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I sat there, staring at my computer. I was on a break from Starcraft 2 because I was on a horrendous losing streak, and I didn't want to play LoL because my brother wasn't on and LoL with randoms is just asking for an excuse to slam a keyboard into the wall. And I'd like to get my security deposit back when I move out of my apartment in May.
My mind wanted to wander, and I let it. Why not? No reason not to. I thought about my English degree, and the horrendous advising that led to me taking another semester to graduate. I'm getting the degree in December, not this past May like I should have, because University of Arkansas advisers apparently can't advise, even about graduating on time in their own damn department.
Anyway, I forced myself from that idea quickly, because I wanted to keep calm. That's why I took that break in the first place. I thought about my friends who got married about a month ago. I've known the girl for about 3 years now, and the guy for about 2 and a half years. They're perfect for each other, and (honestly) they're the only couple out of about 6 this summer that've gotten married that I trust will work out. I love them, they love each other, and I'm pretty sure they love me a bit. They make me happy.
Then I started to think about a job. Teaching had always been my passion, and I wanted to continue with that in life. I volunteered all the time with my co-ed service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, and my favorite service projects were the ones where I get to work directly with people.
Being an English major, I love words and putting them together to communicate ideas. To be in charge of teaching a group of people how to communicate their ideas through my language sounds like a great way to spend my life.
And, well, teaching gives me the perfect amount of balance for writing as well. I love to write. I have pages and pages of stuff that I'm just looking for people to edit. But I've lost my spark as of the past few months, and I've been blaming it on a lack of people I can trust to edit my work consistently. But as I sat there, I realized it's because I'm stuck in life. I have no real purpose, no real anything. College was that spark for a bit, but like I said, I'm done in a few months. And the classes I have are no big deal. They're both 4000 (senior/beginning graduate) level, but fuck guys. They're the easy ones you take when you're a sophomore to impress your parents.
As I sat there, I knew I wanted to teach. I knew that as deep down in my heart as I knew I'm a guy, I knew I like girls, and I knew I speak English. I figured, hell, let's google "Teaching English in the US" and look at what I can expect. Maybe if I know what's coming up I'll be able to put a face, an obstacle, a sign on my goal. That should focus me in.
I went on auto-pilot. I sat up in my chair, leaned forward, and alt-tabbed out of Starcraft 2 so that I could drag my mouse over to my right computer monitor and my Google Chrome tabs. I went to Google and start typing. I hit Enter, and I saw a lot of odd results. TESL? Teaching English Abroad? I sure as hell didn't search for what I thought I did. I went to hit Backspace, to get back to the Google home screen and try again, but I stopped myself.
I love teaching. I love writing. I love volunteering. I love new people, and I love traveling. It's just I don't think about it much because I don't get to do it as much as I would like to. Being a poor college student doesn't really lend itself to traveling, no matter how much you'd want to. All things considered, I begin reading the the hits.
I read, I read, and I read some more. I kept going after one link, then another, then another. It didn't take long to focus in on South Korea. Not only does my Starcraft blood yearn for the fabled promise land, but the country has always been one of my "When I get money, we're going here" destinations. It doesn't hurt any that whenever you hear anyone speak of living there, they almost never say anything bad about it. In fact, the only negatives I could find were from the shady hagwons you could find work with, not the country itself.
One thing I am though, is a 22 year old that isn't stupid. I mean, I make mistakes all the time. But I'm smart enough to realize that I shouldn't take this idea on face value and really take my time to make sure it's what I want to do. I'd be committing to living in South Korea for an entire year, ya know? Gotta want to be there.
Two months after that fateful day in May, and I'm set in it. I know what I need to get to start the Visa process. I know how to get a FBI background check and a passport. I have friends who are in South Korea all ready, and they're incredibly open to helping me figure things out when I get there. I have a few who are ready to hand my resume out in person, too.
A great thing about not graduating in time is that it's forcing me to keep things in check. I can't just rush for Korea - I can't even start applying for jobs until December after I've graduated. That gives me five months to look at it, evaluate it, and make sure it's what I want out of the next year of my life.
Teaching, traveling, new people, new culture, new challenge? Please, sign me up.
I started this blog as place to pour forth my feelings and my expectations and stuff for the trip ahead of me. I don't know if anyone will read it, and I somehow doubt anyone will care. But I need to get it written down somewhere. Thankfully, TL is pretty useful in that regard.
Who knows, maybe I can teach English to some of the pro-teams there? That'd be something to look into once I get comfortable with the teaching job, wherever that ends up being.
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ya with a degree you can get a job doing that pretty easy, but its probably long and constant hours, tho the pay is probably decent (compared to minimum wage jobs)
what you might wanna do is try to network and offer enough private classes that you dont have to work for a school.
korean culture is probably not so fantastic , you will be tired every evening and have to sleep for the next day so gaming wont feel so appealing, neither will the culture of drinking and clubbing. welcome to real life i guess
do you know how to teach english? what about teaching in a classroom? this is what these TESL/CELTA courses are for - not for the certificate of having one but for learning how to teach english in a classroom setting. you can basically buy a TESL certificate for like £100 or you can do the super intensive 1-month long CELTA which actually trains you to be a teacher. (on the other hand you can save £1200 and just go without one)
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If youre gonna do that youd better learn some fucking Korean. A lot of Koreans (especially older ones) despise foreigners who come over to teach English because it's easy and barely requires any qualification besides being a native speaker, and have no idea about Korean culture and language.
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On June 24 2012 06:11 Harrad wrote:
If youre gonna do that youd better learn some fucking Korean. A lot of Koreans (especially older ones) despise foreigners who come over to teach English because it's easy and barely requires any qualification besides being a native speaker, and have no idea about Korean culture and language.
Whoa, that's harsh. I couldn't care less if my Spanish teacher in college/high school knew nothing about US "culture and language" -- in fact, that would make it even more fun.
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On June 24 2012 06:41 Komentaja wrote:Show nested quote +On June 24 2012 06:11 Harrad wrote:
If youre gonna do that youd better learn some fucking Korean. A lot of Koreans (especially older ones) despise foreigners who come over to teach English because it's easy and barely requires any qualification besides being a native speaker, and have no idea about Korean culture and language. Whoa, that's harsh. I couldn't care less if my Spanish teacher in college/high school knew nothing about US "culture and language" -- in fact, that would make it even more fun.
Korea is not the US though, it's a whole different culture. i'm amazed at how shamelessly you broadcast your ignorance. If you don't believe me, just you use google or sth to inform yourself about the topic. and as i said, its mainly older koreans who think that way, students would probably agree with you.
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On June 24 2012 06:51 Harrad wrote:Show nested quote +On June 24 2012 06:41 Komentaja wrote:On June 24 2012 06:11 Harrad wrote:
If youre gonna do that youd better learn some fucking Korean. A lot of Koreans (especially older ones) despise foreigners who come over to teach English because it's easy and barely requires any qualification besides being a native speaker, and have no idea about Korean culture and language. Whoa, that's harsh. I couldn't care less if my Spanish teacher in college/high school knew nothing about US "culture and language" -- in fact, that would make it even more fun. Korea is not the US though, it's a whole different culture. i'm amazed at how shamelessly you broadcast your ignorance. If you don't believe me, just you use google or sth to inform yourself about the topic. and as i said, its mainly older koreans who think that way, students would probably agree with you.
Who cares what older Koreans think. Going to korea to teach English, not to cater to there cultural biases. There country is granting me a visa, I'm going to obey the nation's laws, that's where my responsibility ends. Not going to Korea to make sure some old racists don't dislike me. If they hate, good for them.
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On June 24 2012 06:56 cz wrote:Show nested quote +On June 24 2012 06:51 Harrad wrote:On June 24 2012 06:41 Komentaja wrote:On June 24 2012 06:11 Harrad wrote:
If youre gonna do that youd better learn some fucking Korean. A lot of Koreans (especially older ones) despise foreigners who come over to teach English because it's easy and barely requires any qualification besides being a native speaker, and have no idea about Korean culture and language. Whoa, that's harsh. I couldn't care less if my Spanish teacher in college/high school knew nothing about US "culture and language" -- in fact, that would make it even more fun. Korea is not the US though, it's a whole different culture. i'm amazed at how shamelessly you broadcast your ignorance. If you don't believe me, just you use google or sth to inform yourself about the topic. and as i said, its mainly older koreans who think that way, students would probably agree with you. Who cares what older Koreans think. Going to korea to teach English, not to cater to there cultural biases. There country is granting me a visa, I'm going to obey the nation's laws, that's where my responsibility ends. Not going to Korea to make sure some old racists don't dislike me. If they hate, good for them.
