Wainy316 Posted July 19, 2010 Author Share Posted July 19, 2010 The weirdest thing to get used to is the food, especially if you're a veggie... Oh this won't be a problem. I have heard it's a carnivores dream and that everything is spicy. I am more than happy with that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCatMe Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Well, they have private medical care over there so no hefty NHS to pay for...you pay half (about 50,000 won) and the employer pays the rest. You can use it for anything at all and really, it's really kick-butt cool in those hospitals there. I was on an island called Geoje, just off the coast near to Busan. If you like climbing, watersports (not THAT sort!) etc, the south is good. If you like winter sports, it's better further north. This time os year, it's pretty humid, but in the winter it can be really cold, but dry cold, with beautiful clear skies. I just did a year before returning to do a masters, but i'd certainly go back there. I saved about £7000, even living reasonably well. Try the local brands, etc, when it comes to food, as imported stuff is crazy money. Cheese and butter seem to be a mystery to them, but most other things are easily obtainable. I'm British, but ended up with an annoying US twinge to my accent that soon wore off again. They generally teach US English there so watch out when your writing on the board with your spelling. The kids can be a little wild at times, but if you're fun with them, but firm, they're amazing: really warm and generous. They often try to hug you,etc. which feels odd at first, as we're conditioned to back aweay from that here, but there, they are just natural, which was amazing, and you can build up some real rapport. If you need any advicxe, I'll be glad to help out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCatMe Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 advice, even Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted July 19, 2010 Author Share Posted July 19, 2010 Thanks. A year without cheese, crikey, that will be tought. I have been advised to take as much deodorant as I can too. The Koreans don't seem to sweat apparently. I have a big decision to make when I get there. FC Seoul or Suwon Bluewings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soprano Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Good luck mate. My sons planning to do the same thing next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troglodyte Posted July 19, 2010 VT Supporter Share Posted July 19, 2010 This thread is really interesting to me as I'm seriously looking into doing the same with my lady friend, specifically in South Korea. We're looking at doing it after we complete our degrees next summer, but were somewhat put off recently when reading of the scams, and also the difficulty in finding somewhere where we could both teach and live together etc. How difficult did you find this, Wainy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Have a friend there, she's loving it. Pretty much echoes what's already been said - Eating is an adventure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomzep Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Im planning on doing this next september, ive got a degree and im doing my TEFL course over the coming year. Can I ask how far in advance you applied for this position? Will you be keeping a blog i could follow somewhere? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted July 20, 2010 Author Share Posted July 20, 2010 This thread is really interesting to me as I'm seriously looking into doing the same with my lady friend, specifically in South Korea. We're looking at doing it after we complete our degrees next summer, but were somewhat put off recently when reading of the scams, and also the difficulty in finding somewhere where we could both teach and live together etc. How difficult did you find this, Wainy? Don't be put off by the scams, you just have to be careful in choosing a job. As you keep applying and reading up on it, you will be begin to get a bit of a feel for it and the dodgy ones can sometimes be obvious. Most schools hire recruiters to search for teachers for them and they will arrange for the director of the school to call you sometime for a phone interview. A bit of advice I received are that the American, Canadian and British recruiters are more likely to be looking out for your interests, whilst Korean ones are known to just try and get you out there an sometimes lie to you. You should always check how long the school has been open as some teachers have found them go bust all of a sudden, so schools that have been going for 5 years or more are a safer option. Also when you get a contract offer you should post it on Dave's ESL forum, which I provided a link to earlier, and the people ITK on there will pick it apart and tell you whether it is good or bad. Also you should get the e-mail address of another foreign teacher at the school and ask them everything you need to know. With regards to getting a job, there are a few couple positions going, but it may be easier to search for a school with more than one vacancy (which can often be the case), then see if they will organise some kind of joint living arrangement. We spent a month or two job hunting and had a few interviews along the way but we felt this offer we are taking was by far the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted July 20, 2010 Author Share Posted July 20, 2010 Im planning on doing this next september, ive got a degree and im doing my TEFL course over the coming year. Can I ask how far in advance you applied for this position? Will you be keeping a blog i could follow somewhere? We just kept applying for positions from about May onwards. We secured this job about 4 weeks ago. It had a later starting date than we first planned but the school and accomadation looks top class. You don't need to get them far in advance though you will see a lot of jobs with ASAP start dates. My advice would be to start collecting your documents whenever your thinking of starting to apply as this can take a while. You need to get a criminal record check done and then you will need to get it apostilled by the foregin office. You also need your university to send you 3 transcripts sealed in seperate envelopes detailing all your results at university. We have given some thought into keeping a blog, but I shall keep you posted. In the meantime check out My mates blog. It only has three entries but will give youa good indication of what the first few weeks there are like. It would appear there is a very big drinking culture over there. 8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomzep Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 cheers wainy, well even if you dont blog youll have to stay on here! Ill have a nose at your mates blog later after work, cheers. I have a crb for my current job, could i just grab a copy of that from them you reckon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCatMe Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Oh yes, they do like a bevvy or 2 there.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YLN Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 You give them all the answers for the tests. oh shut up you dick.. you really are boring aren't you? I love aggro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted July 20, 2010 VT Supporter Share Posted July 20, 2010 I have a crb for my current job, could i just grab a copy of that from them you reckon? CRB is situation-specific, unfortunately. I have one for work, one for the youth club I help at, one for the wee kid I look after at weekends and one for the summer camps I help run. None of them count towards the others, if you know what I mean. If you are in a situation where you need a CRB, the fact that you might already have one for something else is entirely irrelevant. Edited (now I've read your comments in context), standard CRB might not be what you need then. As above, they are generally situation-specific. Sure there's something similar you can get done from the foreign office that'll do the trick for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PompeyVillan Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 You give them all the answers for the tests. oh shut up you dick.. you really are boring aren't you? I love aggro I did chuckle when I read this yesterday. Angry people are funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted July 20, 2010 Author Share Posted July 20, 2010 cheers wainy, well even if you dont blog youll have to stay on here! Ill have a nose at your mates blog later after work, cheers. I have a crb for my current job, could i just grab a copy of that from them you reckon? Yep, I'll definately be staying on here. You need to get a Basic Disclosure or a Subject access check. Here is the info on how to get them. You have to part with a small amount of cash to get them. Once you have them, the apostille costs £33. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roonst83 Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Got a friend who is over in SK at the moment doing a TEFL. He is absolutly loving it!! may go and join him next year - but am aiming to go and travel for 6months first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roonst83 Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 A year without cheese, crikey, that will be tough. I would say that it may grate on you Wainy...although you sound too mature to let it bother you. :oops: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YLN Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 What age are you Wainey? Why is South Korea the choice of destination for all of y'all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomzep Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Ive always wanted to go to Korea and did a lot of A level and Uni work on North korea, also they seemed to want any tom dick or harry to teach English! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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