Prep Time

The process for applying to teach English in Korea is, quite frankly, a pain in the butt. I am fortunate to know a couple of people who are teaching there, and one of them put me in contact with his recruiter. Rena Kim works for ESL Park, and she's been an enormous help in getting my requirements fulfilled. I first filled out an application for ESL Park. (To anyone who is interested in applying- give me your email address, and I'll put Rena in contact with you.) Rena called me for a quick interview the next evening, and she sent me a list of the required documents.

1. The Criminal Background Check (CBC)- State background checks used to be considered good enough for this process, but recent changes require a federal background check. You will need to get your fingerprints done. If you're not sure where to go, give your local law enforcement agency a call, and they should be able to direct you. It only cost me $3 to have that done. Then, go to http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/background-checks/background_checks to fill out the forms and authorize payment. Make sure to have it sent directly back to you. For the reason, just put that you want a visa to travel to Korea. Otherwise, they may want to send it to Korea instead of back to you. Then comes the waiting. My recruiter warned me that it could take three months to get the CBC back. Mine only took about 6 weeks.

You will then need to get your CBC notarized and apostilled. Any notary should work as far as the notarization goes. An apostille is like a notarization, but it is recognized internationally. It makes the document extra official. You have to send your CBC to Washington to get it apostilled, and it could take about three weeks.

2. TWO Copies of Your Diploma- Only one gets sent out to Korea with your other documents, but you need to have two copies notarized and apostilled. I was able to get mine notarized by someone at my bank (make sure that the notary dates the notarization!), and then I took them to the Secretary of State in Indiana to get them apostilled.

3. Copy of Passport- This was easy for me, since I already have a passport. This can also take a long time to process if you don't already have one. Don't send out the actual passport! They just require a copy of the page with the photo.

4. FOUR Passport Photos- Why do you need additional photos when you already have a passport? I don't know. Rena told me that I could scan the photo from my actual passport and print out 4 copies. I didn't, because my photo is so horribly washed out that I wonder how someone specifically trained to take an important photo for an important document could botch it so badly. It got me to Italy just fine a few years ago though, so I guess it works. I went to Walgreens to get some new photos. It cost a little less than $20 for four photos. It was quick and painless.

5. The Contract- You have to send in the copy of the contract that your recruiter sends you, with your signature on it.

6. Health Certificate- Rena emailed me a Health Certificate to fill out and sign. I am not sure what could set you back, as there's nothing seriously wrong with me. Physically, anyway. I read a blog by someone in Korea who has diabetes, so I guess that's not a problem that would prevent you from teaching. On a side note, he commented that the meds he needed were considerably cheaper in Korea.


I sent out my documents last week, and my departure depends on how quickly they get my visa in order. Rena seems to think that I will be leaving around the 21st of February, but it could be a little later.

Oh, and you don't need to know Korean to teach there. They recommend that you try to learn Hangul, their alphabet. Knowing that should be a big help in learning the language. I'm slowly learning it, and I'll keep you posted on what sources I find the most useful.

For those of you who are on the fence about teaching abroad, I highly recommend that you get your CBC done. If you decide in the end that you don't want to do it, you're only out the $20 for the prints and CBC. If you decide you do want to do it, and you haven't gotten the CBC done, you have to wait the two or three months, and then wait even longer to get it apostilled.

KOREA!!!

As most of you are already aware, I will going to teach English in Korea. In less than a month. This entry, and hopefully only a few entries preceding this post, will serve as a suitable substitute until I can get a really awesome blog going, where I will unfortunately have to cough up a certain amount of awesome money. I looked into Wordpress, and I couldn't makes sense of the setup instructions. A tech geek I am not. In any case, you might be interested in what I'm doing and why I'm doing it.

I think quite a few of you are under the impression that this is some goodwill mission. This couldn't be further from the truth. For one thing, I'm getting paid to do this. I'm going to be teaching for Avalon English in Gimpo, and they'll be paying me between $1800 and $1900 a month, with housing expenses paid by the school. For another, South Korea (yes, SOUTH- North Korea would never let me in) is not a third world nation. I may only be living in a studio apartment, but I will have a toilet. I hope.

I lack direction. I hate to say it, but I do. I don't know what I want to do for a living because my interests are too diverse. I do however want to travel, learn a different language, and experience another culture. So while I may be rendering a valuable service to the people of Korea, I feel that I'm getting the better end of the deal.