Location
  • South Korea
Length
52+ weeks

Pricing

Salary / Benefits
The current salary range for public school positions is 1,800,000-2,400,000 Korean Won per month.
Mar 16, 2018
Sep 18, 2019
8 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Take that first step towards a great adventure and apply with Canadian Connection. We help ESL teachers find excellent teaching opportunities in private and public schools throughout South Korea. Free housing and airfare provided. We assist you every step of the way from your interview to your arrival in Korea. We also offer continued support during your year abroad.

Canadian Connection will do the following: Match applicants with an appropriate school, Negotiate your contract, Collect documents and process working visa, Make all travel arrangements, Supply teachers with travel kit which includes maps, travel guide, cultural insights book, and an introduction to the Korean language brochure, Put teachers in contact with current/former teachers, Act as ongoing liaison between the school and the teacher.

Program Reviews

4.68 Rating
based on 38 reviews
  • 5 rating 84.21%
  • 4 rating 10.53%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 5.26%
  • Benefits 4.65
  • Support 4.7
  • Fun 4.3
  • Facilities 4.65
  • Safety 4.65
Showing 25 - 32 of 38 reviews
Default avatar
yogimeg55
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Beautiful Korean Culture Shock

Upon entering Korea, I was surprisingly calm and unphased by the culture that was booming around me--although that may have been due to severe jet lag. The aspect of culture shock that hit me first was the amount of people everywhere, as well as the speed at which they moved! I constantly felt as though I was either going to run into someone, or be trampled by the seemingly endless amounts of people streaming through the shinay (downtown Gwangju. Most of the culture shock was abated when I got to the beautiful Shin Yang Park Hotel--the home of our 10 -day orientation through the Jeollanamdo Language Program. The facility was luxurious and comfortable to me. It was also set at the base of the impressive Muedungson Mountain, which offers many hiking trails in the surrounding area. The Orientation was very informative and helpful to me. There was a varied amount of workshops spaning from "Korean Culture" to "Traditional Korean Music" to "Games!" The orientation also offered a field trip to a museum in Mokpo and an evening trip to a baseball game, where we feasted on fried chicken and pizza amongst the exhuberant and dedicated Korean fans. The orientation was very thorough and helpful, but seemed to be quite long. By the eighth day I felt ready to head out on my own and set up my apartment. I was also anxious to see my school, meet my co-teacher and the rest of the staff. The final day came and we were let loose. My co-teacher was very nice and helpful to me, even though he did not speak English very well. He took me to the Immigration Office to register for my A.R.C., and then took me to visit the school. I was welcomed very graciously and warmly. I immediately met the principal, vice principal and head teacher, which was stressful but successful too! I feel as though I represented myself well, even though I could barely communicate with the principal due to language barriers. That day felt like a whirlwind to me, which ended with a nice western dinner at T.G.I.Fridays at the Gwangju Bus Terminal. I settled in for the night at my apartment wrapped in a new blanket and sheet provided by my school. I felt strangly comfortable, and blissfully unaware of what was to come in the next several months. I am trying to be as open to new experiences as I can, while maintaining a strong sense of self in the process. I know there will be hard times, and I have already experienced many of those, but I know they will pass in time. The hard times also make the good times that much better! I want to become a stronger person--a more assertive person. I also want to be a good teacher. I hope to do my very best and be open to improvement.

29 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
iLoveKorea
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Canadian Connections made Change easy peazzzy

I am a person who hates change and am very attached to my family and comfort zone. Taking a leap and coming to Korea was a flood of emotions...excitement, fear, anticipation, hesitation, just to name a few. I truly feel that had it not been for Canadian Connections, my transition would not have been nearly as smooth and I may have already turned around and gone home. They made sure I was prepared for everything. They were always available for questions and were excellent at keeping in touch on a daily basis for any type of question. This is an excellent agency and would recommend it to anyone that is taking a risk and a leap in life. Canadian Connections is the way to go!

29 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Namarie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great experience...

My experience living and working in South Korea has been tremendous. The staff at Canadian Connections are professional and supportive and they made the transition to Korea as easy as possible. My job responsibilities were very reasonable and the wages and benefits are excellent. The foreigner community here is very social, and there are no shortages of things to do or get involved in. My biggest job challenges were: motivating middle schoolers with out incentives like marks or tests and managing the classroom with significant language barriers. The biggest day to day challenge is sometimes just being different. The culture is extremely heterogeneous and foreigners are so conspicuous. Sometimes I miss just being one of the crowd. That said, most people I've met are very warm, welcoming and eager to share Korean culture. I would definitely recommend this program and Canadian Connections to anyone who likes and cares about kids, who is open to new experiences and wants to travel around S.E Asia. I have been here for 2 years and have visited 11 countries during my vacation time!

32 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jan12
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

An overall amazing 2 years.

