Why teach in Korea?
First the Facts
2/3 of South Koreans aged 25-34 have college degree and take mandatory English classes.
Koreans are obsessed with education to enable the best future for their children South Korea provides top salary to their teachers and has the highest average reading literacy of the OECD
Salary for foreign English language teachers
English teachers in Korea can expect to make between $1,300 and $3,000 per month. Depending on the type of educational institution, the salary varies enormously:
Public Schools: 1.5-3 million won, or $1,265 - $2,500 USD, per month.
Private Language Institutes: 1.9-2.3 million won, or 1,600 - $1,940 USD, per month.
Universities: 2.3 - 3.5 million won, or $1,950 - $2,950 USD, per month.
International Schools: 1.8 - 2.8 million won, $1,519 - $2,363 USD, per month.
How much does it cost to live in Korea?
How far exactly will your salary get you in Korea?
Most teachers can put away quite a good portion of their salary. Even with a salary of $1,900 per month, you can live quite comfortably when teaching in South Korea. So, how much should you expect to spend while teaching in Korea?
Rent: about 400,000 won / $337 USD (rural) to 750,000 won / $633 USD (city) (schools usually provide housing or monthly stipend)
Phone & Internet: 60,000 won / $50 USD
Dining out: about 6,000 won / $5 USD for a lunch out. Budget about 300,000 won / $252 USD for eating out per month
You can expect to spend around 1,310,000 won (or $1,100 USD) each month while living in South Korea as a teacher if your school pays for housing.
Where to teach in Korea?
Most foreigners settle in Seoul, the country's capital, or Busan, the second largest city in Korea. However, you can find charming cities all across the peninsula. The number of expatriate English teachers hailing from English-speaking nations has increased from less than 1,000 in 1988 to over 20,000 in 2002, and stood at more than 22,000 in 2010.
Adding these numbers to around 30,000 United States military personnel and civilian employees means you can always find foreign friends to hang out with no matter where you are in Korea!
Korea as a Tourist Destination
The "Korean Wave" (Hallyu) is overflowing the West, with K-Pop and K-Dramas being more popular than ever. At the same time, the number of foreign arrivals in South Korea has increased from 8.7 million in 2010 to over 14 million in 2014. Most tourists travel to the three best known places: Seoul, Busan and Jeju island. Even though Korea is quite a small country, it is a country rich with history and culture. Korea is divided into 9 provinces: North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong, Gangwon, Gyeonggi, North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang, Jeju, North Jeolla and South Jeolla - each of which is more unique than the next!
How about visiting the famous royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty or stop by one of Korea's historic villages of Yangdong or Hahoe? Don't forget about the volcanic island and lava tubes of Jeju!
Pamper your Palate
Welcome to Kimchiland! I guarantee you will never find a table without kimchi on it! In case you don't know what it's ll about, kimchi is a traditional fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings. Unique to Korea, almost every meal comes with a variety of side dishes (banchan) that accompany rice and the main dishes. Traditionally, Korean dishes are mostly spicy and flavorful with fermented red chili paste (gochujang) and pepper flakes. Be sure to try the following most popular dishes: Bibimbap, Kimbap, Korean BBQ, tofu stew, raw beef, and don't forget Korea's most popular alcoholic drink: soju - Korean rice schnapps!
Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next.
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