EnglishTeachingKoreaGuide

byEnglishTeachingKorea.com

Foreword:
Hello, WelcometotheworldofEnglishteachinginKorea.Theaimofthisguideistofamiliarizeyourself withtheprofessionofteachingEnglishinKorea.Wehopetocoverallthemainpoints,startingwitha briefintroductiontoKorea,thentheroleofanEnglishteacherinKoreansociety,findingajobthat's rightforyou,teachingandhowtomanageyourlessons,thenvisainfoandeveninformationondealing withyourcoworkersandstudents. TeachingEnglishinKoreaisopentonativeEnglishspeaking,threeorfouryearuniversitygraduates fromthesecountries...USA,Canada,England,Ireland,Australia,NewZealand,SouthAfrica. TheESL(EnglishasaSecondLanguage)industryinKoreaisbigbusiness,it'sworthover$4billion yearly.YourroleinKoreawouldbeasaconversationalEnglishteachertoKoreankids(mostly).You don'tneedateachingdegreeoranytypeofTEFL/CELTAcertificate. Thisguideiscompiledbytheownerandmanagerofwww.EnglishTeachingKorea.com.Manyofthe viewsandopinionsexpressedherearefrommyownpersonalexperiencelivingandteachinginKorea fornearlyfouryears.EverythingexpressedhereisanhonestexpressionoflifeinKoreaasIseeit. MypathtoKoreawastypical.IcametoKoreaaroundfouryearsagonow,afterfinishingan Engineeringdegreeinuniversitywasn'treadytostartacareerinEngineeringjustyet.SoIcameoverto Asiatoexperiencealittlebitmoreoftheworldandtosavesomemoneyfortraveling.InthetimeI've beenhereI'vemanagedtofulfillallmygoals.IenjoylifeinKoreasomuchthatIstayed.I'vetraveled alloverAsiaandgainedsomevaluablelifeexperience.What'smoreI'vediscoveredthatIreallylike interactingandlearningwiththekidsthatIteach.Ihopethatyou'llfindKoreaasexcitingand worthwhileasIhave,andIwishyouallthebestinthedecisionswhichlayaheadofyou. Yours, David

Contents:
Foreword...............................................................................................................................................2 Introduction...........................................................................................................................................4 Korea.....................................................................................................................................................5 YourroleasanEnglishteacher.............................................................................................................7 Employment..........................................................................................................................................8 Teaching..............................................................................................................................................14 Learningstyles....................................................................................................................................16 Visaissues...........................................................................................................................................18 Dealingwithmanagement...................................................................................................................21 Dealingwithyourstudents..................................................................................................................21 FreeTime.............................................................................................................................................22 Contracts..............................................................................................................................................23 FurtherInfo..........................................................................................................................................24

Introduction:
TheESL(EnglishasaSecondLanguage)phenomenonhitKoreaintheearly90's. Korea'seconomyatthetimewasroaringahead,withhugegrowthrateandwealth comingintothecountry.MostlyfromthelargerKoreanbusinessessuchas Samsung,HyundaiandthePOSCOsteelcompany.Koreaisn'ttheonlycountryin AsiatobeinthemarkettoattractEnglishspeakinggraduates,butit'stheleading destinationformanywhenwages,costoflivingandstandardoflivingaretaken intoaccount. Therearemorethan10,000foreignersteachingEnglishinKoreaatthismoment.Andthenumberis steadilyrisingeachyear.ManyofthosearelongtermteacherswhohavestayedinKoreaandresigned contracts.Manymorearefirstyearteacherswhowillreturnhomewithstoriesofgoodtimesandupto 18millionwonintheirpockets.Somehoweverwillquitandleaveearly,usuallybecausetheycouldn't acclimatizetotheirnewenvironmenteasily,orbecausetheyfoundthatteachingdidn'tsuitthemand theydidn'tcometoKoreaintherightframeofmind.Theydidn'tknowwhattoexpect,andwhatwas expectedofthem. Koreaitselfisaprosperousnationwiththeworld's11thlargesteconomy.Teachersarepaidwellin Korea,evenbyKoreanstandards.Also,whilethestandardoflivingisfairlyhighthecostoflivingis actuallyfairlycheap.Soit'seasytosavemoneyandtravel. TheabilitytospeakproperEnglishcanbethedifferencebetweensuccessandfailurein termsofemploymentopportunitiesforaKoreanadult.Manylargecompanieslike SamsungarenowhiringonlyKoreanswithEnglishabilities.Thesamegoesfortop levelgovernmentpositions.Inordertosecureapositionasanembassychiefconsulate, KoreandiplomatsmustbeabletopassanEnglishproficiencytest.Althoughdespitethis andthefactthatESL(EnglishasaSecondLanguage)inKoreaissuchalargeindustry Englishhasn'tmademuchonanimpactinKoreancultureingeneral.KoreaiscertainlynotanEnglish speakingcountry. TraditionallyKoreanshaveplacedgreatemphasisoneducation.ManyKoreanfamiliesspendalarge partoftheirincomeensuringthattheirchildrengetthebesteducationpossible.Sendingtheirchildren toanafterschoolacademyisn'tcheapforthechildren'sparents.Manyoftheacademieschargeupto 1/5thofanaveragewageinKoreapermonth. Mostkidshowevergotoanafterschoolacademyofsomekind.Oftenit'stofurthertheireducation,to meetfriends,keepingupwiththeJonesesonbehalfoftheirparentsorevenjusttogetthemoutofthe houseandtakethemawayfromtheircomputergames. Themostpopularafterschoolacademies(orhogwonsastheterminknowninKorea) aretaekwondo(Koreanfor'tokickandpunch'),ChinesewritingandEnglish.Although thereareotherkindsofhogwonsouttherealsosuchasdancing,hiphophogwons, music,artetc...It'stheseEnglishhogwonsthathirethebulkofnativeEnglishspeakers whofindemploymentinKorea.

Althoughtherearejobstoofornationalschoolteachers,universitylecturers,corporatelanguage trainersetc.AllofthesepositionsareusuallyfilledwithnativeEnglishspeakers.Thetheorybeing,that it'sbesttolearnalanguagefromanativespeaker.TheresearchdoneinthefieldofESLbacksupthis claim.Withstudiesshowingthatupto70%oflanguagebeingtransmittednonverbally. ThatmeansthatthetoneofyourvoiceandyourbodylanguagecancommunicatetoanEnglishlearner sometimesevenmoreeffectivelythanyoursentencesyntaxandvocabulary. EnglishistaughtinUniversities,nationalschoolsaswellasafterschoolprivateacademies.Great importanceisplacedonlearningandinteractingwithanativespeaker.Thatiswhereyoucomeintoit. WhenyoucometoKorea,you'llbeexpectedtoconductclassesforyourstudentsinanenthusiasticand activemanner.Forthehogwonjobsatleast,it'softheutmostimportancethatyourstudentsenjoyyour classes.Becausetoacertainextentatleast,theyarenotjustyourstudentstheyarealsoyour customers. Therealityofitishowever,thatthejobreallyisn'tthatdifficulttodo,onceyougetovertheinitial 'hump'ofthefirstthreemonthsmostpeoplefinditplainsailing.Usuallytheclassroomsetting involvesyouand612studentsforhogwonjobs,andupto40studentsforpublicschooljobs.Yourjob istohelpthestudentswiththeirconversationalEnglish.MostschoolshaveKoreanteachers,whowill workwiththestudentsontheirgrammar. Ifyouhaven'ttaughtbefore,don'tworrytoomuchaboutthispartofyourjob.Ittakesallteachersa whiletogetusedtoteachandmanagingclassroomswhentheyfirstbegin.Andhopefullyyou'llhave yourbossandotherKoreansteachersattheschooltosupportyouatthestart.