I've been teaching in rural South Korea for 2 years now. I'm teaching in an all-girls middle school, and have thoroughly enjoyed it! Everyone's situation is different, but for the most part teachers have great support from the program and co-workers, students who completely worship you, and a huge community of other foreign teachers who you will meet and become good friends with. Living in South Korea is relatively easy and comfortable, it has all of the 1st world ammentities with the rest of Asia at your doorstep for cheap traveling and a lot of new places to see and explore.

31 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
megan.c
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

My job hardly feels like work

I am about to begin the ninth month of my year long contract in Korea. This experience has been more than I thought it could be. Being recruited through Canadian Connection gave me confidence in the fact that my contract and living situations would be looked after and that I had the support of many people if anything (positive or negative) were to happen. I currently teach in two different elementary schools and a high school. While this situation is slightly more stressful than the average, I always feel as though I am well taken care of in terms of resources.
I was warned before I came to Korea that culturally many things would be different. To be honest, almost everything is different than in my home city in southern Ontario, Canada. Sometimes that can lead to frustrations, i.e., people talking around you instead of to you or hearing comments about your physical appearance, but the majority of time the cultural differences have been a learning experience for me and the foreigner community gets together to laugh it off.
I live in a mid-sized town in the southern province of Jeollanamdo. My apartment is the perfect size for myself and the puppy that I adopted from a shelter here. I have seen apartments of various sizes but nothing I couldn't live in, or of which I am extremely jealous. As per Canadian Connection's contract, my school takes care of my apartment rent and I am responsible for my bills. Including gas, hydro, cable, internet, my smart phone and a building maintenance fee, I pay a little over $150 a month in bills. The rest of my salary is mine to spend or save! My schools are all a bus ride away. I am thankful for the bus experience every time I make plans with friends to meet somewhere or go out.
The two best things about my job are the kids and the places I have been able to visit. Foreigners are a kind of celebrity in Korea and everyone still shows the utmost interest in me even eight months later. I say "hello" about one hundred times a day. In the evenings and on the weekends I travel a lot. There are so many beautiful places to see in this province. The week-long orientation that I attended with other Canadian Connection recruits allowed me to make many new friends, who then went all over the province to teach. Now when I travel, there is usually someone in each city that I know to visit. Transportation is so accessible here that I can easily make a day trip to almost anywhere in the country without issue. During my vacation time I have already been able to visit Thailand and Japan.
I feel like a year is not enough to experience everything here so I have decided to renew my contract for another year. I will transfer schools and cities (always looking for new experiences) but I will stay in Jeollanamdo.

29 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Rina
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Teaching English in South Korea

Teaching English in Korea is an experience I would recommend to anyone who is open-minded, motivated, and looking for a little adventure and foreign experience. Coming here through Canadian Connection was an easy, smooth process throughout which I received guidance at every step. Even with careful research and preparation ahead of time, it is impossible to really know what to expect; having friendly, experienced people to give you small tips and anecdotes from their own stay is truly invaluable.
While I wouldn't say that everyone can do it, teaching in Korea, especially in an elementary school, is not particularly difficult. The curriculum is all set out, the lesson planning is minimal and you always have plenty of materials and the support of your co-teacher to rely on. Even the discipline aspect is handled by your co-teacher so really all you have to do is...teach!
Moving to a new country away from family and friends can no doubt be a daunting step, and a bit lonely at times, but the friends you make here and the many many things to do and see quickly make you condsider extending your stay for another year.

32 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
mokpopkom
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Seamless experience

Canadian Connection makes teaching abroad easy. They guide you through the steps of applying, travelling, and make themselves available for support during your stay.

In terms of placement, I got placed in the city I wanted and I'm very happy! My school is great, coteachers are very supportive, and my apartment is close to all amenities.

29 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Marcel
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

In Good Hands

From the very beginning of my recruitment, I found the staff at Canadian Connection to be very professional and helpful. They contacted my wife and I about a teaching opportunity within days of meeting us at an information session, and ensured that our application and interview process went quickly and smoothly.

Once we were hired, Canadian Connection provided a great deal of support for us before we left for Korea. They helped us prepare the necessary documents, and held an in-depth information and debriefing day for all Korea-bound teachers in Toronto (and even gave us free lunch!).

Once we arrived, the school was friendly and receptive. There was a party for our arrival, and we got to job-shadow the outgoing teachers for a week before starting our daily classes.

So far, this has been an overwhelmingly positive experience. Thank you, Canadian Connection for providing us with the opportunity to enjoy another culture, as well as a rewarding position with excellent benefits!

30 people found this review helpful.
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Questions & Answers

Hello Nicola, Great to hear from you and thanks for your questions. Unfortunately we can't hire teachers with dependents for our programs. In this case you might want to contact private institutes directly to see if you can speak with a school director that can accommodate your situation. Best of luck in your search.

Hello Cassandra - thanks for your question. Both 3 and 4 year degrees are accepted. The main stipulation is that you have a completed Bachelor's degree. Hope that helps but let us know if you have any further questions. Thanks, Shane