Last week, I signed up for a 100 hour, online TEFL course.
That’s right ladies and gents, I’m going to teach abroad!
Johnny and I have been wondering what to do after we go to Europe. We teased with the idea of going to Thailand, but in the end, the prospect of teaching abroad won out. We’ve actually already started our E-2 visa process for South Korea (more on this in a second). Yes, South Korea!
So, why S. Korea?
Well, 3 of my friends from college and 2 of my friends from high school are all currently teaching in Korea and can’t stop talking to me about it. Every time I sign on to Skype, I’m bombarded with “When are you coming Sheryll? Why haven’t you started your application? I love it here!” The idea of making money from something I actually like doing sounds awesome, Korean fashion = amazing, and my friend showed me a picture of an entire Hello Kitty grocery store, so I’m pretty much sold. Johnny is excited to brush up on his Tae Kwon Do and possibly test for his 2nd degree Black Belt, in addition to learning Korean Judo. He’s in heaven.
I’ve always loved the idea being a teacher. Teaching is one of my most rewarding jobs on the planet, in my opinion. And after a long deliberation with Johnny, we decided it was the best thing to do. We did some research, and the next day we signed up to get our TEFL certifications. The deadline for EPIK (English Program in Korea) is in December, so we had to get the ball rolling on our E-2 visa checklist, which includes:
1. Copy of university degree with apostille
2. 2 letters of reference, notarized
3. FBI Criminal Background Check (CBC) with apostille
4. Heath Statement
5. 3 sealed, official transcripts
6. 6 to 8 passport photos
7. Signed employment contract
8. TEFL/TESL/CELTA certificate (you don’t need a TEFL certification, but you will get paid more if you have one)
I’m trying to get as much done as possible before we leave for Europe, since if we were to get a job we’d have to leave the US again by the end of February. I already have my degree, we started the CBC process, requested transcripts, and we’re getting our passport photos done tomorrow. It’s a lot to do, but Johnny and I have never been so excited about this new chapter in our lives. We both signed up for our 100 hour online TEFL certifications through TEFLonline.com. They came highly recommended by a few of my friends, plus a quick google search shows they are the real deal. According to their site, “TEFLOnline.com was developed by Bridge, an accredited institution and the largest provider of TEFL courses in the United States.” The 100 hour online course is $346.50; not too bad in my opinion.
I’m really pumped about possibly living somewhere new, being an expat, and experiencing a different culture. S. Korea will be unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. I’m not expecting it to be rainbows and roses, but that’s also the most exciting thing about it. And besides, it’s only for a year (or maybe longer. Most of my friends love it so much they plan on renewing their contracts).
So not only will I be blogging about my European adventures, but also about the TEFL course, the Korean E-2 visa process, the process of getting a job, and all the other insane stuff happening in my life….like my little sister’s wedding in a MONTH.
I have so much on my plate. At times, I’m completely overwhelmed. But this is all a million times better than my life last year. It’s scary and exhilarating all at the same time. And trust me, I’m ready for something new. I’m ready to meet new people and get the hell out of Los Angeles.
Have any of you taught English abroad? How was your experience?
{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
A friend of mine taught for a year in South Korea and keeps going back, he loved it so much – right now he’s in law school but convinced his school to let him spend a semester there studying abroad. Good luck with your certification, and congrats on your exciting new plans!
Thank you Emily! Everyone I’ve talked to says S. Korea is awesome. I cannot wait!
You’re going to have so much fun! I did my TEFL as part of my degree and really regretted not putting it to proper use. It was great being able to teach people. Can’t wait to hear about your experiences.
Really? What is your degree in? Come to Korea! lol!
Congrats on figuring it all out! Can’t wait to read about your experiences. Good luck!
Thank you!
I got my TESL earlier this year and I can’t wait to put it to good use! I loved teaching the classes for my practicum. Now I just have to choose a country to teach in!
ooooh! That’s so exciting. Where did you study? Do you have any countries that you are looking at in particular?
