Yes, we were high school teachers back in Canada, but you don't have to be to get a job teaching English in Korea. Our schools in Korea DID NOT want us to speak or learn ANY Korean because once the students knew, they would give up on trying to speak English.
I just wanted to let you guys know how much you and your content mean to me. I love looking back at these old videos. Your videos got me through undergrad when dealing with my mental health issues was a daily struggle. Now, I am starting the process to move to Korea and teach English!!!! Your content has meant so much to me, for years. Everything has to end, so new things can begin - "life is change" and all of that. All of this content means a lot to me.
Omg! That one guy was from Knoxville, TN! Me too! Way to represent bro! (I know this video is like a little over five years old, so I hope things went well for him!) I hope to become a Japanese translator and move to Japan one day, so it's really nice to see that people from where I live have the same interests because it's really hard to come by people like that 'around these parts'.
Shamandela: We really wanted to bring up the positives of working private, BUT we get so many emails from people EVERY SINGLE DAY complaining about their hagwons that we decided the best bet is to not advertise for them. We totally know that some hagwons are great, but it's hit and miss. I hope your hagwon treats you well.
You two are outrageous!! I love you guys!!!! I'm watching your videos, not because i'm interested in the content, but i cant wait to see your wackiness.
Thank you so very much! I am getting ready for colleges and i have been freaking out about all of this! You two made my life a hundred percent better and less stressful! Thank you very much!
Hey great video's! Just want to point out something to people who might be confused. Private schools in Korea are much the same as the ones in the rest of the world. The "private schools" (hagwons) that you refer to are learning or tutoring centers. They are commonly referred to as "cram schools." you can't get a high school diploma by going to a hagwon, it's something to help you with the stuff you already learn in school.
I don't know, Simon and Martina helped me decide what to do, but it was really my teachers over the years that inspired me to want to try and become an ESL teacher. Before I decide I'm going to get involved in classes that actually have me teaching and tutoring people who are attempting to learn English, and hopefully I'll like it enough to make a career out of it. No point jumping into a job before knowing if you actually know what the job entails and whether or not you have a passion for it^^
LeadPwncil: This video is for people applying for jobs as teachers in Korea. While you and I know that 사립학교 and 학원 are tutor schools, recruiters will often not tell the truth and say that these tutoring places are real public schools. So people come here expecting to teach in a real school and instead they are put into a tutoring centre with crazy work hours. The point of this video, to inform people not to be fooled by this lie. Hope this clears things up for you.
Awesome. I'm 16 years old right now and I want to be prepared and know what to do to teach English.. I REALLY want to teach English in South Korea. And maybe even Japan or Taiwan :). Thanks guys! I'm so glad I found your channel!!
Im currently in high school, and WAY before I watched this vid I was strongly thinking about being an English Teacher after I graduate College. Major in English and get a teacher's degree and im set. After I watched this video I definitively knew what im going to do after college, Thank you so much for the program! I never knew that existed!!! I'm so happy ^o^
Hey Tcho713, We totally know the difference between private schools and hagwons. The problem is recruiters will lie to people and say that a hagwon IS a private school, not an after school tutoring program. That's the point of this video, to warn people not to be fooled by this term.
Hey daisyBBfly: You're totally right, but recruiters who are hiring people to work in Korea will often not tell the truth and say that these tutoring places are real public schools. So people come here expecting to teach in a real school and instead they are put into a tutoring centre with crazy work hours.
Hey! We made it. We didn't end up going through Korvia...we didn't really have a good experience with them. But, we found a good recruiter that got us here. Coming up on one year in October.
+Clinton Hays Aww I'm sorry about the bad experience (do you mind saying what it was since I was looking into using them?), but I'm so glad it worked out for you! :) I keep debating SK, Japan or New Zealand for next year. Are you all happy there?
+Sonnie and Joe No, I don't mind. They just kept putting us off and saying that we needed to wait one more month to apply. They did that twice and when they finally said to send in our applications, they told us we were too late and they couldn't find anything for us as a couple. All the while I was emailing them asking if it was time to apply. They just weren't very helpful. It felt like it was because we were applying as a couple, which is fine, but I just wish they would have said that up front. In the end, after trying to go through Korean Horizons and having almost the same experience, we were finally able to get out here. We love it...we'll be doing another year. There are lots of things that are annoying. Workers rights, especially foreign workers, are almost non-existent, so it's really important to make sure that you are getting into a good situation. This is difficult because the schools are sometimes shady and the previous foreign teachers are sometimes afraid to tell the truth since defamation laws are so stupid here. Really, we just need to do a video on our channel over how to get out here and our journey. Feel free to reach out to us with any questions if you decide on SK as your next destination. Our channel is mandufortwo, just reach out on the channel or on google+. I could talk about this stuff all day long. Haha.
this is really helpful! i'm glad that i can get a real perspective of teaching in s. korea from you guys because that's what i want to do when i get older :)
@Mirventus You must have citizenship from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, or the United States. There are no exceptions. That's the immigration requirements.
What are the educational requirements to become a teacher in Korea? Some websites say a 2 year degree in any field of study and some say a 4 year degree in any field of study. What qualifications did both of you have prior to applying with Korvia?
Not always. In lots of public schools, the native English teacher is a "co-teacher" who has a Korean teacher in the classroom. Although, I'm sure that an ESL teaching cert would increase your chances immensely.
i've done some research these past few days and many companies say the requirement that english is your first language is incredibly important as many schools only hire people who have this, and you may have to prove your english-speaking abilities if you're keen
I'm currently teaching at a Kindergarten "Private School/Hagwon" and I'd say that public school isn't necessarily better, it just depends on the school. You need to research and check it out before deciding. This does seem like an ad for Public schools and Korvia.
