Teaching in Korea: Inside the Classroom

[andrealucha8791]

I wish I had seen your videos before coming to South Korea. So informative!!!

[oldschoolwaverider]

Excellent video nice to hear from a voice of experience thanks! ;)

[makeiteasyable]

err its really hard to talk to those Korean in English ..

[kaisermuto]

He is in Japan now.

[bradtwo]

Amazing video, thank you so very much for posting this. My girlfiend was previously a teacher in South Korea, and her and I have spoken about going there again and teaching together. Thank you for the insight and links.

[owensphil]

Did you ever think about teaching at the university level? Why did you decide not to go to China? Did you have to have your blood tested to get a Visa? If so what did they test for? Did you see any teacher arrive with their kids?

[lesleyburt]

@owensphil I can't speak for Kevin, but I think China pays veeeery very low, especially when you consider the exchange rate from Chinese yuan to American dollars.

[owensphil]

@lesleyburt

I believe you are right. I have a masters in TESL and was offered a contract paying about $600 a month with a paid furnished apartment. However, the numbers of hours is only about 10 to 14 a week.

[Hyunwoo405]

@QDC36 As a Korean, Seoul,Busan,Ilsan these cities are big city,which means there are no big difference(Especially Seoul is crowded, and more foreigners cuz it's more people live there).And also You don't have to worry about smokers at all.I'm even not sure what did you hear about smokers.

[QDC36]

I am considering heading over to South Korea to teach for a year or two. I could not find the links you mentioned. Trying to do some checking into how schools are run and how to best find out the best in either Busan, Seoul, or Ilsan. Also, I need to know what locations may be more socially preferable, and the truth about smokers in the area. I want to avoid that stuff. I'm on Facebook too....Quinton D. Crawford

[Monoman125]

Thanks, Kevin, massive help!

[PaulScala]

I have to ask you the variance of pay rates, specifically a newcomer to Korea.

Thanks

[lemon8881]

Thanks for the video. I am korean and also is NZ citizen wanting to go to korea for teaching english. Bt i guess i'll have to give up korean citizenship to do that :(

[liljezta1]

Would you rather teach in Japan or Korea?

[moonuchan]

I think Korea is awesome ;P

[Dollxhie]

Hi, I just have one question. My Saturday Korean teacher said that her English isn't so good since her job is to teach Korean and she must speak Korean most of the time, but considering the fact that Canada is pretty multicultural, she probably speaks Korean at home, with her family and her friends too, right? So, how do you think your Korean skills are? Being surrounded by Koreans and the language, is it pretty good?

[dusthat]

@BusanKevin You talk about teaching in Korea, but you are clearly in Japan (止まれ on the stop sign). Have you noticed any differences between Korean and Japanese English schools? Korean schools sound the same as Japanese ones.

[Kajujuu]

How long have you been teaching? When did you first go to Korea?

[soang05]

Basically, you think Korea is better for supporting the first living cost. Once you have money you are willing to go to Japan. I think that a first abroad experience is the toughest. Plus, your personal experience is not always suit for everyone. I had lived in London for a year and I have been in USA for 5 years. I hated England and English. There were many racists who reminded me like " a freak". I do not absolutely love USA, but living in USA is personally better than that is in England.

[GizmoMofo7]

thanks for the post

[oldmanscribbe1]

Hey Kevin, thanks for the video! Also appreciated the Japan vs. Korea video. Would you recommend starting out at a private English school or public? I like hours of the private school, but running the risk of not getting paid seems like it's not worth it. Thanks!

[FuzzyDunlop83]

Hey Kevin great video. Regarding these big franchise chains you're talking about I'm looking into Avalon English and what you're saying is exactly what's on my mind. I see the pros of going to them as first timer because there will be lots of other teachers and they have a good curriculum set out for you but I'm worried that instead of going to work them that it'll just feel like they own my ass. Am I better off looking for a smaller school?

[MrLifeWin]

what is this boat you talk about

[LegoKid9598]

teachers suck

[pavshiern3]

im sorry but are you scottish??? if you are that's awesome!

[PlayingLame]

Good posts, thanks for the links.

