Greenheart Travel Job Posting from TEFL.com (South Korea)

You can read this job post here.

Usually this company, Greenheart Travel, charges teachers for the program. However, for this job in South Korea teaching in public schools, there are NO CHARGES.

Greenheart Travel does offer a TEFL certificate, but I wouldn’t go for it. First, you’ll have to pay for it ($480), and I doubt the quality would be very good. Wait until you’ve worked two years in Korea, and then do the CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults). You don’t need any experience/ or any certificate to step foot inside a Korean public school classroom. The first week is difficult to adjust, but there are loads of resources available to help you online. Just do a Google search.

The one drawback to this post, and any teaching post in Korea, are the seemingly insurmountable hoops you’ll have to jump through in order to teach in the country.

The government now requires an FBI background check, which takes 3-4 months. And Greenheart Travel, nor does any employer in Korea, reimburse you for the cost.

A CLEAN CRIMINAL RECORD is a must. Just as the posting says, not even an underage drinking misdemeanor charge when you were 20 years old. The government of Korea is very restrictive and are just looking for an excuse to turn away a Waegukin (Korean word for ‘foreigner’.) The best teachers have made mistakes, but use them as a learning experience. Don’t even apply for a Korean teaching job if you have a questionable record. Apply to a different country that’s not as strict.

The compensation is similar to other good jobs on offer. With no teaching experience and no TEFL certificate, you’ll be on the bottom rung of the salary scale. Don't listen to the warnings: if you're savvy enough and careful enough, get some private tutoring on the side to supplement your income.

30 days of paid vacation is good to start with.

You’re not working in a Hakwon, or language institute, but a public school where you’re paid on time, and the working conditions can be predictable. (There are exceptions to this rule. If given the choice, I would choose a public school over a Hakwon any day of the week.) Furnished apartment, severance pay and flight allowances provided. Though you’ll have to ask in the interview with Greenheart Travel whether or not you’ll have to pay for apartment utilities.

Remember: You are using a recruiter. Make sure the contract you sign for Greenheart Travel matches the one you’ll sign at the public school on your first day. If they don’t match, or there are any surprise clauses that were suddenly written in, don’t sign and call the recruiter. Be firm with your public school employers. If they see you are weak willed, that your spine will break under their pressure, soon enough they’ll want you to work extra hours, possibly on Saturdays, teach a faculty member English for free, design textbooks etc. And then you’ll find yourself working 60 hour weeks at the same salary stated on your contract. If you don't mind being pushed around, then I guess you are a jellyfish. For others, don't let them take advantage of you because you are young and inexperienced. There’s nothing wrong with being assertive, but do it in a polite way.

For newbie teachers, give it a go. But don’t forget to ask some thorough interview questions.