Like Free Stuff? Get Some Now!

I'm holding a contest where I'm giving away three of my Ebooks for free. The contest ends in 8 days, so get those entries in now. The best part about it is that if you use your custom link and someone enters the contest because of you, you'll get three more entries!

You'll have your choice of one of the following books:

The Wealthy English Teacher (personal finance for English teachers abroad)

How to Get a University Job in South Korea

How to Thrive in South Korea: 97 Tips for Expats

ESL Speaking Activities for Kids

ESL Speaking Activities for Teenagers and Adults.

Use this link to register now

Teaching English in South Korea: Do you Recommend it?

Teaching English in South Korea

I had a question from a reader about whether or not I'd recommend teaching English in Korea. Obviously, I've been living here for 10 years and have been happy enough to stay, but I'm not sure I'd necessarily recommend it as heartily today as I would have back when I first got there.

 Here's Why Korea Doesn't Get my Hearty Recommendation

1. Salaries to teach English in Korea have gone down significantly, in terms of real dollars  because while inflation has increased significantly, salaries have remained stagnant. 10 years ago, 2.2 was a normal starting hagwon wage. Today, it's basically the same.  For some solid advice on finances for ESL teachers, check out my book: The Wealthy English Teacher: Teach, Travel, and Secure Your Financial Future.

2. There are fewer good TEFL jobs in Korea these days. Even 5 years ago, public school jobs were plentiful but after government cutbacks, these jobs are few and far between and competition to get them is fierce. While there are some annoying things about working in a public school (co-teachers!), they are traditionally quite good jobs due to the low working hours, decent vacation time and the paid in full every month guarantee.

Qualifications and competition has increased for university jobs in Korea, such that it's difficult for someone without a master's degree and a couple years experience teaching adults or high school students to get the job. These are by far the best teaching jobs in Korea, with the exception of corporate jobs, of which there are very few. For advice on getting a uni job in South Korea, check out my other book, How to Get a University Job in South Korea: The English Teaching Job of Your Dreams.

Korea isn't a Bad Choice Though

That said, if you want to teach English overseas, then Korea is not a bad choice. The money-saving potential is still there, especially if you do private teaching (but it's illegal, so of course I'd never recommend it or do it myself).  Most teachers can expect to save around $1000 US/ month if their lifestyle isn't too extravagant.

And, it certainly is a lot easier to live in Korea than it was 10 years ago in terms of social attitudes since Koreans are getting a lot more used to foreigners, although racism does still exist (as it does in any country).

In terms of availability of all things Western, you can pretty much get anything you want just by going to the local supermarket or clicking the mouse button a few times. Gone are the days of trekking to Itaewon in Seoul with an empty backpack to go to the English bookstore and foreign food mart.

In terms of English, Korea is getting better and better as the years go by such that it is normal that at least one person speaks passable English at any place you might want to go.

Reviews of The Wealthy English Teacher

The Wealthy English Teacher

Thanks to everyone who has checked out my second book, The Wealthy English Teacher: Teach, Travel, and Secure Your Financial Futureover on Amazon in both digital and print formats.

So far, the reviews have been very positive. Here they are:

Alex (on Goodreads): "I didn’t expect this book to be so well-written. The author really knows what she is talking about and speaks from personal experience. She doesn't promise to make you rich or to get rich quickly, but rather gives you tons of advice to secure your financial future for the long run. This book is very detailed with excellent financial advice. Her passion really shows through in this book."

Neil (on Amazon): "This book provides sound advice for expat teachers (or any profession actually) to get their financials in order from the other side of the world. It provides an easy to follow step-by-step plan for even the most financial illiterate to find success with. My only criticism is that it it seems too easy work! It's a steal for only $3. I wish I had read this book many many years ago."

Sharon (on Amazon): "Jackie takes you step-by-step through how to become well-off by TEFLing. Too often people think that TEFL teachers barely scrape by. While this may be true for some, Jackie shows us how we can travel the world teaching English and save money in the process.

She breaks down the different types of jobs and compares salary vs hours worked and explains why accepting a lower paying job might actually be better for you in the long run. Choosing where to go comes next. While many people might want to go to Europe, the money simply isn't there.

Becoming rich can seem like a daunting task, but she teaches you how to do things slowly, starting with an emergency fund, then building up to $10,000. She also teaches you about the basics, like never spending more than you make and to pay off debt.

She has put together a variety of sample portfolio options for Americans and non-Americans that can help you get started. She also encourages you to do your own research and has a number of websites she recommends you take a look at. She tells you how to choose stocks and what you should invest in. Investing can be scary, but Jackie easily breaks it down so that you can understand.

