I'm a "Guest English Teacher" (GET) or "Native English Teacher" (NET). I think there's actually a new term, but basically, I'm teaching English as a second language in a public school. There are numerous ways to get a teaching job in South Korea. I'll share what I know, but I'm mostly limited to the way I got the job.
Types of Placements
2. Hagwons. These are private schools or academies, so only students who can pay or want to pay for them go. From what I understand, hagwons are basically after school schools. A lot of parents want their kids to study English, so they send them to English hagwons. Many students will spend all day in school, and then spend a few more hours in the private academy. It's gotta be torture. Foreigners who work at these schools get shorter hours- they work in the afternoon to evening, usually not a full 8 hour day, but they also typically get the same rate of pay as someone in a public school. There's a big debate over which kind of placement is better. I think (only from things I hear and read), that the public school is safer. As in, you are better guaranteed things written in your contract, your paycheck, and your job might be more secure than if you work at a hagwon. I've read horror stories about people not getting paid, randomly fired (although, maybe not so randomly if the entire story was known), or the faculty just being completely shady. I have a friend working in a hagwon and she really seems to enjoy it, so obviously, there are good placements and bad placements, just as there are with public schools.
3. TaLK Korea program (Teach and Learn in Korea). I don't know much about this, but I've done a little research. As for first hand knowledge, I've seen posters, and I heard about a girl who is part of this. Basically, to teach in Korea, you're supposed to have a 4 year college degree. TaLK lets people who aren't done with college come and work in elementary after school English programs. You have to have at least 2 years of college completed in order to participate in TaLK. You get a monthly stipend (1.5mil krw or ~$1,500- a little less than the average starting pay as a public school English teacher), and housing; similar to what full time teachers or hagwon teachers get. TaLK is a government run scholarship program. Facebook page
4. Universities. I know absolutely nothing about how you can get a job here, but I assume you need higher education (beyond a bachelor's), previous experience teaching in Korea, and probably a good professional record. Some people prefer university because the students are older, have better English skills, and the pay is probably higher. Before I started the application process, it was recommended to me that I might go for university instead of public schools because of the pay rate. I have an MAT, so I guess that's enough to apply?
5. Other types of placements... That's about as specific as I can get. I've met a couple of people in Daejeon who are teaching at a pre-school where only English is spoken. I think it's a private school if I remember correctly. The usual school subjects are taught there, it's just in English. Complete immersion. So if you're more creative or resourceful, you may happen upon a placement like theirs. I obviously only went mainstream and did what the majority of foreigners do when they want to work here: go into a public school.
Life in the public schools
I only have 1 friend who works at a hagwon as I mentioned above. All my other friends are people I met during the EPIK orientation. So my professional experience is solely based in Korean public school life, but even so, I'm an exception to my friends. I work at Daejeon's public school for students who are blind or have vision impairments. First, I'll talk about what I know about the general public schools.
If you're feeling anxious about teaching kids who speak a totally different language from you, or being dangerously out numbered by them, relax. Just a little. You have co-teachers. Korean co-teachers. Co-teachers who are supposed to know enough English to teach it, who are supposed to plan and coordinate with you, who are supposed to help and co-teach with you in class. The key phrase here is "supposed to." I'm going to sound snide, but it's not how I mean to sound. Everyone I know has been left alone, and the first time it happens can be shocking and terrifying. Some co-teachers give warning that they won't be there. Some occasionally disappear for their own reasons, legit or not. Some make it a habit of not coming, or sitting in a corner uninvolved in class, and unwilling to help. Really, it depends on the type of person you get paired with. And usually, you have more than one co-teacher, so if you have one who you are incompatible with, there's a good chance there's someone else you enjoy working with.
Another thing about teaching in public schools. If you are placed in middle or high school, there's a good chance you'll be working at multiple schools. It might be different if you're in Seoul since that's the most popular city among foreigners, but it's common practice in Daejeon. Here's how it works: you spend a couple days at your secondary school, and a few days at your primary school. Among my friends, it's mostly 2 days at the secondary school and 3 and the primary. My boyfriend alternated days before another foreigner was assigned full time to his second school, and another friend starts the week at his second school and wraps up at his first. It sounds like a lot of extra work, but here are the perks: First, you get an extra 100,000krw (~$100) a month as a "traveling allowance." You're most likely not spending this all on commuting. Maybe you'll bus or take the metro, but it's $1 a ride a few times a week; big deal. With my boyfriend- the schools were just a few blocks away from each other, and both were within walking distance. The other perk is you have another school to be happy in if you don't like one. Oddly, many of my friends who work at 2 schools prefer their second school. So if you can't be happy at both, you have a good chance of liking at least one, and that will help you survive your year of teaching in Korea.
