Vandrell Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Some of you may of seen me mention it in other threads but it is official now. Me and my other half are off to teach English in South Korea for a year, flying out 22nd August. I'm a mixed bag of excitement and nerves. The attraction of being able to save lots of dollar and doing something a bit crazy before I settle down were what appealed in the main. I should have no probs settling in as I have two friends over there already, so it's just a matter of hoping I'm good at the job. I remember there was a thread about teaching English abroad before and that some of the posters on here may be doing a similar thing. If so any hints? :winkold: I don't believe VT has any posters based in Korea, so I'm going to have to try and hunt some fellow fans down, have a bit of a Seoul Villans unit. Going to miss going to VP for a while, but at least the leaving date allows me to go to the West Ham game. best of luck mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted July 21, 2010 Author Share Posted July 21, 2010 What age are you Wainey? Why is South Korea the choice of destination for all of y'all? I am 25. I chose Korea, as I have two mates out there that can't recommend it enough, doesn't require a TEFL and after comparing the different places it pays the best wage relative to cost of living. Plus yuo get three accomadation. I've always had a fascination with the far east, and I find China a bit oppressive and Japan is apparently very expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted August 20, 2010 Author Share Posted August 20, 2010 Well not long now. I shall admit to being a melting pot of excitement and nerves. Arrive Monday 4:05pm Korean, get picked up by a taxi and taken to the motel where we will spend our first week until our accomadation is ready. The following day we will be picked up, taken for a medical, given two days training, and will take over teaching on Thursday!!! I have one mate who got 5 days training and another who got none, so I guess I'm somewhere in the middle. Flight is at 2:15 Sunday which was bad timing with regards to the Villa game. This may sound dumb but does anyone know if planes are able to get live feeds. I checked the Emirates site and it said they have sport, but I'd imagine it would all have to be pre-recorded? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJA1703 Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 My mate in the US army just told me he thinks the next place he goes is SK. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomzep Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 Good luck Wainy, sure youll love it and i look forward to reading about your time over there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NulliSecundus Posted August 20, 2010 Share Posted August 20, 2010 Good luck mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattJ83 Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Hi Been thinking about going and teaching abroad recently. How is it going Wainy? Managed to save much? Anyone teaching english anywhere else? I was looking into China but i need a TEFL qualification and dont have the funds for it right now although if i thought i could save alot and live pretty well in China then i think i would look into it. I really want to do it to save some money and to see some more of the world as London is sucking my funds dry! Whats South Korea like? Thanks, Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 It's going very well here. Have enough money to live comfortably and save, (well pay off UK debt at the moment). Korea is the most popular place to teach English and the best to save money because your rent and flights are all paid for. Plus you get months pay severance at the end of your contract. In addition, Korea does not require a TEFL, just a degree in any subject and a clean criminal record. Korea as a country is really cool, I absolutely love the food so there is one bonus. People rarely cook here and you find yourself eating out nearly every night (it's relatively cheap). Koreans absolutely love their drink, so expect to find business men in suits asleep on benches on your way to work. It's very safe, so many people just pass out in the street without any trouble. Violent crime is more or less non existant in Korea. The only downsides are it is very homogenous society expect a bit of subtle racism from the older generation. Apparantly they think all Westerners are criminals! Most Koreans are very very friendly though, but expect to get starred at a lot , although many people just want to come and talk to you which is cool. I have had a lot of Korean men tell me I am handsome! Also, they are ridiculously nationalistic, they genuinely believe they are the best country in the world, so expect to watch a lot of Man Utd, Bolton and Celtic games on TV! (Yes the old frim match was on instead of the first half of the Chelsea, Villa game). The teaching side is a lot of fun and certainly beats sitting in an office all day. The only problem is I think it's getting a bit harder to get work out here, as nobody is returning home after their contracts, due to the poor economy in the US, UK etc. I would recommend looking for a job close to Seoul (I'm just outside), but competition is hotter there. But go no www.eslcafe.com It will have all you need to know and has forums and job adverts too. If there's any specifics you need to know just feel free to PM me and let me know what you decide to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troglodyte Posted January 6, 2011 VT Supporter Share Posted January 6, 2011 Nice to hear that it's going well, Wainy Are you still managing to catch all the Villa games some way or another then? I'm still planning on going, but it'll probably be 2012 now because the girlfriend and I have decided to do our PGCEs first. And the food over there, what are your favourites? Is a lot of it fish-based? How available/cheap is western food (the missus is a funny one and has a few allergies)! Anyway, keep us up to date with how it's going! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 They show all televised UK games (unless Celtic are on) and also one 3 o'clock kick off. Which is always Man Utd or if they aren't playing, Bolton. So we have been on quite a lot lately. If not though I can always stream. Wasn't pleasant watching the SHA cup game until 7am! Foodwise there is a lot of seafood but we don't tend to go for that. Work took us to a fish restaurant and everything was raw. There was even a side dish of live octopus! Basically they get it out the tank and chop it up with scissors. Then the pieces of tentacle just crawl around the plate and the suckers are still active so you have to really chew it. I tried one piece. Never again! Anyway the food I like is the meats you barbeque in the middle of the table and the hot and spicy soups (tofu, kimchi etc.). There is a great range of food and almost every dish is accompanied by loads of side dishes. The famous kimchi will be present at every meal you have. The food is generally very healthy too. Western food is readily available and cheap. A maccies will cost you about 2 quid 50 (my keyboard has no 'pound' sign). There is also KFC, BK, pizza places and the like. Would pay a lot of money for a roast dinner though, although saying that we did have christmas dinner at the Hilton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I'm visiting Seoul In August , have they reopened Kaesong ? the web seems a bit vague I'm going to the North anyway but Kaesong and Gumgangsan sounded like they could be worth a visit from the South ... do you know anything ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted March 15, 2011 Author Share Posted March 15, 2011 Pretty sure it hasn't been open to the South since the sinking of the Cheonan. They used to charge a fortune for it anyway apparently. The closest you can get from here now is with the USO DMZ tour which takes you to Panmunjom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 thanks , it sorts of backs up what i thought ... loads of tour agencies on the web are still offering it on their websites but never reply when you enquire about it I'm planning on doing the Panmunjom tour , have you done it ? I'll hit you for some tips on nightlife nearer the time if that's OK .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted March 15, 2011 Author Share Posted March 15, 2011 Yeah of course. Do you know where you'll be staying? Not done the Panmunjon tour yet, was planning on it and then the shelling debacle happened, but hope to do it soon so I'll let you know. Apparently there are a lot of DMZ tours but the USO one is the only worth doing as the others don't go to Panmunjon despite sometimes advertising it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legov Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Sounds like the food there is really cheap Chris, not something I'd have expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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