Teaching English and Living in South Korea

Take a Camp Job for a Month to Check it Out

By Lindy Sinka
Resources updated 3/5/2023 by Transitions Abroad

The big step to move abroad to teach, live, travel and learn a new culture is a tricky one. One of the easiest places to start your adventure is South Korea. It is also a snap to land a teaching job in China, Japan, or Taiwan, but Korea is a good choice for a variety of reasons, and I think are they good ones. If you time it properly, you can take a month and see what you think of it before you make any commitments.

I recommend getting a job at one of the numerous camps that take place in Korea in the summer (mid-July to mid-August) or winter (unfortunately, many of these usually start on Dec. 29th and run to mid-February). The summer camps usually last a month, and if you do it right you can squeeze in two camps while you are there. Winter camps tend to last from two weeks up to a month. The good thing about summer is that the school session is about to start, so they are dying for teachers. You are in high demand.

Some of the positions don ’t even require a university diploma but most of them do. Some want a TEFL Certificate, but I assure you it is not necessary. You can typically make anywhere from 2,500,000-3,000,000 won for a month-long camp (normal yearly salaries average 2,000,000-2,600,000 won depending upon experience). Do the calculation relative to your home currency using a favorite currency converter — it’s not too shabby. You will get free accommodations and food while you work at the camp. Be absolutely sure to ask questions about the accommodations — don’t take anything for granted! A friend of mine was stuck in the woods in a little cabin with no heat in the middle of winter.

Do not be fooled by offers that seem to good to be true. I applied for a job this past winter that advertised a salary on the high end plus flight reimbursement. Upon further clarification and adamant perseverance on my part I discovered that is was not at all a reimbursement but merely a deduction from my final salary. I wrote a feisty letter explaining the difference in semantics and declined the job. They changed their ad very shortly afterwards.

You really cannot be too careful. A lot of the camps are run by private companies and sometimes they will try to cheat you out of your final salary. Ask lots of questions and negotiate your salary — they need you.

As far as the winter camps go …well, you may have to celebrate New Year’s with a bunch of screaming kids but you will get paid more. The demand for teachers is much higher in winter as most people don’t want to give up their holidays and it is expensive to fly during that time. You can find lots of camp jobs and other longer term jobs in the boxout below. The other big benefit of getting a camp job first is that once you have it and start the job hunt many of the schools, hogwans, and language school will pay for you to fly to Japan to get a work visa. The camp jobs will allow you to get up to a 90-day temporary visa — a good start but you will require a different visa in order to remain longer, as I will explain later.

Job Choices

For full time jobs the choices come down to these: public or private schools ranging from kindergarten to high school; hogwans, which are privately run institutions (money-making pits); and the coveted university jobs. One of the best things about working in Korea is that if you are careful in choosing your job you can get nice accommodations for free, allowing you to save a lot more money. The cost of living in Japan is outrageous; I know, I lived there for over three years and it is very rare to have free accommodations as part of the deal. In contrast, you can save heaps of money in Korea if you are not running wild in the streets of Seoul every weekend. Nearly all contracts are for a year, and if you work for a public school or university you will get long holidays. And while Korea doesn’t have that exotic ring like Japan or China, you will have a larger assortment of jobs to choose from.

The Country and the People

It is a lovely country despite the biting cold winters and sauna-like summers. The people are truly hospitable and extremely friendly. I have never had so many offers of help. One young gentleman helped my find my very well-hidden hotel at 2 a.m. Once when some friends and I were looking for a particular temple and our bus driver realized he had passed our stop and did what amounted to a 20-point turn on a very narrow mountain road so he could take us back to where we were meant to get off. Then some very friendly Koreans drove us in their car to the temple, which was a bit out of the way. I could go on and on, but on so many different occasions I have found Koreans to be unusually helpful and friendly.

Korea is very Christian. There are churches everywhere. This being the case, Korea leans towards the conservative side of things. You won’t see couples holding hands or even touching in public, but you will know they are a couple because many of them will be wearing matching gear of some sort. “Couple” sets are extremely popular in Korea.

Such idiosyncrasies aside, Seoul is a great city and extremely easy place to get around on your own. If you need a good place to stay (clean and cheap), I recommend Seoul Backpackers. It is in a great location and there is an easy to understand map on their website. There is also a great little inn adjacent to the Seoul Backpackers run by a very sweet lady. It runs about $25 a night, but you have your own room, cable TV, free internet access, and a little kitchen stocked with goodies that you are welcome to help yourself to. It is worth the extra cash.

The infrastructure that came with the Olympics is a blessing. All the subway lines have signs in English and there are tourist information offices in the major subway stations like Gangnam and Itaewon.

Once outside of the big cities, Korea is still very agricultural. My first trip to Korea started by flying into Seoul and hopping on a bus that took four hours across what I thought was another planet — just rice paddies and agricultural fields everywhere. At first, you will definitely feel a little out of place. Don’t let that worry you though; as I said, Koreans are extremely friendly and will try to help you out even if they can’t speak a word of English.

