Since I
worked in Jeonju, South Korea, and traveled around the country, I can definitely say, that
experience was a great adventure. On first arriving at the Seoul airport, I was
impressed with the cleanliness of the facility and how organized it all was. I had no
trouble getting through customs and onto the next bus departing for Jeonju, three hours
south of Seoul. When I returned to visit Seoul, however, I was immediately
overwhelmed by the sheer size and number of people in the city. The subway system is
excellent, but there are enough people riding the shuttles that you can easily see that
this is one of the top 10 highest populated cities in the world.
ESL (English as a Second Language) teaching
opportunities abound throughout the entire country...this may be changing, however, since
work visa requirements have been gradually increasing and there is a national initiative
to hire more Korean citizens who have studied abroad in an English speaking country.
Teaching opportunities can be categorized as being located in; Seoul, outside of
Seoul, Pusan, and on the Island of Jeju. There are probably as many opportunities
inside Seoul as in the rest of the country combined. If you work in Seoul, you will
get a true flavor for living in a massive Asian city. Outside of Seoul, there are
opportunities in cities ranging from a population of 100,000 to around 1,000,000. If
you work in Pusan, you get to experience the benefits of living in a large city with the
addition of some beautiful beaches in the area. And if you choose to work on the
Island of Jeju (marketed as the "Maui of Asia"), you obviously get the Island
experience. Salaries in Jeju are typically a little lower than on the mainland; I
don't know if this is because it is remote and doesn't have the economy than that of the
mainland or if a large number of people apply to work here so they can offer less money?
A typical contract in Korea includes airfare to the
country (return airfare upon completion of the contract), a small studio apartment, some
utilities, a computer, lunch if you want it in the cafeteria, and an ending bonus of
contract completion equal to one months salary.