Teaching In Korea

The bulk of teaching opportunities (90%) in Korea involve working with children between the K1 (kindergarten) and high school levels. There are two teaching sectors that teachers can choose from: public schools in Korea and private schools in Korea.

Although there are other teaching options in Korea (College Instructors, University Professors, Business English Instructors, Factory and Corporate English Programs, TOEFL Instructors, etc.) these positions are VERY limited and usually require applicants to have specific qualifications such as education degrees, TOEFL test certifications, etc. The point we are trying to make is, options in these market segments are limited and very competitive.

Once you have completed your last class of the day you’ll likely be expected to stay at the school for a brief period to clean and organize the teacher’s office.  During this time you will help the other teachers clean the desks, organize the teacher work space, etc.  Once this is done you’re free to head home and begin doing whatever it is you do during your free time.

Statistical numbers released by the Korean Ministry of Justice (2007 year end) placed the total number of westerners teaching in Korea at 17,273. This number apparently exceeds 32,000 (currently) when people who are teaching in Korea illegally are factored into the equation.

The Korean Government also introduced ambitious plans to bring more teachers into the country for 2009 and 2010. South Korea is expecting to have more than 25,000 westerners teaching English as a Second Language by the first term/semester of the 2010 calendar year. These statistics easily make South Korea one of the world’s largest employers of western ESL instructors.

Your primary objective while teaching in Korea is to stimulate English conversation with your students. Believe it not, the Korean teachers at your school are usually responsible for teaching grammar and reading. Your job, for the most part, will revolve around pronunciation and conversation. Most of the books you will use are comprised of pictures and limited text designed to encourage students to participate in discussion and exercises. You will also spend a lot of time playing ESL games and getting your students to engage in group activities.

As easy as this may sound, it is important to remember that most students speak very limited English, therefore communicating with them is more challenging then you would first assume. In the end, the more creative you are with your lessons the more fun you will have, and the more English your students will learn while you’re teaching in Korea.

Please be advised: All school directors and principals will require their western staff to complete no less than 45-60 minutes of class preparation time each day. Just like schools and teaching jobs in the West, class prep in Korea is required in order to ensure that the teachers are implementing the proper curriculum and maximizing their time spent in the classroom. In the end if you’re not prepared for your classes and you need to spend valuable time flipping through books trying to find topics and materials to teach then you’re not doing your job and your students won’t be reaching their full potential. Note: Time spent preparing for your ESL classes will not qualify for ‘overtime pay’. All teachers, in both sectors, are required to develop lesson plans on a daily basis.

Most schools will provide you with teaching related games, books, flashcards, crayons, coloring sheets, etc.  Make sure to familiarize yourself with the available resources during your first week of work, it will definitely help ease the transition into teaching English in Korea.