I taught at Sam Yook Hagwon and we had a one week vacation every 2 months. I was able to go to China, Singapore, and Hong Kong on my vacations. One vacation period was spent in Korea because I got my wisdom teeth pulled and I was a bit miserable for a few days but I was able to completely recover before going back to class. So not all hagwons are bad but it is "buyer beware".
I'm on my last year of high school (17 going on 18) and I talked with my counselor and one of my English teachers and I have decided to do it. If it's something you really think would be a good career choice, then go for it and if not, think it over more. And don't worry too much about friends because you'd probably meet them there anyway. I'm technically in grade 12 (in America) so I had to decide quickly but if you can, take your time and just mull it over a bit more =)
Just to clarify few things: In Korea, Private and Public Schools have similar wages, unless it's one of those special selective schools. Hagwons or coaching schools are not really schools, but rather an after school tutoring for those who can afford it.
Even though EYK has since stopped teaching and have concentrated more on KPOP, I loved them for these videos. Does anyone know if, as an English teacher in a foreign country, you have to come up with your own curriculum or if the school provides guidelines?
@13IsMyLuckiestNumber I'm on my last year of high school (17 going on 18) and I talked with my counselor and one of my English teachers and I have decided to do it. If it's something you really think would be a good career choice, then go for it and if not, think it over more. And don't worry too much about friends because you'd probably meet them there anyway. I'm technically in grade 12 (in America) so I had to decide quickly but if you can, take your time and just mull it over a bit more
Ok I'll make it clearly, school or private schools are officially athourised educational institutions and hakwons are totally private(after school) study or tutor centre where u pay for it. I was born in Korea, used to go to hakwons after school for math and English tutor (you can get whole subjects tutor for elementary,middle, and high school depends on which hakwon you go to and it's ur choice to take what subjects).
As a professor, teacher and trainer of English I can't tell you how many times I've been messed up by coworkers with bad English. They bring everything down many notches. This has cost me money and a lot of grief in over a decade of experience. :(
You are totally right. I want to become a teacher because I want to teach people new things. One of the reasons I want to teach in Asia is that I think you can see young Asian people grow a lot more then lets say Dutch people (obviously I don't know this yet but this is what I think).
Wow, you guys are so fun. Great information presented in a fun way. I bet you're awesome teachers to have. Your students are very lucky! I know what I'm doing the rest of today ;) Keep up the good work!
@MrTomjoram I think that if you're good in English. Have a degree of some sort and good grades, going to Korea to teach wouldn't be hard. When I am done with high school I am going to take a masters in English and apply to work in Taiwan as an English teacher. Haven't worked out the details yet, there's some years to go. I bet you could do fine as an English teacher if your English is good enough. It doesn't have to be your first language. As long as you can speak and read it fluently.
i really want to make a positive impact on the life of children anywhere, korea or kenya. i think sharing knowledge with others is such an amazing thing. i hope i see myself teaching in a few years. hwaiting, everyone! :)
Oh sorry if you see it that way. What Im saying is I don't have a degree in education nor any certification like TEFL (but of course be taking it before getting the job) but u see their requirements are feasible for anyone who speak and can teach english. I may not be perfectly good in grammar and if you listen clearly to americans they aren't either. Practically conversational english is whats important, and sadly koreans living here in my country cant even speak a complete sentence in english.
Hi ^^ I was doing a bit of research, you have to a citizen of either the US, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. If you're not, then unfortunately you can't become a teacher in Korea. If you really want to then you'd have to become a citizen of one of those countries before applying. Also about the degrees, it really doesn't matter what type of degree you have, as long as you have one, you're good. But having a English degree will probably give you a bit more pay.
I've always had a love for the english language, and I'm not sure if I want to teach it or not. The only reason I didn't want to be a teacher in the US is because of the wages, but I honestly do want to have an impact on children's lives. If I were to teach anywhere, I'd want it to be in Korea. I'm assuming that you're an english teacher by your comment, so I was wondering, is there anything I should really think about before considering teaching as an occupation?
aah okey thx, I just got my exam results back and they were so good that I am going to do a higher level (Havo) in high school for another 2 years. This means that I will have more time to think about what I'm going to do in the future (teaching in Holland or South Korea)
Yea I'm sure there's teaching positions like that in Korea too (it's probably more rare to find them there). You could always become a translator instead, you'd just have to become fluent in Korean and probably live there for a bit before applying to become one. But you usually get paid a lot of money so that's good ^^
I got a job through Korvia and after employment contact with recruiter was minimal. Also I was never made aware of get togethers. There are other great recruiters too like WorkNPlay....so check out more
actually, there ARE private schools. ones like chungshim international middle school, daewon international middle school, yeonghoon international middle school...but they're REALLLLLYYY pricey schools
I had An English teacher in middle school and learned easy things and went to hakwon near gwanghwa-moon it's called the Canadian English academy something they run by canadian embassy something so it's called like that and they teach much harder things and students really have opportunities to have decent conversation with the Canadians and you will get paid a lot it was very usuful.
@snowXgem You actually don't need to major in English. You can major in anything and still become an English teacher in Korea. Of course if you truly like English than you should major in it. Don't force yourself to become a major in English to because you want to be an English teacher in Korea. You can always have an minor in English if you like. :D You should also go for a Teaching Degree as well!!!
I had three year old students at the horror-gwon I taught at. I was not allowed to use any Korean even though the tots could not speak nor understand English. It was so difficult because we could not understand each other. I had asked to have just a few phrases translated to assist in communicating with my kids and the school said absolutely not. Then, the program they gave me to use to instruct them I later found out was only meant for native English speaking five year olds. It was crazy.
학원(hagwon) is not a private school. its more like afterschool program. or, better yet, usually considered as a institution of whatever you wanna learn. (i.e. piano institution, art institution, computer institute, etc. etc.)
