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Requirements for Teaching English in Korea

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The requirements for teaching English in Korea are diverse and are always subject to change on a dime. But after going through all these motions, English teachers in Korea can find themselves with an experience that leaves a lasting impression on their lives. And with Adventure Teaching leading you the way and helping you navigate through all the riffraff and pitfalls, that lasting impression is sure to be a positive one! Rest assured, with support staff who are bilingual and also have lived in Korea for many years on both sides of the fence, both as teachers and school administrators, we have got your back.

Before we get too deep into the requirements for teaching English in Korea, please feel free to skip right to the comments at the bottom if you have any questions to start off with or email us in confidence at [email protected].

Otherwise, come along on a deep dive with us as we cover the requirements for teaching English in South Korea as follows:

Visa Requirements for Teaching English in South Korea:Requirements for Teaching English in Korea

  • You must be a citizen from a country deemed to be a native English-speaking nation: U.S., U.K., Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa.
  • Bachelor’s degree or diploma from an accredited university or college (4 years if US/3 years if UK).
  • Current background check (less than 6 months since date of issue) indicating a clean criminal record.
  • Clean health check and drug test.

The above are the minimum requirements for what is referred to as an E-2 teaching visa issued by Korean immigration and allows you to work for one year at the workplace of your visa sponsor. Please note that there are other visas that may apply to you where you are able to teach English in Korea, such as E-1 (university professor), F-2 (Long-term Residency Visa), F-4-11 (Overseas Korean, ie. Korean-American, etc), F-5 (Permanent Resident) and F-6 (Spousal Visa, ie., Spouse of a Korean National). If you are eligible for any of these visas or have any questions about obtaining one of these visas, feel free to ask in the comments or contact us at [email protected].

Documentation Requirements for Teaching English in Korea:

To be able to teach English in Korea, you must be able to fulfill certain documentation requirements mandated by the Korean government. Emailing us at [email protected] is your best first step to get started and we can advise you with our documentation checklist that will be most accurate in case of any recent changes to the process.

Throughout the process of applying and interviewing for any of our English teaching positions, and then getting your visa processed via the consulate after agreeing to a contract, all of our incoming teachers must have ready and be able to provide the following documents at certain stages:

  • Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree/diploma (a copy notarized by a public notary along with a letter from the notary. This will later need to be verified by a Korean Consulate. Again, we’ll advise you on all this.
  • Sealed college or university transcript (Stamp/sticker/or registrar’s signature should be over the seal of the envelope)
  • 1 original Criminal Record Check with issuing agency’s stamp (ie. FBI, RCMP, etc) verified by Korean Consulate (no older than 6 months since issuance)
  • Your resume
  • A clear photocopy of the information page of your passport
  • E­2 Health Statement
  • 5 Official Passport Photos (1 of which to be later submitted to Korean Consulate)
  • Completed E2 Visa Application
  • Consul’s Checklist
  • Original contract (issued by your employer for visa processing at consulate)
  • Original passport (still valid for at least one year)

 

Think you are all ready or have some lingering questions? Comment below or email us at [email protected]!

 

 

Common English Mistakes in Korea

Common English Mistakes in Korea – Expect

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A common English mistake in Korea can cause heightened anxiety on unsuspecting foreigners, especially those of you teaching English in Korea who are trying to get a read on what might be an overly demanding school director or head teacher. This involves the use of the word ‘expect’.

This gets tricky because the Korean word ‘기다리다’ (kee-dah-lee-da) is often used interchangeably for ‘expect’ as in ‘wait’, as in waiting for someone to do something, and ‘expect’ as in ‘looking forward to’ but in a non-demanding tone. Tone and situational context mean so much in Korea and this is one such example.

Going further, if Koreans are very enthused about doing something with you, they might even place more emphasis when pronouncing the word ‘expect’.

If that’s still fuzzy, then this example will help.

Years ago, we held a language exchange event involving teachers and Koreans. Wine was involved and everyone’s spirits were up. The stage was set for a load of common English mistakes in Korea. Especially one particular Korean who wanted to express how enthused they are for coming to the next event. He indicated ‘I had so much fun. I EXPECT your next event like this!’. As he was a doctor at a local hospital, we first took him to mean that he was almost demanding that we do another event like this in an almost boss-like way and made a few of us a little flustered and thinking we need to please him by planning another event as soon as possible. But upon getting different reads from others about his English level and how he was likely thinking in Korean when stating his enthusiasm, we concluded that he was just basically saying ‘I really look forward to your next event’ which carries a lot less urgency in the tone.