Another welcome aspect to life in Korea are the buses. Most Koreans travel by bus and they are very cheap. For long-distance travel you could opt for the more expensive express train system; it is convenient, but there are nearly always buses leaving in fairly short intervals.

Important: Pay closes attention to the names. Many cities have nearly identical names and are often spelled in multiple ways due to letter mixing of b’s, d’s, and accents. You could end up someplace that sounds the same and is even spelled the same but is not where you meant to be. Upon arriving in a new and completely unfamiliar place you should go to tourist information office and ask with a smile “What town am I in?” The woman behind the counter will answer with a smile. You may possibly discover you are hundreds of miles away from your intended destination.

There are a many great places to hike in Korea. Since it only takes about seven hours to get from the top to the bottom of Korea, all are relatively easy to access. One of the most famous national parks is Seoraksan, and it is well worth the trip. It is absolutely beautiful, and the hiking is great. I wouldn’t recommend going on a weekend as it will be chock full of people You want to avoid detracting from the natural beauty and serenity that could be yours if the time it right. There are many great national parks scattered around South Korea, and it is a great way to escape busy city life, get some exercise, and enjoy all that nature has to offer.

Korean Food

Korean food sometimes gets a bad rap from some, but I think it is because there is a lot of fast food done Korean style that is not so great. These little mom and pop restaurants can be found just about anywhere and have pretty much a set fare menu. They offer cheap, quick, and fairly tasty meals.

Real traditional Korean food is absolutely great. The best food I had in Korea was when I went with Koreans or people who had been there for a while and had worked it out. It takes a little time and effort to find it, but when you do you will leave smiling with a belly-full of goodness.

One of my favorite dishes is Samgye-tang, a lovely soup with an entire chicken in it that is stuffed with rice, chestnuts, and flavored with ginseng. It is a hearty and satisfying meal. Another tasty treat is bulgogi, thinly sliced beef often simmered with various mushrooms, onions with a slightly sweet flavor. Korea is renowned for its barbeque. Don’t be surprised when you are handed a pair of scissors at the table to cut the meat up into bite-size bits. You also get scissors with various noodle dishes so you can chop them up into manageable bite-sized mouthfuls. Also, be prepared for the various forms of kimchi. It is true that Koreans have it with every meal. It does take a little getting used to but one can actually come to enjoy that fermented cabbage and red chili paste taste. But maybe not for breakfast.

It can be tough finding restaurants that have English menus, which will make eating out very frustrating unless you opt for Western fast food chains. It will be worth the effort to immediately learn how to read the Korean script called Han-gul. Nearly all menus are in this Korean form of script.

Short-Term Visa

For camps you will need a English camp teaching C-4 visa. Visa rules often change, so check with your local Korean consulate or embassy. Each embassy has its own way of doing things. I was in Korea this winter and got my visa at the Korean Embassy in Bangkok. I phoned up to find out exactly what paperwork I needed to get my visa and was told by the very friendly lady that I needed my original diploma, paperwork from my prospective employer, and the equivalent of $40. I had heard that we also needed original transcripts took them just in case. I arrived at the embassy and noticed first that the guy in front of me was being denied his visa because he didn’t have original transcripts with him. He too had phoned and even come by a month earlier just to “make sure” only to be denied his visa at the last moment. I did my best to smile and put my paperwork in order and hoped for the best. The nice lady processed my paperwork and said in a whisper, “Next time make sure these are sealed” and pointed to my opened transcripts.

Once you have all the required paperwork you can pop into the embassy or consulate nearest you and should have your visa in three business days. The only problem is these camps they are notorious procrastinators and you may well find your self begging at the embassy door trying to explain that you just got the documents and that you have already purchased your airline ticket. My best advice is start looking for the camp jobs early, and after you get one you think looks good stay on them to get you the paperwork. It may work.

You will have to pay the cost of the visa yourself and it varies by country but usually runs about $40 to $80. You can request up to 90 days, but depending on the mood of the person issuing your visa you may get exactly what you need or a bit more. Always ask for 90 and see what you get.

Long-Term Work Visa

Once you land a longer contract and get your E-2 visa (outside the country) there are some things you should be aware of. Your visa is tied to the company you work for — think of it as an umbilical cord. If you change jobs you have to get an entirely new visa, which could mean a visa run trip to Japan. You are restricted from working additional jobs without the permission, in writing, from your parent company. They are strict about this. You can easily get another visa if you change jobs but you may have to pay for your flight. The good thing is flights are cheap and they may even pick up the tab. It depends on how badly they need you. Always negotiate. They will always initially say no, but be stern and they will come around. Business is business and they have a lot more money then you do. Koreans have taken to capitalism and they can be quite ruthless when it comes to money and profit.

Don’t let any of this deter you. You can make a nice chunk of money, but just be a little careful. If you don’t want to stick around Korea you’ll have a few grand in your hands and can travel in South East Asia for a while on that. All in all, Korea is a good place to live, travel, and work.

Lindy Sinka lived, taught English, and traveled in Korea, Japan, and Thailand for more than five years.