Thoughts on Degrees and Certifications - Teaching English in Korea

[durcanenator]

Heading for Seoul as soon as my paperwork clears (jobs everywhere) - you videos are by far the most informative - I thought I'd need at least E1000/ USD1400 -

[Totmcmuff]

I have a bachelor of business from an australian uni where its 3 year, does this mean i cant do it?

[stephenworldwide]

@Totmcmuff I don't think so, sorry about that.

[stephenworldwide]

that's fine too, any college or university degree is accepted (4 year)

[FnesSnorlx]

the degree HAS to be from a university? no just a community college?

[Iwishonedayy]

Do you NEED a 4 year degree? I was told many places accept anyone who have their TESOL, CELTA, etc. certifications and can speak English. Or sometimes just with a BA.

[stephenworldwide]

@Iwishonedayy I always get this question. Guess I didn't stress it enough: you cannot get a visa to be a teacher in Korea unless you have a degree from a 4 year university.

[SquishySushi6669]

What is the website you got your TESOL certification from?

[stephenworldwide]

@SquishySushi6669 linguaedge

[phantomwaltz]

Would you say gpa matters? Say.. 2.9 gpa lol.. but a good university

[stephenworldwide]

@phantomwaltz Nope, doesn't matter. Just the degree so you get the visa. The rest is your attitude and personality (and a little bit about your looks, they require resume photos here).

[TheAcesniper]

@stephenworldwide I'm still in college, but I was wondering if there was a minimum age?

[stephenworldwide]

@TheAcesniper no minimum age, just the college degree

[phantomwaltz]

You make really good videos. You made feel a lot better and hopeful about what i'm going to be facing. I just graduated and will be looking into Seoul positions within a few months because my whole family is moving back. But I've had so many doubts because of my rather introverted personality. But your videos are really nice and you have a steady aura about you. =) Please keep making these videos!

[stephenworldwide]

@phantomwaltz Thanks for the compliments. First time anyone has recognized my steady aura! I'll get back to making videos when my schedule loosens up a bit. I'm super busy these days!

[dentyboy117]

Thanks bud, your videos have cleared up a lot of hazy areas about the course.

[dentyboy117]

I am from the Uk and I was told that you needed a minimum of a 3 year course at a university. Is this correct or are the guidelines different for US and UK?

[stephenworldwide]

@dentyboy117 I'm not sure about a 3 year degree. I know they want a 4 year degree from a USA college. I will ask a friend from the UK and get back to you on that.

[AshPlayingGames]

@dentyboy117 A 3 year degree from the UK is sufficient. Its the same quality degree as a 4 year degree from the US.

[stephenworldwide]

@AshPlayingGames Thanks for that, so only for people from the UK.

[stalkingalizee]

Your recruiter always gets a kickback... it is called commission. If you want the gold standard TEFL cert, go to Cambridge. The rest are a waste of money.

[stephenworldwide]

@stalkingalizee I didn't feel like my money was wasted on the course, and now I've gone back and used the material for my lessons. It's how you USE the course that's most important. I didn't know recruiters get commission from TESOL courses. Seems like more of a kickback since they are not related. I thought their commission comes from schools when they place prospective teachers.

[stalkingalizee]

@stephenworldwide Perhaps, but if you want a certification that carries weight for employment purposes, Cambridge is the one to have. Any TEFL/TESOL courses recommended by recruiters are commission based, that is why they advertise them through the recruiter. It is just another way they make money off you on top of getting the commission for your placement. Kickbacks are illegal.

[ZacsAtroll]

This video was extremely..helpful, informative, and awesome!  Just curious-where are you wanting to relocate to in the future? You mentioned you were starting out in Korea for EXPERIENCE.

[stephenworldwide]

@ZacsAtroll I like my job and apartment so much that I will stay another year at least. Maybe 3 years here in Gwangju. I can't predict my future beyond that, but I could end up with a University job here, or Seoul (or any other Korean city), go to Japan, or go to Europe (like Czech Republic or ideally Germany/Austria). Time will tell, but I'm in for the ling haul...

[demalicious22]

Haha good to hear some encouragement, for a change ;) So are you only teaching middle schoolers? 10-16 years sounds like exactly what I want! But I can't seem to find any positions like this that don't involve elementary classes as well. How on earth did you find that??

[stephenworldwide]

@demalicious22: I had two things going for me: a good recruiter and good timing. I signed my 1st contract, then lost that job (long story), and that afforded me the chance to get my current position. You have to be a little flexible, hard to get exactly what you want, the first time, unless you wait and have a good recruiter who gets the perfect job for you and calls you about it. Then you have to be ready to go.

[stephenworldwide]

@demalicious22 Not sure if I emailed you an answer before. You can look for a public school job (middle school native English instructor), or look for a Hagwan (private school) that has this age group. If you can't find these job postings on the internet, then use a recruiter and specify your job search.

[demalicious22]

Thanks for such a quick response! I checked out your other videos and saw that you'd already answered many of my questions. I dont know how you felt, but this pre-planning seems to be the most stressful part! I'm aiming for more advanced students, but I feel like the recruiters want to automatically put you in elementary schools... which I'm definitely trying to avoid after 5 years of ESL trial and error ;) Good luck this year and have a nice time in Korea!

[stephenworldwide]

@demalicious22: I happen to be uploading another video right now so I'm glad to respond. Five years of trial and error? Ouch. Sorry to hear it, stick with this and your efforts will soon be rewarded! Send me an email if you haven't found a good recruiter yet.

[demalicious22]

Hi Stephen-- I've also started the process to teach ESL in Korea (one of the thousands, I'm sure). What ages are you teaching and what city are you in? Did you find your recruiters helpful?

Best of luck over the next year!

[stephenworldwide]

@demalicious22: I'm teaching at a small private language institute in Gwangju, Korea, 4pm -10pm. Students come in after public school for an hour of English learning. Middle schoolers about 10-16 years old. My recruiter was fantastic, helped me all the way. Key is to find a recruiter that only deals with "good" schools, and can tell if they have a professional school (and principal) looking for teachers. Thankfully, there are plenty jobs for us here!