Korea
People:
KoreanpeopleareamongstthefriendliestandgoodnaturedpeopleinAsia.Theyare nearlyalwaystheretohelpaforeignerwhoislostorindifficulty.Koreansarethetallest oftheAsianracesandareknownthroughoutAsiafortheirgoodlooksandthewaveof KoreanpopculturethathasseenKoreanactors,singersandsoapsmakeitbigin countrieslikeJapanandChina. UnlikemostotherAsiancountries,therearenosellersorhawksinKorea.Tradersingeneralarehonest andfriendly.KoreaistheonlycountrythatIknowofinAsiawhereit'susualtoget'specialtreatment' becauseyouareaforeigner,includingmaybeafreedrinkinarestaurantorextrafruitfromafruit seller. BecauseofthelackofatouristindustryinKorea,foreignersarestillsomewhatofararity.Especially outsideofSeoul,manypeoplearestartledwhentheyseeaforeigner.Mostareonlytoowillingtohelp yououtthoughandmanywanttopracticetheirEnglishanychancetheyget. Youmayalsobeapproachedinsupermarketsorparksbyparentseagerforyoutoteachtheirchildren

privatelessons.Theselessonsusuallypayverywell,buttheyareincontraventionofyourvisa.Soif youweretobecaught,youwouldbefinedanddeported.Someteachersdothemanywayfortheextra cash.

History:
Koreahasbeenisoftencalled'thelandofthemorning'calm.Althoughifyoulive inanyofit'slargercitiesIthinkyoumayhavedifficultygraspingexactlywhy.The historyofKoreaisoneofinvasionbyforeignpowers,occupationanddivision.But fromaturbulentpast,Koreahasgrowntobeawealthy,prosperousandwell developeddemocracy. Koreahadanindependentmonarchyformuchofthelastmillennium.Duringthistime,Korea effectivelysealeditselfofffromtheoutsideworldandbecameknownasthehermitkingdom.Korea backthenwasanundevelopedruraleconomyruledbydecreeofthemonarch. AftertheRussoJapanesewar,JapanbecametheregionalsuperpowerandinvadedKoreain1905. Koreawasthenformallyannexedfiveyearslater.AfterWorldWarIItheJapaneseleftandKoreawas splitupintotwoparts.ThesouthwasoccupiedbytheUSAandtheysetuparepublic,whiletheNorth wasoccupiedbytheRussianswhosetupaCommunistsystem. DuringtheKoreanwartheUSAandotherUNnationsinvadedKoreatocountertheattackagainstthe SouthbytheCommunistNorth.In1953anarmisticewassignedandthetwohalvesofKoreaarenow atpeace. In1993,KIMYo'ngsambecameKorea'sfirstcivilianpresidentfor30years.InJune2000,thefirst NorthSouthsummittookplacebetweenNorthandSouthKorea.Sincethentheatmosphereofdistrust andwarinesshasgraduallythawed.SouthKoreaisnowafullyfunctioningdemocracy.

Economy:
Korea'srecordofeconomicgrowthsincethe1960'shasbeenstaggering.ModerndayKoreahasallthe infrastructureofahightech,modern,worldeconomy.Fortyyearsago,Korea'sGDPpercapitawas amongstthelowestintheworld.OnaparwithsomeofthepoorestAfricannations. Today,Korea'seconomyistheworld's11thlargest. Thesuccessoftheeconomyhasbeenattributedtoveryclosegovernmentbusiness tieswhichinthepasthaveincludeddirectedcredit,importrestrictionsandstrong laboreffort.TheAsianfinancialcrisisof199799exposedlongstandingweaknesses intheKoreaneconomicmodel,includinghighdebt/equityratioandmassiveforeignborrowing.Butthe Koreaneconomyquicklybouncedbackfromthisslumpandachievedoutstandinggrowthratesagainin 2002.MuchofKorea'swealthhasbeengeneratedbythelargechaebolcorporationssuchasSamsung, LG,Hyundaietc...Samsungaloneisreportedtoaccountforalmost22%ofKorea'sGDP.

YourroleasanEnglishteacher:
Onceyou'vetakenajobasanEnglishteacherinKorea.Therearecertainaspects ofyourperformancethatwillbecriticaltoyoursuccessorfailureasfarasyour bossesperspectiveisconcerned.Asateacheryouwillbeexpectedtoimprove yourstudentsverbalcommunicationskillsandtheirauralability. Allteachersareexpectedtodotheirbestandtoworkhardonadailybasis. Punctualityandgoodtimekeepingareessential.Asoftentherewon'tbeanyonetocoveryourclassesif youarrivelate.Teachersareexpectedtospendtimeplanningtheirlessonsbeforehand.Sothatwhen theyentertheclasstheyhaveasetinstructionlistofwhattheyaregoingtodoandwhichgoalstheyare goingtoachieveinthatclass. Ateacherisexpectedtomaintainthe'goodname'oftheirschoolorplaceofemployment.Illegal activities,druguse,violentbehaviorareallnottoleratedbyaschool.Theteachershouldbeas easygoingaspossibleandshouldifpossiblehaveexperienceworkingwithotherpeopleand/orina foreigncountry.Althoughthisisn'tessential.Theteachershouldbecomfortableworkinginapressured environmentanddealingwithpeopleofdifferentcultureandvalues. Unfortunately,duetothenatureofthebusiness.It'snotalwayspossibletosetyourteachinghoursand classesatdefinitetimes.Yourbosswillberunningabusiness,andclassesmustbeplannedwhen aroundthestudentsschedulenottheteacher's.Itwouldhelpifyoucouldbeasunderstandingabout thisaspossible.Althoughobviously,what'sstatedinyourcontractshouldbethefinalword,thisisjust oneareawhereit'spreferabletohavealittlebitofunderstandingandtobeabletogiveandtakeina workingrelationshipwithyourbossifyoucan. Aboveallthough,ateacherwillbeexpectedtobefriendlyandoutgoingwiththeirstudents.Especially ifyouareteachingkids.Theteachermustbeapproachableatalltimestotheirkids.Theteacherstudent relationshipiscriticalinahogwonenvironment,becauseasIsaidearliertheyarenotjustyour students,theyarealsoyourcustomers.Generallytheabilitytohavefunwithyourkidsismorethan enoughinthisaspectofyourjob. Teachersareexpectedtotakepartinextracurricularactivities.Usuallyschoolsandhogwonshave ChristmasandHalloweenplaysorskits.Oftentheremaybea'meettheparents'daywhichateacher willberequiredtoattendandtodressappropriatelyfor.Someschoolsalsohavephonecounseling whichrequiresteacherstoringthestudentsandaskthemquestionsaboutlessonsetc....Alsosome schoolswillhaveoutingsorpicnicsonceamonthorperhapsonceeverycoupleofmonths.Theseare standardtasksthatanyteacherintheWestwouldalsoberequiredtocarryoutintheirteachingduties.

