Anybody ever do something like this? All you need is an undergrad degree and a smile. I got a job with a school in November (actually called a hagwon, different from Korean public school) and I arrived in Korea at the beginning of January.
I don't know much of the language yet, but the work hasn't been that tough so far. For a few days I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but now I'm getting the hang of it.
Anyway, I'm not posting so much to tell my experiences. If you're interested, you can read my Myspace blog. I posted because I know that Hatrack has some teachers on it, maybe even some who've done what I'm trying to do. I don't have any specific questions right now, but if you wanna give general advice or just let me know that you're out there, then in the future if I do have a problem I'll know where I can go for some input.
And if you don't know anything about it, but you wanna learn, feel to ask me and I'll answer as well as I can.
A few words about my background. I'm from New Orleans and I double-majored in English and Classics. And this is my first time teaching anything.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
I have no teacherly advice, but just wanted to say that I think you're doing a great thing and I hope it goes well. I'll probably check in on your blog later. Best wishes!
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
I haven't done it, but I have a lot of friends who have, mostly in Japan, and they all loved it. It's a great way to see the world. One met his wife in Japan. I'll check out your blog.
Enjoy! Have the time of your life!
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I got my MA in education with an empahsis in teaching English as a second language in the late 90s. At that time, there were huge problems with Korean hogwans refusing to pay ESL instructors, including some incidents in which instructors who demanded that they be paid being physically beaten. There were graylists that gave the dirt on which hogwans were to be avoided, as not all of them were designed to scam foreign instructors. That was long enough ago that I expect that the situation has resolved itself--it wasn't stable enough of a situation to continue unchanged for very long.
I went to Thailand to teach ESL, but unfortunately I did so in the late summer/early fall of 1997, which was when the southeast economic crisis was happening. When I signed my contract the baht was at 25 to the US dollar, as it had been since the 60s. By the time I decided that I couldn't afford to stay the baht had sunk to 54 to the dollar. I hadn't been making a lot to begin with, and at that exchange rate I just couldn't afford to live and pay my student loans. So I came back to the US. Ended up getting a job doing computer networking stuff, though I taught ESL in outreach settings in the evenings for years.
Dave's ESL Cafe was the single best resource for finding ESL jobs back then, and was also the site for keeping track of the hogwan problems.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
That is a very cool site, Noeman.
Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :
One of my old roommates just got back from spending four years teaching in Japan. I've thought about doing it myself off and on (not necessarily in Japan), but it's not really feasible for me anytime soon. Still, it's an idea I keep on the back burner.
Noemon, from what I've heard, Dave's site is still the best resource. I've spent more than a few hours perusing it, and it really is awesome. It's too bad your time in Thailand had to be cut short - how long did you end up staying?
Jehovoid, good luck, and I'll be keeping an eye on your blog! Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I was only there for three months, Nell. It was a great experience, even as brief as it was.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
I recently read an article about those sorts of problems happening to ESL teachers in China, Jake. (Not being paid, passports confiscated, beatings, a couple of murders.) Be careful, jehovid!
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
oh ESL jobs in China, what do you need again to qualify?
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
quote: - Bachelor degree or above - TESOL / TEFL / CELTA certification preferred
What does one need to do to get these?
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
A Bachelor degree is what you get when you graduate from a 4-year college. Either TEFL or TESOL would probably be what you want, rather than CELTA. For TESOL: http://www.tesol.org/ . For TEFL, there isn't a centralized thing. Talk to your local college or university, they either have a program or know who does.
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One met his wife in Japan. I'll check out your blog.