Questions from readers

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Question from a reader: getting private tutoring jobs?

1
May 8, 2013
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A reader (who for obvious reasons will stay anonymous) has asked the following question:

It took a while to get here, but so far so good. I was actually curious about tutoring.. Not really sure how to approach that though. I’m getting mixed input on the legalities of it and people willing to chat about it. I’ve tried to be accessible. From going to coffee shops, to taking taekwondo, but nothing yet.
Image credit: karindalziel Let me start with the standard disclaimer: if you are teaching in Korea on an E-2 visa, you need permission from both your employer and Korean Immigration to More >

Question from a reader: Coming to Korea as a teacher?

1
October 12, 2012
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Author’s note: everything old is new again, especially when blogging about the same things and places for several years. This seemed a good time to publish a question that’s commonly asked, upon realizing how long it’s been since I’ve seen a blogger in Korea approach the topic.

Do you have a question about Korea? Do a quick search on the blog, then send me an e-mail at chrisinsouthkorea AT gmail DOT com and your question might be answered here!

A reader writes in:

My name is [H.]. I discovered your blog today & am in love with it. I’ve been thinking about teaching in Korea for a a bit & I More >

Question from a reader: TEFL certificates and teaching in Korea

5
July 19, 2012
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A READER writes in:

A few weeks ago I begun doing research into the possibility of teaching overseas. I think this is something I could turn into for the next 4-5 years of my life (I’m a recent college grad and having a hard time settling down). I do not have my TEFL certificate, so I was thinking I’d work for a company that doesn’t require it at first and then work towards getting the certificate.

I was curious if you have any suggestions or information to pass om to someone in my shoes. Recommendations for where (country/city) to teach, any companies that are legit and you recommend, what More >

Question from a reader: online shopping in Korea?

4
April 12, 2012
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A reader writes in:
Hello Chris, Let me first thank you for the wealth of information you have in this blog; I have several of your pages saved in my favorite places for reference.  I’m currently in the process of working with a few recruiters to land me a teaching job somewhere out there and reading your blog has been very helpful. I have a question regarding online shopping in South Korea.  Here in the U.S., I do a lot of my shopping online.  Clothes, electronics, exercise supplements, etc.  I guess I mostly shop on Amazon.com, but there are a few other sites as well.  What I want to know
More >

Question from a reader: Controlling diabetes in Korea?

2
February 22, 2012
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A READER writes in:

Hi Chris,

I was very fortunate to stumble across your blog after some searching on the internet. For the past year, I have been saving up for an international exchange to Korea. I’m happy to say that I was accepted at Korea University in Seoul, and will be arriving at the end of next month.

Something I’ve been worried about pertains to food and exercise in Korea. As a Type 1 Diabetic, I stick to a very healthy diet – I eat an abundance of whole grains like quinoa, fruits, vegetables and breads without wheat in them. I also stay away from milk (I stick to Soy), sticking More >

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Travel tips: Making the most of your Seoul layover

1
February 16, 2012
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A READER writes in:

Chris,

I don’t have much time during this trip to Korea. What’s worth seeing and what’s worth doing in Korea in a short period of time? I travel for business, so I’ll be back this way in a few months.

Hurried traveler

Thanks in part to Korea’s public transportation system, getting in and around is amazingly easy. That there’s English everywhere you go on the subway (and on most bus routes) means the toughest part is figuring out where to go.

If you have 12 hours or less in Korea:

Easily the tightest turn-around – on one level you need to be most aware of where you are and More >

Question from a reader: Seoul vs. Busan vs. Daegu

4
January 18, 2012
in

A reader writes in:

Hi! Just found out your blog and really liking it. I thought I would ask you some questions regarding your thoughts of Busan, Daegu and Seoul.

I’ll probably go on a trip to Korea this year to take language courses and I can’t  make up my mind on which city to take.

I know that Seoul is a megacity and it feels like one but how’s the other cities in comparison? How’s the feel and atmosphere to them?

Are there alot of shopping and food districts? Are there much to do in these cities? How’s the foreign population in each city? Do you see foreigners everywhere? Is there much to More >

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Question from a reader: the application photo

5
January 13, 2012
in
A reader writes in:
Hey,I’m presently looking for my first EFL job in Korea and have a question a about a CV. Everything in my CV is solid, I’m well qualified and have some relevant experience relating to teaching English. However I have heard that a photo is of serious importance to Korean employers in their hiring process. Taking the view that intelligent people could not possibly expect to judge a persons ability from a still image of them, I sent in a photo I took using a phone (very clearly an unprofessional photo). My question is:Do you think my chances of getting hired will be dimmed
More >

Question from a reader: what to tell your parents

8
October 4, 2011
in

A reader writes in:

My parents seemed quite impressed and supportive when I mentioned that teaching in Korea was a possibility for graduates like myself, but now that I’ve actually started the process, they’re, well… less than, shall we say.

Any advice/tips/resources you could recommend to help put them at ease? I’m going to go through with it either way, but it is nice to have them on one’s side..

[D.S.]

D.S.,

“You’re doing WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? WHY?!” The questions are as varied as the people, and the responses aren’t necessarily straightforward.

For twenty-plus years, they’ve been trying to More >

Question from a reader: investing in Korea

0
January 24, 2011
in

A reader named C.H. writes in:

Hi Chris:Think this might be a good question for people. I’m over here in the states vacationing (very nice and warm here in [city redacted], sorry) and was meeting with a financial adviser at my credit union here about retirement investing. he told me since we are non-residents of the us, we cant invest in mutual funds, ira’s etc since we dont have any us earned income. figure you could enlighten us on what investment options there are in korea. are there mutual funds etc we can put our money into? there has got to be something that as easy as buying More >

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