Nealy every Students go to hakwon to study exams and also english about 3~5 days per week , students' life in Korea is like hell especially from 1 month before the exam, there are 11 subjects to study including music p.e and art(with written exam but they are practical) and I esacped the crazy life when I was middle school 2nd grade. Now I'm New Zealand immigrants and 15 yes old.
Tokee1234567: We agree with you, but when recruiters try to get you a job in Korea, they call hagwons "private schools" which is totally misleading, right? Getting a job in a REAL private school in Korea can be difficult without knowing the right people, especially in the Gangnam/Apujang area.
I wanted to try Japan but I heard their applications for 2013 were closed (the deadline passed for the JET Program). I'm going for Korea. I was deciding between Korea or Japan as well. Good luck when you apply :)
This really did help me. I finally decided to become an English teacher in South Korea. I just didn't know how to apply. I think it will exciting to teach in Korea and it'll be a breath of fresh air. Though I do know that I want to become a teacher in Korea, and make Korea my new home, I dont know where to get Korean language, cultural, and history books. Can any of you please tell me some good books to buy offline? Where I live they don't exactly have as many books about Korea as much as they
@Shadowmagyk hello, im a teacher in korea and im black. my boss told me im an amazing teacher. i also asked him if it really mattered the skin tone of a person that he would hire. he said no. not all koreans are pejudice. actually barely any koreans ive met. they actually really respectful people. so before you actually tell someone they HAVE to be white, or lightskinned, you should really say that thats not w/ all schools. so i straightened this out with my cousin (the one you cmntd before.)
Well, The thing I'm going to study is called "foreign languages" I'll be learning English, and French, but I have read that to be a spanish teacher and it's your native language then you just need to finish University if you want to take a course to give you a diploma or something..it's kinda like the "you are american you are a teacher" thing too xD I will do both hopefully, finish this is 4 years, then I plan to take some eng test to evaluate me internationally, and start planning then~ ^^
It would not have been so bad if they had given me the time I needed to prepare lessons for pre-schoolers. There really wasn't much I could find on the internet, so I was making it up as I went along. Then the printer broke. Now I had to draw all my worksheets by hand and then copy them. It would take about 40 minutes to create one worksheet as I am not that artistically inclined. Add in them wanting me to teach at another branch after my kids left. Choatic was this hagwon's name.
So true. It is very difficult to understand why people who do not have any interest in English language or linguistics, native speakers without a firm grasp of their own language even want to be teachers.
@Shadowmagyk ahhh okay, i explained to my cousin that you couldnt fully explain, so she is still thinking about becoming a teacher in korea. im glad that the attitudes are changing, because alot of people would be let down if the color of their skin determined if they were hired.
Korvia has a whole checklist and what you're various(Yes/No) answers mean for your eligibility here: korvia. com/index.php/am-i-eligible.html (remove the Space) Here's what they say about the citizenship criteria: "If you answered "NO", unfortunately you are not eligible to apply. All eligible candidates must be citizens of one of the above countries."
@jackinmastyle1 If u just want to teach outside of your country for the experience&are not so gunhold on teaching in SK, then try to apply to schools in other countries like Thailand or Mexico. They may not pay as much as SK, but at least you get the experience.
No, they would just hire Korean teachers for those subjects... Or maybe those prestigious International High Schools in Korea (mainly for children of foreigners living in Korea) might hire foreign teachers? Since all subjects are taught in English at those schools.
@WhaIes It doesn't have to be your first language. Mine isn't and sometimes my English is better than my Norwegian. So teaching in Korea wouldn't be any problem for me and I bet many others that have another first language.
@KK3025 Hi, I am not a doctor myself but my cousin (Korean national with a MBBS from BnL) is currently working in Korea, and he says he doesn't make as much as he did in the UK, though he only spent a couple of years over there. He had to sit for the Korean National Medical Licences Exam which was in Korean. It's a pretty decent life as a doctor, but I don't think the standard of living approaches that in the states. I'm trying to get to a med school haha (still a student) hope it helps :)
Nah I'm actually only just interested in teaching in skorea.. Really appreciate your concern though :) I hope skorea will place away their stereotypical view of us english language speakers soon and use like maybe a standardised test (both oral and written) or something to determine if we're qualified to teach or not!!
tokee1234567: We both work in public schools but we got our hagwon info from our friends who work and complain about their hagwons! LOL! Glad you enjoy the videos.
Thank you, its because I'm studying to become an English teacher, and I have only found negative things about becoming a teacher in S.Korea and that it will be hard if your not american or light skin, rude things like that it was really bringing me down but thank. Now you encouraged me! how is it? do the students friendly and nice?
I'm from Texas and my first language is English, second Spanish, third Italian, and fourth...Korean? I'm learning ok. Would being multilingual instead of bilingual increase my chances of is it about the same as everyone else's who only speak English? Also, what degree would I have to get to teach English in Korea?
+Torri X To teach at schools inside of cities you need a bachelors degree in any subject and need to take a TEFL course if your degree is in anything other then teaching. There is a TALK program that allows you to teach in rural areas with a 2 year degree.
@jackinmastyle1 I wondered about that, too. what if you studied translating and interpreting for English? This is a proof to be fluent in English. But you have to have a BA as far as I know and in my country we don't do a BA when we graduate from that course, just state exams and a certificate which counts as a BA in UK and US for example. Crazy. If it would be counted as a BA in South Korea, too, that would be awesome. It seems almost impossible figuring that out.
So I'm French and I want to be a English Teacher so bad, I love English. And the thing is : I'm not eligible. But if I study in England, Is there a chance I can be a teacher in Korea ?
