before I start law school this fall, I have a chance to 1) work as a temp at Morgan Stanley doing stuff that isn't interesting or glamorous and isn't even in their NYC headquarter or 2) teach English in Korea.

The temp job at Morgan Stanley pays a bit more and, if nothing else, would look good on a resume when it comes time to search for jobs/internships.

Teaching in Korea would be okay (I'm not interested in going to Korea, I'd rather go to Europe or S. America) and probably more interesting by way of seeing a different part of the world, meeting "interesting" people who are taking time off to teach, etc.

So my question is: if I'm interested in an M&A practice, would taking the temp job at Morgan Stanley get me closer to it? What benefit, if any, does teaching in Korea give? Would it make my resume float to the top at international law firms?

Both would be good resume builders as they are interesting things to talk about in an interview (Korea possibly more so). The Morgan Stanley experience would be better if you truly want to do M&A. I doubt the Korea experience will help you too much unless you want to practice with US-Korean law. My experience thus far is that law is highly local, even for international firms. You may work on an international deal from time-to-time, but the expertise you develop will likely be based on the laws of your state or a few states you work in frequently.

Any temp work or summer job before law school (except for actual full-time employment) will not really matter to an interviewer during OCI or callbacks. The highest priority is still grades. That being said, anything on your resume that is interesting to talk about will help. Teaching in Korea would certainly be more interesting to talk about than pushing paper at Morgan Stanley. Neither of these will impress the interviewer or help you get a job, but Korea will at least give you something interesting to talk about.

What law school are you going to? The resume builder might not matter if you're going to a top school.

Regardless; pre-law jobs add very little to your hiring prospects. It's all about which law school you get into and your class rank.

If you've never had a job in an office environment, go to MS. I've seen more blunders and missteps made by JDs went straight to law school from undergrad that six months in any office would have prevented. Beyond OCI and the summer, that small amount of experience will pay dividends once you start working.

Kendall,

I'm stationed in Korea with the Air Force and stumbled onto this site while looking for info on a potential major career change. I live in Iteawon, downtown Seoul, and although it is a fun city believe me there is nothing here (socially) that is worth forgoing possible experience.