Living abroad can be exciting, but it also has its challenges. Those who have never been out of their home country will find that there is much to learn when moving to a country on the other side of the world. At the same time, even those who have lived abroad will find that moving to a country they have never been to before is a learning experience.
Following are four important ways to prepare for moving abroad for a year. These tips will save you a lot of time, hassle, heartache and even money and apply to anyone who is moving to South Korea to teach English as a Second Language.
It is important to find a reputable employer in South Korea before setting off. If you have never been to Korea before, then you will find that working with an employment agency such as Gone2Korea is a wise decision. A good agency can help you find the type of job that best suits your needs and make sure the school providing the contract is legitimate. Furthermore, an employment agency can give you good advice regarding how to prepare your documents, how to secure a work visa, what to expect when landing in Korea, what to bring from your home country and more.
Any bona fide employer should provide you with a written contract. This contract should be in English and you should understand it in full before signing it. The contract should stipulate how long you will work, where you will work and what type of classes you will teach. It should also note how much you will be paid and which benefits will be provided.
Moving far away from loved one is never easy. However, you can make the process less painful than it would be otherwise if you talk with your loved ones and agree on ways to stay in touch. You may want to set up Skype chats at certain times on the weekends, stay in touch via Facebook or commit to sending regular emails. Choose a contact method or methods that work best for all involved.
Korean is not an easy language to master but you can learn simple phrases to introduce yourself, ask someone’s name, ask for directions, determine how much things cost and the like. Learning a few phrases in Korean will help you get around town and make the overall transition a little easier. You will also find that your students will be overjoyed to work with a teacher who has taken the time to learn a bit of their language.
South Korea is a fascinating country and you will find that there is a lot to see and do. Metropolitan areas are large and modern and you will have no problem finding the same products that you would normally purchase back home. There are also plenty of entertainment options available to choose from and a large foreign community that is welcoming, friendly and helpful. If you follow the tips outlined above, you will find that living and working in South Korea for a year is not as difficult as it may have initially seemed. In fact, you may even find yourself completely enchanted with the country and more than happy to extend your stay or return at a later date.
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Gone2Korea is your connection to full-time teaching jobs in South Korea. Western graduates, primarily from the US, Canada, UK, and Australia, use our services to secure jobs with trusted Korean schools, and schools use our services to find and hire enthusiastic teachers from the West.
Worth noting: We’re not a job ‘sourcing’ agency or recruiter that finds new schools on the fly. On the contrary, we work with a select group of schools and programs that we know and trust.
In addition to helping you land a job, we’ll also be helping you with your work visa, departure, arrival, and offering support for the entirety of your contracted term.
Prior teaching experience and related degrees are NOT prerequisites for teaching in Korea. Here’s what you’ll need in order to qualify.
Korean schools and programs offer western English teachers highly competitive benefits packages which includes:
