I was reading about ‘must write topics‘ on any blog last night when I came across the notion of the ‘list post‘. I took a while and thought about what I was actually qualified to write an article on. Then I remembered I’ve been living in Korea since March, so I’ve written written a list of things to do before you come to Korea (in no particular order) and I thought I’d share it with you.
- Learn to read Hangul
- Find a quality recruiter that you can trust to send you across the world
- Apply for all the forms as soon as you know you have to
- If you’ve got a student loan outstanding, let them know you’re leaving the country
- Request images and/or videos of the academy so you can see what you’re getting into
- Try to get in touch with current teachers at the academy
- Have an idea of where you want to be
- Do your own research on the country and area you’ll be working in
- Sign up with some online communities dealing with TESL
- Try and make some friends in the country before you leave
Now that I’ve listed my 10 points, I’m going to go into each of them in a bit more detail. I hope it can reduce the initial stress of moving just a little.
1. Learn to read Hangul
You really will benefit from being able to read the Korean characters because there are often times when there are no English translations. I did it by writing all the characters on presentation cards and stick them on the wall. There are plenty of other free services out there though, as well as some paid ones.
2. Find a quality recruiter that you trust
I worked with Dan Henrickson over at Teach ESL Korea and he was as helpful as I could have hoped. He made the process as easy as it could be considering I live in the UK which is unhelpful at the best of times.
3. Get those forms filled in as soon as you can
It sounds like an obvious thing to say but you will spend a lot of your time before you leave waiting for other people to send you forms, or for forms that you’ve sent to arrive. Also, if you went to Glasgow Caledonian University like me, then you might find yourself having a difficult time getting hold of your transcripts.
4. Let people you owe money to know you’re leaving the country
Yea, a bit of a mistake on my part. I got a letter about 6 months after I left saying that they wanted all the money right away, presumably because they think I was running out on my debt. Save yourself the hassle and fill in their forms. You might even be able to save yourself some money.
5. Request images/videos of the academy and students
If you can see what the academy looks like, some pictures of the students you’ll be teaching and any of the teachers you’ll be working alongside, then it’ll make the transition that little bit easier. I went in blind and was just lucky.
6. Try to get in touch with the current English teachers
This kind of links with number 5 but if you can speak to the current English teacher you’ll be able to get a better insight into the working atmosphere, what the Korean teachers are like and also if there are any students you’re going to want to ‘black bag‘ in the first week.
7. Have an idea where in Korea you want to work
It’s a good idea to know whereabouts you want to work so you can research the area. You want to be aware of where might be a particularly good place for foreigners or where there might be a medical issue. For my first job I wanted to work near Seoul but not inside it, so I chose Incheon.
8. Do your own research
Again, this is obvious and links with number 7 but you really should be finding out as much about the area you’re going as possible. There are numerous resources online that will help you and also, there are plenty of books at the library.
9. Sign up with online ESL communities
There are plenty of other people offering advice on how to start working abroad so go and check them out. I didn’t but I know Dave’s ESL Cafe comes highly recommended.
10. Make some friends in Korea before you leave
I was lucky enough to have friends online that introduced me to other friends but there are plenty of sites out there where you can meet people from other countries. If you can make some friends early, it gives you something to do and some people to meet. They can also show you around if you’re lucky.
Well, thanks for reading my little list. It’s nothing groundbreaking I’m sure, but I hope it at least gives you some ideas of things to think about.
When are you leaving for Korea?