I'm not sure if you've found your answer to this, but I can tell you, as of right now (if this will ever change I am not sure) no. You have to be from a native English speaking country it doesn't really matter where you study (this is in terms of if you are already not eligible, of course having a better education than someone else or being from a more respected school is always a plus, but that's not the issue). But as of now, no. In terms of all things though something COULD change, but that doesn't mean it will so make sure not to count on it, but you can always hope!
MCBabii1992 Aren't there tests that can be taken to prove one's fluency in English even if one isn't from a native English-speaking country? I know plenty of Europeans who speak English with more fluency than many of the people living in this country. Where one comes from shouldn't matter.
The critera (@ korvia.com) are (1) if you are a citizen of an English speaking country : USA · Canada · England · Australia · New Zealand · South Africa · Ireland and (2) do you have a BS/BA from any university? Where were you born? do you still have American citizenship from birth?
Well aren't you nice... I'm sure people watching this really do want to become teachers! Like me, I am currently 15, but I am learning 4 different languages, and I LOVE teaching! I know that I will go to school for teaching and I am working as hard as I can. So I think it's wrong to assume that the only people watching are people that don't care..... and only want to move to Korea...
Proper "diction" is what is sought mostly whenever speaking a foreign language. For the U.S., the midwestern region has the "purest" pronounication. Anyone from the U.S. can understand what one is saying if that person is speaking in the diction commonly used in the midwest. Contrary, if one speaks with a strong southern accent, it is difficult to understand them, or someone from the east coast using a thick accent from there, etc. That's why news channels seek people with a midwest diction.
@snowXgem thank you for the advice! really appreciated! yh, it's only an idea that i've been thinking about lately. i've only started researching about teaching in south korea but so far it's looking pretty good! :D
You need to be a Citizen from a recognized English-speaking nation: U.S., U.K., Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. So I can't be a English teacher ever in SK u_u
iamnoturmum Mine too I'm from The Netherlands, I heard that if you get a passport from one of the countries above and become a legal citizen you still can pursue it, but have less chance than someone whos first language is English and you will need to score on a English test too so they rather pick someone who is more fluent x(
+GDKD14 Hahaha, the silly thing is, according to my prejudice the Netherlands should be the last non-English speaking country they should worry about when to comes to their knowledge in the language. And Finland and Sweden are like fighting for the second place. :D Honestly though - their loss. I'd understand if native speakers have an advantage, but dude - if you only know English and are now learnig a second language (Korean) that *might* even mean you're at a disadvantage when it comes to your linguistic skills compared to people who know are learning Korean as a fourth or even just third language.
So... not sure if you're still looking at the comments here but... one thing I noted from the video was a real homogeneity with regards to age. Do you have any insight as far as the possibility of working with Korvia (or in Korea in general) as a 50+ experienced EFL teacher?
I've done a bit of research on teaching English as a second language and a lot of the sites I see seem to require that you have a Bachelor's degree. I have an Associates degree but for my field, a degree isn't actually necessary. Do you know if it's possible to teach English as a second language in Korea without having a Bachelor's degree? Also, an updated video (if you don't already have one) on moving to a foreign country would be awesome.
+Hey It's Renée Since this comment I've done MORE research and it seems you CAN teach in Korea if you have an Associates or have completed 2 years at a University and are in the process of getting you Bachelor's degree if you go through the TaLK program. talk.go.kr
I really want to go to Korea or Japan to teach English. To me it's not about teaching English it's about sharing your culture and language to someone and them doing the same, I want show them that there's more to English then just studying it. That being said when I graduate next year I want to go to a college that has a TESOL program for Japan or Korea but no where in New York can I find one. >.>
AAAAH! A FELLOW IOWAN!!! IOWA REPRESENT! lol i thought i was the only one! XD obviously not! I am very passionate about working in korea, whether it be teaching, translating or interpreting(is that the same thing?) i love languages(specifically Korean) and cultures, and am eager to earn my degree so i can hopefully get my dream job in Korea! :D
hakwon's an after school tutoring program. they're not private schools, maybe private education is a better title for it. the private schools in korea are really rich... especially the special language and science private high schools.
I'm a senior in high school right now and I'm not sure what career path I should take. Teaching overseas definitely interests me but I'm not sure. What schooling would I need? Would I need a degree in English or just teaching or what? What kinds of schools should I look into for this career choice (I live in Wisconsin BTW)? Or should I just forget about it since I'm not really sure if it's even what I'd want to do?
hey!! first of all i'm a new subscriber and i'm totally in love withe every single video u made .... i just was wondering i'm not a native English speaker but i'm planning to study English in college do u think i can use my college degree to teach in Korea . thank u so much and keep the hard work .
ibtissam aboufares Now, I remember reading somewhere before that if you have a degree in English or Education, you do not need to get the additional certification. Also, make sure you are from a recognized native English country. Things may have changed since then, but this is what I remember.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Yes, we were high school teachers back in Canada, but you don't have to be to get a job teaching English in Korea. Our schools in Korea DID NOT want us to speak or learn ANY Korean because once the students knew, they would give up on trying to speak English.
This is definitely a started from the bottom now we here video.
😭 This comment aged like fine wine.
I just wanted to let you guys know how much you and your content mean to me. I love looking back at these old videos. Your videos got me through undergrad when dealing with my mental health issues was a daily struggle. Now, I am starting the process to move to Korea and teach English!!!! Your content has meant so much to me, for years. Everything has to end, so new things can begin - "life is change" and all of that. All of this content means a lot to me.
Do you guys have a more recent video on this topic? If not, could you?
I really miss this very innocent time of Martina and Simmon. 😢
Omg! That one guy was from Knoxville, TN! Me too!
Way to represent bro!
(I know this video is like a little over five years old, so I hope things went well for him!)
I hope to become a Japanese translator and move to Japan one day, so it's really nice to see that people from where I live have the same interests because it's really hard to come by people like that 'around these parts'.
