Teach English in South Korea with CIEE | Includes TEFL Certification & Rent Free Housing

I love living in South Korea. I am at a private school, and there are many challenges, but the benefits far out way the difficulties! I work from 2pm to 10pm, which sounds weird at first, but I really like my schedule, and that I have time to go to places like the bank while it is still open. South Korea is so fun, safe, and beautiful. I love exploring and living here. The program directors are very helpful and respond quickly to emails. I am living in Changwon, which is a smaller city about an hour outside of Busan. It is a beautiful place to live with a large foreigner community. My commute to work every da is a twenty minute walk. I have included some pictures of it, because Fall here is just so gorgeous! I absolutely recommend this experience!

I've only been in Korea for about 5 weeks now, but I've loved every second. This country is beautiful, friendly and culturally rich -- I am so glad I chose to come here. When I decided I wanted to quit my job and come teach, I knew I wanted to do it with CIEE. I am SO glad that I did! CIEE helped me along every step of the way through the application process, including the longer EPIK application process. I was working a full-time job in the U.S., and can't imagine doing this without CIEE's help. The orientation they provide once you are in the country is so much fun and so useful as well, and the leaders are fantastic! It was great to make even more friends, especially coming here not knowing anyone. I highly recommend applying through CIEE--while there is a bit of extra cost, they help with organization and peace of mind.

CIEE is a great company to work with if you're looking to teach abroad. They take a lot of the guess work out of finding jobs, getting your visa, and feeling at home in a new country. They give you in-country resources who are willing to help you with any questions you may have. I would definitely recommend using CIEE if you're looking to teach abroad as a gap year or even for the rest of your career.

Choosing a program can be daunting because future teachers wonder what program they should go through or if they should go through any recruiter program. I went through CIEE because I wanted to feel more secure in getting my documents to South Korea.
My friend actually told me about CIEE abroad and I found it quickly after a search on the Internet.
I picked Korea because the Asian countries seemed to be the best paying and I had student loans to pay off. Korea seemed to be the least culturally different from what I read online/ watched on YouTube.
I'm in the EPIK program now. CIS was just my recruiter that I payed extra money for to help me apply. I also did my class through them. It took 3 months to do the class and 6 months to get accepted into the EPIK program.

Do they require teaching experience?
Only the class and and a bachelor's degree are required

Did they cover the class?
No, I had to pay for the class!! But they do reimburse you for your plane ticket after one month of working here plus they give you a nice entrance bonus
I'm still here and I might be staying for a while. It's not for everyone but I really like it.

I was overall happy with the CIEE program. The application interface is easy to use and understand, and streamlined the process. The man we were in contact with in America was very helpful and responsive. I applied with my boyfriend, and they were able to quickly find us placement together at the same private school. Our school is good, and is not on any of the blacklists. In fact, another person who went through CIEE has been working there for three years now! I think that we lucked out with our school, and we never have to bring any work home with us, and the hours are a stable 9-6pm. The only downside is that CIEE cannot guarantee how large your accommodations are (of course), so our apartment is on the small size. Its big enough, but I know a lot of couples who have a lot larger apartments. If you are a couple, I recommend trying to get a one or two bedroom apartment listed in your contract, because I think school will cut corners on cost if they can. The school will be saving money with a couple anyway, the least they can do is supply a reasonably sized apartment. My only complaint with CIEE's program is that the CIEE people we work with in Korea are not very responsive and sometimes unhelpful. They were slow to respond to pressing questions, and often just told us to "google" things when we were figuring out how to navigate medical issues and insurance. The application process if a bit difficult, because you interview, and then if the place offers you the job you have to decide if you want it within 24 hours. There is not a lot of time to "play the field", meaning you don't know if you will be missing out on a better option. There is an orientation in Seoul once you arrive, where you get to meet other members of CIEE teaching abroad, and there was a lot of helpful information. Again, I am glad I went with CIEE because it was very clear of what was needed and I was not afraid of getting placed at a horror school.

Overall, I am glad that I decided to contract with CIEE to find a teaching job in Korea.

My situation: I was in my senior year of college, extremely unsure of what to do after graduation. All I knew is that I had never gotten to travel, and that I really wanted to.

Solution: Teach abroad!

In my situation, I really needed a TEFL certification, and a helping hand in finding a job that would hire someone so inexperienced. In this regard, CIEE definitely provided everything it promised.

Throughout the process, everyone involved with the organization was really communicative and helpful. The instructions for applying were clear, and they handled everything in a really timely and professional manner. They made the intimidating process of searching for a job overseas much less intimidating.

If you're a newbie in need of certification and/or help finding a job overseas, CIEE will provide exactly that, assuming that you're willing to pay. It is of course possible to get a job in Korea without paying for a service like CIEE, but if you're willing to eat the extra cost, CIEE does what they say they will.

This program is a bit pricey, BUT if you are willing to pay there is some peace of mind that you will be placed and that there are a team of people dedicated to getting you a job in korea. I didn't have a certificate and I was a fresh grad and they still assured me they would find me a placement and they did! They even do an orientation so you connect with other foreigners right away and are good qt pointing you in the right direction if you need it.

Connecting with CIEE after graduating was a decision I will forever be grateful for. Being uncertain about teaching abroad is common and with the help from this organization, I was able to begin feeling more comfortable with the idea of traveling to a foreign country to teach English. I've been given amazing in-country support here in Korea and that has proven to be the most valuable because there's so much to learn. Having their email has been a luxury that other teachers here simply do not have because they chose other routes to get here.

My advice to anyone reading this is to be patient. Whether you're fresh out of college or well past your collegiate years, please understand that making a move to a different country to teach is a process. It is 100% attainable if you are dedicated to the idea of working with children and sharing your knowledge of the English language. Additionally, come prepared with questions that may be lingering in the back of your head. CIEE is dedicated to doing their best, so why not ask great questions?! There are so many and after reading a great deal of information, it can be easy to even forget stuff that's already been provided along the way. Additionally, I advise getting your TEFL Certification if you want to teach more than one year. It translates cross-culturally and is a great addition to your resume. All in all, so happy I chose CIEE.