Hi Ceri,

Thanks for the add! :-)

Hiya! Well as far as I know there is two internships. One in Thailand and the other in China. I haven't researched the Thailand internship so I'm not familiar with the process etc..I do know that it starts earlier than the China one, sometime in April I think.

The China internship starts in August, the 15th to be exact. You need to be in Beijing by the 15th. It's 41/2 months (finishes January 15th). It includes a 2 week orientation at Beijing. You also do your 20hour classroom course in Beijing. They then place you in schools throughout China. Your usually paired with another intern so you're not alone and you share an apartment with that person too. Accom and food is included (food included mon-fri in your school). You get 250£ each month.  

From what I know so far. You sign up for the internship and pay the fee. You then start the application process, with help from the i to i team. You will be interviewed by the TTC team and it your place on the internship is subject to the interview. If the application is unsuccesful you get the money back. After you know you have a place on the internship you can start to apply for your visa, flights and everything else. 

I'm not to sure how long the whole process takes tbh but i think its better to get started asap to make sure you have a place on the internship. I decided to do the internship in August because it finishes in good time to leave and prepare for a job in S.K. The academic year starts in February in SK so it'll leave me plenty of time to finish up in China in Jan and head to S.K to settle in. 

I'm the same as you..I just want to start living my life. I'm excited about the internship. It'll be great experience for me. I've heard great things about it. You should check out the discussions. There is loads of information about the internship and past interns experiences. Let me know if you have any more questions. If I can answer them, I will :) 

Hey! Yeah how long does it take to get on an internship? Might be an idea for me to gain more experience as well.

Just can't wait to get my life in to gear!xx

Hey!

I would be the same...I wouldn't mind where I go (although Seoul would be good) but I would like a lot of company, especially if I end up in a rural area. It would be good to know people but from the sounds of things it's not hard to meet new people in SK.

I'm also interested in the EPIK programme but I was told they're having a bit of trouble lately. But I'm not sure. It seems like the safest bet and there is more time off and reasonable hours. Although you seem to have more of a choice if you apply outside of the EPIK programme. It depends aswell whether you want to teach alone or if you want a co-teacher. With EPIK you will work with a co-teacher and more than likely you're on your own if you search for jobs yourself. I don't know which I would prefer. It would be good having a co-teacher there if there is language barriers. I plan on doing the China Internship in August so I'm hoping that will give me the experience I need to take on a class by myself. I'll not be looking into SK until I'm on the internship and tefl will help me organise a placement for SK when the internship finishes. 

I've heard footprints recruiting is very good! I've seen them mentioned in a good few posts. You should check out the website. It looks pretty good. I browsed through it one of the days. There is plenty of reputable companies though so it's up to you who you choose to go with. 

Good Luck with starting your TEFL course. 

Well trying to get my bearings, but I hope to go as soon as I can really, just need to make some more research and then just do it! 

Where can I find recruiters? Sorry, it's nice to talk to someone that wants to do exactly what I want to do, but I only joined this thing yesterday...so i'm a bit lost!

Ceri

Yeah, massive demand for English teachers in Korea. I think it's the easiest place to find an English job. 

I've applied to a few recruiters yeah, just to test the water and see what kind of stuff they will come back with. I've started work on a resume and am trying to tailor it more to teaching English. I aim to be out there in Aug with the next EPIK intake, but I could be tempted to go out earlier if I secure a public teaching job before then as I am itching to go now. One recruiter said he had positions open as soon as 6 weeks time, though I cant go until June as i'm going to Amsterdam end of May.

What about yourself? Have you made any start to the application process? Or are you just starting to get your bearings about the whole situation?

Cool, six weeks, that isn't to bad! I know and all the different landscapes! I just want to get out there now.

100,000 teachers? Thats amazing, and they're still short of teachers, this is a counrty thats devolping so quickly!

Have you started your application? When are you hoping to go out there?

Ceri

Yeah from what i've research it takes around 6 weeks if you apply via hagwon and slightly longer for EPIK because they have more positions to fill and everyone starts at once. Yeah the course is good, it's stimulating in a way that makes you search for the answers without giving you them, learn through testing yourself kind of thing. Ive only done the first check point though!

I've been reading loads and loads about Korea past few days and now I just want to get out there!! I read that there are oer 100,000 english teachers in Korea, so it wont be hard to find friends and english speakers. 

Yeah I'm not fussy really, anywhere where i've got plenty of company would be great!! So your going along the EPIK route, do you have any idea where to start with application proses? I heard it can take a long time for everything to go through, because they need a copy of your degree certifcate and stuff. 

How do you find the TEFL course? The lady on the phone told me once you've started your TEFL course you can start applying for jobs.

South Korea looks and sounds amazing, the more I read about the place the more I want to go.

Ceri

I would be the complete opposite I think. I love to be right in the centre of a bustling city with so much to do and see and activity 24/7, so Seoul, Busan, Incheon would all be choices for me. I think I'm going to choose the EPIK route, simply because they seem to provide you with good support during the application and when you start, you will start with lots of other native english teachers where you're based. However choosing this route, you cannot choose your school before you go so have no idea where you will be placed. The hagwon route means you can research the school before hand and be in direct contact wtih some teachers who are currently teaching there to get a feel for the school. Each one has their benefits, but I believe EPIK could be better simply for the support it gives.