Life in my school
Implications for You
If this is completely unacceptable to you, but you were interested in this job, my advice is this: suck it up and deal with it. The most valuable knowledge you can absorb and always understand is that Korea is dynamic. Very much so. You won't always know what's going on in your school or with classes- a lot of Koreans are just as clueless. Don't take it personally, it's just that culturally, it isn't as important to keep everyone (especially the foreigners) up to date. Be pro-active, but also be polite and mindful of Korean culture if you want to stay informed. Ask questions, ask for reminders. But always try to stay calm- just let it roll and roll with it. You'll learn to be flexible in this country because you need to be in order to thrive.
Orientation, EPIK style: "training" before being thrown under the bus
Like I said, I came to Korea in August, contracted to start teaching when Korean schools resumed after summer vacation. Note though, that Korean school years end in January and start in March. So we EPIKers started our jobs in the middle of the school year. When our planes landed, we were collected at the airport and bused to the orientation site- this year was in Jeonju, South Korea- 4 hours from the airport. Combined with the 19 hour flight from D.C., that day really sucked. Orientation was 10 days long, and was mostly a crash course in teaching, lesson planning, and classroom behavior management in a series of lectures given by fellow native English teachers.
It was a lot of fun. but it was also a lot of torture. We were at Jeonju University, so we lived in dorms for a week, stayed on campus, and were sheltered in a little bubble where we didn't feel like we were in Korea yet because foreigners surrounded foreigners. It was a weird mix of summer camp and a throwback to college. Orientation and its location had a few hints of culture quirks- like how hallways aren't ventilated with AC or heat. How the water cups are tiny. How it's common for bathrooms to be out of toilet paper and not re-stocked any time soon.
The biggest EPIK crowd comes in August, and a considerably smaller group comes in February just before the new school year starts. EPIK teachers are contracted to work a full year, so if you come in August, you leave in August; likewise with the March teachers.
Recruiters: the (helpful) middle man
Now. If you're still here, wow! I'm flattered! And if you're curious about how you can apply to teach in Korea, or if you have a friend who might be interested, I'll link you to some options.
1. Recruiters. I used one. As with all things in life, there's a debate about whether or not recruiters are worth it. I think so. Very much so. Recruiters are the middle man, the messenger. They do a lot of the menial work for you. They schedule your interview, tell you what paperwork you need and how to get it, check up on you, and if you choose the right one- send you a t-shirt (so jealous!). There are a lot of recruiters out there, some scammers, some sincere. Here's a couple I know are for real.
This is the recruiter I went through. They were awesome, timely, and really helpful and supportive through the entire process.
Some of my friends went through these guys. This recruiter sent t-shirts. Pretty cute t-shirts, too. Apparently, 1 friend was assisted in getting an airfare discount, and everyone who used Footprints only had positive things to say.
When should you apply? (EPIK)
For August applicants, start getting your stuff together in April. April is a good time to start. I got into the process pretty late- I think by the end of April, and really pushed it to the limit (though some friends here were even later). I lost my first choice of city, but that turned out for the better in the end- but I wasn't officially placed until June. And when I was expecting to leave a couple of months later, it was stressful not knowing what I needed to be doing with my life. So really, you can get paperwork together as early as March. At least then, you'll be organized when the time comes to apply.
With March, I would think you would want to get your act together around October or November. Sorry, but I don't know more specifically due to lack of experience with this deadline.
With other placements, technically you can apply year round as people are always leaving. Check out Dave's ESL Cafe for more information about hagwons and universities, but take the forums with a grain of salt. You'll see a lot of complainers there, as really, only the people who have the most issues typically find it worth posting about. There's some good informational posts mixed in with the garbage, so peruse around, but don't get caught and distraught by the drama.
Concluding
Don't come to Korea if you're not interested in Asia or its culture. If you're looking to see another corner of the world, have a sense of where on the globe you want to go before you make a bad decision. Give yourself some time to research different countries- there are English teaching programs all over the world! Korea is in some ways a whole new world from the west. It's also not so different at the same time. As with any job, you'll have co-workers you love, some you can tolerate, and a few (hopefully none) who you want to strangle. Also? This is a teaching job. You're going to be in a school working with kids. Think about that, too. Are you the kind of person who wants to spend 40 hours a week in a school interacting with potentially more than 800 students a week? People can come to this country and get away with slacking their entire year, but consider and respect the fact that you've been invited to work in Korea for a solid paycheck and free housing. Teaching in Korea gives you a lot of opportunities to travel neighboring countries and explore Korean culture, but you're also here to work. That said, Korea is pretty amazing. It's funny, it's weird, it's frustrating, and occasionally infuriating. But isn't home like that, too?
Concluding