That's a fucking terrible attitude to have and i cant help but think of that kind of ppl as lowlifes. When youre going to live and work in a foreign country, respect and decency demands you at least learn the language on a basic level so you can communicate with the ppl living there and familiarise yourself with the culture and customs.
And i never said i like how older koreans treat foreigners, but i can understand them when it comes to ppl like you.
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On June 24 2012 06:56 cz wrote:Show nested quote +On June 24 2012 06:51 Harrad wrote:On June 24 2012 06:41 Komentaja wrote:On June 24 2012 06:11 Harrad wrote:
If youre gonna do that youd better learn some fucking Korean. A lot of Koreans (especially older ones) despise foreigners who come over to teach English because it's easy and barely requires any qualification besides being a native speaker, and have no idea about Korean culture and language. Whoa, that's harsh. I couldn't care less if my Spanish teacher in college/high school knew nothing about US "culture and language" -- in fact, that would make it even more fun. Korea is not the US though, it's a whole different culture. i'm amazed at how shamelessly you broadcast your ignorance. If you don't believe me, just you use google or sth to inform yourself about the topic. and as i said, its mainly older koreans who think that way, students would probably agree with you. Who cares what older Koreans think. Going to korea to teach English, not to cater to there cultural biases. There country is granting me a visa, I'm going to obey the nation's laws, that's where my responsibility ends. Not going to Korea to make sure some old racists don't dislike me. If they hate, good for them.
I hope you're not teaching English when you can't differentiate between their and there.
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Exactly how would you teach koreans english if you don't know korean?........
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Good blog. Good luck with everything.
You should definitely learn some basic Korean before going there, but most people will try to communicate with you in English first. What a funny country where it is thought as embarrassment and shame when you can't communicate with foreigners well. It should really be foreigners trying to speak native language... but anyways. You will be treated well with an English degree. They just despise the low life scums that comes to Korea who were highschool dropouts and uneducated that just speaks English fluently. Since you are qualified to teach English, they will have no quarry with you!
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You make it sound like SK's a paradise. To a tourist it might be, but someone who's going there to work? That's another story.
To be honest, I know nothing about teaching english there, but I have quite a few korean-american friends who are going to sk to teach english. And I'm inclined to believe that they have a much much higher chance of getting a job than someone like you, especially because you don't even know Korean.
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If your really plan to go there for a longer time, you better spend the next 5 months learning Korean.
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Wow, there's a lot of people in this thread who are speaking very stridently out of ignorance.
English Teacher in Korea here. No, you don't need to know Korean at all. I never knew anything other than "hello", "hurry up" and "really?" when I first came to Korea. Most English teachers here never learn much Korean beyond basic greetings and ordering in restaurants. Hell, many don't even learn the alphabet.
Granted, I highly recommend that you learn some Korean as it will make your stay MUCH more enjoyable and will help some Koreans open up to you. I'm currently pretty conversational in Korean, which has allowed me to have friends and experiences that typical English teachers can't have. Learning at least the alphabet before you come here is ideal.
The older generation, like older generations everywhere, can be a bit racist at times, but my own experiences have been nothing but very positive. I've befriended many ujeossi's (mid-aged korean men), some of whom have turned into my best drinking partners despite the large age difference. Even if there are some underlying anti-foreigner resentment, it's extremely rare (in my experience) for that to translate into Koreans being rude or actively mistreating foreigners. You're much, much more likely to get harassed by Koreans who are really curious about foreigners than by Koreans who are resentful towards foreigners.
They just despise the low life scums that comes to Korea who were highschool dropouts and uneducated that just speaks English fluently. Since you are qualified to teach English, they will have no quarry with you!
In other words, the American army G.I.s get a pretty bad rap in Korea thanks to a number of high profile incidents. All English teachers are required to possess a 4-year University degree to teach English.
, but I have quite a few korean-american friends who are going to sk to teach english. And I'm inclined to believe that they have a much much higher chance of getting a job than someone like you, especially because you don't even know Korean.
Not really. The English teachers here all teach immersion classes, so there's no Korean speaking allowed in class anyways. Gyopos (ethnic Koreans who were raised abroad) might have advantages in many ways in Korea, but the demand and turnover rate is so high here that you're pretty much guaranteed a job here as long as you apply and are qualified. Also, many schools prefer white teachers because of the general perception that white people speak the best English.
ya with a degree you can get a job doing that pretty easy, but its probably long and constant hours, tho the pay is probably decent (compared to minimum wage jobs)
Most places have workloads that are either the same or a bit less than the western standard. Koreans themselves like mules, but foreigners here have a pretty comfortable role at most schools. Myself, I work 7 hour workdays and have 2-3 hours of prep-time that is actually more like just break time.
what you might wanna do is try to network and offer enough private classes that you dont have to work for a school.
This is illegal and you won't be granted a visa for doing this. All holders of E2 visas must work at a school.
korean culture is probably not so fantastic , you will be tired every evening and have to sleep for the next day so gaming wont feel so appealing, neither will the culture of drinking and clubbing. welcome to real life i guess
Personal opinion of course, but I love Korean culture and always have enough energy after/before work to do my hobbies (Muay Thai, Korea Language exchange, and video games).
Anyways, OP, feel free to ask me any questions you may have about being an English Teacher in Korea.
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On June 24 2012 07:03 Harrad wrote:Show nested quote +On June 24 2012 06:56 cz wrote:On June 24 2012 06:51 Harrad wrote:On June 24 2012 06:41 Komentaja wrote:On June 24 2012 06:11 Harrad wrote:
If youre gonna do that youd better learn some fucking Korean. A lot of Koreans (especially older ones) despise foreigners who come over to teach English because it's easy and barely requires any qualification besides being a native speaker, and have no idea about Korean culture and language. Whoa, that's harsh. I couldn't care less if my Spanish teacher in college/high school knew nothing about US "culture and language" -- in fact, that would make it even more fun. Korea is not the US though, it's a whole different culture. i'm amazed at how shamelessly you broadcast your ignorance. If you don't believe me, just you use google or sth to inform yourself about the topic. and as i said, its mainly older koreans who think that way, students would probably agree with you. Who cares what older Koreans think. Going to korea to teach English, not to cater to there cultural biases. There country is granting me a visa, I'm going to obey the nation's laws, that's where my responsibility ends. Not going to Korea to make sure some old racists don't dislike me. If they hate, good for them. That's a fucking terrible attitude to have and i cant help but think of that kind of ppl as lowlifes. When youre going to live and work in a foreign country, respect and decency demands you at least learn the language on a basic level so you can communicate with the ppl living there and familiarise yourself with the culture and customs. And i never said i like how older koreans treat foreigners, but i can understand them when it comes to ppl like you.
As long as he's respectful and familiarizes himself with a little bit of Korean culture (especially the etiquette), I don't see how it matters. Ofc, it'd be ideal for him to learn Hangul at least before he goes to Korea -- it takes like a day tops if you're super-slow, 2-3 hours for an average person, maybe an hour for someone quick, so there's absolutely no reason not to -- but I doubt it's necessary, because he's going to be teaching an immersion class.
He will probably pick up a bit of basic Korean while he's there anyways.
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On June 24 2012 08:09 Leth0 wrote:
Exactly how would you teach koreans english if you don't know korean?........
Most language classes, like those in Japan/Korea are through immersion. The entire class is done in English, and most places (through friends who have done it) forbid you to speak the native language.
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On June 24 2012 08:09 Leth0 wrote:
Exactly how would you teach koreans english if you don't know korean?........
From what I hear, the people that hire you do not want english teachers using a lot of korean language in the classroom anyways (i guess they might be afraid of you being inaccurate with translating between the two and teaching them wrong) I've read a lot about teaching english over there because I've considered it myself, and from what I've read you can still be a good teacher without knowing any Korean at all..even though its obviously good to study it for living over there for an extended period of time.
Also to the OP, if you know absolutely no Korean at all (not sure if you do or not), at least learn to read their script 한글 (hangul) before moving there. It will make your life so much easier.