[shawn199512]

what tipe of education do you nead to teach in korea

[PlayingLame]

@shawn199512 You need a college degree for visa purposes. However, South American and Easter European countries do not require degrees- but regardless, a good command of the English language is essential. p.s. tipe=type.

[superbabykitsune]

do you get well paid in teaching jobs in Japan?

[CalZincLair]

Been watching all of your videos recently, Kevin. I'm 21 years old and British, and as a recent graduate I've been a wee bit nervous about embracing a new culture in South Korea, but you've helped out a bunch. Thanks for all of the advice, very well informed videos.x

[torterratom]

my dad was lucky his dad was the principal and didn't get punished

[viaTheWorld]

Have you taught in both hagwons and public schools, out of curiosity?

[njung73]

Have you taught in any of english villages ?

[TheAbykat]

Thanks for the advise, I'm in my first year as an English teacher in PR and my future plan is to teach English to foreign kids in Korea. Keep up with more videos !!! :)

[arrepe7]

@TheAbykat I'm studying languages in PR and plan on doing the same thing as soon as I'm done.

[PlayingLame]

@TheAbykat 'advice'...advise is a verb.

[sdaly415]

Next interview, get this Canadian sitting down with a cup of tea. I feel like I'm on his walk to E-Mart [a].

[theBaekgirl]

hello :) I am a student born, raised, and currently living in Korea.

By schools, do you mean hakwons(cram schools/after-school institutes) or actual public schools? Judging by what you were saying, I assumed it was the latter, but I don't think you specifically mentioned it.

I hope you're doing good. Being a teacher(especially one in a place like Korea) should be pretty tiring.

[theBaekgirl]

@theBaekgirl oops, I guess you were talking about the latter :)

(I wrote the comment while I was still in the middle of watching the video, so...)

[ovonijemojeime]

thanks man!

[Quarles22]

Kevin, what's up man. I want to thank you for all of your videos. I plan on going over to Korea this summer to begin my ESL journey. I've done a lot of research, and my main question is...where is the best place to go? I want to be near Seoul, but I do have a dog. Any suggestions?

Thanks

[72daystar]

@Quarles22 The dog's going to have to go through quarantine. You should ask if the apartment the employer provides allows pets. I assume we're talking about a small dog. Many apartment buildings forbid pets and yet you hear dogs barking at times. Do you understand me? There's a rule that is often broken. That's Korea in a nutshell.

[warwize]

is it much harder to find a teaching job if English is your second language? I came to Canada when I was 5 and am now 25. I consider English to be my "main" language...

[proudkoreanteacher]

this is very useful, thank you so much!

[BusanKevin]

Your welcome. Thanks for taking the time to watch and leave a comment!

[skeletorrobo]

Thanks for the insights and links. 

[BusanKevin]

In Korea they normally do not want you to ever use Korean. They prefer the students to e in an immersive English environment.

[yamujinkt]

Hi,I'm a Koeran student who lives in the United States. I'm so glad to know how ESL teachers teach korean students. In my middle school,I didn't have any foreign teachers so korean teachers taught English. I used the textbook(I seriously think it's useless for stuyding English)As a Korean students, reading books is the best way to study English. In America, students often read lots of book well.. in my school, we do. Koreans are required TOEFL scores for college entrace exam.

[lastrange123]

Kevin,

Hey man, excellent video, thank you so much. I'm a 23 year old college grad. Tying up my first year working as an ESL teacher in the Bay Area, California. All my students are Korean, varying ages and levels from children to adults. I have had no curriculum to work with and had to build everything from scratch with no prior experience. You are very right about "the bag of tricks"... it works for adults too. My favorite trick is to use a newspaper article as classroom material.

[BusanKevin]

when I taught adults, I also often used magazine and newspaper articles!

[nathanksimpson]

3 hour class sounds like CDI. :P Hahah.

[BusanKevin]

you got it ;)

[nathanksimpson]

Yeah, curriculum is great, the way they manage the curriculum is... a bit silly. I worked there for a while. I really liked my students there. It was a lot of fun, and I got to know my students.