DressCode: Ateacherisexpectedtodressappropriatelyforclass.Thebest waytodescribethedresscodeinmostschoolswouldbesmart casual.Smarterthanstreetwear,butnotsofarasformaldress. Mostorganizationsdon'trequiretheirteacherstowearashirt andtie.Butshorts,beachwear,Tshirts,sandals,bluejeans etc...areusuallyforbidden.Alsotheteacherisexpectedtobe cleanandwellgroomed. Dressingrespectablywillgoalongwaytowardscreatingagood firstimpressionandestablishingyourcredentialsasateacher.Itmightbeagoodideatobringanextra supplyofdeodorantwithyoutoKorea.AstheKoreansdon'tuseit,andsometimesWesternerssmella bit'funny'toKoreansanyway. TeacherTraining: Inrealityisthatmostschoolsouttherehaveneitherthestaffnortheresourcestotraintheirteachers properlybeforetheystepintotheclassroom.Trainingtypicallyconsistsofmakingafewlessonplans andobservingtheclassesofmoreexperiencedteachers. Afterthat,you'reusuallyonyourown.Eventhough,it'susuallynottoobadjusttrytoenjoyyourself forthefirstweekorso.Andmakesureyoudosomepreparationyourself,suchasplanninglessonsand activities.Thisguidehasasectionattheendwhichwillpointyouintherightdirectionwithregardsto lessonplansandresources...

Employment:
Therearemanydifferentemploymentopportunitiesoutthere,it'simportantthatyou understandtheprosandconsofeachone,inordertomakethedecisionthatisright foryou.

Typesofinstitutes:
PublicSchools: InaccordancewiththeKoreangovernmentswishestoseenativeEnglishspeakerstakeamoreactive roleinthenationalcurriculumandeducationofKoreanchildreninpublicschools.Thevariousschool boardshavebeenaskedtorecruitandhirealmost800nativeEnglishspeakersperyear. Thebestthingaboutpublicschoolswhichmostteachersseemtoenjoy,istheholidays.Manyschools givetheirteachersuptofiveweeksholidaysayear,althoughsomeschoolsinsistuponyouturningup

toschoolevenduringtheschoolholidays.Someteachersalsoappreciatetheatmosphereandthedayto dayimmersioninKoreanlife. Onthedownside,oftenpublicschoolteachershavealongerworkdaythanotherteachers.Mostpublic schoolsrequiretheirteacherstobepresentattheschoolfrom9:00AMto5:00PM.Althoughtheteacher usuallywouldn'tbeteachingformostofthosehoursyouwillbeexpectedtobeontheschool premises.Thismeansthatyoushouldfindsomethingtokeepyouentertainedwhileyouwaitforyour nextclasstoteach.Publicschoolsareoftenlocatedinthecountrysideandusuallyhirenomorethan oneforeignteacher.Soit'spossiblethattheforeignteachercouldgetlonely.Thesejobsusuallypaya littlebitlessthanotherprivateacademyjobs. Theclasssizeinpublicschoolsmayrangeupto40students.Sometimesyou'llbeteachingwitha KoreancoteacherwhocanspeakEnglish.Othertimesyou'llfindyourselfteachingthekidsalone. Hogwons: Hogwonsareprivateacademiesthatareofteneitherfamilyrun,orapartofalargerfranchise.These schoolsusuallyoperatefromaround4:00PMto9:00PM,andserveasstudylessonswherestudentsgo aftertheirregularclasseshavefinished.Manyhogwonsalsorunakindergartenprograminthe mornings.Thesekindergartenprogramswillmeanthatateacherwillusuallyhavetoworkearlierand possiblyhavetodoasplitshift.Classsizesforhogwonsareusuallybetween312students.Most hogwonsareusedtoemployingforeignerssothey'llknowexactlywhatitisyou'llneedtogetsetup. Although,somehogwonshavebuiltupanunsavoryreputationovertheyears.Inmore recentyears,thelaborboardhasbeentakingteachercomplaintsanawfullotmore seriously.Thereisnowlegalrecourseforteacherswhohavedisputeswiththeir employers.Andsoonthere'llbeanEnglishspeakingjudgethatwillhandlecourtcases betweenforeignersandtheirschools. Frompersonalexperience,havingworkedinnumeroushogwoninstitutes,I'veneverhad anyproblemswithwagesorconditions.NeitherdoIknowofanyonepersonallywhohashadany seriousproblemswithregardstotheseissues.Therealityofitis,thatmostproblemsthatoccurare personalitybased,andthatatleast50%ofthetime,theteacherismoreresponsiblethantheschool. SometeachersconsiderthemselvestobeonworkingholidayswhentheycometoKorea.Somedon't taketheirjobveryseriouslyandinevitableraisetheireoftheirbosses.Someoftheseteacherspost theirstoriesonblacklists,whichbytheirnatureareonesidedaffairs,andoftendatetoyearsandyears agowhentheschoolwasunderdifferentmanagement. Thegreatthingabouthogwonsnowadaysisthatbecausethey'reforcedtocompetewiththepublic schools,oftentheyareraisingthelevelofbothwagesandteacherconditions.Sodon'tbeafraidto bargainwithyourschoolbeforesigningacontracttogetexactlywhatyouwant. Universities: UniversityjobsaremostlyforthemoreexperiencedESLprofessional.Someuniversityjobsrequire theirteacherstohaveMA's.Otherswillacceptbachelordegreecandidateswithmorethanoneyear teachingexperienceinKorea. Universitypositionsareknownfortheirlowhoursandgreatholidays.Oftenteachersatauniversity receiveuptothreeorfourmonthsvacationtime.Howeverthebasepayatauniversityisusuallyquite

low. ManyuniversitiesnowrunESLprogramsfornonenrolledstudents.Thisoftenmeansthattheteacher's roleisacombinationofUniversityteacherandhogwonteacher.Thisisofcourselesspreferablefora teacherusually.

