As you might imagine, there’s a pretty extensive process to get hired as an ESL teacher. Think about it – the school wants to ensure they hire a high-quality teacher who can teach their students, and so on. The good news is that in most cases, your enthusiasm and sincerity is taken seriously. If you are enthusiastic and sincere, your chances of finding a teaching job are much better. There are a few requirements:
- English must be your native language. If you’re an American, you might be thinking ‘duh’.
- At least a Bachelors Degree of any subject from an accredited university / college
- Willing to relocate to South Korea (again, duh)
- Commit to teaching for a calendar year
- A valid passport
- No criminal records except minor traffic violations
- A strong motivation to be a sincere, committed teacher
A teaching certificate can be an asset, but is not required. If you’ve ever worked as a teacher or TA, that experience will be useful. I’ve worked as a teacher of computer classes and as a TA while in college, and that experience of looking out for my students will come in handy.So let’s say you’ve made it this far. You meet the requirements above, it sounds like an interesting opportunity, and you can move to South Korea. Checking for ESL jobs (which there are many) and sending off your resume are next, as is communicating with whomever responds. There’s usually an interview over the phone (in my case I interviewed with two different schools) – they’re just trying to get to know the person beyond the computer screen. In any case, give them the information they need to show you’re the best person for the job. Before long you’ll be getting requests for interviews.Any questions? Leave a comment or send me an e-mail!