I’m considering Japan at the moment, but I have a lot of friends over in South Korea and they are loving it! It seems to be a popular choice. And I did my TESL with International House.
This seems like a really exciting way to get to see more of the world – good luck!
Thank you, Amy
I have a good friend living in S. Korea now for her third year! Best of luck to you!
Nice post, lots of useful advice! I was wondering, where are you getting your TEFL from? I contacted some people and they asked 1.250 usd for a 90 hours course.
WHAT?! That’s insane! First, 90 hours doesn’t even count, in order for it to be a certification people take seriously, it has to be 100 hours or more. I’m getting mine at teflonline.com. It’s been super great so far. $346.50 for 100 hour course. Let me know if you end up taking it
Anna, was the 90-hour course online or in person? I’ve done pretty extensive research on TEFL certifications and generally the ones that are online are just as good but people opt for the on-site ones bc they’re in cool countries! Hope that helps!
Awesome!! You will LOVE Korea, I think! I went last year to Seoul with my boyfriend and we had to admit that it was one of our favourite countries in Asia! It was very cosmopolitan, super clean, and people (even though they didn’t speak English) were VERY VERY nice and helpful, even though we couldn’t understand each other…
One thing I loved about Korea was the weather- it reminded me very much of Canada! I didn’t visit any other parts but my week in Seoul was enough to sell me on the place. I did a whole series of posts on my trip to Seoul here: http://oneika-the-traveller.blogspot.com/search/label/korea
I also want to say that teaching English in Korea has been popular amongst Canadians for a long time now! I have known over 10 people who have gone and all of them have had positive things to say about their experiences. The salaries are very good and you’ll have a lot of savings potential. Most agencies will give you a free apartment so you’ll have lots of money to spend on the fashion there…
Anyway, I’m starting to ramble so will end here, but one last thing: I know that there’s a fashion photographer/ blogger named Felicia who has lived in Seoul for a number of years now so you might want to get into contact with her as she would be an incredible resource! Here’s a link to her blog: http://nearandfar.wordpress.com/
Hope that helps! See you in London… And maybe Paris?!?!
YESSS Oneika! Thank you so much, this is all wonderful. I’ve heard SO many good things about Seoul. I think I might fall in love. There’s a HUGE Korean influence in LA, and I always admired all of the fashion from afar.
One of the main reasons I’m going is to save money. All of my friends there have been able to save for things like paying off debt, medical bills, save for more travel. I’d love to be able to save enough money to go live in South America for awhile….at least that’s the plan for right now. Who knows, I may stay in Korea for a long time. Everyone RAVES about it.
And thank you SO much for the fashion photographer/blogger info. She seems super fabulous. And we’ll totally see each other in London, and I hope Paris too!
Just finished my TEFL course and currently getting ready to move to Thailand to teach! Best of luck getting all of your stuff together – I can’t wait to read about
YAY! Thailand!!! When are you leaving? That’s so exciting. How was that process?
I taught English in Buenos Aires for awhile. To be honest, I hated it. But I was a bilingual preschool teacher in the States, I love little kids, I have tons of patience with them (which I realize is opposite for most people) so teaching adults in Buenos Aires totally sucked for me.
However, one of my best friends is in South Korea right now too. He has been there for almost 2 years and he still really likes it!
I LOVE children, so I’m hoping I get paired with kindergarten through like…2nd grade. My friend teaches middle school in Korea and she said it’s a nightmare. Puberty is in full swing and the kinds are insane. But, she says it’s still rewarding nonetheless.
Where is your friend located? Everyone seems to like it to much!
Ahhhh!! Im sooo jealous and cant wait to hear all about it!! I would do it in an instant if I coukd only convince my boyfriend to come with me!!!