Choosingaschool:
Inchoosingaschool,youneedtokeepinmindafewbasicfacts.Youneedtoconsider whatitisexactlythatyouwantinaschool.Certainlylocationisimportant,butmanyof theKoreancitiesarequitesimilarintermsofthingstodoandsee.Youmayfeelthat you'dliketoworkinBusantobenearabeach.ButtherealityofitisisthatBusanis ahugecity,andthechancesarequitehighthatyou'llbefurtherawayfromthebeach livinginBusan,thanyouwouldbeifyoulivedanywhereontheEastcoastlineof Korea.Consultyourrecruiterabouttheseandotherissues... Theimportantthingstodoinchoosingaschoolwouldbe: 1. Talktothepreviousteachers...yourschoolshouldprovideyouwithcontactdetails 2. Knowthinecontract...yourcontractwillsetthebeatofyourdailylifefora12monthperiod. Youshouldknowwhenyouareexpectedtoarriveinschool,howmuchlessonprepyouwill needtodo.Whatyourholidaysare.Whatconditionsyourapartmentwillbe... 3. Talktoyourbossonthetelephone.Discussanyissuesthatyoumayhavedirectlywithyourboss beforeyoucomeover.Goovereverythingthatyouareunsureofwithyourboss.Yourboss shouldbeabletoreassureyouthateverythingwillbegetsortedout. 4. Disregardblacklists,theyareusuallywrittenbythetypeofpeoplethatwouldcomplainabout anyjobbackhome.Theyareunsubstantiated,uncontested,biasedandalmostentirelyuseless...

Dealingwitharecruiter:
AprofessionalrecruitershouldmakeyourtransitiontoKoreaaloteasier.Therecruiter shouldbeabletosteeryouintherightdirectionwithregardstoyourschool,dailylife inKorea,youandthelaw,andevenbeabletohelpyououtwithyourteaching, classroomtechniqueandinteractionwithKoreanmanagementandstaff.Inotherwords arecruitershouldbeabletotakeyourightupalongfromchoosingajob,tosigninga contract,tolivinginKorea,toworkingandmaybeevenpointyouintherightdirection whenitcomestotakingaholiday.Yourrecruitershouldalsostayintouchwithyouthroughoutyour contractperiod,tomakesureeverythingisgoingasplanned. Somepeoplerecommendteacherstoeitherchoosethejobthemselvesoffarecruitmentboard.Orto cometoKoreafirstandthenfindajobforthemselveswhiletheyarehere.Iwouldsincerely recommendNOTcomingovertoKoreayourselfinordertofindyourjob.Ifyouhavealotofcashand you'liketocometoKoreatodoabitoftravelingfirst,thenmaybeyoucouldfindemploymentwhile youarehere.Butotherwise,youaregoingtohavetonegotiatearoundanonEnglish speakingcountrybyyourself.You'llhavetotrackdownandfindschools,you'llhave tointerviewteachersandstaff.Andunlessyouareexperiencedandknowwhat

questionstoask,thismaybeafruitlessandmoneywastingjourney. Asforpickingajoboffajobboard,thatisalsoanoption.Iwouldsaythough,thatifarecruiters servicesarefree,thenyoushouldprobablyuseone.Oratleasttalktoonetogetanideaofwhat'sout there. Whendealingwitharecruiterit'simportantthatyoutellthemexactlywhatyouwant.Andthatyoulet themknowwhatyourplansare.They'llbetalkingtoschoolsonyourbehalf,soifyoustopcontacting yourrecruiter,it'llmakeitdifficultforthemtodealwiththeschool.Thebestcourseofactionfor everyonehereistohaveaswideachannelofcommunicationaspossible.Ifyouarethinkingoveran offer,ordecidingbetweentwoorthreedifferentschools,ormaybejustwaitingtoseeifsomething bettercomesalongthenit'sfinetojusttellthattoyourrecruiter,whocanthenpassthatinformation alongtotheschoolwhomayinturnwishtoincreasetheirofferorgiveyouacontractwithbetter conditions. Remember,yourrecruiterworksfor you,nottheotherwayaround.If yourrecruiterisputtingyou underunduepressuretotakea position.Thenyoushouldthink aboutengagingtheservicesof anotherrecruiter.Your responsibilitytoyourrecruiterends withtellingthemexactlywhatyou wantandlettingthemknowwhat youarethinking.Attheendofthe day,it'suptoyoutochooseyour position. It'sveryimportantalso,to remembertogooverthecontract detailsandanyotherdetailswith yourbossdirectly.Yourrecruiterisjustanintermediarybetweenyouandyourschool.Forthingsthat aren'tdirectlycoveredbythecontract.It'squitepossiblethatyourbossmighttellyourrecruiterone thing,andmightenduppresentingthatinformationtoyouinadifferentlight,whenthetimecomes. Detailsyoucouldaskyourrecruiter:

Generalvisaquestions... Generalcontractissues... Whattobring,whatisexpectedofyou,wheretogoonholidays... Anygeneralquestionswithregardstoteaching... Specificpointsthataren'tdirectlycoveredinthecontract... Holidayquestionseg.dates,times... Specificpointswithregardstothelocalarea...

Detailsyoucouldaskyourmanager:

Whilearecruitershouldbeopentoansweranyquestionsthatyouwishtoask.Thesmarterwaytogo aboutthings,wouldbetoknowwhoyoushoulddirectyourquestionsto.Oneexampleherewouldbe thevisaruntoJapan.Yourbossmaytellyourrecruiterthatit'sallexpensespaid.However,anumberof weekslaterwhenthetimecomesforyourvisarun,it'spossiblethatyourbossmaygiveyoucashfor theferryjourneyonly.Sowhenyousaythattherecruitertoldyouthatitwasallexpensespaid,your bosscouldjustsaythatthat'sbetweenyouandyourrecruiter.Inthiscase,itwouldn'tbeacaseofyour recruiterlyingtoyou.Butratheritwouldbeacaseofyourelyingonsecondhandinformation. Thisgoesdoublewhenitcomestounprofessionalrecruiterswhowilltellyoujustaboutanythingtoget youtosignacontract.Bewareofrecruiterswhoseemtoknowalltheanswersoffhand.Ifyouare askingaspecificcontractquestionlike...willIhavetoworkSaturdays?Andyourrecruiterseemsto knowtheanswertothatquestionwithoutcheckingwiththemanager,thenoneoftwothingsispossible. 1)Hedidn'tpassalongallthepertinentinformationwithregardstothatjobtotheteacher. 2)He'sjustmakinguptheanswer(usuallyinthefinalstagesoftheagreement)inordertogetyouto sign. Firsthandinformationissilver,firsthandinformationthatisclearlystatedinyourcontractisgolden, everythingelseisjusthearsay.Rememberthisduringthecontractnegotiationsandeverythingwill workoutjustfine.Therewon'tbeanymisunderstandingsthatcouldgetinthewayofyourelaxingand enjoyingyourtimeinKorea,andthatcouldcloudyourrelationshipbetweenyouandyourboss.

