Paid Teacher in South Korea

Moving to South Korea is a complete culture immersion, everyday is a new adventure. I have gone to Busan, Daegu, and Gyeongin. My goal is to explore as much of South Korea and nearby countries as possible.

I have been in Korea for several months now and the experience has been amazing. I am really loving it. GeoVisions was extremely helpful and their local team, especially Cid, helped me get all settled in. My apartment is great. I have already made many friends with some fellow teachers and have had a chance to explore but the weather is still quite cold. My overall experience with GeoVisions was excellent and I would highly recommend people to go the route of a local partner. I was so nervous and didn't know what to expect but they were very patient in walking me through the process.

I always thought that I needed to already know the Korean language in order to apply to teach in Korea. Thank goodness to this program for making me more confident and prepared for the journey ahead! They have prepared me by letting me participate in their TESOL and Korean Cultural Foundation course. These courses breakdown the country of your destination into simple science --learning the culture, language, teaching methods, and faux pas to better navigate the different social circles you will encounter. I am teaching in South Korea now, and the constant check-ups I receive from Jodi at GeoVisions makes me feel like she is genuinely looking out for me. I highly recommend the program.

When I first was considering teaching abroad I was actually thinking about going to Thailand but the more Jodi at GeoVisions told me about Korea and what it has to offer, the more hooked I became. The process took a long time but whenever I had any questions or concerns, I got a quick response from GeoVisions. I took the online TESOL through their partner XploreAsia and it really helped to prepare me. My trainer, George, was great and I met other teachers on the course and we still keep in touch. I arrived about six months ago and I teach at a Hogwan in Busan. It is about as far away from Seoul as you can go but I don’t mind. I like that it is a much smaller city and the country side around the city is so beautiful. The great thing about South Korea is that everything is pretty compact so it only takes about two hours on the high speed train to get to Seoul. I definitely recommend going through an agent like GeoVisions because they were helpful in the interview and preparation. They also helped me prepare for my trip and their partner on the ground picked me up at the airport and helped me settle in to my new apartment and town. They also have a party for their teachers every few months. I haven't been able to attend one yet but I will one of these days.

After completing my Bachelor of Arts degree in April 2012, I decided to pursue the idea of teaching English as a foreign language in South Korea. In July that year I submitted my resume alongside the application form to GeoVisions to go teach in South Korea. Shortly afterwards I was contacted by their partner in South Korea, XploreAsia. For those who are interested in teaching in South Korea be aware that the application process is arduous. However, the team at GeoVisions and XploreAsia are encouraging and helpful. I am grateful to them for their support. I was posted at Hongwan High School, which is located in Buyeo County in the Chungnam Province. It is a technical high school mainly comprising male students, so I often feet overwhelmed. Whenever I feet down I re-read an email that my agent sent me before coming to South Korea, which explained that living and working in a quaint town is more rewarding than living in a cosmopolitan city like Seoul and that the challenges I have faced with only make my experience more meaningful and memorable. Although teaching low-level students was a challenge, there were moments when the students surprise me. Teaching is an enlightening experience and living in a rural area is peaceful and I have been exposed to the essence of Korean life.

I think the most memorable experience was my first time doing karaoke with my Korean friends and co-workers. I really wanted to travel and go to Asia because I have heard so many wonderful things. Korea was my ultimate pick because the salaries are good and I love Korean food. My accommodations were excellent. Nice, clean and password key-less lock. It is a little small but accommodations are so expensive in Seoul.