Korea or Thailand? Starting your TEFL Career Abroad

A reader recently asked:

If you were starting off – would you go to Thailand or South Korea?

Personally, I would recommend starting out in Korea.  But – the right answer for me is quite possibly not the right answer for you.

Two major issues need to be considered and you need to move to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses – at least with your first job.

Culture

Thailand’s advantage is a warm and hospitable culture of friendliness.   It is perhaps one of the easiest countries in the world for a foreigner to live in and comfortably adapt.  Add to that wonderful weather, beautiful beaches and – well – what more could you ask of a country?

Koreans can seem a bit distant and unfriendly, perhaps just a bit wary of foreigners.   Add to that some really cold weather and even hot and steamy summers and well, all of us should be heading to Thailand!

If you have never lived abroad before and are concerned about your ability to adjust and succeed in a foreign culture, then Thailand might be your best bet of the two countries under consideration here.

BUT – I said I would go to Korea!  Why?

The second major factor in your decision making for choosing a country is:

Teaching Setting, Requirements and Expectations

On this issue, Korea comes out far ahead of Thailand.

In my opinion, Korea asks far less of newbie teachers and pays and provides far more.

Most teachers in Korea will teach 25 or fewer classroom hours per week and classes, especially in language schools, are usually kept quite small.   There is a strong cultural respect for teachers that helps smooth over any mistakes or major gaffs you might make.

In Korea, teacher training is not required to obtain your legal working papers (a good TEFL Certification is required in Thailand).  While I think teacher training should be mandatory everywhere, not everyone can afford a good course when first starting out and schools in Korea are flexible enough to let you learn on the job.

To Korea’s advantage add in the ability to be hired directly from abroad without having to go there, reimbursed airfare, paid accommodation and a few other benefits such as being able to save (fairly easily!) up to US$1000 a month on the job and I think Korea is hard to beat.

Thailand – on the other hand – almost always hires on the scene, does not usually offer airfare or accommodation, and you will earn enough to live well on the local economy, but you won’t be paying off debts or saving any serious money while working there.

Of Taiwan, Korea, Saudi Arabia or Thailand – my experience was that Thailand asked more of a teacher and paid less than any of the other countries.  Saudi asks a lot – but pays accordingly.

Add in Thailand’s required teacher training which means another four weeks without wages plus US$1200-2500 in tuition costs and Thailand can be an expensive place to get started.   Oh yeah, add in airfare to get there and a two-month security deposit plus the first month’s rent for your apartment, and your costs can really start adding up before you have even received your first wages.

TED’s Tips™ #1: If money is not a consideration and you have the seed money to get started, Thailand might be your best option.  But if you have concerns about large classes and working more hours – Thailand may not be a good option for you.

TED’s Tips™ #2: If money is a driving force in why you want to head overseas – Korea is your best bet by far, especially for newbies.  But if you are concerned about culture shock or just can’t tolerate frigid winters – then Thailand might be your best option.

TED’s Tips™ #3: China can be a good middle ground. Scout the market a bit before making a final decision.

The BEST EFL Teaching Jobs in China: Government Colleges, Universities and Secondary Schools offer the most reliable and worry-free jobs in China. Click on the Link if you would like to Teach English in China

Teaching English in Korea and Need TEFL Training

This post is based on an email from a reader and is somewhat common.  She is going to seek a teaching job in Korea and wants to get over there as soon as she can.  She wrote:

The only worry I have now, is that I have no teaching qualifications, I’m very tempted to complete a TEFL online course, but obviously won’t be able to do this before I apply.

To which I responded:  Most TEFL training courses designed for high school graduates  and that always was the case even for CELTA and the big expensive name brands. So, with a good college education and having practice taking examinations, you can probably finish an online course more quickly than the hours assigned to the course.

You can apply for jobs saying that you are in a course and will complete it by such and such a date. Most schools will give you a letter of some sort to say that, for example, you are taking the course and are expected to graduate by a specific date.

Korea does not generally require a TEFL certification, so you can certainly apply anyway. BUT you are correct to consider getting a bit of training. The unemployment situation in the USA and UK means that applying for and getting such jobs is becoming MUCH more competitive and it will help you have have an edge that many applicants won’t have.

I place people in China and jobs last year that would have gone begging on into September are already booked solid. A lot more people are looking for work.

Best bet to get an online TEFL Certification done inexpensively and at your pace:   TEFL Boot Camp.

She also asked:

Also as a more general question, do many schools tend to employ more than one ESL teacher?

Most schools have several, some have many – and some have a lot lot! Very few schools will have only one teacher. Most will have something like three to ten depending on how big they are. I once taught at a school where there were 35.

TED’s Tips™ #1: The job market for teaching English abroad is still very strong, but high unemployment levels in the USA and UK mean there is more competition for the better jobs. People with no experience should get some training – just about any kind would help a lot – to help them land their first job overseas.

The BEST EFL Teaching Jobs in China: Government Colleges, Universities and Secondary Schools offer the most reliable and worry-free jobs in China. Click on the Link if you would like to Teach English in Chinae