Princess Ame's Guide to Teaching Abroad

Because I have been unemployed for the last four months, I have a lot of leisure time to post but I've been lazy. So to make up for such laziness I've complied (what I hope is) a detailed and thorough list of my account teaching abroad and some useful resources for anyone interested in doing it themselves. Enjoy!

Princess Ame's Guide to Teaching Abroad

My Personal Experience in Korea:

My opinion: I had a great time there. For traveling outside of the USA and living in a foreign country for the first time in my life, I'm happy to say that I'd go back again. I think Korea has given me a great deal of open-mindedness and new perspective on the world that you can't get from traveling or staying a week somewhere. I love that it's so different from the US or even other western countries. Although it took a few months well to really sink in how awesome the experience was, I loved it and would not trade it for the world!

Pluses:

Great Pay (around $2,200/mnth take home) w/ Free Housing
Low cost health care
Little or no commute to work
You can save money and pay off debts because the cost of living is low
Great food!
Travel to other areas of Korea is cheap ($5-25) and Travel from Korea to other Asian countries is cheap too
HUGE foreigner community (you won't be lonely if you put yourself out there)
Lots of vacation time (if you choose to work with a public school in the EPIK Program) SO many fun leisure activities to do in your free time. I.E: rock climbing, mountain climbing, swimming, surfing, biking, walking/hiking, bars & clubs, malls, concerts, etc. You name it!
You will meet so many cool and like minded people you won't believe it.
It is also relatively easy to learn to read and write Korean (takes about a week – two weeks to get good at it), speaking and understanding is a bit harder but there are many free Government held classes at Colleges or Rec. Centers, or you can make a private negotiation with people in exchange for English lessons/etc.

Negatives:

At work, you'll run in with Korean teachers/supervisors who don't respect your authority as a teacher or challenge or even belittle you in front of students to exercise their authority. This doesn't happen often or everywhere but I've experienced it and a few friends I know have too, but like “dickhead” bosses in America, they are a possibility in Korea too. Some Koreans hold the belief that because you're only required to have a Bachelor's degree (in any field/subject) you don't count as a “real” teacher and therefore require less respect. Other Koreans will welcome you and celebrate your knowledge of the English Language and come to you for advice, but I think this is more rare. Keep in mind this is my opinion, not meant to scare you but to be honest.

Another negative is that sometimes you just get tired of being in a foreign country. You will miss the comforts of home and your family. It's a whole year (or more) that you'll be gone. There is limited access to American or western resources (depending on what part of the country you live in). Food you're used to, music you enjoy, clothes that fit you, a language that you don't have to struggle to comprehend. Pack well and keep a line of contact with family that can ship you necessities.

Things to consider:

The Korean government is cracking down and soon wants all foreigners to have a degree in education (preferably Masters) or intention of getting one during your stay. It's getting harder to find jobs in Korea, but honestly they are one of THE BEST countries in the world to teach English because of the rate of pay vs. Leisure time to travel/etc.

Do you have ANY experience teaching or working with Children? I know that many people say it's the easiest job they've ever had, or you might think that babysitting all day is a cakewalk, but let me tell you... that is a mistake. I have had experiences that have made me so upset that I've cried. It can be stressful if you care about education at all. From classroom management to actual teaching material and lesson planning, it's VERY involved. If you're treating the job like a chore in between drinks (some foreigners drink every night and show up drunk or hungover because alcohol is WAY too easy to gain access to... Soju -a drink like Vodka- costs roughly $1), then you might end up not being stressed but I guarantee that your boss won't be happy and you'll regret it once your term in Korea is over. Sometimes GOOD teaching means sacrificing your time (and not getting paid) to make lesson plans better, connect with the students and spend time with your Korean peers to make a good impression and do well at your job. It's hard but it's worth it.

Do NOT choose individual hagwons – 학원 or private learning academies, unless you know teachers there or are familiar with the company. I have a few friends who are teaching at these kinds of institutes and have not been paid in two months, have not gotten health insurance coverage, have lost their visas and are now illegal in the country and or/ gotten evicted from their apartments. That being said, I worked for a private academy and had the time of my life, was ALWAYS paid on time, had medical coverage, my flights to and from Korea FULLY paid for, bonus money, and 1 full month's pay after I left. I had a friend who worked for the company vouch for them and tell me that they were safe and legit before I applied there, so I know what I was getting into. This is the only way that I recommend you working for a private company.

Resources & Websites:

Teaching in Korea -

http://www.aclipse.net/ (Great Website, reputable...I have friends who went through these recruiters for Korea, but they also recruit for positions in other countries.

http://www.epik.go.kr/ - Korea's Gov't. Certified public school teaching program

http://cge.ken.go.kr/eng/skin/layout/sub_02/teaching1.asp – Competetive (Provincial) Korean Gov't. Based English Program

http://www.teachinkorea.com/ - Chungdahm Learning Institute, where I worked. Very good and reliable private company.

Teaching in Other Countries -

http://www.teachaway.com/ - Multi

http://www.ciep.fr/en/assistantetr/ - France

http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/JET/ - Japan

http://recruiting.ecc.co.jp/ - Japan

http://www.teachanywhere.com/jobs/ -Multi

Travel Websites -

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/

http://www.hostelworld.com/

Higher Learning and TEFL/TESOL Website - if you don't have a teaching degree, you'll almost certainly need to look into getting CELTA, TESOL or TEFL certified to teach in certain countries.

http://www.eslcafe.com/

http://www.oxfordseminars.com/

http://www.teflonline.com/aclipse/

http://www.teflonline.net/

https://teflonline.teachaway.com/

Visa Info, Flights & Transportation - Initial websites that helped me apply for my visa and travel info.

http://www.cheapoair.com/ - cheap airline tickets

http://www.kayak.com/ - cheap airline tickets

http://www.airasia.com/ot/en/home.page - cheap airline tickets

http://www.cheaptickets.com/ - cheap airline tickets

http://travel.state.gov/travel/travel_1744.html – Travel/Living Abroad Info

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/requirements-teach-english-abroad-21086.html – Visa info