Jackie discusses passive income streams as well. There are so many options available and recommends a handful of them and tells you how to get started. She also brings up insurance, travel, and taxes and gives tips about each of these.

I'd highly recommend this book for any TEFL teacher. It's full of useful info that will help you make the most of your life as a TEFL teacher, enjoy your job, and not have to worry about retiring."

Paying Off Debt, Saving Money and Investing in the Stock Market while teaching ESL

The Wealthy English Teacher

Over on Amazon in the reviews and in the feedback I've gotten in person and through my email, people seem to like The Wealthy English Teacher: Teach, Travel, and Secure Your Financial Futureso far.

If you're a bit (or totally) clueless about money and you're teaching ESL, or even just thinking about it, then this is the book for you. It's written with the total beginner in mind and I do my best to use simple language, as well as recommend the best resources on the Internet that you can check out. You can also see some samples from the book on The Wealthy English Teacher in case you're the type who likes to try before you buy.

Many people don't know this, but it's possible to get the digital version on Amazon even if you don't have a Kindle. Just go to the page where you can buy the book and you'll see the "Free Kindle Reading App" link which can be downloaded to any Mac, PC, Smartphone or Tablet.

Where to Teach ESL: Malaysia

This is an excerpt from the book, The Wealthy English Teacher: Teach, Travel, and Secure Your Financial Future. If you like what you see, head over to Amazon-it's available in both print and ebook formats.

Teaching English in Malaysia

Along with Vietnam, Malaysia is a place that you will find lots of teachers who used to teach in Korea or Japan but have moved on to bigger and better things. While there are not that many English teaching jobs in Malaysia, the ones that are available are excellent in terms of salary, professionalism and vacation--especially the mentor-teacher ones where you travel to public schools and work with the local English teachers. However, out of all the countries in South-East Asia, it is perhaps one of the least attractive ones for a variety of reasons including lack of tourist infrastructure (of which any foreigner working there would benefit from), food, and a high prevalence of Islam and the negative things associated with that, especially for women.

Working in Malaysia-Helpful Resources

Teaching English in Malaysia- A concise introduction.

The Best TEFL jobs in Malaysia- From the most fabulously helpful website, TEFL-Tips. All the major companies that do the popular mentoring program can be found here. (As an aside, I went to Malaysia to visit an old friend last summer; he is now doing one of the mentorship programs. He loved it and it did seem like a great job from everyone I talked to about it).

Teach Away- University ESL Instructors in Malaysia-  This is a recruiting company, but it seems like a very decent job, especially for those who want to teach university students.

Where to Teach ESL: Vietnam

Where to Teach ESL Besides Korea: A New Series

Today, I'm going to start a series on places to teach ESL besides Korea if you're making an escape plan or are still in your home country and doing a bit of research. This series will be excerpts from my book The Wealthy English Teacher: Teach, Travel, and Secure Your Financial Future, so the emphasis will be on each place as it relates to money savings potential. I've ranked places as "good," "okay," or "bad," which indicates nothing about the culture or people. I'm talking about money! The first place I'll talk about is Vietnam since I've just returned from a fabulous vacation there; I've put it into the "good"category.

ESL Teaching Destination #1: Vietnam

"Vietnam is an up and coming English teaching destination and where many of the teachers from Japan and Korea are ending up as they look for greener pastures. The economy is booming and they offer a good combination of decent salaries (around $20 per hour), low cost of living, relaxed culture (especially after somewhere like the Middle East or Korea), and amazing food and travel opportunities. 

They have all the big companies like International House and the British Council, which if you can get a job at, is a good step towards advancing your career into management or teacher-training and they also have a massive number of international schools, which are an excellent choice if you are a certified teacher. If I were to continue in my career as a teacher after Korea, Vietnam would be my number one choice. The biggest downside is the tax rate of around 15-20%, which is higher than most other places popular with English teachers."

Here are some good websites with additional information;

Teach Away- Yes, they are a recruiting company but their information is solid and gives a nice introduction to teaching English in Vietnam.

Everything You Need to Know about Teaching English in Vietnam- Lots of "insider" tips here and plenty of links to all the major schools where you might look for work.

Apollo English Vietnam- They are one of the biggest schools in Vietnam that hire foreign English teachers, so check out their information at the very least. They will certainly know the most up-to-date regulations regarding things like health care and taxes.  

Korean University Jobs are Not What they Once Were, Part 2

A couple weeks ago, I talked about how I think university jobs in Korea (and actually all ESL teaching jobs in Korea) are on a downward slide to the bottom.

