H. clarkton
- 2008-05-13
Check out Korean Hagwons, don't bother with universities.
Jackie
- 2005-06-21
From everything I've heard about Korea, it's next to impossible to get a job at a university unless you're actually there. Most places want face to face interviews...and the ones that don't, well I'd have to say be extremely cautious because why wouldn't people in country apply for the job?
Paul
- 2005-06-18
University level:
China, they badly need teachers. Morea flexible.
Korea, they pick the teachers in univ from dozen of resumes. Always someone, many ready to take your job.
China, less stressful and flexible.
RhenoThai
- 2005-06-18
Chiang Mai University in northern Thailand may be what you're looking for. I'd look into it. Chiang Mai is a beautiful place that blows away Bangkok, in my opinion. CMU is a great campus as well. It's about the size of Ohio State's Columbus campus.
RT
Ben
- 2005-06-17
I know, the problem with my credentials is that's the obvious answer. However, I just don't think I'd enjoy that, and I especially don't want to get involved with a 'teach for pay' situation, or teaching at night, that sort of thing. I don't want, or need, to scrabble around for money, I want to teach in the classic sense--which I know is swimming upstream a little because these folks are so focused on business.
Now, in a university setting, if they'd want me to teach some business english that would be ok.
What doesn't come out in formal 'credentials' is my background in history and the humanities--my masters thesis was about 200 pages on a purely historical analysis. What I'd really like to do is 'hijack' my class into some sort of western culture, history, geography, literature, politics, etc--it seems to me you have to have content, might as well be something useful and interesting to them if these are the future leaders of international trade in Korea/China.
What would make China less stressful than Korea? One thing about Korea is it has those huge breaks--you basically only teach about 8 months a year if I'm interpreting correctly. That would be ideal for me because then I could use that time to get the more 'linguistic' sort of MA. What sort of breaks do Chinese universities have? I can't quite break the code on them, they seem to be all over the map.
But you've intuited correctly--after 24 years of working 12 hour days 'less stressful' is what I'm looking for--I'm almost entirely looking for personal fulfillment, a sense of contribution, and at least a decent standard of living for my wife and I so we can enjoy the experience.
Mostly that means the living arrangments--a little one bedroom apt would be fine, a little two-bedroom would be fantastic, but with breaks off we'd plan to go back and forth between overseas and the states--I have a house at home near a great teaching university so I'd spend the breaks just pressing ahead with classes and unwinding.
Really appreciate your help, btw--trying to figure this stuff out from Dayton, Ohio (which is NOT home!), makes me feel like I'm trying to look at Mt Rushmore through a straw.
RhenoThai
- 2005-06-17
Ben, based on your credentials, I personally think you should look into teaching business English to adults in South Korea. Check the Seoul newspapers--I bet you'll easily find a job with a company that wants its employees to learn English.
As far as getting a job teaching English at a university, you may be fine with your MS. You may not, though. Universities in SK may want an MA in TESOL/TEFL. I'm betting you'll be just fine with your present MS, however.
Good luck.
RT
sed
- 2005-06-17
around 16 hrs a week/university. Less stressful than Korea.
I'm a major in the USAF about to retire and am interested in a university job in Korea. Money's not the most important thing to me since I already have a retirement; I'm looking for a fun, challenging new experience, decent living conditions for my wife and I, stable and professional working environment, and the long breaks between semesters for travel and additional education and certifications. Again, I'd take a hit on salary in exchange for those.
A good university job in Korea seems to offer this; so my question is, will I be qualified for one?
Here's what I'll have when I complete my teaching certifications in about a year:
50, white, native speaker, male
BA, Business Admin/Accounting, UNC-Chapel Hill
MS, Logistics/Business Admin, Air Force Institute of Technology
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Middle School teacher in Math and Science--also meet academic rqmts for Social Studies but no student teaching
TESOL (the four-week thing)
Certified Program Manager
Certified Acquisition Logistics
3 years experience as CPA
In the AF, time about split between being a flier (who cares?) and program manager--managed defense contracts worth about $30M a year, pretty big business
Lived overseas 11 years
So, lots of solid professional credentials that would land me a great job in the states--but ideally I want to teach English (as opposed to busines or accounting) at university in Korea--and maybe leverage my international, business, and history background and experience into my class.
(And of course I'd be willing to help out with business when necessary)
Will those credentials get me there or do I need to look in another direction?
I appreciate any help or advice from those 'in the know'--as I say, I don't particularly care so much about top dollar, but I am looking for decent conditions, professional environment, some autonomy, no requirement to teach over breaks (at least for the first contract while I study), etc.
Do I have a chance at a university in Korea?
How about a university in China?
Thanks!