Teaching in South Korea

Tips on Getting Started

If you're like me then you're not really sure where to begin to search for available teaching positions in Korea.  There's no standard process to go through or steps to take when beginning your search.  I can just tell you what I did and you can take it with a grain of salt.

• Spend hours combing through the pages of Daves ESL Cafe
• Answer individual quiries or contact a recruiting agency
• Crosscheck all hagwons against the Korea Hagwon Blacklist
• Run a Google Search on the Hagwon in question
• It's a crapshoot so hope for the best

Spend hours combing through the pages of Daves ESL Cafe

If you want to become an ESL Teacher and haven't already heard of Daves ESL Cafe then you best start stepping up your research capabilities a bit.  The sight posts 100's of new teaching positions each week from all over the world.  You can find the answer to just about any question you have in one of the numerous job forums.  Hands down, this is where your search should begin.       

Answer individual quieries or contact a recruiting agency

Most of the job posts you'll come across are from recruiting agencies.  I was always skeptical about recruiting agencies, especially since the ones I contacted were offering me positions before they got all the necessary documents they claimed to require.  Nonetheless, they are essential to the world of ESL teaching in Korea.  When I was searching I was primarily looking for franchised schools that were well established.  This was because I felt they probably had a solid reputation and would be more credible.  Soon a Love Connection was made with MoonKkang in Daegu.  Thanks Chuck.  I also contacted individual schools I felt corresponded with what I was looking for in the experience.  The timing never worked out with individual schools so there was minimal contact, which means I cannot comment on their credibility.

Crosscheck all Hagwons against the Korean Blacklist

Once you've found a school of your liking I'd reccomend cross checking it against the hagwon blacklist.  This list details hundreds of schools across Korea and the issues ESL teachers have had with them in the past.  Though you're still only getting one side of the story it doesn't hurt to look.

Run a Google search on the Hagwon in question

I found this to be extremely helpful but if you're applying to an individual hagwon you might not find much information.  Since MoonKkang is a franchised school with numerous academies I was able to find some good info.  I came across several Blogs teachers had started which were very helpful.  Most importantly, I thought the Blogs were an honest take of what teachers thought about their experience.

It's a crapshoot so hope for the best

In general, I don't think there are any guarantees as to what you're getting into.  The more effort you put into your research the better the chances you're not going to get screwed over in the long run.  I'd always ask to talk to a foriegn teacher beforehand to get their thoughts on the school and work environment.  Not knowing exactly what you're getting into is part of the excitement.  At least for me it is.  GOOD LUCK!