Common English Mistakes in Korea – Not what you might ‘expect’!

Likewise, at school, you might hear a Korean co-worker or director say ‘I expect you at school tomorrow’. This doesn’t necessarily mean your likely first take should be ‘I expect you to be at school at 1:45pm sharp and not a minute less!’. Context and tone can signal that this would have been better worded as ‘Looking forward to
seeing you at school tomorrow’. Big difference and these tonal differences all add up sometimes and you’ll see English teachers in Korea commenting online about horror stories involving a school and saying that they are a good judge of character and swear that the director is strict as hell. Well, that may be partly true as some directors are known to be legitimately strict. But such misreads are made by English teachers in Korea who are coming fresh from a country where they know every (or most) nuance and innuendo being spoken to them and can often sum up the situation pretty well, and they assume that they can rely on those same assumptive skills around people who don’t speak English well and certainly not well enough to let advanced forms of English like phrasal verbs, sarcasm and tone to roll off their tongue with ease. Trust us when we say, check those first reads for a moment sometimes and give a little benefit of the doubt until you get a better feel for the real English level of the other individual and preferably until you’ve got a better feel for the Korean going on in their heads before they are saying these things in English.

Have any similar moments involving common English mistakes in Korea when a Korean said something to you that you feel you might have misread and leapt to the wrong conclusion? Let us know in the comments!

Teaching English in Korea at Lotte

Lotte Begins to Muscle its Way into Teaching English in Korea

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English teachers in Korea know the Lotte brand fairly well, due to the conglomerate’s reach into burgers and amusement parks. Now, one particular Lotte Department Store has added a ‘specialized academy’ facility to the shopping environment and has become active in attracting parents with young children. Starting this month, Lotte has opened up an English kindergarten in a department store for the first time in the domestic distribution industry. Lotte Department Store opened its first branch of ‘Creverse Kids’, an English kindergarten brand operated by ‘Cheongdahm Learning’, an English education company, on the 4th floor of Lotte Mall World.

In the past, there have been many kids cafe-type stores in department stores, but it is unusual to see such a specialized educational facility where native English teachers partake in classes. In this space, English, math, and coding education are being conducted with classes being launched from March 12th, introducing a whole new dimension to teaching English in Korea.

Students who want to take classes can attend for 2-3 hours after making a reservation by phone.

The ‘Junior Golf Academy’, which opened in the Jamsil branch of Lotte Department Store, is also gaining popularity. In September of last year, the Jamsil location set up a one-stop golf hall where you can shop for golf-related products and receive golf lessons.

Teaching Golf to Kids in Korea

Junior golf classes at Lotte

This is a space where children aged 7 to 13 can learn golf, and golf lessons are held twice a week according to a total of 8 themes, including putting, swinging, and torso rotation. There is also an adult golf lesson course in this space, however, many young students are getting involved where more than 30% of the total students are those under the age of 10.

As for costs, the tuition fee for Creverse Kids varies from class to class. ESL, an English class, is 50,000 won for 2-3 hours for 5-7 years old, math class is 40,000 won for 2-3 hours for 1st and 2nd graders of elementary school, and 2-3 hours of coding class for 6-7-year-olds is 40,000 won. All costs include material costs.

In addition, the Junior Golf Academy offers classes for 1 hour twice a week for 8 lessons a month at 450,000 won. There is also a separate registration fee of 10,000 won. Classes consist of a 30-minute golf class and a 30-minute fitness class.

Meanwhile, Lotte Department Store’s specialized academy space for children is expected to expand further. Department stores are now becoming places where children can learn while mothers shop, in order to maximize the competitiveness of offline spaces that are distinct from online shopping.

Also, in the first half of this year, Lotte Department Store plans to open ‘Promom Kinder’, a membership-based English kids club, at Lotte Department Store’s Pohang and Ilsan branches.

Yoon Jeong-hye, head of Lotte Department Store’s ‘Infant&TOY’, stated, “Academy-type stores in department stores are evolving into places that can provide more specialized education to children beyond the existing children’s content focused on play. We will do our best to help parents and children receive a variety of specialized education from now on.”

Maple Bear English Academy

Maple Bear English Academy Concludes Canned Food Donations

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Maple Bear English Academy, a popular English teaching franchise throughout Korea, announced on the 11th that it had held a Canned Food Drive to deliver warm love to underprivileged children, the elderly living alone, and the disabled.

Maple Bear students participated in the donation by bringing canned foods to their campuses.

In order for children to participate more actively and interestingly in donation activities, a thermometer of love was set up to track donations and an event was held in which the children who donated directly would write their names and track the results.