ROHSKUX
We've been married for over 2 years.... *^_^*
Shamandela:
We really wanted to bring up the positives of working private, BUT we get so many emails from people EVERY SINGLE DAY complaining about their hagwons that we decided the best bet is to not advertise for them. We totally know that some hagwons are great, but it's hit and miss. I hope your hagwon treats you well.
You two are outrageous!! I love you guys!!!! I'm watching your videos, not because i'm interested in the content, but i cant wait to see your wackiness.
Thank you so very much! I am getting ready for colleges and i have been freaking out about all of this! You two made my life a hundred percent better and less stressful! Thank you very much!
Hey great video's!
Just want to point out something to people who might be confused. Private schools in Korea are much the same as the ones in the rest of the world. The "private schools" (hagwons) that you refer to are learning or tutoring centers. They are commonly referred to as "cram schools." you can't get a high school diploma by going to a hagwon, it's something to help you with the stuff you already learn in school.
I don't know, Simon and Martina helped me decide what to do, but it was really my teachers over the years that inspired me to want to try and become an ESL teacher. Before I decide I'm going to get involved in classes that actually have me teaching and tutoring people who are attempting to learn English, and hopefully I'll like it enough to make a career out of it. No point jumping into a job before knowing if you actually know what the job entails and whether or not you have a passion for it^^
LeadPwncil:
This video is for people applying for jobs as teachers in Korea. While you and I know that 사립학교 and 학원 are tutor schools, recruiters will often not tell the truth and say that these tutoring places are real public schools. So people come here expecting to teach in a real school and instead they are put into a tutoring centre with crazy work hours.
The point of this video, to inform people not to be fooled by this lie. Hope this clears things up for you.
I love the fact that Korvia Consulting actually uses this video on their website to explain the difference between public schools and hogwons.
Awesome. I'm 16 years old right now and I want to be prepared and know what to do to teach English.. I REALLY want to teach English in South Korea. And maybe even Japan or Taiwan :). Thanks guys! I'm so glad I found your channel!!
Im currently in high school, and WAY before I watched this vid I was strongly thinking about being an English Teacher after I graduate College. Major in English and get a teacher's degree and im set.
After I watched this video I definitively knew what im going to do after college, Thank you so much for the program! I never knew that existed!!! I'm so happy ^o^
Hey Tcho713,
We totally know the difference between private schools and hagwons. The problem is recruiters will lie to people and say that a hagwon IS a private school, not an after school tutoring program. That's the point of this video, to warn people not to be fooled by this term.
Hey daisyBBfly:
You're totally right, but recruiters who are hiring people to work in Korea will often not tell the truth and say that these tutoring places are real public schools. So people come here expecting to teach in a real school and instead they are put into a tutoring centre with crazy work hours.
My wife and I are applying with Korvia THIS week! So glad you guys approve!
How did it go for you guys? Did you get in?
Hey! We made it. We didn't end up going through Korvia...we didn't really have a good experience with them. But, we found a good recruiter that got us here. Coming up on one year in October.
+Clinton Hays Aww I'm sorry about the bad experience (do you mind saying what it was since I was looking into using them?), but I'm so glad it worked out for you! :) I keep debating SK, Japan or New Zealand for next year. Are you all happy there?
+Sonnie and Joe No, I don't mind. They just kept putting us off and saying that we needed to wait one more month to apply. They did that twice and when they finally said to send in our applications, they told us we were too late and they couldn't find anything for us as a couple. All the while I was emailing them asking if it was time to apply. They just weren't very helpful. It felt like it was because we were applying as a couple, which is fine, but I just wish they would have said that up front.
In the end, after trying to go through Korean Horizons and having almost the same experience, we were finally able to get out here. We love it...we'll be doing another year. There are lots of things that are annoying. Workers rights, especially foreign workers, are almost non-existent, so it's really important to make sure that you are getting into a good situation. This is difficult because the schools are sometimes shady and the previous foreign teachers are sometimes afraid to tell the truth since defamation laws are so stupid here. Really, we just need to do a video on our channel over how to get out here and our journey.
Feel free to reach out to us with any questions if you decide on SK as your next destination. Our channel is mandufortwo, just reach out on the channel or on google+. I could talk about this stuff all day long. Haha.
this is really helpful! i'm glad that i can get a real perspective of teaching in s. korea from you guys because that's what i want to do when i get older :)
@Mirventus You must have citizenship from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, or the United States. There are no exceptions. That's the immigration requirements.
What are the educational requirements to become a teacher in Korea? Some websites say a 2 year degree in any field of study and some say a 4 year degree in any field of study.
What qualifications did both of you have prior to applying with Korvia?
I know both of them had four-year degrees, but I'm not sure what they were in.
Thank you bunches ! Being a teacher in South Korea is my dream. Now I know what to do ^ ^ Thank you again
Not always. In lots of public schools, the native English teacher is a "co-teacher" who has a Korean teacher in the classroom. Although, I'm sure that an ESL teaching cert would increase your chances immensely.
i've done some research these past few days and many companies say the requirement that english is your first language is incredibly important as many schools only hire people who have this, and you may have to prove your english-speaking abilities if you're keen
I'm currently teaching at a Kindergarten "Private School/Hagwon" and I'd say that public school isn't necessarily better, it just depends on the school. You need to research and check it out before deciding. This does seem like an ad for Public schools and Korvia.
I taught at Sam Yook Hagwon and we had a one week vacation every 2 months. I was able to go to China, Singapore, and Hong Kong on my vacations.
One vacation period was spent in Korea because I got my wisdom teeth pulled and I was a bit miserable for a few days but I was able to completely recover before going back to class.
So not all hagwons are bad but it is "buyer beware".
You guys are so loveable. Hahah mac vs. pc parodies are always win.
