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South Korea: Different,but friendly planet.
I share this information with as memories of really good friend of mine, great traveller and simply nice person. If you want to add any information to my thread, do it right now 
) because I am gonna post a lot
When I left Australia to teach English in Gimhae City, next to Busan, the second largest city in Korea, I was rather anxious about my future. What is Korea like? I received some information about Korea on websites and by a telephone conversation and emails with a recruiting agent, Almo.
I finally arrived at Incheon International Airport by Korean Airlines in the early morning and I transferred to a domestic flight bound for Gimhae from Gimpo Airport. It took about 40 minutes from the airport shuttlebus from Incheon to Gimpo. It was about an hour flight from Gimpo to Gimhae.
Almo, a short,skinny and friendly man in a grey jacket, met me holding up a sign with my name on it. He gave me a ride to my work location and introduced me to my new boss. The director turned out to be a kind and generous person to work for. I have no regrets. I also have good memories and great experiences shared with my Korean students and friends that I met here.
Sometimes my Korean friends would take me to Noraebaang (a singing room or Karioke place) and to Jjimjilbaang (a Korean style sauna) for relaxation and fun. The Korean sauna was very refreshing and soothing. I miss it alot when I become bored or need a change of pace in Sydney.
My job was at a private English Institute (haagwon). Overall I was quite happy with the experience. The pay was good. I received overtime and taught a variety of classes. My paycheck was always on time.
I know many foreign English teachers prefer to work at a government sponsored school ,public school(gongrib haagkyo) or nongovernmental school (saarib haagkyo) as opposed to a private education institution (haagwon) because they expect more paid holidays and a much easier work schedule. I have met many other native English teachers here as well as teachers from Canada, New Zealand and other countries. You will grow as a person if you come here to teach.
If you are thinking of working in South Korea, find a nice and reliable recruiter to help you by searching current websites. Once you contact one, talk, exchange emails before making a decision. Most of the haagwons are safe and trustworthy. Education is highly valued among Koreans and students have a great desire to learn the English Language. There are about 3,000 haagkyos that hire part-time or full-time foreign English teachers,but about 200,000 English haagwons that hire as part-time or full-time native speakers.
Then there are much less job positions at the haagkyos than haagwons.
Competition for jobs is steadily increasing so the sooner you apply for a good position the better your chances are for landing the perfect job you want.
In my experience, there are no big differences between working at a haagkyo or a haagwon as the pay and living conditions are similar. The only difference per se is that there are a few more holidays during the summer and winter vacations if you work at the haagkyo. My aim was to save money in order to prepare for my future and travel all over Korea. So I worked lots of overtime to make that possible. I traveled on weekends by train or bus and met many people and saw interesting sights. Overall, I spent two years in Korea before finishing my teaching contract obligations. Now I am residing in Sydney, Australia.
Good luck if you wish to persue teaching in South Korea. You won't regret it.
) because I am gonna post a lot When I left Australia to teach English in Gimhae City, next to Busan, the second largest city in Korea, I was rather anxious about my future. What is Korea like? I received some information about Korea on websites and by a telephone conversation and emails with a recruiting agent, Almo.
I finally arrived at Incheon International Airport by Korean Airlines in the early morning and I transferred to a domestic flight bound for Gimhae from Gimpo Airport. It took about 40 minutes from the airport shuttlebus from Incheon to Gimpo. It was about an hour flight from Gimpo to Gimhae.
Almo, a short,skinny and friendly man in a grey jacket, met me holding up a sign with my name on it. He gave me a ride to my work location and introduced me to my new boss. The director turned out to be a kind and generous person to work for. I have no regrets. I also have good memories and great experiences shared with my Korean students and friends that I met here.
Sometimes my Korean friends would take me to Noraebaang (a singing room or Karioke place) and to Jjimjilbaang (a Korean style sauna) for relaxation and fun. The Korean sauna was very refreshing and soothing. I miss it alot when I become bored or need a change of pace in Sydney.
My job was at a private English Institute (haagwon). Overall I was quite happy with the experience. The pay was good. I received overtime and taught a variety of classes. My paycheck was always on time.
I know many foreign English teachers prefer to work at a government sponsored school ,public school(gongrib haagkyo) or nongovernmental school (saarib haagkyo) as opposed to a private education institution (haagwon) because they expect more paid holidays and a much easier work schedule. I have met many other native English teachers here as well as teachers from Canada, New Zealand and other countries. You will grow as a person if you come here to teach.
If you are thinking of working in South Korea, find a nice and reliable recruiter to help you by searching current websites. Once you contact one, talk, exchange emails before making a decision. Most of the haagwons are safe and trustworthy. Education is highly valued among Koreans and students have a great desire to learn the English Language. There are about 3,000 haagkyos that hire part-time or full-time foreign English teachers,but about 200,000 English haagwons that hire as part-time or full-time native speakers.
Then there are much less job positions at the haagkyos than haagwons.
Competition for jobs is steadily increasing so the sooner you apply for a good position the better your chances are for landing the perfect job you want.
In my experience, there are no big differences between working at a haagkyo or a haagwon as the pay and living conditions are similar. The only difference per se is that there are a few more holidays during the summer and winter vacations if you work at the haagkyo. My aim was to save money in order to prepare for my future and travel all over Korea. So I worked lots of overtime to make that possible. I traveled on weekends by train or bus and met many people and saw interesting sights. Overall, I spent two years in Korea before finishing my teaching contract obligations. Now I am residing in Sydney, Australia.
Good luck if you wish to persue teaching in South Korea. You won't regret it.
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