Teaching English in Korea experience on your job resume, is it good or bad?

[masayamahal]

I am planning to go back home to America, specifically California and of course go home and find a job.

Would it look bad to apply for a job other than teaching to have 2 or more years on your resume? (note: I am not interested in working as a teacher when I get back)

Is it a good/positive experience or a bad or negative experience?

Would future employers view my teaching experiences in Korea as valuable?

Thank you.

[jaspar]

How could it possibly be negative?

In any case, it shows a remarkable strength and flexibility. You took a job that you (probably) weren't specifically trained for in a different country that doesn't speak English! I can't think of many jobs back in the States that would  present as much adversity as you've probably experienced here.

I think it also shows an open-mindedness and broader world-view that more progressive recruiters/companies are likely to appreciate.

[Jozigirl]

It might count against you for some jobs.  If you came over here just after graduating, it'll more than likely be considered a good thing.  If however, you were older when you came over, it leads to more questions about your reasons for leaving home in the first place and this is when it starts to get tricky.  My cousin taught in Japan for four years in her mid-20s and then went to Mexico for 2 years.  When she returned to the UK after the 6 years abroad, she found it nearly impossible to get a job that wasn't teaching.

However, I do agree that many prospective employers see overseas work experience as a plus because it shows that you're adaptable and willing to learn. 

[justanotherwaygook]

How could it possibly be negative?

In any case, it shows a remarkable strength and flexibility. You took a job that you (probably) weren't specifically trained for in a different country that doesn't speak English! I can't think of many jobs back in the States that would  present as much adversity as you've probably experienced here.

I think it also shows an open-mindedness and broader world-view that more progressive recruiters/companies are likely to appreciate.

It's not nearly as hard as you make it out to be and most employers are fully aware of this fact.

[elspeth]

How can you honestly think something like this would be a negative on a resume? You moved to another COUNTRY. You adjusted to life in another COUNTRY. You somehow taught children...lest I say it again...in another COUNTRY.

The fact that you doubt yourself is more telling than the jobs on your application.

[jkim7609]

I think it would be good. It's like working here in korea ina  business company then going abck to cali. Its a good experience because you worked at a antoehr country. Learning their culture. There is no good thing or bad thing about writing this on your resume. It depends on your interview. You have to say the right thing. thats all.

[justanotherwaygook]

Most American employer don't value overseas experience, particularly when it not related to the job.  They'd rather see industry-specific experience.

And really, tell the truth, was it actually that hard to move here?

[Dyl]

You can certainly use skills that you've learned as an EFL teacher in other jobs. I recommend taking a look at http://www.tefl.net/esl-jobs/transferable-skills-teachers.htm

[justanotherwaygook]

Also, doing the ESL thing abroad is nothing unique nowadays.

[jaspar]

Most American employer don't value overseas experience, particularly when it not related to the job.  They'd rather see industry-specific experience.

Of course, it will radically depend on the company and industry, but I have to respectfully disagree. Nobody's saying that teaching English for a year is going to by itself land you some awesome job. And of course, you're going to need relevant work experience and training. But I can't see how this experience would be viewed as a negative by many potential employers for the reasons that I already stated.

And really, tell the truth, was it actually that hard to move here?

Yes. Not all of us deskwarm.

[English Mike]

This is a really tough question, sure to fire a big debate.

I hope that it will be seen as a positive thing...

Overall I think it depends on the individual, what they want to do after Korea and how they go about it. Lots of life experiences can be used to good effect, depending on how you sell yourself.

And have to agree with Jaspar, a lot of people are working 40+ hour weeks often in adverse conditions without the breaks/holidays common in western countries.

[bmsteacher]

If you are successful in Korea (professionally) it shows one has good 'soft' skills, which can be spun almost any which way on a resume or cover letter.  There is noting wrong with providing Korean work experience on one's resume.   

[ch1can3]

Just don't make it your career without significant upward movement and you'll be ok.

[justanotherwaygook]

Most American employer don't value overseas experience, particularly when it not related to the job.  They'd rather see industry-specific experience.

Of course, it will radically depend on the company and industry, but I have to respectfully disagree. Nobody's saying that teaching English for a year is going to by itself land you some awesome job. And of course, you're going to need relevant work experience and training. But I can't see how this experience would be viewed as a negative by many potential employers for the reasons that I already stated.

And really, tell the truth, was it actually that hard to move here?

Yes. Not all of us deskwarm.

I've been through the hagwon mill here, too.  I don't have tons of deskwarming time.  I'm sorry to hear it was difficult for you.