Very informative video (:
I'm on my last year of high school (17 going on 18) and I talked with my counselor and one of my English teachers and I have decided to do it. If it's something you really think would be a good career choice, then go for it and if not, think it over more. And don't worry too much about friends because you'd probably meet them there anyway. I'm technically in grade 12 (in America) so I had to decide quickly but if you can, take your time and just mull it over a bit more =)
Just to clarify few things:
In Korea, Private and Public Schools have similar wages, unless it's one of those special selective schools.
Hagwons or coaching schools are not really schools, but rather an after school tutoring for those who can afford it.
Even though EYK has since stopped teaching and have concentrated more on KPOP, I loved them for these videos. Does anyone know if, as an English teacher in a foreign country, you have to come up with your own curriculum or if the school provides guidelines?
You guys are so much fun!!! I love you and your videos!!!!
thank you very much for your informative video. you have helped me to reconsider my future. much appreciated and keep up the good work.
@13IsMyLuckiestNumber I'm on my last year of high school (17 going on 18) and I talked with my counselor and one of my English teachers and I have decided to do it. If it's something you really think would be a good career choice, then go for it and if not, think it over more. And don't worry too much about friends because you'd probably meet them there anyway. I'm technically in grade 12 (in America) so I had to decide quickly but if you can, take your time and just mull it over a bit more
Ok I'll make it clearly, school or private schools are officially athourised educational institutions and hakwons are totally private(after school) study or tutor centre where u pay for it. I was born in Korea, used to go to hakwons after school for math and English tutor (you can get whole subjects tutor for elementary,middle, and high school depends on which hakwon you go to and it's ur choice to take what subjects).
As a professor, teacher and trainer of English I can't tell you how many times I've been messed up by coworkers with bad English. They bring everything down many notches. This has cost me money and a lot of grief in over a decade of experience. :(
You are totally right. I want to become a teacher because I want to teach people new things. One of the reasons I want to teach in Asia is that I think you can see young Asian people grow a lot more then lets say Dutch people (obviously I don't know this yet but this is what I think).
Wow, you guys are so fun. Great information presented in a fun way. I bet you're awesome teachers to have. Your students are very lucky!
I know what I'm doing the rest of today ;)
Keep up the good work!
@MrTomjoram I think that if you're good in English. Have a degree of some sort and good grades, going to Korea to teach wouldn't be hard. When I am done with high school I am going to take a masters in English and apply to work in Taiwan as an English teacher. Haven't worked out the details yet, there's some years to go. I bet you could do fine as an English teacher if your English is good enough. It doesn't have to be your first language. As long as you can speak and read it fluently.
i really want to make a positive impact on the life of children anywhere, korea or kenya. i think sharing knowledge with others is such an amazing thing. i hope i see myself teaching in a few years. hwaiting, everyone! :)
Oh sorry if you see it that way. What Im saying is I don't have a degree in education nor any certification like TEFL (but of course be taking it before getting the job) but u see their requirements are feasible for anyone who speak and can teach english. I may not be perfectly good in grammar and if you listen clearly to americans they aren't either. Practically conversational english is whats important, and sadly koreans living here in my country cant even speak a complete sentence in english.
Hi ^^ I was doing a bit of research, you have to a citizen of either the US, Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. If you're not, then unfortunately you can't become a teacher in Korea. If you really want to then you'd have to become a citizen of one of those countries before applying. Also about the degrees, it really doesn't matter what type of degree you have, as long as you have one, you're good. But having a English degree will probably give you a bit more pay.
I've always had a love for the english language, and I'm not sure if I want to teach it or not. The only reason I didn't want to be a teacher in the US is because of the wages, but I honestly do want to have an impact on children's lives. If I were to teach anywhere, I'd want it to be in Korea. I'm assuming that you're an english teacher by your comment, so I was wondering, is there anything I should really think about before considering teaching as an occupation?
aah okey thx, I just got my exam results back and they were so good that I am going to do a higher level (Havo) in high school for another 2 years. This means that I will have more time to think about what I'm going to do in the future (teaching in Holland or South Korea)
predebut simon and martina
Yea I'm sure there's teaching positions like that in Korea too (it's probably more rare to find them there). You could always become a translator instead, you'd just have to become fluent in Korean and probably live there for a bit before applying to become one. But you usually get paid a lot of money so that's good ^^
So creative and funniest video!!! I really like your videos~~~
I got a job through Korvia and after employment contact with recruiter was minimal. Also I was never made aware of get togethers. There are other great recruiters too like WorkNPlay....so check out more
I'm in the same situation as you! (16, learning Korean, etc.) Good to know that there's someone else with the same ambition!
thank you guys! please make more videos about working in korea its so important and precious to me right now xD
actually, there ARE private schools. ones like chungshim international middle school, daewon international middle school, yeonghoon international middle school...but they're REALLLLLYYY pricey schools
That information is highly confidently...don't blow our cover seak1986.
I had An English teacher in middle school and learned easy things and went to hakwon near gwanghwa-moon it's called the Canadian English academy something they run by canadian embassy something so it's called like that and they teach much harder things and students really have opportunities to have decent conversation with the Canadians and you will get paid a lot it was very usuful.
@snowXgem You actually don't need to major in English. You can major in anything and still become an English teacher in Korea. Of course if you truly like English than you should major in it. Don't force yourself to become a major in English to because you want to be an English teacher in Korea. You can always have an minor in English if you like. :D You should also go for a Teaching Degree as well!!!
I had three year old students at the horror-gwon I taught at. I was not allowed to use any Korean even though the tots could not speak nor understand English. It was so difficult because we could not understand each other. I had asked to have just a few phrases translated to assist in communicating with my kids and the school said absolutely not. Then, the program they gave me to use to instruct them I later found out was only meant for native English speaking five year olds. It was crazy.
