Teaching in Korea

[jdk772002]

Good information. I've been teaching in Thailand for three years and am looking at the possibility of relocating to Korea. This will probably fall under the category of "I have no idea", but do you know how easily a vegan can get by in Korea (the city)? Also, right now is not a good time to be an American abroad. How do Koreans feel about Americans?

[wraeth]

Thanks Kevin for the fyi. It's helping make my decision a lot more rational. Would give a rating as to how much it suck dive in head first as you did? Tough times has cause me to expand ... and I want to make my degree useful. Again, very helpful video.

[SeanGGodley]

Hi Kevin and thanks very much for this - I'm considering teaching in Korea next year and this was a big help. I'm curious to know what the Korean social ettiquette is like; is it similar to Japan with lots of things you must stick to in order to not cause offence etc? I find all this very interesting! Also, just out of curiousity, do you now speak Korean? Thanks again.

Sean

[dooshikku]

just want to clear up a couple things on ur vid. ive just finished the E-2 visa process (ill be in korea in two weeks...cant wait lol) and u definitely cannot get a criminal background check in korea. it has to be completed in ur home country. and also, vaccinations into countries like japan and south korea are not required...its really just for personal benefit. hope this info helps.

[funincluded]

Which way do you face on the squatter?

[BusanKevin]

towards the hood! The part near the flush handle .....your junk should always point towards the hood!

[loodo1]

Hi Kevin,

Did you get any vaccinations when you initially went to South Korea? Or have you heard of any horror stories about illness, typhoid etc?

Cheers

[BusanKevin]

nope......didnt need any of those. Korea is an industiralized nation. No worries of that

[bboycrazyjames]

im from uk and went to the doctors. if your from the uk too theyll give you hepatitis a and b for free its common over there

[DjFrizzle]

Do the schools in Korea hire only native speakers?

-Frizz

[BusanKevin]

normally. I'm pretty sure you must have graduated from an English university in either Canada, U.S. Ireland, the U.K., New Zealand, Australia or South Africa.

[QuantumDouche]

It's because they're retarded, and want their children to have Western accent (which I found is impossible 4 most people even living in North America for years).

This also applies to parents from Japan, China, India and other Asiatic countries where they expect their children to grow up speaking like Americans by wasting hundreds of dollars every year.

[plzwakeup]

laidback, clear, and informative

[BusanKevin]

cheers :)

[shawn0319]

is what they say on the media about foreign teacers "preing" on korean women true or are a lot of it BS?

[BusanKevin]

check out my "jlandkev" channel. I made a video about this last week. It's called "Ease up on English Teachers." You can hear my opinion about the topic there!

[tomsega]

What are you talking aboot

[subwalady]

Oe more thing, if you renew your contract with your school for an additional year, you do not have to go through the entire process again. Your director will take your passport and alien registration card to the immigration office to get it renewed.

[subwalady]

The school will pay for the exam. You will have 90 days upon your arrival to get this done in order to get your alien registration card.

I hope this helps all of those who are preparing for this journey!

[subwalady]

Health Check--The health check has 2 parts to it. The first part is before you leave the country and the second takes place in the country.

First, you will need to fill out a health form with basic questions; do you have HIV or AIDS? Do you take any medication? Have you even beed addicted to drugs or alcohol? ect...

Then, once you arrive in Korea, your school will have to take you to a hospital for a basic exam. This will include a blood test to test for drugs and alcohol.

[subwalady]

Tips on the interview are simple. Each consulate is different, but the general idea is that you will be with others (I only had 1 other in my interview, but the day before the consulate had 11 in the interview room) and the consulate will ask a few basic questions.

What do you know about Korean culture?

Why do you want to live and teach in Korea?

Have you ever lived or travelled outside of the country?

How are you planning to prepare for the adjustment of life in a new country?

[subwalady]

Once your interview is complete, you will be able to pick-up your visa at the consulate's office the following day, or the consulate will mail it to you the following buisness day. You will have to provide return postage for your passport with visa to be mailed.

My friends tell me that some consulates will do phone interviews, but most do not. I had to drive more than 6 hours for my 15 minute interview.

[subwalady]

(ran out of characters)

the state Apostilles Office.  You an look up the Apostilles Office in your state online. I would call them ahead of time or look on their website for their requirements before getting the check done to guarantee that it gets certified.

Interviews--In order to get your visa approved, you will need to have an interview with the Korean consulate in your region. Most consulates will have group interviews at least once a week.

[subwalady]

As I watached your video, I heard your shout out for information on the new E-2 visa requirements. I just went through this process 6 months ago, and a friend of mine is going through it now so this is the current info.

I am American, so I can only speak on the American experience that I had.