Food collected through donation activities was delivered to various neighbors through the local food bank. An official said he was able to feel the joy of donating while watching the thermometer gradually go up over time, watching the kids show their enthusiasm and seeing how much the donations were helpful.

Maple Bear English Academy in Korea is part of a global education brand headquartered in Canada, operating as many as 500 campuses in 30 countries around the world, and providing immersive education that enables students to learn English naturally.

Looking to find employment teaching English in South Korea at Maple Bear? Reach out to us or apply today!

Maple Bear Korea Contest

6th Maple Bear English Writing Contest completed

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Maple Bear English writing contests are held annually, and the most recent iteration was their 9th one ever. Maple Bear in Korea, a global educational institution specializing in bilingual education for preschoolers and elementary school students based on Canadian public education, announced that it had successfully completed the Maple Bear Storytelling Contest.

The contest is a speaking contest in which kindergarten and elementary school students in Korea tell a fairy tale in English. Due to COVID-19, this year’s storytelling contest was conducted in a non-face-to-face, video submission method.

The Maple Bear English writing contest was held for students from the age of 6 to the 3rd grade of elementary school at 10 Maple Bear campuses throughout Korea, and a total of 702 students participated in the contest. The participants went through preliminary and final rounds, and the final 36 students competitively performed against each other in the national finals.

Maple Bear operates as many as 500 campuses in 30 countries around the world, and in Korea, Maple Bear campuses can be found in a total of 10 locations in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, Daejeon, and Daegu.

Interested in teaching English in Korea at one of Maple Bear’s campuses? Drop us a line or apply through us today!

Maple Bear logo

Maple Bear wins 1st place in ‘2021 Excellent Customer Impression Brand Awards’

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Maple Bear in Korea was selected for first place in the ‘2021 Excellent Customer Impression Brand Awards’ sponsored by JoongAng Ilbo and hosted by JY Network. The feat was even more remarkable, knowing that this is the third year in a row that the English education company has won such an award.

Headquartered in Canada, Maple Bear has approximately 500 campuses in 30 countries worldwide. As a global education brand with 10 campuses in Korea, it has steadily grown and is receiving glowing reviews in the international education sector.

Through immersion Education, an orthodox Canadian approach, Maple Bear provides an environment where children around the world can learn English naturally, and hundreds of trainers and educational program developers provide education to students who range from those in kindergarten to high school. In Korea, the program is focused on those in kindergarten and elementary school.

An official from the company said, “We are very pleased to have won the award for the third year in a row as a result of our efforts thus far for children to acquire the world’s dominant language.”

Curious to come to Korea to teach English at one of Maple Bear’s campuses? Let us know by sending us an email or applying today!

Maple Bear Korea

Maple Bear Korea Debate Contest held

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Maple Bear Korea, a global English education company, announced that it successfully held the 2019 English Debate Competition for high school students on Saturday, October 12th.

The Maple Bear Debate Contest, which is the second one of its kind to be held this year, was conducted in a format where participating students went through 3 rounds and competed against each other’s themes in pros and cons. In addition, after the students on each team presented their arguments, the judges gave feedback to all students, encouraging them to debate with confidence.

The Maple Bear Debate Contest provides students with an opportunity to train their logical thinking by comparing the pros and cons of debate topics while preparing for the contest. It is a contest where students ascend above and beyond the usual curriculum for English teaching in Korea and instead can use the discussion and presentation skills they have learned so far, as well as the skills to research data to form in-depth arguments about the topic.

Through these processes, the students exhibited more growth and development, and showed a heated competition atmosphere in which they listened to the other side’s remarks and presented their arguments with confidence. Maple Bear Korea, who organized this contest, said that it hopes that by experiencing the debate, students will grow interested in what is happening around the world, and develop the ability to communicate and collaborate with others.

Maple Bear Global Schools is an educational institution for children headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Based on Canadian public education, Maple Bear Global Schools provides immersive education that naturally spreads English as a native language.

Interested in working at a Maple Bear branch in Korea? Contact us or apply today!

Maple Bear in Korea

Maple Bear in Korea Rooted in Excellence

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Maple Bear in Korea is a Canadian children’s English education program that also operates in other countries around the world. Founded in 2007, the company in Korea directly operates Maple Bear’s Songpa branch, and Dongbo Airlines, which operates the domestic distributors of over 30 foreign airlines, is the parent company. Dongbo Airlines is a mid-sized company with companies such as Boram Air, World Bridge Air, Anam Air, and Dongbo Airport Service as affiliates.