학원(hagwon) is not a private school. its more like afterschool program. or, better yet, usually considered as a institution of whatever you wanna learn. (i.e. piano institution, art institution, computer institute, etc. etc.)
Nealy every Students go to hakwon to study exams and also english about 3~5 days per week , students' life in Korea is like hell especially from 1 month before the exam, there are 11 subjects to study including music p.e and art(with written exam but they are practical) and I esacped the crazy life when I was middle school 2nd grade. Now I'm New Zealand immigrants and 15 yes old.
Tokee1234567:
We agree with you, but when recruiters try to get you a job in Korea, they call hagwons "private schools" which is totally misleading, right?
Getting a job in a REAL private school in Korea can be difficult without knowing the right people, especially in the Gangnam/Apujang area.
I wanted to try Japan but I heard their applications for 2013 were closed (the deadline passed for the JET Program). I'm going for Korea. I was deciding between Korea or Japan as well. Good luck when you apply :)
This really did help me. I finally decided to become an English teacher in South Korea. I just didn't know how to apply. I think it will exciting to teach in Korea and it'll be a breath of fresh air. Though I do know that I want to become a teacher in Korea, and make Korea my new home, I dont know where to get Korean language, cultural, and history books. Can any of you please tell me some good books to buy offline? Where I live they don't exactly have as many books about Korea as much as they
@Shadowmagyk hello, im a teacher in korea and im black. my boss told me im an amazing teacher. i also asked him if it really mattered the skin tone of a person that he would hire. he said no. not all koreans are pejudice. actually barely any koreans ive met. they actually really respectful people. so before you actually tell someone they HAVE to be white, or lightskinned, you should really say that thats not w/ all schools. so i straightened this out with my cousin (the one you cmntd before.)
Well, The thing I'm going to study is called "foreign languages" I'll be learning English, and French, but I have read that to be a spanish teacher and it's your native language then you just need to finish University if you want to take a course to give you a diploma or something..it's kinda like the "you are american you are a teacher" thing too xD
I will do both hopefully, finish this is 4 years, then I plan to take some eng test to evaluate me internationally, and start planning then~ ^^
It would not have been so bad if they had given me the time I needed to prepare lessons for pre-schoolers. There really wasn't much I could find on the internet, so I was making it up as I went along. Then the printer broke. Now I had to draw all my worksheets by hand and then copy them. It would take about 40 minutes to create one worksheet as I am not that artistically inclined. Add in them wanting me to teach at another branch after my kids left. Choatic was this hagwon's name.
So true. It is very difficult to understand why people who do not have any interest in English language or linguistics, native speakers without a firm grasp of their own language even want to be teachers.
i LOVE this video, awesome job!!!
@Shadowmagyk ahhh okay, i explained to my cousin that you couldnt fully explain, so she is still thinking about becoming a teacher in korea. im glad that the attitudes are changing, because alot of people would be let down if the color of their skin determined if they were hired.
lol you guys are soo awesome!!! my friend showed me a cilp of you guys and it was great! soo funny! hilarious!!!
Korvia has a whole checklist and what you're various(Yes/No) answers mean for your eligibility here:
korvia. com/index.php/am-i-eligible.html (remove the Space)
Here's what they say about the citizenship criteria:
"If you answered "NO", unfortunately you are not eligible to apply. All eligible candidates must be citizens of one of the above countries."
Is this a promo vid for Korvia? seems like it
@jackinmastyle1 If u just want to teach outside of your country for the experience&are not so gunhold on teaching in SK, then try to apply to schools in other countries like Thailand or Mexico. They may not pay as much as SK, but at least you get the experience.
No, they would just hire Korean teachers for those subjects... Or maybe those prestigious International High Schools in Korea (mainly for children of foreigners living in Korea) might hire foreign teachers? Since all subjects are taught in English at those schools.
@WhaIes It doesn't have to be your first language. Mine isn't and sometimes my English is better than my Norwegian. So teaching in Korea wouldn't be any problem for me and I bet many others that have another first language.
Totally unrelated to the content but I love your hair, Martina!!!
@KK3025 Hi, I am not a doctor myself but my cousin (Korean national with a MBBS from BnL) is currently working in Korea, and he says he doesn't make as much as he did in the UK, though he only spent a couple of years over there. He had to sit for the Korean National Medical Licences Exam which was in Korean. It's a pretty decent life as a doctor, but I don't think the standard of living approaches that in the states.
I'm trying to get to a med school haha (still a student)
hope it helps :)
Nah I'm actually only just interested in teaching in skorea.. Really appreciate your concern though :) I hope skorea will place away their stereotypical view of us english language speakers soon and use like maybe a standardised test (both oral and written) or something to determine if we're qualified to teach or not!!
omg is this first video you guys make :)
tokee1234567:
We both work in public schools but we got our hagwon info from our friends who work and complain about their hagwons! LOL! Glad you enjoy the videos.
Thank you, its because I'm studying to become an English teacher, and I have only found negative things about becoming a teacher in S.Korea and that it will be hard if your not american or light skin, rude things like that it was really bringing me down but thank. Now you encouraged me! how is it? do the students friendly and nice?
I'm from Texas and my first language is English, second Spanish, third Italian, and fourth...Korean? I'm learning ok. Would being multilingual instead of bilingual increase my chances of is it about the same as everyone else's who only speak English? Also, what degree would I have to get to teach English in Korea?
+Torri X To teach at schools inside of cities you need a bachelors degree in any subject and need to take a TEFL course if your degree is in anything other then teaching. There is a TALK program that allows you to teach in rural areas with a 2 year degree.
