In case you were wondering...
Here's a brief synopsis of the route I took to get to Korea:
First I received my TEFL certificate (required to teach abroad) through the International TEFL Academy (http://www.internationalteflacademy.com/). They are based out of Chicago but you can acquire all of your hours online. The course is 150 credit hours with an optional 50 hour supplement course on Young Learners and Business Professionals. I did the extra courses.
I trusted the International TEFL Academy because it is also the program that my friend (who has been in Korea for 5 months now) went through. They also help you locate a recruiter. (Time and time again, for all different countries, for a lifetime -this service never ends) That is how I moved on to my next step: working with a recruiter.
The recruiter I worked with is Educon (http://www.educonus.com/). Educon was suggested to me by the International TEFL Academy and is specifically for teaching in Korea. They have been phenomenal. I would highly suggest working with a recruiter, especially for someone's first time out. They help you with every form imaginable, prepare you for interviews, and even help you book your flights through a travel agency. Everyone was extremely nice and had prior experience teaching in Korea. They prepared me for the EPIK program.
EPIK (English Program In Korea) http://www.reachtoteachrecruiting.com/english-teaching-jobs-in-korea-with-epik.html is a program in Korea's public school system. I'm essentially working for the Korean Government - Ministry of Education. They pay for flights, my own apartment, a 5 day orientation, etc. I've heard both good and bad things about the EPIK program. Bad = you may be placed in a remote region (I, thankfully, was not. I'll be working in Daejeon which I've heard lovely things about. My friends say the same.) Good things = regular schedule, lots of paid prep time, great vacation time/Korean holidays off, working with a Korean co-teacher, etc. I also chose to work in the public schools rather than a private language institute because I have experience in US public schools. But! I've heard great things about language institutes as well.
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