Moving to Korea was a piece of cake. I've seen threads like this where seem to argue that the international aspect of this job is a plus.  Not having deskwarming time is unrelated to that. Moving here/living here is different from going to work.

Furthermore, being a NET (the work itself) is not that highly valued in most jobs.  It might help if you're looking for a teaching position in an unpopular district back home, but otherwise...

[jaspar]

Well, personally I did find it difficult to move here. I found it difficult to learn the language, and to adapt to an office environment where I'm given crazy ambiguous requests and where I can't always easily communicate with my co-workers.

Yet, despite all the stress, I think that my time here has been formative. I think that I have encountered problems that I never would have faced back home and I think I have had to mature in several aspects (specifically in my ability to manage myself and to deal with people who accidentally offend me). In short, I am proud of the work I've done here in Korea and I think it's been a positive experience for me. And that's exactly what I'll tell any employer who asks me about it.

We could spend all night bickering about how much hypothetical employers will or will not value this experience, but the issue was whether it's good or bad.

Most of us are fairly young (probably recent grads, though I know that I'm generalizing and I apologize), so we don't have tons of work experience. I guess the question implied by this thread is whether or not one should include this experience on one's resume.

The answer to that is, I think, obvious. I can't imagine that anyone would seriously tell the OP that a year or two of unemployment is better looking than the time spent here in Korea.

[epinephrine9]

I don't particularly see what the big deal is: is it really that hard to simply be honest with your future employers? Writing down recent and relevant work experience is what you're supposed to do--that's what a resume is for. Not to mention, I know many of us who are definitely gaining language skills, people skills, tech skills, and international awareness. For some of us, this is our first experience as an actual "professional," even if we weren't trained for this position, have any interest in it, or are particularly good at it. Therefore, we should most certainly write it down on our resumes. If you are for some reason assuming it might not be as important as other experience you have... put the other relevant experience above it. It feels like this is a no-brainer.

[DMZ]

Whether it looks good or bad on your resume is kind of irrelevant. When you apply for a job you will have to account for any gaps in your employment so it's not like you can just leave out your two year stint in Korea. It will probably look worse having a giant gap than just saying you worked in Korea. Just make sure you jazz it up with all the lessons you learned and the difficulties you overcame.

[sassneggs]

I would definitely put it on your resume!  Think of all the skill sets that you have gained just by being and working here.
 - Classroom management turns into managerial skills
 - Public Speaking
 - Lesson Planning turns into Project Management and great training skills if you are putting together your own lessons
 - The ability to work in a foreign country and adapt to different cultures is a wonderful attritube.
 -Also, your own personal experiences:  I.E. Traveling, Saving Money, Learnign a new language.  These are all things that employers look for in a personality

[gilbert.a.h]

I am planning to go back home to America, specifically California and of course go home and find a job.

Would it look bad to apply for a job other than teaching to have 2 or more years on your resume? (note: I am not interested in working as a teacher when I get back)

Is it a good/positive experience or a bad or negative experience?

Would future employers view my teaching experiences in Korea as valuable?

Thank you.

Take it from someone who has made "award-winning" resumes and who used to be a hiring manager.

Anytime you apply for a job, and you submit a job application, I encourage you to make sure that the resume is JOB SPECIFIC. If you apply for a Computer Programmer job and you have two years in Korea and a year at McDonalds in high school and mowing your neighbor's lawns, it won't impress me. Your resume has to tell the employer who you are and why they should hire you.

If teaching in Korea relates to the job, you better put it on there. Don't just add a half page explaining how you taught in Korea if you want to be a plumber. Explain what knowledge you have. Explain how you are the guy/gal for the job. Think about it from the hiring manager's point of view. They aren't hiring for an English teacher if you want to be a chocolate candy maker, but if you want to work in sales, it might be worth it. And make sure to phrase your resume to make whatever job relevent to what the job you want is. (i.e., if you want to work in sales and you put your korea experience on it, don't focus so much on the lesson planning aspect, but focus on how you were able to learn another culture and adapt into it and prosper.)

Relevance is key. Don't just slap together a resume. A resume is a one to three page document that explains who you are and why you are important enough for the hiring manager to consider you, if not hire you on the spot.

(If your question is about Korea specifically, like, do employers hate Korea,  I don't think so. I can't imagine a good job would say no because you were in Korea)

[Pippin19]

Although you may not use the teaching skills you picked up in Korea, the other skills you learned will come in handy more than you think.  You've learned to get along and communicate with your co-workers, working through both language and cultural barriers.  You've been committed to a challenging and sometimes frustrating job for 2 years, working halfway across the world from your friends, family, and native culture.  These things are impressive no matter what job you're going for.