Hey to all those who replied my comment, I'm so touched, really. I didn't expect so many to help and be so concerned!! Thank you all. :')
@jackinmastyle1 I wondered about that, too. what if you studied translating and interpreting for English? This is a proof to be fluent in English. But you have to have a BA as far as I know and in my country we don't do a BA when we graduate from that course, just state exams and a certificate which counts as a BA in UK and US for example. Crazy. If it would be counted as a BA in South Korea, too, that would be awesome. It seems almost impossible figuring that out.
So I'm French and I want to be a English Teacher so bad, I love English. And the thing is : I'm not eligible. But if I study in England, Is there a chance I can be a teacher in Korea ?
I'm not sure if you've found your answer to this, but I can tell you, as of right now (if this will ever change I am not sure) no. You have to be from a native English speaking country it doesn't really matter where you study (this is in terms of if you are already not eligible, of course having a better education than someone else or being from a more respected school is always a plus, but that's not the issue). But as of now, no. In terms of all things though something COULD change, but that doesn't mean it will so make sure not to count on it, but you can always hope!
MCBabii1992 Aren't there tests that can be taken to prove one's fluency in English even if one isn't from a native English-speaking country? I know plenty of Europeans who speak English with more fluency than many of the people living in this country. Where one comes from shouldn't matter.
The critera (@ korvia.com) are (1) if you are a citizen of an English speaking country :
USA
· Canada
· England
· Australia
· New Zealand
· South Africa
· Ireland
and (2) do you have a BS/BA from any university?
Where were you born? do you still have American citizenship from birth?
Well aren't you nice... I'm sure people watching this really do want to become teachers! Like me, I am currently 15, but I am learning 4 different languages, and I LOVE teaching! I know that I will go to school for teaching and I am working as hard as I can. So I think it's wrong to assume that the only people watching are people that don't care..... and only want to move to Korea...
Look at the year this video was posted!! If you have any questions, you should go thier website or to their main page.
Proper "diction" is what is sought mostly whenever speaking a foreign language. For the U.S., the midwestern region has the "purest" pronounication. Anyone from the U.S. can understand what one is saying if that person is speaking in the diction commonly used in the midwest. Contrary, if one speaks with a strong southern accent, it is difficult to understand them, or someone from the east coast using a thick accent from there, etc. That's why news channels seek people with a midwest diction.
@snowXgem thank you for the advice! really appreciated! yh, it's only an idea that i've been thinking about lately. i've only started researching about teaching in south korea but so far it's looking pretty good! :D
WHOOOOOOOOO found an old video where they're fetuses!!???? THIS. GIRL. 😁
You need to be a Citizen from a recognized English-speaking nation: U.S., U.K., Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. So I can't be a English teacher ever in SK u_u
ahh there goes my dreams I'm Swedish
iamnoturmum Mine too I'm from The Netherlands, I heard that if you get a passport from one of the countries above and become a legal citizen you still can pursue it, but have less chance than someone whos first language is English and you will need to score on a English test too so they rather pick someone who is more fluent x(
GDKD14 ahhh the pain
+GDKD14 Hahaha, the silly thing is, according to my prejudice the Netherlands should be the last non-English speaking country they should worry about when to comes to their knowledge in the language. And Finland and Sweden are like fighting for the second place. :D Honestly though - their loss. I'd understand if native speakers have an advantage, but dude - if you only know English and are now learnig a second language (Korean) that *might* even mean you're at a disadvantage when it comes to your linguistic skills compared to people who know are learning Korean as a fourth or even just third language.
So... not sure if you're still looking at the comments here but... one thing I noted from the video was a real homogeneity with regards to age. Do you have any insight as far as the possibility of working with Korvia (or in Korea in general) as a 50+ experienced EFL teacher?
I've done a bit of research on teaching English as a second language and a lot of the sites I see seem to require that you have a Bachelor's degree. I have an Associates degree but for my field, a degree isn't actually necessary. Do you know if it's possible to teach English as a second language in Korea without having a Bachelor's degree? Also, an updated video (if you don't already have one) on moving to a foreign country would be awesome.
+Hey It's Renée Since this comment I've done MORE research and it seems you CAN teach in Korea if you have an Associates or have completed 2 years at a University and are in the process of getting you Bachelor's degree if you go through the TaLK program. talk.go.kr
I really want to go to Korea or Japan to teach English. To me it's not about teaching English it's about sharing your culture and language to someone and them doing the same, I want show them that there's more to English then just studying it. That being said when I graduate next year I want to go to a college that has a TESOL program for Japan or Korea but no where in New York can I find one. >.>
AAAAH! A FELLOW IOWAN!!! IOWA REPRESENT! lol i thought i was the only one! XD obviously not! I am very passionate about working in korea, whether it be teaching, translating or interpreting(is that the same thing?) i love languages(specifically Korean) and cultures, and am eager to earn my degree so i can hopefully get my dream job in Korea! :D
hakwon's an after school tutoring program. they're not private schools, maybe private education is a better title for it. the private schools in korea are really rich... especially the special language and science private high schools.
^^ love you using the mac-pc commercial idea!
I'm a senior in high school right now and I'm not sure what career path I should take. Teaching overseas definitely interests me but I'm not sure. What schooling would I need? Would I need a degree in English or just teaching or what? What kinds of schools should I look into for this career choice (I live in Wisconsin BTW)? Or should I just forget about it since I'm not really sure if it's even what I'd want to do?
This helped me so much, thank you guys
i love watching your videos!!!!
I think you may have lost your mind there at the end but I still love the video! =)
hey!! first of all i'm a new subscriber and i'm totally in love withe every single video u made .... i just was wondering i'm not a native English speaker but i'm planning to study English in college do u think i can use my college degree to teach in Korea . thank u so much and keep the hard work .
ibtissam aboufares Now, I remember reading somewhere before that if you have a degree in English or Education, you do not need to get the additional certification. Also, make sure you are from a recognized native English country. Things may have changed since then, but this is what I remember.