Bradley Said:

Can anyone personally recommend a good recruiter for finding a job teaching ESL in South Korea?

We Answered:

There are two that I would look at.

Actually, there is ONE that I would recommend. The first one that I thought of doesn't connect to schools in South Korea. However, if you're qualified (Bachelor's degree and TESL certificate with supervised teaching practice) they have excellent schools (no crappy chain school selling school-made textbooks to students for $100 or anything like that). This one is International House, and they are an affiliation of high-class language schools around the world. They have schools in Vietnam, Malaysia and China if you're keen on those countries. See the first link.

The second company, which does connect you to schools in South Korea, is called Footprints Recruiting. They have year-round placements in Korea requiring only a Bachelor's degree (not TESL certificate). If you complete the one-year contract you will get your airfare reimbursed, and most contracts include accomodation.

Eugene Said:

Do you think that Dave's ESL Cafe provides an accurate picture of teaching English in Korea?

We Answered:

Dave's gives teachers a lot of advice about problems which may occurs between employers such as not being paid on time, which employers are decent which are not, what to look for in a contract, etc.

However, I don't think ESL cafe paints an accurate picture of Korean culture. There are way too many people claiming Koreans to be racist people who absolutely hate foreigners. Also, their complaints about what happens in Korean culture is quite vague and paints a negative stereotype of what Korea actually is. Many of the negative comments I have read give somewhat of a picture of Itaewon on a Friday night with a bunch of drunk people. Yes, I have seen some chaos, but that is mainly due to alcohol.

I have been in Korea over two years and most of the stuff I read about Korean culture on Daves ESL cafe is complete garbage. I don't even read it anymore because it just poisons peoples mind.

As for Pusanweb.com. I would have to look at it more detail.

Jared Said:

How hard is it to get a job teaching in Korea?

We Answered:

Having a masters, depending on where your from, you'd be looking at a VERY quick job placement. You should teach adults, as funny as it may sound. But with almost any person I know with a masters started out teaching adults, and after a year moved up to a Public School/University. Post your information on www.worknplay.co.kr, or www.daveseslcafe.com. With a masters degree, you should get no less than 2.5-3.0 million won per month, kick***housing, and all the other benefits. After a good year, you'll be able to teach in a public school. You might even be able to get a position now, if a public school is still looking for a teacher they might be desperate and take someone without experience. (Korean experience anyways) Only accept a position in Seoul, Busan, or Daegu. That's where all the money is, and the housing is great...in most cases anyways.

Velma Said:

Teaching in Korea...What if you have to leave before your contract is up?

We Answered:

A Letter of Release is required by Korean Immigration if you finish your contract before the due date, and seek another job in Korea. You need to have it translated into Korean.

(17) I Want To Leave My Contract, What To Do? If you want to leave Korea, no problem, just go. You can either do it by the book (if you think your employer will pay your last months salary) or via a "midnight run". If the latter leave on the weekend and tell no one. Once you're through customs you're home free. When your contract expires you can freely apply for another job. If you want to get another job in Korea you need to obtain a "Letter Of Release" which may require a bribe ("recruiting fee" from your next employer) to your present employer.
Another increasingly popular option for those wanting to stay is illegal but many people have got away with it without immigration noticing and that is simply by just leaving the country, coming back and applying for another job and work visa and then going to Japan once more to pick up the visa. A good variation is to get a new passport with a new identification number but you may will need your birth certificate etc to get a copy.
The last option for those wanting to stay in Korea is just to get a tourist visa and work illegally until your old contract expires. See question 15. You need to know how to do this safely though. See question 20 for details.
One of the best solutions if you have the money (you're need around US$2000 set up reserves) is simply to leave Korea and go and work somewhere else like Taiwan for a stint.

(18) My Boss Won't Give Me A Release Letter, What Can I Do? First you can try and get people to put pressure on him like from the franchise head office or the Foreign Workers Rights (their new page is still under construction) group ph 02 508 1745 (click here), They will refer you to the proper authorities. Still it seems that basically if he doesn't want to give you one he usually doesn't have to. People usually then end up paying him off or getting their next employer to pay it.
22) What Exactly Is A Release Letter? Its a letter from your boss that you need to obtain before you can legally change jobs in Korea. All it has to state is that your boss releases you from your contract on such and such a date so that you are free to sign another one. Make sure that the letter is stamped and preferably notarised.

17) I Want To Leave My Contract, What To Do? This is a very common scenario. If you want to leave Korea, no problem, just go. You can either do it by the book (if you think your employer will pay your last months salary) or via a "midnight run". If the latter leave on the weekend and tell no one (sometimes people get ratted out). At the airport they will ask about your work visa and you can just say its finished and wave your hand. If they query further (never happened to me) you can say something like its a family emergency. Then you just hand in you Alien registration Card (if you've been over here more than three months) and once you're through customs you're home free. When your contract expires you can freely apply for another job.
Now if you want to stay in Korea its a little more tricky. Basically to legally change jobs you need to obtain a "Letter Of Release". However unlike Japan or Taiwan (where you also need a LOR) the Korean employers usu refuse to freely give it. Part of the reason is that theres a shortage of teachers (I wonder why) and so they don't want you to go. Even if they do want you to go they may refuse out of resentment. So if you want a release your first course of action is to get the local Labour board etc to try and appy some pressure on them. Also get the Schools head office to phone if applicable. Usu this won't be enough though and you then have two options: 1) blackmail them and 2) bribe them. Personally I've never tried the former but apparently you can often get them on deducted but unpaid pensions and undeclared earnings from students or in other words tax evasion. Regards bribing them the cheapest way is to get your present and future employers to sort out a compromise. Remember if they hired a recruiter they would have to pay them about one million won so for your future employer to pay a fee for you is no big deal. And also they can save on airfare fees since you're already in Korea. So in practice most people can end up getting their LOR if they want. But the downsides include having a very difficult last month until you can move. And they might not even pay you for that last month. Also having your future boss getting told all sorts of stuff from your previous one doesn't exactly start things on a good footing. Another complication with release letters has been occuring more and more frequently. Some immigration offices (esp Inchon apparently so don't work round there) have been refusing to let teachers transfer even with a letter of realease or at least saying its "difficult" (give me money).

Alice Said:

How much can I expect to send home every month teaching in Korea?

We Answered:

If you're making 2.5 million won, you should at least be able to send back 1.5 million won each month living frugally with housing provided. If you have to pay for your own housing you're looking at sending back about 1.0 million won each month.

If you're working legally you will be in the Korean pension program. You will contribute about 125,000 won per month and your company will match your monthly contribution. If you're American or Canadian at the end of your contract, you will be able to recoup most of this money also. So you can expect about 2.0 million extra at the end of your 12th month plus most companies offer severance pay equal to one month salary.

Esther Said:

How many sealed transcripts should I order to get a job teaching English in South Korea?

We Answered:

You will need no less then two transcripts, sealed and signed across the seal on the back. I had mine rejected because the secretary didn't do this.

I've been teaching here almost three years now and I keep four extras on hand, because you never know when you might have to find a new job.

Lucille Said:

Is a university diploma suitable for work permit in south Korea teaching English?

We Answered:

You need a 4-year university degree. I'm guessing you are in England? In the US, a 4-year degree is a BA (or BS). If yours is the equivalent of that, you are fine. It can be in any subject area to get a work permit, though getting a job is usually a little easier the more closely it's related to English/teaching.