap but groceries are quite a bit more expensive, especially if you like to buy foreign goods. Local bars are fairly cheap if you stick to domestic stuff.</p>
<p>Taxes are very low and your net pay will only be 5-10% of your gross. Teachers also get one month’s pay severance for every year worked and many nationalities also get their pension payments in cash when they leave Korea (and what their employer paid in matching payments).</p>
<h1>How much money can the average teacher expect to save?</h1>
<p>Expenses can be quite low and teachers can save 40-70% of their take home pay, depending on how they live.  However, if you want a lot of the same things as back home, you’ll save a lot less. Travel often out of Korea and that will cut into savings also.</p>
<h1>What is the typical number of teaching hours per week?</h1>
<p>Public school teachers typically work 18-22 hours / week. However, they also get a lot of downtime from cancelled classes in many cases. If you work at a “hagwon”, what we might call a private language school or “cram school”, you will work considerably more hours 28-36 and usually a split shift.</p>
<h1>How many weeks of holidays per year can teachers expect?</h1>
<p>Teachers in public schools can expect 14 -21 days paid holiday + national holidays (but if they fall on a weekend, you are out of luck!). If you renew a contract you get an additional amount of paid holiday (usually 10 working days).  Those in private language schools get considerably less paid holidays, usually only 10 working days.</p>
<h1>Did your employer provide you with medical Insurance?</h1>
<p>Employers in Korea are obliged to pay their employee’s medical insurance. It usually isn’t a significant amount and covers very basic things.  Those working in Korea get a health booklet which they present when getting medical treatment. Teachers will have to pay something out of pocket for any major tests / exams / treatment.</p>
<p>There have been many cases of private language schools not paying this, but deducting it from the teacher’s salary. I advise all teachers to check with the Korean health and pension offices after their first month, to ensure that their employers are indeed meeting their contractual obligations.</p>
<h1>Do you recommend Korea for other English teachers?</h1>
<p>I recommend travel and teaching to anyone! It really is a special career – you broaden your own horizons, help others and get to make the world a bit more of a “smaller” and more understanding place.  Working in the countryside of Korea can be a challenge but all in all, if the teacher brings a flexible and open mind set, “seeing the glass half full” – they will succeed and be the better for it.</p>
<p>I’ve grown a lot while here in Korea. Both professionally and personally. Lots of hiking and outdoors stuff – Korea is 75% mountainous. The country “works” much like Switzerland and the people hard working – if not to the extreme. There is a great expat culture here and unlike many of the places I’ve taught – it isn’t too “rough” a deal.   Check out the “Korea” area on EFL Classroom 2.0 – lots of great videos and materials collected there.</p>
<p>Korea is also one of the few countries where teachers can save money in addition to having money to travel around. It also has significant opportunity for those who want to pursue ELT (English Language Teaching) as a career – both in the form of graduate courses and university and teacher training positions.</p>
<h1>What advice would you offer for others thinking of teaching English Abroad?</h1>
<p>Great question!  Here they are in a nutshell</p>
<p><strong>#1   Ask yourself – Do I have a plan B?</strong></p>
<p>What I mean is that teachers should have some basic savings before venturing abroad.  99% of the time, you don’t need this nest egg (usually a couple months salary in the bank) but “stuff happens” and teachers should be prepared and have the means to get themselves home or pay for unplanned expenses.</p>
<p><strong>#2  Ask yourself – Can I live without all my usual “support” and “stuff”?</strong></p>
<p>Teaching abroad means adapting to a different lifestyle. Sometimes not significantly but there will be things you won’t have or be able to get. There will be times when there isn’t someone there for you. There will be times when you are “culture shocked”. Can you live with that and most importantly, grow from that?</p>
<p><strong>#3   Ask yourself – Do I enjoy people, really enjoy helping others and working closely with people?</strong></p>
<p>That’s what teaching is ALL about – relationships. Language is a social artifice and it works because people are “into” people. If you are going to be teaching hours every day – make sure for the most part, you enjoy helping people. Just being able to do a good job for the money won’t suffice or get you to the finish line when far from home. You gotta love you do.  Teaching at its most ideal, I believe, is a calling, a vocation. Teaching overseas a wonderful vocation!</p>
<p><strong>Links</strong></p>
<p><a title="EFL Classroom on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/eflclassroom" target="_blank">EFLclassroom on Twitter<br />
</a><a title="ELTjobs on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/eltjobs" target="_blank">ELTjobs on Twitter </a><br />
<a title="EFL Classrom 2.0 Ning" href="http://eflclassroom.ning.com" target="_blank">EFLClassroom2.0</a></p>
<p><a title="English Teaching Jobs in Korea" href="http://youcanteachenglish.com/category/asia/korea/" target="_self">English Teaching Jobs in Korea</a><br />
<a title="Information on Teaching English in Korea" href="http://youcanteachenglish.com/teach-english-in-korea/" target="_blank">Information on Teaching English in Korea</a></p>
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