Yoursalary:
Theaveragesalaryforateacherisusuallysomewherebetween2.0millionand2.5million.Manyschools payaround2.2million.IfyouliveinSeoulthen2.2millionisprobablytheequivalentof2.0millionif youlivedinacityoutsideofSeoul.Yoursalaryshouldbepaidontimeandinfullevery month. Theamountthatyoucansavefromyoursalaryisreallyuptoyou.Forateacherwhois earning2.2million,itwouldn'tbeunreasonabletosaveupto1.5million.Althoughthis wouldprobablycurtailyoursociallifetosomeextent,andwoulddefinitelypreclude youfromsomeofthefinerthingsinlife.Youshouldalsoexpectyourapartmenttobe providedfreeofcharge,yourreturnflighttobepaidforafter12months,andfora13thmonthbonusto beprovided.Your13thmonthbonuswillbetheaveragewageofyourlastthreemonthsofemployment. Thereshouldbethree(andonlythree)deductionsmadefromyoursalary.

Incometax37%dependingonhowmuchyouearneverymonth(ateacherearning2.0million shouldbechargedaround3%incometax) Obligatorypensionscheme9%divided(4.5%/4.5%)betweenyouandyourschool.Citizens fromtheUSandCanadacanrefundtheirpensionwhentheyreturnhometotheircountrywith therequisitedocuments Nonobligatorymedicalinsurance4.31%usuallydivided(2.15%/2.15%)betweenyouandyour school.Ifyouhaveprivateinsuranceofyourown,thenthismaybeunnecessary.Otherwise, thisisverynecessaryandcoversnearlyeverymedicaleventualityincludingdrugs, hospitalization,preventivecare,surgery,diagnosis,test,medicalmaterialsandtreatments.

Holidays:
Dependingonthetypeofinstitutionthatyouworkfor,youcouldbereceiving anywherefrom2weeksto10weeksholidays.Manyschoolswillhavesetholidaysthat theteachersmustabideby,otherswillletteacherschoosetheirownholidays. NearlyallschoolswilltaketheKoreannationalholidaysoff.Itmightbeusefultoknow thesedatesandtotrytoplanyourownholidaysaroundtheminadvanceinordertoget themostoutofyourdaysoff.Forsomeschools,whereteachersnegotiatetheirownholidaysbefore signingthecontractwouldbeagreattimetonegotiateyourholidaydays... YEAR Buddha'sBirthday MemorialDay ConstitutionDay LiberationDay Chuseok(KoreanThanksgivingDay) NationalFoundationDay Christmas YEAR NewYearsDay LunarNewYearsDay IndependenceMovementDay ArborDay Children'sDay MemorialDay ConstitutionDay LiberationDay Chuseok NationalFoundationDay ChristmasDay 2005 SunMay15th MonJune6th SunJuly17th MonAug15th SatMonSep17th19th MonOct3rd Dec25th 2006 SunJan1st SatMonJan28th30th WedMar1st WedApr5th FriMay5th TueJune6th MonJuly17th TueAug15th TueOct3rd ThuSunOct5th8th MonDec25th

Resume:
Yourresumebasicallyisjustabriefintroductiontoyourselfandyourskills/abilities. Thefirstglanceatyourresumewillbejusttoensurethatyoudoactuallyqualifyforan E2visaandthatyouareeligibletoteachEnglishinKorea.

Fillingoutarecruiterapplicationformisalwayspreferablethansendinginyourresume.Thisis becausenotonlywillitbeeasierfortherecruitertopassonyourinformationtotheemployers.Butalso becausearecruiterapplicationformwillpromptyoutoenteryourdetailsinawaywhichwillbeeasier foranemployertopickoutthemainpointsofyourapplicationquickly.Itwillalsoaskpertinent questionssuchaswhenthebesttimetocallis,andotherinformationthatisimportantandthatwouldn't usuallybeincludedinaresumeform. Theimportantthingtorememberwhenyouarefillingoutaresumeisthatyouincludeanicepictureto goalongwithit.Ifyouhavenonicepictureslyingaround.Thenmaybeyoushouldthinkaboutgetting onedoneprofessionallyifthecostisnotprohibitive.Trytowearsomethingwithmaybeacollarifyou areaguy,andmaybeadresssuitifyouareagirl.Atiewouldbeunnecessary.Andmostofall... remembertosmile.Picturesofyouinabarwithallyourfriends,oryoufullybedeckedinaSantaClaus outfitarenotwhatyou'dbelookingforhere.Ifyouareanolderteacher,it'sdoublyimportantthat you'repictureisenergeticandlifelike. Don'tbesurprisedtobeaskedquestionsthatwouldn'tbesuitableforinterviewquestionsathome.Such asyourheritageandyourrace.Koreansdon'tfeelintheleastbitshyaboutaskingsuchquestions.When itcomestoexperience,trytoputdownanythingthatyouthinkwouldshowthatyouarecapableof teachingaclassroom.Ifyouhaveanyexperiencewithkids,thenbyallmeansputthatdown...

Interviewphonecall:
Yourbossmaywanttotalktoyouonthephonebeforeshe/hemakesadecisionabout hiringyou.It'sprobablyagoodideatobuilduparapportwithyourbossanywaybefore youcomeover.Don'tworrytoomuchaboutthisphonecallthough.Yourbosswilljust wanttohearyourvoice,andmakesurethatyousoundgenuineaboutyourcommitment totheschool.Ifyouhaveaparticularlystrongaccent,itmaybeimportantforyouto speakclearlywhileonthephone,andindeedwhenyoustartteachingintheclassroom. Rememberthatsmilingwhileyouarespeakingcarriesacrossphonelinesinthetoneofyourvoice.So thatit'softenmorepleasanttospeaktosomeoneonthephonewhoissmiling,thansomeonewhois frowning(orhungover).

Teaching:
Ateachersteachingmethodologyshouldbeapersonalchoicebasedonanumberofdifferentfactors includingclasslevelandmotivation,classroomenvironmentandnumbers,availabilityofteaching resourcesaswellasthedesiretoprovideadynamicandexcitinglearningexperienceforthestudents.I willcoverthetwomostbasicandwellknownteachingmethodologieshere.

Present,Practice,Produce
ThemosttraditionalteachingMethodologyisbrokendownintothreepartsTheteacher presentsoneitemoftheEnglishlanguageinaclearcontexttogetit'smeaningacross. Whetherthisisdonethroughatext,asituationroleplayoradialogetc.Studentsthen