[BusanKevin]

It is pretty counterintuitive to everything an educator from a western culture thinks, but their curriculum did get results. I was also a fan of the pay! I made a lot of good coin there since I was an hourly wage employee! It payed for my Teacher's College in Ottawa :)

Which branch did you work at? I was at the Main Branch in Chung Dahm Dong before they transfered me to Busan. I was the when the first franchises opened.

[nathanksimpson]

I'd rather not discuss it too much as I was let go from there. I really enjoyed working there so I was kindof upset.

[nathanksimpson]

I'd rather not discuss it too much as I was let go from there. I really enjoyed working there so I was kindof upset. Now I might be on my way to working for another reputable hagwon teaching adults, which I have a lot of experience in and enjoy much better.

[jenjenkimkim]

one question: can you choose your own studio if you don't want to live with other teachers?

[BusanKevin]

hard to say. I think every school is different. Normally, if the school is paying rent and are putting more than one teacher in an apartment, it is to save money!

[nathanksimpson]

Yes sometimes, although it depends on your contract I think, and may be difficult to do if you're not currently in the country.

[brandonlk]

thanks for the advice. Its so hard to find a job in Korea right now. Crazy

[BusanKevin]

Wow, is it really?I suppose with the economic downturn in the States and elsewhere, more people are heading abroad to work. Are you looking for a gig now?

[brandonlk]

Yes. I have been looking for two months now through many different recruiters. I had a pub school position lined through EPIK but i told my recruiter I had a tattoo since the application asked, and I think that scared them off. He didnt think they would hire me in the end, even though it was not visible while wearing a shirt.. Crazy stuff but I keep looking

[BusanKevin]

Cheers. Glad you dug it :)

[waigugi]

Great info. I've found that contacting the person you're replacing helps a lot. This way you can find out what is expected of you. Also it gives you the opportunity to ask your predecessor why they're leaving the school. People leaving a school tend to be honest about why they're leaving. If they're leaving because of bad work conditions, they'll hopefully tell you so that you can avoid the same heartache.

[BusanKevin]

That is very true and some very good advice. If the school has you talk to a current teacher, part way through their contract, they may not tell you the whole story if things are bad (for their own protection). I agree, teachers on their way out tend to be very honest!

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

You must be so patient to have handled all that..

I couldn't..

I helped a dude who owned an English school in Japan once (he couldn't speak English) and his "plan" was a joke!

I can't do it :-)

[BusanKevin]

I wasn't always patient at the time. There were at times arguments and some sleepless nights!

[qiranger]

Excellent video. I've worked at some of those schools ;-)

[BusanKevin]

Thanks a lot. Yep, I think anyone who has been in korea for more than a few years would have similar stories! How are things going over there?

I'm enjoying your videos :)

[qiranger]

Glad you're enjoying them Kevin. Things here are fantastic and I'm enjoying my long weekend! Hope you have a great Sat/Sun!

[RizingBlackSun]

......are you from Canada?

[BusanKevin]

yep. I am.

[RizingBlackSun]

ha, i knew it!

[iTzNoko]

Very good video

[BusanKevin]

Thanks :)

[supatoker420]

i have been to japanese highschool, and i have seen picture of korean highschool, and they look very similar

[BusanKevin]

they are very similar indeed. The Korean school system was based on the Japanese system. The school have a lot of similarities.

[coughserum]

How do you hold your camera when you walk and still get a good angle? You should show us in a mirror.

[BusanKevin]

Lots of practice I suppose. Too many hours walking and talking. If you see some of my first videos, they were pretty crappy. That was before I was comfortable with the camera.

[furetosan]

I totally get what you mean by "bag of tricks".

[BusanKevin]

yep! Very necessary if you are a teacher. eventually, no matter what, you always have some sort of activity you can do at a moments notice.

[ericsurf6]

Good info Kevin. I just did a Skype lesson with QiRanger and his students tonight in Korea.

I went straight to University teaching so it's interesting for me to hear about your experiences with private language schools in Korea and Japan. I'd like to start my own school some day.

[BusanKevin]

That is very cool about you doing a Skype lesson with qiranger. He has some great videos!

[InsaneBreakdown]

nice video

[BusanKevin]

Cheers :)