As most of you have figured out by now, I haven't teached a day of English in my life.   In fact, the only experience I had that could even be considered "Teach + English + Korea" took place over 11 years ago. I filled in for a buddy and did a 1:1 rap session for two hours with a student of his, as he was at the Immigration Office defending himself in a hearing for various visa violation ...

As an English (ESL) teacher in Korea, what do you do when your hagwon or school refuses to compensate you on pay day or the end of your term?  Your best bet is to find out what is really going on with your school/recruiter prior to taking any action.  Sadly, some less than ethical people and schools out there will try to stiff you come pay day.    The good news i ...

I am often grilled about teaching in Korea by both new-comers and yet-to-comers.  Top question is always a variant of   "How much could I make as a teacher in Korea?";  "How many hours a day will I work?";  "Where will I live?; etc.   Since I've already jumped the gun by giving a brief summary in the Blog Comments, I'll focus on basic working conditions, working/teaching h ...

HiExpat.com is excited to welcome Tom K as our Expert Expat on teaching ESL in Korea; understanding the dynamics between and the impact from government, recruiters, schools, parents and teachers; and training materials and preparation for the classroom.   A bit more about Tom: