I have lived and worked in Korea for about 5 years now. There are a lot of horror stories, but things are changing a lot since a recent shift in the Government. Surprisingly things are getting a lot better. Here is some clarification.
There are two types of schools:
A) Hogwans or private study academies. They seem to cause the most problems because anyone can start one and there seems to be no real governing body for them. Larger chain schools are better than smaller independent schools. The chain schools usually have been around longer, developed their own curriculum and have enough money to pay you. Smaller schools, not so much...
Pros: The hours are great! 2pm to 8pm, usually (mon-fri). Money! usually offer a higher rate of pay.
Cons: They are a business, and you are not a teacher (even if you have the papers to prove it). They are there to make money. Market saturation means a lot of ';schools'; open and close every day. This can be a problem if they have closed without giving you your final pay and plane ticket home.
B) EPIK program for Public schools
This is the program in Korea for teaching English in the public schools. It provides the training that you do not receive from the hogwans and places you in an actual school. You are treated as close to a real teacher as you can get, being that you are not Korean or have passed the Korean teaching exam. The schools are funded by the government and all of your expenses are covered. Ex. If you go on a field trip and get there yourself, you get gas money. Most schools will have an ';English Zone'; that you will help coordinate, this can be a headache, but this can also be a great way to reach the students.
Pros: Better treatment, more structure, and almost zero complaining from parents. Certain schools will have excellent facilities, some may not. Mine gives each teacher a laptop to use for the time they are there and rebuilt the english zone with sate-of-the-art flat panel tvs, computers, etc.
Cons: Pay is lower than at the Hogwans. You have to be at the school from 8:30am - 4:30pm and sometimes later, even if you don't have class. Bureaucracy, everything has to be signed and stamped, even if you have to leave to pay your bills, you have to get the signatures and stamps of your head teacher, the vice-principle, and the principle.
Overall, the advice I would say is find a good recruiter like Footprints Recruiting, so that you have some one to call if you do have any problems. I would take the steps and go for the EPIK program. Hogwans just don't compare to the experience.
There are other great places outside of Seoul. There are countless great cities to work in but make sure they don't stick you out in a country school, if this is your first time in Korea.
Busan, Ulsan, and Daegu seem to have the best foreigner communities outside of Seoul. However, it is what you make it. If you get out and explore your new location rather than hitting the bars every night, you'll be much better off. Foreigner bars are great, but they are a double-edged sword and can suck you into a bad element.
Other than that, once you are here, hook up with the foreigner/Korean community and contribute. The more active you are, the more fun and experiences you will have. The complaints that I have heard (outside of school related issues) have been either from people that have stayed in their element (ate western food, stayed home facebooking and complaining about Koreans) too long or never took the time to get out, meet people and contribute.
I hope this helps. I could write more, but alas... I have to actually go to school now.Can anyone tell me about their experiences teaching esl in s. korea? any advice would help b/c i hear horror?
Good info from Jason T. I just wanted to add that Seoul public schools is run by SMOE and not EPIK. I think EPIK does everything outside of Seoul. A public school is a good place to work because it is run by the government and you won't get cheated out of your pay, and you will have a good bit of paid vacation during the year so you will have plenty of time to travel if you want. Hagwons are not a sure bet, but there are some decent ones to work for. I would stay away from them if at all possible. Seoul is a good place to go to get both Korean culture and some foreign comfort when you start missing home. I'm not sure about Busan, haven't spent time there. Plus, if you want some country side, it is easy and cheap to hop on a train or bus out of town to a smaller city. It IS ';possible'; to get around in Seoul if you don't speak Korean as there are more English speakers than in other places, and more information in English, but of course the more Korean you speak the easier it will be all around. There is a lot to say, but I'll leave it at that. If you want to know anymore details you can pm me. Good luck.
Guys have a great experience doing this...but I don't know any girls who had done so. I think it really depends on what type of class you will be teaching...the experience in Korea will definitely be great and a big eye-opener...the food is great, the culture is very interesting...and I find the people there very nice...only problem is that you can't expect to get around with English...so make sure you find friends that are bilingual in order to get a true experience out of it...
The only horror I've heard from anyone teaching in Korea is that the schools are sort of miseducated and underfunded. They don't really allow you to do your own thing and books are limited so it seems the children aren't learning much.
Can you tell me about your experience teaching ESL in Toyohashi, Japan? Please e-mail me via Yahoo Answers.
yea good luck especialy with all this missle testing going on in N Korea. I would suggest going somewhere else to teah lest you care for your life
No horror unless you're horror.
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