proceedwiththecontrolledpracticestage,andtheywouldhavetorepeatthetargetitemsthroughcoral andindividualdrillingandothertaskbased problems.Thenthefinalstageistheproductionstageor'freepractice'stage.Studentsaregivenafree tasksuchasaroleplayandareexpectedtoreproducethetargetlanguageaswellastocouchitwith subsidiaryandcontextuallanguageinothertocommunicatewitheachother. Thisisthestandard'breadandbutter'formofteachingmethodology.Likethenamesays,itbasically involvesthreekeyareas.Firstlytheteacherpresentsthetopicforthelessonplan.Forthisexamplewe'll takealessononthepresentcontinuoustenseeg.Iamgoing,sheisrunning,wearedancing.The teacherwouldstartoffbymimickingasingerorelsemaybepretendingtokickaball.Theteacher wouldasktheclasstotoidentifytheactivity.Theclasswillputuptherehands,andanswer.The teacherwillthencontinuewithafewmoreexamples.Theteacherwouldthengiveabriefexplanation onthepresentcontinuoustense.Howitisformedie.theverb'tobe'plusthegerundorverbendingin' ing'. Theteacherwillalsoexplaintotheclasswhentouseit.Thecontinuoustenseisusedtoexpressan actionthatishappeningNOW.Theteachermaycompareittoapresentsimpleverbconstructionie.he goes,sheruns,wedance.Thepresentsimpleisshowtothekidsassomethingthatdescribesan EVERDAYaction.Don'tworryifyoudon'tknowthesefinerpointsofgrammar.Teachersandstudents arealwaysprovidedwithatextbookthatcoversthesepoints.Often,theKoreanteacherswillcoverthe grammarlessonsanyway,(thisjustservesasanexamplelesson). Next,youmoveontothepracticepartofthelesson.Heretheemphasisshiftsfromtheteachertothe student.Thestudentsareencouragedtopracticeusingthepresenttensewitheachother.Theteacheris theretoobserveandcorrect.Youcouldsplittheclassintopairsandtelleachofthemtoaskthree continuouspresentquestionstoeachothereg.Whatareyoudoing?...I'mlearningEnglish.The teachermightthenasksomerapidfirequestionstotheclasseg.WhatisJohndoing?WhatisKim thinking?WhereisDannysitting? Finallythestudentsgettoproducetheirnewlylearnedlanguageexpressions.Forthispartofthelesson, theteacherreallyjuststaysinthebackgroundandobservesthestudents.Makingcorrectionsattimesif appropriate.AgoodteachingactivitytousehereissomethingIcall'questionnaire'.Thestudentsmake outaquestionnairewhichtheythenadministertoeachoftheirclassmates.Thequestionsareall constructedinthepresentcontinuoustenseinthisinstance.Soitwouldkindoflooklikethis... KIM Whereareyou living? Whatareyou doingnow? Whereareyou sitting? (Note:herethatthestudentsnamesareeitherEnglishnamesorEnglishsoundingnames) DANNY JULIE MINJI

It'sstandardpracticetogiveeachofyourstudentsEnglishnames.MostwillhavetheirEnglishnames already,eithergiventothembyanotherteacheratyourschool,ornamestheyhavefromotherschools.

Taskbasedapproach
Thesecondteachingmethodologythatwe'llcoverhereiswhatistermedataskbasedapproach. Studentsarefreefromlanguagecontrol,theyusetheirexistinglanguageresourcesratherthanjust practicetargetlanguage.Thisexerciseiscontextdriven,thelanguageispersonalizedandrelevantfor thestudent.Thestudentcandeveloptheirownuniquespeakingstylethatsuitsthemandislessproneto unnaturalsoundingoveruseoftargetlanguage.Muchmoreofavariedexposuretolanguage.Awider rangeoflexicalphrasesandpatternsaswellaslanguageforms.ThisteachingMethodologyisneeds basedratherthanteacherdefined.Studentsspendalotoftimecommunicating.It'salsoenjoyableand motivating. Pretask: Teacherintroducesatopicandgivesthestudentsachancetobrainstormthetopicbeforemovingonto thenextstage.Thismayinvolveplayingarecordingorusingatextorpiecedfromanewspaper Task: Studentscompleteataskinpairsoringroupsusingtheresourcesthattheteachergivesthem.The teacherthenmonitorsandgivesthemencouragement. Planning: Studentsprepareashortwrittenororalreporttotheclass.Theycanpracticewhattheyaregoingtosay intheirowngroups.Theteacherisavailabletoclearupanylanguagequestionsthattheymayhave. Report: Studentsreportbacktotheclasswithawrittenoranoralreport.Thestudentslistentoeachother completingthetask. Analysis: Theteacherhighlightscertainpartsofthestudentspresentationsandgivesanoverview.Maypointout interestingfeaturesofthetopic.Maybehighlightsomeofthevocabularyusedbythestudents. Practice: Finallytheteacherselectsthelanguageareastopracticebasedontheteachersimpressionoftheneeds ofthestudentsandfromthetaskandreportphases.Thestudentsdopracticeactivitiesinorderto increasetheirconfidenceandtheymakenoteofanyusefulvocabulary.

LearningStyles
We'llgiveyouabrief'TESOLfordummieslesson'here,justtogetyouintothemood.Enjoy...andno therewon'tbeanexamattheend.

(Ellis1985)Astudentslearningstyleisthemoreorlessconsistentwayinwhicha studentperceives, conceptualizes,organizesandrecallsinformation.Learningstylesareimportantbecause theyallow studentstolearnmorequicklyandefficientlywithlesseffort.Whichinturngivesthem more confidencewiththelanguage,whichinturnincreasingtheirlearningabilityandpotential.Aslearning improves,sodoesthestudent'sselfesteem. Thishastheknockoneffectofimprovingthestudentteacherrelationship. Themaintypesoflearningstyles

Modalities:
Visual: studentsmaylookatateachersfaceintently.Mayrecognizewordsbysightormaymemorize wordsonpostersonthewall. Auditory: preferverbalinstructions,likesdialogs,discussionsandplays.Canuserhythmandsounds asaidstomemory. Kinesthetic: prefertobeactiveandmoving,finditdifficulttositstillforlongerperiods.Canuse movementasamemoryaid. Tactile: preferwritinganddrawingasmemoryaids.Canlearnhandsonwithactivitiessuchas projectsordemonstrations.

Leftbrain/Rightbraindominated:
Leftbrain: studentsareintellectual,processinformationinalinearmanner,areoftenobjective, prefer established,certaininformation,relyonthinkingandremembering. Rightbrain: studentsareintuitive,processinformationinaholisticmanner,tendtobesubjective, preferuncertaininformation,oftenpreferdrawingormanipulatingtohelpthemremember.

McCarthy'slearningstyles
Innovativelearners: lookforpersonalmeaningwhilelearning,enjoysocialinteraction,are cooperative,wanttomaketheworldweliveinabetterplace. Analyticlearners: wanttodevelopintellectually,drawonfacts,arepatientandreflectivemostly,want toknow'importantthings'. Commonsenselearners: wanttofindsolutions,valuethingsthattheyfinduseful,arekinesthetic,wanttomakethingshappen. Dynamiclearners: lookforhiddenpossibilities,judgethingsmostlybygutreactions,synthesizeinformationfrom differentsources,areenthusiasticandadventurous.

Fieldindependentvsfielddependent
Fieldindependent: canseparateimportantdetailsfromacomplexbackground.Theytendtorely uponthemselvesandtheirownthoughtprocesstosolveproblems. Fieldindependent: finditmoredifficulttoseethepartsinacomplexwhole.Theyrelyonotherswhen solvingproblemsandtheyexcelatinterpersonalrelationships.