Korean University Jobs are not what they once were, part 1

Yesterday, at my staff meeting I got a bit of new information which just further confirms what I originally thought.  The head of my department was talking about how the Korean government is deadly serious about shutting down a good number of unis in Korea (although he didn't say this, due to a very low birth rate there are fewer and fewer Korean students going to uni so something truly does need to be done).

Starting this year, the government is instituting a ranking system with 5 grades: A, B, C, D, F.  The F-rated schools will be forcibly shut down. The C and D-rated schools will have to reduce enrollment by 30 and 50% respectively, which will in essence mean their closure because it will just be too hard for them to be profitable with such reduced numbers. The B-rated schools will have to reduce their students by 10% and the A-rated schools can do whatever they want. 

The writing is on the wall, especially for those with working at lower-ranked universities. You could be losing your job, sooner rather than later.

Anecdotally, my school which is the 2nd or 3rd highest ranked in Busan (the second biggest city in Korea behind Seoul) lost a good number of students and some of the extra-curricular English programs that I would normally do for overtime got cut. There is just less money floating around and often the first thing to go is English programs.

Exit-plan = put into full effect.  Want to know my choices for up-and-coming English teaching destinations?  Check out: The Wealthy English Teacher: Teach, Travel, and Secure Your Financial Future

   

Sign up for the Monthly Newsletter

   
   

   

   

The Wealthy English Teacher: now available on Amazon

My second book, The Wealthy English Teacher: Teach, Travel, and Secure Your Financial Futureis now available on Amazon in Ebook format. But, you don't actually need a Kindle to get it. Any Smartphone, tablet or PC will do if you get the Kindle App.  The hard-copy book should be out in a couple of days if do books that way.

In the book, I talk about the 10 steps to securing your financial future including:

1. Choosing a job wisely (with advice most specifically tailored to ESL Teachers)
2. Building a small emergency fund
3. Living frugally and paying off debts
4. Advancing your career
5. Building a full emergency fund
6. Saving your first $10,000 to invest
7. Investing in the financial markets and enjoying life
8. Building passive income streams
9. Planning for the future
10. Enjoying financial freedom

There are a couple other books out there related to expat investing, but this is the first one that I know of with financial advice specific to ESL/EFL teachers.  Check it out and please leave a comment or email me with any questions or feedback that you might have.  I'd be happy to connect with you.

You could also check out the book's website, The Wealthy English Teacher for some samples from the book and other Internet goodness.

Do you want to be a Wealthy English Teacher?

Most people find their way to Korea to pay off some debts, save a bit of money and have some adventures while doing it. And it is indeed a fabulous place to do all those things. But, can you become rich teaching ESL as a career, in Korea or in other countries? Yes!  I think it really is possible for just about anyone with a bit of frugal living, wise investing and by avoiding a few common financial mistakes.

So, the happy news for you, my readers is that I have another book coming out, "The Wealthy English Teacher: A Beginner's Guide to Becoming Rich." It is in the final editing stages now so you should be able to find it on Amazon in a couple of weeks and I promise that the price will indeed be right...around $4 or so.

Here's the website, The Wealthy English Teacher where you can get an overview of the book contents. Check out the links on the top menu bar too: plenty of goodness to whet your appetite for becoming fabulously rich.

The Korean University Gods have Rewarded Me

During all my semesters working at Korean universities, never have I been fortunate enough to have a schedule as amazing as this one. Just last semester, working at the same uni and in the same job position, I was saved by the skin of my teeth from 5 days/week due to the kindness of one of my coworkers who traded a class with me. 

Anyway, are you ready for it?  Just how amazing is my schedule you might ask?  Enough suspense...I'm just going to tell you:  I work from Wednesday at 10:30 to Friday at 7:15. Nothing on Monday and Tuesday. Yes, all of this equals 4-day weekends.

Although I'm sure my schedule will get filled up with overtime classes (I usually do 10-15 hours/week of extra teaching), it's still pretty amazing and I'm excited about the big chunks of free-time I will have to work on my various online ventures including these websites:

Freedom Through Passive Income
Jackie Bolen 
How to Get a University Job in South Korea

I also plan to finish up my second book, tentatively titled "The Wealthy English Teacher" for anyone teaching overseas who doesn't want to end up in the unfortunate situations of begging from your friends in case of minor medical emergency, teaching until you're 70, or having to take the crappiest of jobs just because you're desperate. It should be up on Amazon in a month or so and the price will be right at about $3, so you really can't afford not to buy it.