The reason why Dongbo Airlines Chairman Lee In-jae introduced Maple Bear to Korea stems from his relationship with Korean Air, where he oversaw the English education of pilots before establishing Dongbo Airlines. He wanted to introduce Canada’s excellent English education system to Korea, which he had encountered while dealing with airlines around the world, such as Air Canada and Austrian Airlines.

Maple Bear, headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, is an educational institution for children that operates more than 260 campuses in 13 countries, including Singapore, the United States, Brazil, and UAE, as well as Canada. It is characterized by an immersive education that naturally facilitates the learning of mathematics, science, music, and art in English by introducing Canada’s public education rather than simply teaching English.

It goes without saying that Maple Bear’s Songpa branch, which has a strong parent company’s sponsorship and a unique philosophy on English education, is loved by the local community.

Thanks to the success of the Songpa branch, which celebrated its 10th anniversary, the number of domestic Maple Bear campuses has increased to 12, including Pyeongchon, Bundang Pangyo, Mapo, Daegu, Daejeon, and Busan.

Looking to teach English in Korea at a Maple Bear location or have some questions about the application process? Contact us or send an application today!

Maple Bear in Korea

Maple Bear opens up Canadian public kindergartens in Korea

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Teaching English in Korea is being innovated through the introduction of Canadian public education concepts.

Maple Bear, an English education institution for preschool and elementary school students, has attained a certain amount of fame for learning English as naturally as their mother tongue without stress.

The curriculum, designed based on Canadian public education, was developed by experts who have been involved with Canadian public education for more than 30 years. In addition to curriculum development, they travel around the world to different Maple Bear locations to educate teachers and observe students, and are working to develop a more effective curriculum based on information obtained.

Instead of sitting at a desk to study, the whole class takes classes together and the teacher sometimes conducts classes in small groups, and various activities such as math, science, and art are prepared by the teacher for students in advance.

As such, Maple Bear helps teachers and students to discuss together, organize their thoughts and explore on their own and develops the power to collaborate with friends.

Another characteristic is integrated education. The Maple Bear class adopts themes that children of all ages will like, and based on that, various activities are conducted. Through this, children can directly experience and immerse themselves in the class independently and learn effectively.

Meanwhile, Maple Bear Global Schools is a global group with more than 200 campuses in 11 countries, including Brazil, Singapore, India, and China, as a specialized educational institution for elementary school children headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

By infusing Canada’s public education in this kind of format, it provides an immersive education that allows students to naturally acquire mathematics, science, music, and art in English.

Currently, Maple Bear has 13 locations throughout Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, Daejeon, Daegu and Busan.

Looking for more info on Maple Bear or interested in applying for one of their job openings? Feel free to contact us or apply through Adventure Teaching today!

Maple Bear in Korea

Maple Bear in Korea held English storytelling contest

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Maple Bear in Korea takes teaching English to an exciting new level through the introduction of various events like a recent storytelling contest held in Seoul.

It is said that the younger you are, the more sensitive you are to learning languages, and a greater effect can be obtained than when your primary language is fixed. That is why many Koreans prefer English kindergartens and early English education.

However, any kind of English exposure is not enough. Creating an environment where you can have more fun can stimulate your child’s English growth properly.

Accordingly, Maple Bear Global Schools, a company specializing in English education, held the ‘2015 Maple Bear Storytelling Contest’ for students of Maple Bear in Korea on the 20th and it became a big topic.

The Maple Bear Storytelling Contest gives Maple Bear students an opportunity to practice speaking English in a more exciting and fun way, while having the opportunity to share their stories with courage in public, thereby motivating them to learn more in the future. This was a competition designed to inspire.

This competition was held with great success at Yongsan Art Hall, and the participants consisted of a total of 30 students of Maple Bear in Korea, ranging from 6 years old to 5th graders in elementary school.

In particular, the Maple Bear Storytelling Contest was held like a festival rather than just a ranking decision. In addition, it became a place to inspire a sense of achievement in elementary school students by applying a special system in which all students who made it to the finals were given an award.

Also, in this competition, a gorgeous laser performance reminiscent of ‘Iron Man’ was held, adding to the fun while making the children feel as if they were at a festival.

Maple Bear in Korea is part of the parent company, Maple Bear Global Schools, which is a children’s education institution headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. It is a global group with more than 200 campuses in 11 countries, including Singapore, the United States, Brazil, and the UAE. By introducing Canada’s public education, it provides an immersive education that naturally conveys mathematics, science, music, and art in English.

Looking to teach English in South Korea at an established school like Maple Bear? Feel free to contact us or apply today!