Visaissues
ToteachandworkinKoreayoumustfirstobtainavisa.Wecanhelpyouwiththis process.Whenyouwouldliketoacceptateachingposition.Thefirstthingthatyou mustdoistogatheryourdocuments. You'llneed Youroriginaldegreefromyouruniversity Acopyofyouracademictranscriptsinanuniversityenvelopesealed,stampedandmarkedbyyour university Acopyofyourresume Twopassportphotos Aphotocopyofthepicturepageofyourpassport Asignedcopyofyourcontract

picture of transcripts in a sealed, signed marked envelope

Weadviseyoutocollectallthesedocumentsstraightaway,evenbeforeyoufindajob.Oftenitcantake afewweekstogetyoursealedtranscriptsanddegree.Inthatcaseitisn'talwayspossiblefortheschool toholdthepositionforyou.Becauseoftenteacherswillbackoutorchangetheirmindatthelast minute.Sotheschoolwilloftengivethepositiontothefirstsuitablecandidatewiththeirdocumentsin order.Mostschoolsonlyconsiderapositionfilled,whentheyhavethesedocumentsinhandorwhen theyhavethetransitcodefromadeliveryagencywhichprovesthatthedocumentsareontheirway. Whenyoudohavethesedocumentsinorderandyouhavefoundapositionthatsuitsyou.Youshould thensendthemeithertousatwww.englishteachingkorea.comormorelikelytotheschool.The

schoolwillthenapplyforyourvisaonyourbehalf. Whenyourvisahasbeenissued,youwillbegivenavisaissuancenumber.Youcan thentakethisnumberandyourpassporttoyournearestKoreanconsulate,andtheywill stampthevisaintoyourpassport.Thereisafeeinvolvedherewhichtheapplicantwill beexpectedtocoverthemselves.It'susuallyonlyaround$60ortheequivalentinyour localcurrency.Thisprocessmaytakemorethanoneday.Insomeconsulatesit'san overnightprocess.Ringyourlocalconsulatebeforehandtosortoutthecosts,time frameandwhethertheywillacceptyourapplicationinthemail.Youwillfindthedetailsofyourlocal consulateonourwebsiteherewww.englishteachingkorea.com/links.html

VisaRun:
Ifyou'rebossisinahurryoryoudon'thavetimetoapplyforavisawhileinyour homecountry.ThenyoumaybeaskedtocometoKoreaonatouristvisa.Youwould thenworkattheschooluntilyourdocumentsarriveandyourbosswouldthensend youovertoJapantocollectyourworkvisaattheKoreanconsulateoverthere. ThisusuallyrequiresanovernightstayinJapan,alltheexpenseshereshouldbe coveredbyyourboss.Pleasenoteherethatalthoughthelikelihoodofgettingcaughtareslim,itis illegalforyoutoworkinaninstitutioninKoreawithoutyourE2visa.Soyourfirstweeksofteaching timewillactuallybeoutsidetheboundsofwhat'sstatedinyourtouristvisa.However,ifyouarecaught teachingillegally,andifyourbosshasalreadyfiledthepreliminarypaperworkwithimmigration. Immigrationwilloftenturnablindeyetoyourworksituation. Ifyouareaskedtodoavisarunbyyourbossorrecruiter.Doasimplecost/benefitanalysis,ifyouare quitecontentedathometowaitforyourdegree,transcriptsandvisatobeprocessed.Oryouabsolutely donotwanttoworkinanothercountrywithoutthepropervisa,thenmakethatcleartoyourbossor recruiter. Ontheotherhand,ifyouareeagertogetstartedinKorea.Oryouhaveajobthatyoudon'twanttopass up,oryou'djustlikeafreetriptoJapan.Thenthevisarunoptionmightbetheoneforyou.Assuming yougetaskedtodoonethatis.

Letterofrelease:
ThestandardworkingvisaforforeignteachersinKoreaistheE2.Thisvisaisvalidfor 12monthsandistiedtoyourplaceofemployment.Whenyourcontractends,sodoes yourvisa.Ifforwhateverreasonyouwishtochangeschoolsduringyourcontractual period.ThenyouwillhavetoleaveKoreatoobtainanothervisa.Also,yourbosswill needtogiveyoua'letterofrelease'statingthatyouarenolongercontractuallyobligated tohisschool.ThisletterofreleaseneedstobeprovidedtoKoreanimmigration,before theywillissueyouwithanothervisawithinthiscontractperiod.

Dealingwithschoolmanagement:
It'salwaysdifficultwhenpeopleoftwovastlydifferentculturesandlanguagesneedtoworkwitheach othertoachieveatask.Whenworkingwiththemanagementatyourschoolthemost importantthingtokeepinmindisthatyoushouldberespectfulatalltimes.Thatmeans nofingerpointing,raisingyourvoiceorbecomingobstreperous.IntheWestthereis oftenamanagementculturewhichdictatesthatwework'with'ourboss,asopposedto 'for'ourboss.Koreansdon'thavethisformofworkculture. InKoreaingeneral,whatyourbosssays...goes.Atleastasfarasissuesoutsideoftheonescoveredin yourcontractareconcerned.KoreahasatraditionofConfucianismstretchingbackthousandsofyears. InaConfuciansociety,respectforyoureldersanddedicatingyourselftoyourfamilyandjobarethe corevalueswhereasintheWest,individualismandspeakingyourmindarecorevalues.Manyschools havealonghistorywithhiringforeignerssothey'llappreciatethatthingsaredonealittledifferently wherewecomefrom.Howevertheimportantthingisthatthenativeteacherisabletomeetthem halfwaysotospeak,andtrynottodoanythingthatcouldresultin'lossofface'fortheirboss. Butjustlikeanywhereelse,Koreansrespecthonestyandfriendliness.Ifyouhaveaproblemthenbyall meansyoushouldapproachyourbossinafriendlymanner.SometimesyoucangetaKoreanteacherto helpyou.Writingtheproblemdownonpapermayalsobesomethingthatyoushouldthinkabout. BeingflexibleandeasygoingisamustwhenitcomestoworkingwithKoreanmanagement.Especially inwhatcanbeahighpressureenvironmentlikeaschool.Somepeopleliketobringoveragiftfortheir bossasagoodwillgesture.Ifyouwouldliketodothis,thengoodsuggestionsareusuallyabottleof whiskeyforyourmaleboss,orifyourbossisfemalethenaniceperfumemightsuffice.Thesecan usuallybepickedupatdutyfreeintheairportbeforeyoudepartforKorea.

Dealingwithstudents
Anynewteacherwillnotbeexpectedtohavemasteredthevariousintricatenessand finerpointsoftheESLprofessioningeneral.Howevertherearesomepointswhich itwouldbegoodforyoutoconsiderbeforesteppingintotheclassroom. Teachingisabout95%personalrelationshipand5%methodologiesinmyopinion. Teachersworkinginahogwonenvironmentoftenwon'tbeableto'discipline'their kidsinthestrictestsense.Therealityoftheworkingenvironmentcastsyouintheroleofhalfteacher, halftroupeleader.Thinkofmotivatingyourkidsintermsof"Wouldn'titbecoolifwedid..."as opposedto"You'regoingtodothis...orelse". ForthemostpartKoreankidsareextremelywellbehaved.Andtheynearlyalwaysrespecttheirteacher ...astheirculturedictatestheyshould.Trytomaintaineyecontactwithyourkidswhenpossible.

