Go and work in South Korea if you're a graduate.

sdavi3680

I just wanted to recommend this to anyone who is stuck in the UK, unemployed and fed up.

I did a years contract teaching English over in Seoul last year and can really recommend it. It pays well, you can save quite a bit of money and obviously you get the great travelling experience (as well as Korea we got to go to Japan for a week, then at the end Borneo, mainland Malaysia and Thailand).

We got paid about £1200 per month with a months bonus at the end of the years contract (this is law), so around £15600 per year. Tax was around 3%. Flights were paid for. Accommodation was paid for too (me and my gf had an awesome place). So you really only have to pay for food and entertainment each month. You can easily save more than half of your salary and still have a great lifestyle.

This was working from roughly 2.30 till 6.30-7.30 each day. Seems like most jobs only give 10days holiday though.

Obviously all of the jobs are different some much better than others. You really have to make sure you do your research before.

So yeah, if you're just rotting in the UK and in no real rush to get straight on the career ladder, definitely consider doing this.

suited-aces

Stupid question time:

Is the work mainly in English or Korean?

Is accounting part of that work?

sdavi3680

You don't have to know any Korean at all. It's supposed to be language immersion. It's pretty easy to be honest.

No accounting work. Just teaching, writing reports etc.

suited-aces

probably not for me then, but no doubt some people will find your post useful.

DCFC79

How did you find out about working over there,

sdavi3680

I think I just read about it when researching going travelling. After spending a year abroad travelling in other Asian countries we just wanted to get back out there as we loved it so much. It was also seen as a way to go and save money. We could save a hell of a lot more money over there than we could in the UK right now. I don't know how much you would have to be paid in the UK to live the same kind of lifestyle and still save £600+ per month.

Obviously the savings depend on what sort of lifestyle you want. We didn't save as much as we would have liked because we had a few expensive holidays (Japan is bloody expensive), I bought a few thousand pounds worth of tech equipment and we enjoyed eating out a few times a week.

There are thousands of Brits, Irish, American, Canadian, Oz and South Africans over there teaching.

This is a really active forum for teachers over there...
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/

wontfallforit

sdavi3680 wrote: »

I just wanted to recommend this to anyone who is stuck in the UK, unemployed and fed up.

I did a years contract teaching English over in Seoul last year and can really recommend it. It pays well, you can save quite a bit of money and obviously you get the great travelling experience (as well as Korea we got to go to Japan for a week, then at the end Borneo, mainland Malaysia and Thailand).

We got paid about £1200 per month with a months bonus at the end of the years contract (this is law), so around £15600 per year. Tax was around 3%. Flights were paid for. Accommodation was paid for too (me and my gf had an awesome place). So you really only have to pay for food and entertainment each month. You can easily save more than half of your salary and still have a great lifestyle.

This was working from roughly 2.30 till 6.30-7.30 each day. Seems like most jobs only give 10days holiday though.

Obviously all of the jobs are different some much better than others. You really have to make sure you do your research before.

So yeah, if you're just rotting in the UK and in no real rush to get straight on the career ladder, definitely consider doing this.

Great opportunity if you don't have rent and bills to pay back home

[Seriously, I'm quite bitter that I personally have little chance of ever doing anything like this )

ambercam

sdavi3680 wrote: »

I just wanted to recommend this to anyone who is stuck in the UK, unemployed and fed up.

I did a years contract teaching English over in Seoul last year and can really recommend it. It pays well, you can save quite a bit of money and obviously you get the great travelling experience (as well as Korea we got to go to Japan for a week, then at the end Borneo, mainland Malaysia and Thailand).

We got paid about £1200 per month with a months bonus at the end of the years contract (this is law), so around £15600 per year. Tax was around 3%. Flights were paid for. Accommodation was paid for too (me and my gf had an awesome place). So you really only have to pay for food and entertainment each month. You can easily save more than half of your salary and still have a great lifestyle.

This was working from roughly 2.30 till 6.30-7.30 each day. Seems like most jobs only give 10days holiday though.

Obviously all of the jobs are different some much better than others. You really have to make sure you do your research before.

So yeah, if you're just rotting in the UK and in no real rush to get straight on the career ladder, definitely consider doing this.

did you do a TEFL/CELTA qualification before going over or did you do it over there?
Or, do they let you teach without the qualification?

I wouldn't mind making a new start for myself abroad and this sounds like a good opportunity to see a it of the world and work at the same time, so no gaps on a CV.

EDIT: Do you have to be a graduate? Would this be open to people without a degree?

olly300

wontfallforit wrote: »

Great opportunity if you don't have rent and bills to pay back home

[Seriously, I'm quite bitter that I personally have little chance of ever doing anything like this )

People who I know who have taught English aboard dumped their belongings at a parent or close relations house, got out of their rental contracts and headed off.

They also had loans to pay off which they couldn't defer unlike student loans. They earned enough money to pay off the loans and do some travelling mainly because their living costs where lower.

So it can be done.

Absinthe_Fairy

My friend taught in South Korea for a year and loved it; I second everything the OP has said.

ambercam wrote: »

did you do a TEFL/CELTA qualification before going over or did you do it over there?
Or, do they let you teach without the qualification?

I wouldn't mind making a new start for myself abroad and this sounds like a good opportunity to see a it of the world and work at the same time, so no gaps on a CV.

EDIT: Do you have to be a graduate? Would this be open to people without a degree?

My friend didn't do any sort of teaching qualification at all. It varies from country to country I think, but in general you don't need one for South Korea.

As far as I know though, you do need a degree (think it's for visa purposes). The degree doesn't have to be in anything related to English language or teaching.

sdavi3680

What Absinthe said is correct. You do need to be a graduate, in any subject, but you don't need any sort of TEFL or teaching qualification. We just did a weekend intensive course before going just to give ourselves a bit more confidence.