Teaching English in Asia

[meen]

Has anyone taught English in China, Indonesia or South Korea? (Or if there is any other low-cost living place you'd recommend please let me know).

I'm interested in doing this starting this fall and have been looking at programs and most seem to charge a considerable fee. Also, I don't have a teaching certificate so I'm looking for a more informal program/arrangement.


I don't mind paying a reasonable fee if I know it's a secure arrangement and not a scam, so I want to hear about other people's experiences first.

Thanks :)

[chicagogirl]

Just make sure you do your homework. I lived in Japan for a while and met lots of people there to teach English. Some programs don't treat their teachers very well once they're there. ("Oh, did we say nice apartment with a view? This apartment has a nice view of the garbage heap...")

[FloridaGirl25]

There are many resources online for ESL teachers. A couple popular ones are:

1. Dave's ESL Cafe www.eslcafe.com
2. Transition's Abroad www.transitionsabroad.com

Also, the countries you mentioned are all unique in their ESL environment for foreign teachers. I would read up on country-specific info as opposed to a global search for whichever place is the cheapest and has the least requirements.

For many programs in Asia, for instance, a Bachelor's degree and native English fluency is a requirement. Some schools require a Bachelor's, native English fluency and a teaching certificate and/or teaching experience. It's best to check out the boards and compare/contrast experiences to make the best decision.

[CoolAZN]

I asked my friend that is over in SK in Asia and this is what he told me:

To answer your question(s):

1) A teaching certificate is not required, no. It helps
in getting more profitable positions but is the
exception, not the rule, for ESL here.

2) They should contact a recruiter - like myself but not
me because I'm booked until the end of my contract -
who they SHOULD NOT pay to help them find a job. The
schools pay the recruiters here, not the applicants.
Some reputable companies I can refer are:

* Gone2Korea
* Footprints Korea
* Lydia Recruiters
* Korvia Ltd.

Moreover, they should apply with as many of these
companies as possible: there is no penalty for having
four or five groups working on your behalf to secure
the best position.

3) Upon arrival, they should eat as much kimchijjigae as
possible. Seriously. It's crazy delicious.

Hope this helps you.

[FloridaGirl25]

HAhaha CoolAzn,

That's great advice :D

[ugarachel82]

I wanted to add that a friend of mine is teaching English in South Korea currently, and found out about through this program:

http://www.travelandteachrecruiting.com/

She's having a crazy great experience so far.

[meen]

Just make sure you do your homework. I lived in Japan for a while and met lots of people there to teach English. Some programs don't treat their teachers very well once they're there. ("Oh, did we say nice apartment with a view? This apartment has a nice view of the garbage heap...")

Hehe. Thanks.
There are many resources online for ESL teachers. A couple popular ones are:

1. Dave's ESL Cafe www.eslcafe.com
2. Transition's Abroad www.transitionsabroad.com

Also, the countries you mentioned are all unique in their ESL environment for foreign teachers. I would read up on country-specific info as opposed to a global search for whichever place is the cheapest and has the least requirements.

For many programs in Asia, for instance, a Bachelor's degree and native English fluency is a requirement. Some schools require a Bachelor's, native English fluency and a teaching certificate and/or teaching experience. It's best to check out the boards and compare/contrast experiences to make the best decision.

Thanks for this information. I even applied to a Saudi Arabia that pays very well, but have read they strongly prefer male teachers (followed by older, non-attractive females hehe), but to anyone who might be interested, S Arabia programs pay very well, the one I applied to starts at $3000/month.

I asked my friend that is over in SK in Asia and this is what he told me:

To answer your question(s):

1) A teaching certificate is not required, no. It helps
in getting more profitable positions but is the
exception, not the rule, for ESL here.

2) They should contact a recruiter - like myself but not
me because I'm booked until the end of my contract -
who they SHOULD NOT pay to help them find a job. The
schools pay the recruiters here, not the applicants.
Some reputable companies I can refer are:

* Gone2Korea
* Footprints Korea
* Lydia Recruiters
* Korvia Ltd.

Moreover, they should apply with as many of these
companies as possible: there is no penalty for having
four or five groups working on your behalf to secure
the best position.

3) Upon arrival, they should eat as much kimchijjigae as
possible. Seriously. It's crazy delicious.

Hope this helps you.

:D 3 sounds good. I really appreciate the information, will check out those companies you mentioned. I haven't applied in SK, will check it out and try to apply this week.

I wanted to add that a friend of mine is teaching English in South Korea currently, and found out about through this program:

http://www.travelandteachrecruiting.com/

She's having a crazy great experience so far.

SK seems to be popular, will research that.


Thank you all!!

[ippoic]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I was actually going to post asking about teaching abroad programs in South America, particularly in Argentina or Ecuador. Are there any forums or communities centered around teaching in Latin America?

Thanks!

[meen]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I was actually going to post asking about teaching abroad programs in South America, particularly in Argentina or Ecuador. Are there any forums or communities centered around teaching in Latin America?

Thanks!

I don't know of agencies for South America. What I can tell you is that before posting this thread I had only done Google searches and all the recruiting agencies I had found (first few Google result pages) charged a considerable fee. With the agencies I was given here it has been different, none of them charge, flight is covered, and they have been excellent so far, I've had a few interviews and another few scheduled.

So my advice is don't use Googles results and try to find a niche forum that will give you good leads.

[CoolAZN]

I do not know any agencies down in SA.
Maybe I could ask my social group about it...or my friends in SA...

Here is a site that might help:

http://www.volunteersouthamerica.net/

[sarahg]

I believe in South America the norm is to show up with your resume and try to get a job from in-country. There aren't many schools that will hire you from abroad. The pay is also lower, but the lifestyle is great in many places. The ESL Cafe site linked to above also has forums for people in Latin America, so try there.