Police checks--The check must be a state-wide name check done by a local police station, not asheriff's office. Also, no FBI fingerprint checks. Then the check must be notarized and certified by

[JakeintheBox17]

also, what is the deal with foreign girls?

or there I guess I would be the foreigner, but do they like Americans or white english people in general? i'v heard mixed feelings, and ofcourse every one is different, but what is the general feel?

[JakeintheBox17]

hey, do the schools you teach english at also offer language classes for you?

like a korean school offers free intermediate or advanced korean classes?

[pengiswoof]

Kevin,

How do I go about applying for an English teaching position at a University?

[englishredraider]

That's an England top you ve got on?

[BusanKevin]

indeed it is. A training top I picked up in Korea during World Cup 2002!

[sunblock8]

Thanks - enjoyed your story on Suwon and the good Samaritan. I think Korea is a place for the most bizarre adventures eh.

[BusanKevin]

it is for sure.

[sunblock8]

Hey Kevin

Interesting video. Enjoy Japan.

Cheers

Nick

[BusanKevin]

Good to see you! Thanks for the message. Just checked out a few of your vids. You look healthy and happy. awesome :)

Kev

[jusmart]

Thanks man

[lacysorcas]

We do appreciate you taking time to keep us informed, J

[eshane75]

thanks for the videos, of all the ones i've looked at u'r are really the best. weird question, but do you know if alot of gay/lesbians go to korea to teach?

[BusanKevin]

Hey there....not sure if many go, but I have had a few gay/lesbian coworkers during my time there. They were involved with the gay community. but....i honestly don't know about much, if anything about it.

Sorry!

[knappylogic]

where are the links you talk about in the video?

[BusanKevin]

Check the information bar on the side of the video....all the links and url's are there! Thanks for watching :)

[terp44441997]

hi, have you heard of the company esl park? i have been offered a position with the company and was curious if you have any info for me?

[BusanKevin]

Sorry, can't say that I've heard of them. That doesn't mean anything though. I've been out of Korea for awhile now so I'm pretty out of the loop about schools. I also know nothing about recruiters.

Good luck. Hope the vid helped in some way.

[Dosu30]

Do you prefer S.Korea or Japan?

[BusanKevin]

apples and oranges. I liked Korea for a few years, but I think the esl industry caused me some disillusionment. In Japan, I'm not a language teacher, but a homeroom teacher at an Int. school...very different. I really like living in Japan. So, I like both places, but like I mentioned, for different reasons. I've also had problems with both places (nothing too serious though).

[viciousdinosaur]

5 years in korea and that's all you have to say?

[BusanKevin]

That's right. I often have more to say, but in a 10 minutes youtube vid, one can only say so much!

[ykh2333]

wow, it's my 1st time watching your video!

i was looking for one that teaches korean thouh..it's very nice to know you!

and act..im in Canada too :D!!

[BusanKevin]

Glad you took the time to watch the video:) Enjoy Canada!

[BusanKevin]

Some things are cheap...most are. Draft beer ($10 3liter pitcher). Restaurants are cheap as well as taxis. Transportation in general is cheap. Concert tickets are not though...expect at least $80-100 a shot and not very many major foreign acts come to Korea.

[Prototype87]

I find most people don't know alot about SK, or know more about Japan thus feel it would be a less foreign experience.

You can do the criminal check while in South Korea. It's all annoying.

There are several good recruiters here, but sadly lots of bad ones. #1 rule with recruiters...don't let them bully you. Take your time and find a good school.

I used to give away free lesson plans, but it took up too much space on my website. I may be putting them back up when I have time.

Good vid.

[BusanKevin]

Great! Thanks for the information. You make a very good point about recruiters bullying you. I remember some using real pressure tactics.

[BusanKevin]

If it's your first time coming to Korea, you'll probably want to secure a job before you leave home.

Without a Master's degree you can get work teaching at university language institutes...sometimes even as a lecturer. More commonly though, you'd need a master's degree in something. One of my friends who teaches university has a master's in economics and a few have a master's in linguistics and english.

Hope that helps.

Kev

[myargonauts]

Hey Kevin -

Thanks so much for the nice endorsement! I'm glad that you're enjoying my vids even tho you're already here. ;)

I'll recommend a graphic novel to your going-to-Korea viewers - it's called "Love as a Foreign Language" by J Torres and pub by Oni Press - fun stuff about teaching ESL in Korea.

It's so true about prep when teaching - I still search the internet for new ideas and games even tho I've been doing this now for 4 years. Gotta keep it fresh for yourself and your kids.

[BusanKevin]

Thanks for the book recommendation. I myself, haven't read that one.

So true about prep though. If you keep teaching the same thing or playing the same games it gets so boring for both you and the students...then the learning stops!

Take Care

[wageofsins]

Ah thanks, I'll be going to Japan in October, so this info will be helpful.

[BusanKevin]

Cool...check out "myargonauts" blog....lots of useful info specifically about teaching in Japan. Keep watching :)