This is purely what I think. I am sure that I am missing many other great reasons, but this is I feel a solid list why I think South Korea should be the top ESL teaching destination in the world.
I am also not a recruiter. I am not trying to sell anyone on anything for a commission. This is all the truth as I belief it to be so. It also should go without saying that before you consider teaching abroad you should enjoy working with children and be interested in adapting to a foreign culture.
10) A Beautiful Country -- South Korea for most of the year is a lush green country. Yes, the major cities may be nothing but concrete and steel, but once you leave the urban areas and get out into the countryside you will enjoy breathtaking views of beaches, islands, forests, hills, and mountains. Only about 20 percent of Korea is flatland, and the rest is interesting to look at and fun to explore!
9) A Healthier Lifestyle -- I lost ten pounds the first four months I was here without trying, noticing, or even really wanting to. The food here is cheap and excellent for your health. Additionally, you will lead an active lifestyle here. It is unavoidable. Without the ability or need to drive, you will do a lot of walking. Working with children will also keep you on your feet all day and as long as the stress of it does not consume you, the activity will be good for your health. Koreans are also very active people and will constantly be bugging you to play popular recreational sports with them like volleyball, badminton, and ping pong. There are also lots of mountains to climb (see #10).
8) Job Security -- I mean job security in two ways. First, if you take a public school teaching job, then the contract you sign will not be broken because it is the government that made that contract with you. What your contract says you get and do is what you will get and do. Second, the demand for native English teachers in Korea is not going away anytime soon. If you are looking to do this more than one year, you are nearly assured a renewal of your contract for as long as you can still do the job with some passion.
7) Proximity in Asia -- Half of the world’s population is Asian… so most of the world… is on this side of the world. Travel and vacation opportunities to interesting and exciting places are endless. What better time to travel than now? What better way than while teaching English? China, Japan, Taiwan, South East Asia, Mongolia, Siberia, Indonesia, & the Philippines are only a couple hours away by plane and waiting to be explored during your vacation time.
6) A Great Life Experience -- Have you ever lived abroad? It will change you. It is currently changing me. You will learn about foreign cultures and most likely pick up a little Korean (or a lot if you put forward a modest amount of effort). Once you return to your home country, you will be more confident in yourself and probably more appreciative of your life and the opportunities presented to you. Few people return home after a living year abroad and say “bah, that was a waste of time.”
5) South Korea is a Modern Liberal Democracy -- Because South Korea was a protectorate of the The United States and its allies after World War II and the Korean War, it has developed a very pro-western and English friendly society. Koreans today for the most part enjoy freedom of press, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, and the private ballot box. If you take a job teaching English in China or the Middle East, you would have to be willing to voluntarily give up some of your rights and privacies. Also, Korea is an affluent country with a high standard of living. There is virtually no urban poverty or violent crimes.
4) The People -- Koreans are awesome people. They are fun, smart, honest, hard-working, peaceful, and grateful people. Obviously there are plenty of exceptions, but the vast majority of Koreans that I have spoken with and met are excited to have me here and have treated me at all times like an honored guest. They are also so friendly and outgoing, at times, I feel like a jerk because I have to explain to a Korean I just met on a bus or the subway that I do not have the time to be their new best friend.
3) America is a Corrupt and Dying Empire -- I may have just given away my political slant to you with this one. But the gravy train in the United States has long since derailed. Get out while you still can. Any novice of economics can look at the trend of wealth transfer (due to staggering trade deficits) that has been greatly benefiting Asian nations like China, Japan, and South Korea for the last two decades. Asia is where all the next generation of technology and industry innovations will originate. Asia’s chance for global economic dominance is being realized and they simply want it more and are more organized than the aging Western powers. Asia is the place to be in the 21st century.
2) The Other Native English Speakers -- This was a pleasant surprise when I got here, but Americans only make up about half of the native English speakers hired to teach in public schools. I have met and interacted with native English speakers from Canada, Ireland, Scotland, England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, India, and the Philippines. Getting to spend time with these people and learn about our cultural differences (even when we share the same language) is sometimes more interesting than the experience of living in Korea itself. Tons of fun!
