So expensive!

Over the last few days I’ve been researching more about teaching English in Korea and taking the TOPIK exam next year.

Honestly, it has me more frustrated and confused than before I researched it all!

Firstly, I couldn’t find any information about registering to take the TOPIK exam in the UK. From the TOPIK website registration opens in January for the March exam – is that correct? So I have to wait another 2 months before I can even register….How do I even do that? Can I do that online? I haven’t found anything useful on Google (maybe I’m not putting in the right keywords when I search).

As I’ve mentioned before, I want to take a TEFL course in the summer next year. For a 150 hour course it will cost me £400 – with a student discount at 20% it’ll come to around £320. So it’s definitely not cheap. I’ve been looking for a Christmas temp job to save up money but have been unsuccessful so far. I had an interview on Saturday (which was my birthday too) and I found out today I was unsuccessful. It spurred me on to apply for more jobs. Hopefully I’ll hear back soon from someone!

As for getting a visa to teach in Korea….gosh…..it gave me a headache, honestly. Before you even get a job offer you have so much to do! I don’t know if this is just Korea but they want everything notorised and with an apostille (i don’t even know what these words mean!) Oh, and to do all this it costs £30 per DOCUMENT. I feel like crying with the amount of money I will spend on just the visa – what if I don’t get a job offer? what if I’m rejected?

See here and here for information on what documents you need to apply for the visa.

The main thought that came to mind when I read all this was: I need to save up money NOW. Otherwise I won’t be able to afford any of it.

I applied for a paid internship about 2 weeks ago and I should hear back soon if I get an interview or not. I really hope I get some good news. I really need it right now.

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So my plan for the rest of this year and for 2015 is:

• Hopefully get a Christmas temp or part-time job to save up some money.
• Register for the TOPIK exam in January for the March exam.
• Take the TEFL course in the Summer – save up money!!
• Apply for the Saltire Foundation internship in February to do in the Summer.
• Read through my Korean books that I haven’t read yet  – start with Harry Potter.