South Korea - TEFL in South Korea
From the ICAL TEFL wiki
Private schools in Korea offer English language courses to a great number of students, from primary to university level. They are open every day. Lessons start after compulsory school hours and last till late in the evening.
Typically, English language schools offer one year contracts. Average work load is between 25 and 30 hours, with the option to each extra hours, if you wish to increase your salary. Many employers include a paid roundtrip airfare and free housing in their job offer.
Average salary is around 2.5 Million Won per month, plus benefits.
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Visa Regulations
According to Korean law in order to receive the E-2 visa required to legally work as a language instructor, you must have a degree.
The degree must be from one of the seven major English speaking countries: Australia, USA, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom.
As of December 2007 the Ministry of Justice has strengthened its policies on checking the qualifications of E-2 visa holders by requiring the criminal record certificate, the medical record certificate and the interview with Korean consular officer(s).
Only people with a university degree, a clear criminal record, a valid passport and a clean bill of health will be considered for a E-2 Teacher’s Visa.
For those E-2 visa applicants who got the criminal record certificate issued from their home country while staying in Korea or came to Korea imminently without proper Apostille certification, the verification of the consul in Korea on the criminal record certificate will be regarded as valid.
E-2 Teacher’s Visa can be renewed yearly, but in the teacher's home country. Visa runs to Japan every 3 months are no longer an option, if you want to stay in the country legally.
Starting from March 15 2008, the Ministry of Justice decided to leave out the cannabinoid check on a medical record certificate and exceptionally accept the criminal record certificate verified by the teacher's consular officer(s) in Korea.
Besides, the valid period of the criminal record certificate will be extended from existing three months to six months.
In addition, those with the E-2 visa issued after Dec 15 2007 no longer need to submit the criminal record certificate to reissue the same type of visa while staying in Korea.
Aside from a degree, your chances of getting work are greatly increased if you have a TEFL Certificate which is pretty well needed for all jobs.
Life in Korea
The cost of living is low. This means that you can actually save some money on your teacher’s wages. Travelling around the country is also inexpensive and many teachers hit the road at weekends to venture out to less known areas.
Culture
Be prepared to be treated with anything between curiosity to indifference. If you become good friends with a Korean then this will turn into friendship, but since most Koreans have had little if any contact with foreigners then you will subjected to basic stereotypes. Mixed with this is the fact that generally speaking teachers are treated with respect. However, you need to keep this respect deserved and behave accordingly.
Being Female
If you are female then you're likely to experience what in the West would be called mild sexual harassment. A single woman travelling alone in the country is considered fair game and of slightly questionable morals.
English Language Newspapers
There are two EL Newspapers in Korea, the Korean Herald and the Korean Times. They are published six days a week and in Seoul available at news stands. If you live outside the capital then you can also get the paper through subscription.