Trust me, it took my boyfriend a lot of convincing…showing him cool pictures, telling him about all the cool martial arts schools, how much money we’d save, how we’d be immersed in a different culture. It took months! But he finally came around, and might even be more excited than I am! Keep dropping those subtle hints girl!
Sounds great! I’m sure it will be a rewarding experience!
Thank you Erik!
Seriously, so excited for you. It seems that everything just keeps falling perfectly into place!
That TEFL course sounds like a great deal. In Europe a lot of places don’t accept online courses, so I took a classroom course for twice the price and honestly, I should have just done the online course!
I have a friend that teaches in S. Korea too and he was trying to get me to go there instead of Italy. I think he’s been there about 3 years now! He LOVES it!
I know that certain places (aka mostly Europe) don’t really accept the online course. Most want you to have gone to school for TEFL or get a crazy expensive ass CELTA certifcation. But I’m having a lot of fun with the online course. It’s a lot of work, but I’ve never been a teacher before so it’s definitely helping.
Everyone I know has a friend that LOVES S. Korea. Totally makes me feel like I’ve made the right decision.
I was there for about 3 years and I loved it. Email me if you want any advice. stacey_liezl ((at)) hotmail ((dot)) co ((dot)) uk.
I’m totally emailing you Stacey! Thank you so much.
“Teaching is one of my most rewarding jobs on the planet, in my opinion. ”
I totally get this, hun. I’m so excited for you. I said it once and I’ll say it again: We’re totally sisters from another mister! Hahaha!
I want to spend the next few years teaching across Latin America and then Europe, then Africa, then one day someone in South East Asia too.
I can’t wait to hear all about it from you. X
You’re going to have the time of your life. I can’t wait to read about all of your Mexican adventures. Please eat lots of tacos for me, as I’ll be crazy deprived
Wow, I’m just now seeing this!! I’m so glad that you decided to go to South Korea to teach! I am heading there as well (crossing fingers within two or three months), although I am looking to teach in the hagwons. And it’s smart you took the TESOL/TEFL certificate since that will bump you up on the public school pay grade. Good luck with your studies and enjoy
Oh, I believe you will have your CBC back before the end of the year, but if you need to get your apostille done quickly, you may want to check out expedite services like US Legalization or US Authentications . . . I used the former, and I got my federal apostille back in a week, as opposed to 8 weeks going through snail mail to the Secretary of State office.
My first teaching experience was when I taught in Madrid to first graders. I loved teaching there and the kids (minus one deeply disturbed little boy) treated me like a celeb. However, the cost of living kicked my behind seriously. Now, I’m subbing in mostly bilingual (Span/Eng) classes here in the States, and I discovered that I like teaching Pre-kinder to 4th grade. So, hopefully I will get to do that in South Korea. Similar to your SO, I can’t wait to take taekwondo classes (although I’m a newbie). Plus, I want to study Korean & Mandarin while there . . . in addition to attending Korean music festivals/concerts then travel t/o Asia and Oceania.
omg really?!?!?! Let’s totally hang out when I get there. Do you know what city you will be in?
And thank you for the info about the apostilles. I’ve sent my notarized diploma in, and I still haven’t received it back. I’ll totally have to check that out when we get back from Europe. I know I’ll need my CBC expedited for sure. Thank you!
And let’s take TKD classes together! I’ve always wanted to try it.
I have been looking to live abroad, but wasn’t sure how I would finance it. I always said teaching would be my fall back career. This sounds like an excellent plan. Kudos to you for living out your dream!!
Thank you! And trust, you can totally do it. It’s a lot of random paperwork, but once you get it all organized, it isn’t hard at all.
So awesome! Congrats congrats! Living abroad, being an expat, is something G and I are also dying to check off our list. But first things first. We’re about to embark on our first rtw this December! We’re planning on a stop in S. Korea some time in May so hopefully our paths could cross? Beyond excited for you and we both wish you all the best! In the mean time, yes please do get the hell out of Los Angeles. Lol.