For young people eager to expand beyond the confines of their home country and travel the world, teaching abroad is becoming the go-to job, and one of the most popular destinations is South Korea.
Why South Korea? One reason is the increased awareness of Asian pop culture. This is especially true for those who have been splashed by the Korean Wave, or Hallyu, an outpouring of Korean culture through music, movies and television series.
Then there are the benefits. While there are many other popular expat destinations for teaching abroad, including South America, the U.A.E and Persian Gulf regions, China, Vietnam, and Japan, South Korea stands as one of the most popular due to the many perks of a teaching position there. Compared to other Asian countries, South Korea’s cost of living is lower than Japan’s and its salaries are higher than China’s. Add reimbursed airfare, rent-free lodging and the ease of access to neighboring countries, and South Korea rushes to the top of the list.
The first step for any expat hopeful is finding a job. Dave’s ESL Café is an excellent resource in that regard. The site has links to hundreds of job placement opportunities and allows would-be teachers to post their resumes for schools to assess. There’s info about obtaining certification for Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), plus discussion boards for teachers and students alike.
To be considered for a teaching position in South Korea, you need only a Bachelor’s degree from an English-speaking country, and it doesn’t necessarily need to be a degree in English literature or language, although that specialty might open doors to certain jobs. The TEFL certification isn’t necessary, either, although it does broaden your opportunities.
In addition to airfare and housing (typically an apartment or studio that is usually within walking distance of the school), some schools in South Korea offer generous health insurance and pension plans, plus paid vacation days and holidays off, all on top of a monthly salary. The job placement is contractual; you can be hired for a single year or longer, depending on the school or institute.
The actual lessons, sometimes taught with a Korean co-teacher, are geared toward conversational English in the early levels, with grammar, reading, and writing taught in advanced courses. Conversation is taught via the full-immersion method — no Korean in class.
“The school has a no-Korean rule,” says Jess Jee, a USF grad with an anthropology degree who’s now an English instructor at a hagwon, or private institute, in South Korea. “The only time the students can speak Korean is during lunch, because they are fed by Korean staff while we have our lunch break.” There’s a heavy emphasis on listen-and-repeat comprehension, but interactive activities and games are also a must, according to Alex Pickett, a Tampa journalist (and former CL staffer) who taught English at an elementary school in South Korea. He engaged his students’ interest by having them throw a ball around the room while practicing English in turn and doing crossword activities that checked and solidified their understanding of the lessons.
Holidays provide other opportunities for learning — Halloween, for example.
“Halloween is not really celebrated in Korea,” says Jess Jee, “so our school has a lot of fun in October teaching the students about the holiday, and then we have a party the day of.” Korean holidays can be good for interactive learning, too. Students have fun wearing their hanboks, the traditional Korean clothing, during the national holiday Chusok, as well as during Christmas, when Jee organized a 15-minute performance by her students for their parents.
The teachers themselves need education, in the culture of South Korea: the language, the food, and the hierarchical nature of the society, which reveres elders. “If you show initiative, there’s a lot of resources,” says Pickett. As for learning the language, the best method, he suggests, is simply to make friends with Koreans. Effort is everything, and if you show you’re trying to understand and learn, the potential stress of living in a foreign land should disappear as you open your mind.
Sarah Conner is a senior at USF Tampa majoring in English Literary Studies.
This article appears in Aug 6-12, 2015.