1) Money -- I hate that this has to be my number one, but money is the reason why we do what we do (despite what we tell ourselves so we can sleep at night). I came to Korea with $25,000 dollars in student loan debt. I hope to leave Korea after a few years with that entirely paid off with some additional savings for my next move. If you do the math and factor in all the benefits, Korea is the best financial deal for teaching English in the world (especially for people like me who do not have a teaching degree or any prior teaching experience). Korea has an extremely low cost of living (unlike Japan), and many perks that come with the contract like income tax exemptions, free housing, universal health care, national pension reimbursement, flight reimbursement, settlement allowance, etc. If you live frugally, big savings are possible.
Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Teach English in South Korea
10) A Beautiful Country -- South Korea for most of the year is a lush green country. Yes, the major cities may be nothing but concrete and steel, but once you leave the urban areas and get out into the countryside you will enjoy breathtaking views of beaches, islands, forests, hills, and mountains. Only about 20 percent of Korea is flatland, and the rest is interesting to look at and fun to explore!
9) A Healthier Lifestyle -- I lost ten pounds the first four months I was here without trying, noticing, or even really wanting to. The food here is cheap and excellent for your health. Additionally, you will lead an active lifestyle here. It is unavoidable. Without the ability or need to drive, you will do a lot of walking. Working with children will also keep you on your feet all day and as long as the stress of it does not consume you, the activity will be good for your health. Koreans are also very active people and will constantly be bugging you to play popular recreational sports with them like volleyball, badminton, and ping pong. There are also lots of mountains to climb (see #10).
8) Job Security -- I mean job security in two ways. First, if you take a public school teaching job, then the contract you sign will not be broken because it is the government that made that contract with you. What your contract says you get and do is what you will get and do. Second, the demand for native English teachers in Korea is not going away anytime soon. If you are looking to do this more than one year, you are nearly assured a renewal of your contract for as long as you can still do the job with some passion.
7) Proximity in Asia -- Half of the world’s population is Asian… so most of the world… is on this side of the world. Travel and vacation opportunities to interesting and exciting places are endless. What better time to travel than now? What better way than while teaching English? China, Japan, Taiwan, South East Asia, Mongolia, Siberia, Indonesia, & the Philippines are only a couple hours away by plane and waiting to be explored during your vacation time.
6) A Great Life Experience -- Have you ever lived abroad? It will change you. It is currently changing me. You will learn about foreign cultures and most likely pick up a little Korean (or a lot if you put forward a modest amount of effort). Once you return to your home country, you will be more confident in yourself and probably more appreciative of your life and the opportunities presented to you. Few people return home after a living year abroad and say “bah, that was a waste of time.”
5) South Korea is a Modern Liberal Democracy -- Because South Korea was a protectorate of the The United States and its allies after World War II and the Korean War, it has developed a very pro-western and English friendly society. Koreans today for the most part enjoy freedom of press, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, and the private ballot box. If you take a job teaching English in China or the Middle East, you would have to be willing to voluntarily give up some of your rights and privacies. Also, Korea is an affluent country with a high standard of living. There is virtually no urban poverty or violent crimes.
4) The People -- Koreans are awesome people. They are fun, smart, honest, hard-working, peaceful, and grateful people. Obviously there are plenty of exceptions, but the vast majority of Koreans that I have spoken with and met are excited to have me here and have treated me at all times like an honored guest. They are also so friendly and outgoing, at times, I feel like a jerk because I have to explain to a Korean I just met on a bus or the subway that I do not have the time to be their new best friend.
3) America is a Corrupt and Dying Empire -- I may have just given away my political slant to you with this one. But the gravy train in the United States has long since derailed. Get out while you still can. Any novice of economics can look at the trend of wealth transfer (due to staggering trade deficits) that has been greatly benefiting Asian nations like China, Japan, and South Korea for the last two decades. Asia is where all the next generation of technology and industry innovations will originate. Asia’s chance for global economic dominance is being realized and they simply want it more and are more organized than the aging Western powers. Asia is the place to be in the 21st century.
