I am working in South Korea at the moment.

The documentation you need for South Korea is quite extensive, and can take a while (and a fair bit of money) to get sorted. You need a degree, which should be photocopied and apostillised, as well as a Criminal Record Check (Federal if you are from the states), which also needs to be apostillised.

There are also a few less than PC requirements. You cannot have AIDs, or have ever had any mental health issues (although I think they only check this by asking if you have when you get out there).

Once you get out there I have found you need:
An outgoing personality (especially to work with adults).
Flexibility
A good knowledge of the English language and grammar (again, especially for adults, one of my students on Thursday asked me to go into all the different ways we use -ing endings and why).

I did a TEFL certificate, and although I’m pretty certain I would have got the same pay, and the same job without it (I love my job!), I would have been far less prepared for working in a classroom, and probably far more stressed. I did the Trinity CertTESOL, so I can’t speak for i-to-i’s certificate, but mine really helped.

Also, a piece of advice, don’t work Saturdays for the same pay as someone who doesn’t. You should get at least 100,000W more a month than someone who doesn’t, for the same teaching hours, but some on a Saturday.

That’s a shame – I was just on the i-to-i TEFL facebook page there and a lady called Kati Yamanaka is looking for some volunteer teachers for Ashbourne. Meath – is that too far to travel? Another suggestion would be to volunteer on a programme like Vaughan Town out in Spain for a week, if you have some free time between Feb – Oct. You need to organise your flights to Madrid but they look after you once you get there, you can apply online. Hope this helps!

Thanks,
Anita (Dublin)

To get the correct work visa for South Korea you need to be degree qualified, it doesn’t matter what discipline though. Our partners look for a minimum of 100 hours TEFL training and native English speakers. Once you cover these requirements, you have a great opportunity to secure a job in South Korea.

Thanks for your comment. The i-to-i certificate is designed for teaching abroad in non native speaking countries. If you’d like to work in a language school in Dublin, I recommend contacting one to see what their requirements are. You would only use English language in the classroom but having another language will help you in your social life abroad. Italians are in the top 3 European nations who travel to Ireland to learn English.

Hugs

Patrick