From Suburbia to the Land of the Not Quite Right

From Suburbia to the Land of the Not Quite Right

Per the suggestion of Valeria (on Edufire), I decided to plan out a workshop that would run through the nitty gritty of teaching overseas. Because of my experience this will be focused on South Korea in particular. I would also be able to do something on the Philippines (if anyone wants a guide on that one… whew, that would be interesting… search my name on YouTube to get an idea) as I worked there for three years, but due to the easier country to adapt to and make a living I will go for South Korea. Personally I have taught, recruited teachers and managed programs during my stay in South Korea but now am primarily teaching. It wasn’t too hard to put together a lesson flow for a course such as this as it is very similar to other tasks I’ve been doing here in the past. Anyways, I came to the conclusion that this would be five contact hours and a substantial amount of field work in order to cover the ‘good’ stuff that would be needed.

Getting the Paperwork – Hour One

Passport, driver’s license, bank account info, criminal clearance, resume, diploma, transcripts are a few things that you will want to get ready before you even begin to apply for positions because once you start the ball rolling it will go pretty quick. We will find out how and why we need these things plus other necessary items.

Picking the Location – Hour Two

Before you even begin to talk to a recruiter or start applying on your own it is best to know where you want to live and what kind of roof you will have over your head. From right on the border overlooking the DMZ to the beaches of Busan you will find quite a few choices. Whether it is right next door to a orange soju tent , teaching alongside a tranquil mountain or in the middle of the flashing lights of Gangnam really ends up in your lap to make the decision. Well, at least it should be because if you are a tranquil mountain type of person and wake up next to that Soju tent, your experience in Korea could be rough.

Finding the Job – Hour Three and Four

Once you find your top three locations it is time to get the job. In this hour we will look at how to obtain a job through either a recruiter or independently. Personally, I have done both and there are plusses and minuses for each. Honestly though some of the best positions are found through your own legwork. We will learn how to do it the hard way and learn what is out there. More importantly we will learn to discern the good from the bad because believe me… there is a lot of both. The homework assignment from this day will be to interview for a minimum of four jobs. Before you interview though, we will have set a guideline that you follow in order to not accept the wrong job.

Packing the Bags – Hour Five
By this time, if you were serious about this, you will have a ticket in hand and wondering where in the world you will be going. If not, you have a pretty good idea on how to do it. This class will be all about the last minute details to wrap up at home and what you should put in that luggage before you land in the ‘land of the not quite right’ (which was quoted to me on the plane by some guy I sat next to when I was flying over here 7 years ago).

This course will be offered through Edufire…