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

When you take a deep breath and you are looking at colorful gems and you are naked and sweating. You know you are at a 찜질방. I spent most of the weekends of my first year in Korea in these saunas because I didn't have much money and I loved traveling. I could sleep in the floor for $10 - $15 dollars in just about every city. Now I'm in my second year, I paid off my student loans, and I really enjoy South Korea. I've adjusted to the culture and I think it's made me a far more worldly person. In my experience it was hard to understand true Korean culture until I started speaking a decent amount of Korean which has just happened recently. There is still excitement and mystery for me and for the right personality teaching in SK could be there best thing you have done with your life. I know it's the best decision I've made for my life.

Teaching abroad through CIEE is one of the best decisions I have ever made. As a fresh college graduate, the decision was a no-brainer: living abroad with a comfy salary, rent-free housing, insurance, and the promise of adventure? Perfect formula for something exciting.

The pre-departure support that the program offers was invaluable to me in navigating interviews, contracts, and visa paperwork. It takes away the anxiety of hoping that the hiring school is offering livable wages and competitive benefits - it's harder to advocate for those things yourself when you don't speak the local language well! I applied to private language schools (hagwons, in Korean) only, rather than to the Korean EPIK public school program. These two tracks are very different, so make sure you do your research before choosing how to apply!

Once you arrive in-country, the level of support that is needed from the program varies. I personally was placed in a hagwon that is incredibly communicative and welcoming. My supervisors and co-workers all speak English, and there is a large community of expats in the greater area, so I did not need extra help from CIEE in adjusting to my new home. But if your placement is different (i.e., if you're the only foreigner at your school, which happens sometimes!), CIEE is there to help mitigate any disputes and assist with your adjustment to life abroad. It's a great comfort to know that if problems arise, there is a team prepared to help at any time.

Program benefits also vary from placement to placement. My studio apartment is safe, modern, and comfortable, but be warned: many Korean landlords/building managers don't require prior tenants to clean the place before they leave, so your apartment might need a deep-clean when you arrive. The apartment is about fifteen minutes' walk away from my school, which is typical compared to other expats in my area. Your utilities payments, insurance payments, and pension plan payments all depend on your contract with your school, so be prepared to contribute to these. Working hours also vary greatly; my hours are 1pm to 9pm, but I have also worked morning shifts, and I have worked across multiple branches of my employer's company. Be flexible!

My home away from home, Daegu, is a beautiful mountainous city in the southern part of the country. Perhaps I'm biased, but if you're thinking about coming to Korea, there really is no better place to be than Daegu! Just be prepared for some really heavy satoori (local dialect, different from the Korean they speak in Seoul!) and some whispers and stares from the locals - it's kind of a conservative city!

I did my TEFL with CIEE through their Teach in South Korea programme, so it was a perfect programme for me at the time. I valued the pre-departure course and in-country orientation as it really prepared me for professional and personal life here.

The application process is straightforward and easy to follow and CIEE placement coordinators constantly help you to get documents ready on time. The course just makes the moving and preparation process easier and gives you less things to worry about.

Also, the fact you can do a verified TEFL with the course makes the choice to move easier. As a person with little teaching experience and no teaching qualification, CIEE have everything to prepare you professionally to teach abroad.

Overall, I am happy I chose this programme in the end.

I'm about three months into my program in Sokcho and I am greatly enjoying my experience. The city is wonderful, the people are generally nice, I've met great friend among fellow EPIK teachers and my school and the staff and students are incredibly sweet and generous.

My experience with CIEE thus far has been worth it, I think. They were a huge assist during my EPIK application process and when comparing the process to other EPIK teachers who complained about their difficulties applying on their own, I feel grateful for having had so much help along the way.

The included TEFL course was handy as well, as well as the CIEE-specific orientation. I'm going to put my iNext insurance to use as well on a trip to Thailand this winter. :) All in all, teaching in Korea is a great experience for those of you looking for new adventures and new cultures.

In general, this is a program that I would highly recommend. I originally knew about CIEE because I used another program of theirs to study abroad in South Korea in 2016. It was this experience that made me realise that I really enjoyed being in Korea and I became very interested in spending more time in the country. It was this that lead me to applying to this program to help with the application process.

I had a very positive experience with my adviser. When you are applying for something like working abroad, there are a lot of required documents and a lot of deadlines. And usually it is very important that you meet these deadlines at the correct time. I always felt comfortable calling my adviser when I had questions and she was always very good about replying quickly.

A few others have mentioned the differences between public and private schools in Korea, and this is definitely a valid point. I am currently employed through EPIK and so therefore I work at a public school in Daejeon, which is about two hours south of Seoul. Oftentimes your experience here is determined entirely by your school. With private schools, there are a lot less laws that they have to follow and sometimes this can get people into less than ideal situations. However, I know many people who are in private schools and absolutely love it. But your situation working in a public school versus a private school will definitely look different. I think there could have been more of an overview of these differences on CIEE's part.

Overall, I think Korea is a great place to work and live. I think they have a positive view of foreigners, and never have a felt unwelcome in this country because I am not Korean. This is a really beautiful country and a great place to travel to!

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.