2) The Other Native English Speakers -- This was a pleasant surprise when I got here, but Americans only make up about half of the native English speakers hired to teach in public schools. I have met and interacted with native English speakers from Canada, Ireland, Scotland, England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, India, and the Philippines. Getting to spend time with these people and learn about our cultural differences (even when we share the same language) is sometimes more interesting than the experience of living in Korea itself. Tons of fun!
1) Money -- I hate that this has to be my number one, but money is the reason why we do what we do (despite what we tell ourselves so we can sleep at night). I came to Korea with $25,000 dollars in student loan debt. I hope to leave Korea after a few years with that entirely paid off with some additional savings for my next move. If you do the math and factor in all the benefits, Korea is the best financial deal for teaching English in the world (especially for people like me who do not have a teaching degree or any prior teaching experience). Korea has an extremely low cost of living (unlike Japan), and many perks that come with the contract like income tax exemptions, free housing, universal health care, national pension reimbursement, flight reimbursement, settlement allowance, etc. If you live frugally, big savings are possible.
If there is anyone else out there with something to add, please do!
The below picture is what seven dollars at a local family restaurant will get you. You sold yet?
The below picture is what seven dollars at a local family restaurant will get you. You sold yet?
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7 comments:
re debt: ouch. I thank my lucky stars that for all the mistakes I've made with my college career, I didn't make the mistake of taking out lots of debt and was able to pay off the little I did very quickly with a summer job. As the Romans said, felix qui nihil debet.
But is the repayment actually working for you? I assume you've been there for a while and so should know by now whether the repayment is working or whether unexpected costs and whatnot are eating up your project profits.
I actually experienced several months of unemployment before coming to Korea (and the job I had before that was not paying the bills). I spent my entire first year in Korea paying off my credit card bills.
Another unforeseen expense is something called key money. I want to find my own apartment for my third year in Korea and most places require you to put down a deposit (which you get back) of thousands of dollars for anything larger than a one room studio.
At present, I am saving all my money so when I renew for my third year, I can put down the required deposit to live in a larger, nicer apartment. That is something I did not think I would be doing that is keeping me from paying down my student loans.
Perhaps in my third year here, I can start seriously paying a thousand or more dollars a month towards paying off my student loans. As of right now, I have only been paying the minimum payments of around $300. They are government loans and the interest is minimal.
Another reason I chose Korea (over Taiwan or Japan) was the easy-to-learn Hangul alphabet. I wanted to be able to sound out signs right away, even before understanding much of what they meant. It's a lot easier to learn 24 letters than a thousand characters.
I'm becoming jaded with Korea having been here for five years and also having been here on two other occasions.I guess I'm gradually being crushed by the monotony of teaching the same stuff day in day out and seeing kids come and go. Haggwons are basically cram factories.
I should be in a Uni but decided to teach for a close friend who owns a haggwon but even in the unis and with the plastic professorships the pay has declined and so have conditions. In my local university 'professors' have to ask permission if they plan to leave Korea during a vacation though how legal or restrictive this is I don't know. And as for the contracts, I believe a number of EPIK teachers were given very brief notice of 'termination of contract,' a few months ago. I read this in various blogs and so how genuine cases were I don't know but it is my understanding that if you are not wanted a way will be found to remove you.
But going back home to teach in Britain fills me with dread. Kids are off the rails, teachers are basically prostitutes, the country is expensive, the diet unhealthy and unless you are in London, there isn't much culture. Then there is the violence, drugs, sexual diseases, class and are rampant anti-intellectual ideology in which mediocrity is celebrated.
Certainly, the Korean lifestyle has massive advantages to living in Scumland UK.
You certainly did have me sold with that amazing looking meal! I recognize several of my favorite 반찬 in there!
Waygook, how would you rate your experience after having lived and taught in Korea for several years now?
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