Respectyourkids,andthey'llrespectyouinreturn.Itmaytakeawhileforyoutobecomfortable assumingtheroleofclassleader.Butonceyougrowusedtoit,you'llhavetherespectofboththekids andthemanagement. Koreankids,likekidseverywhere,needlotsofencouragement.Therearenobadkids,justonesthat learnalittleslowerorrespondbettertodifferentteachingstyles.Trytobefriendyourlessattentiveand highperformingstudents.Oftentheyareattentionstarvedathomebecauseboththeirparentswork. Makeanefforttolearnaboutyourkid'srolemodelsandculture.Kidseverywhereareintothesame things.Oftenyourteenagegirlswillbedevotedfollowersofwhateverboybandhappenstobeinthe chartsatthetime.Boysareoftenintobasketball,soccerorbaseball.AllKoreanslovesoccerandare extremelyproudoftheirnationalteam. Olderstudentsingeneral,lovetotalkaboutNorthKorea,orthewar.Koreansingeneralareveryproud oftheircountryandoftenseetheirwayofdoingthingstobeinherentlybetterthanotherpeoples.There isstillquitealotofresentmentinthecountrytowardsJapanbecauseoftheJapaneseinvasionatthe startofthelastcentury.AlthoughwhenaskedastowhyKoreantroopsinvadedIraq,theyusuallybrush itoff.Thesearethetopicsthatcanmakethetimepassquicklyinaclassofadvancedstudents.Aswell asbeinganentertainingandeyeopeningexercise.

Freetime
TherearelotsofthingforyoutodoandseeinKoreainyoursparetime.Koreans lovetoenjoythemselvesandareaverysocialpeople.Dininganddrinking togetherareseenasintrinsicaspectsofkeepingandmaintainingthebondsin Koreansociety. Shouldyoubeaskedtogoforadrinkwithyourbossorcoworkersthenit's probablyagoodideatoaccept.Koreahasalltheamenitiesthatyouwouldfindinawelldeveloped Westerncity.Suchasbars,movietheaters,bowlingalleys,nightclubs,stadiums,restaurantsetc.... AlcoholisavailableinKorea24hrssoifyoufinishuplateintheeveningandyouwanttoenjoyafew drinkswithyourfriendsandcolleagues...thebarsnevershut. Ifyouareintomorerelaxingpastimes,therearesomewonderfulhikingandmountaintrailsallover Korea.Thecountryisnearly80%mountainous,sothechancesarehighthatthere'llbeatrailnearto yourhouse,ifyouwanttogetoutofthehustleandbustleofthecity.Therearesomegreat'temple hikes'aswell.ThesearehikesyoucantakethatwillbringyouuptosomeremoteBuddhisttemplein thehills.It'sagreatwaytounwindandrelax. TherestaurantsandfoodinKoreaarereallytasty.Foreignersrarelyhaveanytroubleadaptingtothe food.TheKoreansalsohaveallthemajorwesternfoodfranchises,fromMcDonaldsandPizzaHutto OutbackandTGIFridays. Manyteacherstakeupahobbyintheirsparetime.Hapkido(theartofswordfighting), learningKorean,orjoiningagymareallpopularones.Ifyoudojoinamartialart,the

trainingisusuallyfairlyintense5daysaweek.Butit'snormalforyoutoachieveablackbeltinyour firstyear. AnythingcomputerrelatedisalsopossibleinKorea.Whetheryouareintoonlinegames,oryoujust wanttoemailyourfamily.InternetaccessinKoreaisfast,cheapandreadilyavailable.

Contract
Ateachershouldbeintimatelyfamiliarwiththeircontractbeforesigning. Asthisisthedocumentthatisgoingtosettheparametersofyour employmentoverthenext12months.ThelargerfranchiseschoolssuchasDingDing Dang,ECC,Wonderlandetc...usuallyhavetheirowncontracts.Allbranchesand schoolshoweverwillincludedetailspertinenttothemintheircontract. YourcontractshouldbeinEnglish,ifyourbosspresentsyouwithaKoreanversiononly.Thenit'sbest nottosignit. YourcontractshouldcoverallthebasicpointsofyouremploymentwhileinKorea.Includingyourpay, taxandmedicalarrangements,yourexpectedworkinghoursandtimes,youraccommodation arrangementsandvariousotheraspectsofwhatwillbeexpectedofyouattheschool. Therearesomequestionsthatyoumightliketoaskbeforesigningacontract.Justtoclearupsomeof theoftenmisunderstoodissues. Whatarethestandardnonteachinghoursexpectedofteachers? When,whereandhowoftenwillyoucallteachersworkshops? CanIchoosewhentotakemyholidaysorwillmyholidaydatesbeassignedtome? IfIchoosetochangethedestinationordateonmyreturnflight,willthatbeok? Howdoesmyschoolcomparetootherschoolsinthearea? YouwillbeexpectedtopayintotheKoreannationalpensionscheme.Thetaxrateforthisisabout5%. CanadiansandAmericanscanclaimthisbackattheendoftheir12monthsasbothofthesecountries havetaxarrangementswithKorea.UnfortunatelyNewZealand,Australia,Ireland,UKandSouth Africadon'tthoughasofthisthistime. Yourbossshouldalsopayhalfofyourmedicalinsurancecosts.Thisusuallycomestoabout2.5%of yoursalary.Thisisnonrefundable.ThemedicalservicesinKoreaareexcellentthoughsoit'sworth payinginthelongrun,justincasesomethingdoesgowrong.

FurtherInfo
I'vecompiledalistofwebsitesandbooksherethatyoumightfinduseful.Theyareallrelatedtothe teachingandESLfield.Ifyougetthechance,theyarerecommendedreading. Teacherstuff: www.eslcity.comisquitegoodforclassroomworksheetsandhandoutsfor yourkids www.expatinkorea.comisanexpatforumforforeignersinKorea http://puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com/isagreatplacetomakepuzzlesheets,wordsearches... http://wiki.galbijim.comhassomegoodinfoonKoreaingeneral http://english.tour2korea.com/istheKoreannationaltourismsite

Somegoodbooksthatyoumightconsiderlookingat... TeachingByPrinciplesbyDouglasBrownISBN0130282839 LonelyPlantguidetoKorea TheKoreans,Whotheyare,Whattheywant,WheretheirfutureliesbyMichelBreen ISBN0312326092 Let'sLearnAboutKoreaISBN1565910001 TeachYourselfKorean:CompleteAudioCdProgram(TeachYourselfLanguageComplete Courses(Audio))byMarkVincent