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Go where your passion leads you, and have a blast doing it with no regrets. Don't know why people would be aggressive in this thread... This sounds all positive, maybe there is some ignorance, but it's just unawareness, and not out of disrespect.
Anyways... There's a pretty big difference between Korea 2 generations ago and Korea now. Fortunately you're not teaching Enlgish to 60-year olds.
GL HF
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On June 24 2012 09:47 TheKwas wrote:Wow, there's a lot of people in this thread who are speaking very stridently out of ignorance. English Teacher in Korea here. No, you don't need to know Korean at all. I never knew anything other than "hello", "hurry up" and "really?" when I first came to Korea. Most English teachers here never learn much Korean beyond basic greetings and ordering in restaurants. Hell, many don't even learn the alphabet. Granted, I highly recommend that you learn some Korean as it will make your stay MUCH more enjoyable and will help some Koreans open up to you. I'm currently pretty conversational in Korean, which has allowed me to have friends and experiences that typical English teachers can't have. Learning at least the alphabet before you come here is ideal. The older generation, like older generations everywhere, can be a bit racist at times, but my own experiences have been nothing but very positive. I've befriended many ujeossi's (mid-aged korean men), some of whom have turned into my best drinking partners despite the large age difference. Even if there are some underlying anti-foreigner resentment, it's extremely rare (in my experience) for that to translate into Koreans being rude or actively mistreating foreigners. You're much, much more likely to get harassed by Koreans who are really curious about foreigners than by Koreans who are resentful towards foreigners. Show nested quote +They just despise the low life scums that comes to Korea who were highschool dropouts and uneducated that just speaks English fluently. Since you are qualified to teach English, they will have no quarry with you! In other words, the American army G.I.s get a pretty bad rap in Korea thanks to a number of high profile incidents. All English teachers are required to possess a 4-year University degree to teach English. Show nested quote +, but I have quite a few korean-american friends who are going to sk to teach english. And I'm inclined to believe that they have a much much higher chance of getting a job than someone like you, especially because you don't even know Korean. Not really. The English teachers here all teach immersion classes, so there's no Korean speaking allowed in class anyways. Gyopos (ethnic Koreans who were raised abroad) might have advantages in many ways in Korea, but the demand and turnover rate is so high here that you're pretty much guaranteed a job here as long as you apply and are qualified. Also, many schools prefer white teachers because of the general perception that white people speak the best English. Show nested quote +ya with a degree you can get a job doing that pretty easy, but its probably long and constant hours, tho the pay is probably decent (compared to minimum wage jobs) Most places have workloads that are either the same or a bit less than the western standard. Koreans themselves like mules, but foreigners here have a pretty comfortable role at most schools. Myself, I work 7 hour workdays and have 2-3 hours of prep-time that is actually more like just break time. Show nested quote +what you might wanna do is try to network and offer enough private classes that you dont have to work for a school. This is illegal and you won't be granted a visa for doing this. All holders of E2 visas must work at a school. Show nested quote +korean culture is probably not so fantastic , you will be tired every evening and have to sleep for the next day so gaming wont feel so appealing, neither will the culture of drinking and clubbing. welcome to real life i guess Personal opinion of course, but I love Korean culture and always have enough energy after/before work to do my hobbies (Muay Thai, Korea Language exchange, and video games). Anyways, OP, feel free to ask me any questions you may have about being an English Teacher in Korea.
Sooo first: DUDE i read the first three paragraphs and was like "holy shit... this is me." LOL. Like identically, I am graduating in december with my degree in English. I should have been done last quarter, but i have never had a decent counselor, and have been forced into classes i didnt need etc..... but seriously i am TOTALLY there with you...
2ndly: you haters are disgusting. Talking to a guy about his ignorance, when you are claiming to know anything about teching english abroad, because you read a blog somewhere where someone had a bad experience? Also who judges someone's writing/reading capacities on their forum posts? Seriously I doubt he spell checks and grammar checks every single post he makes on TL, cause there is no fucking point. There are times when you need to write at an academic level and times when you dont, TL is not a place where people take the time to write SAT level shit.
tertiary: Can I add you TheKwas? I am in same position as OP. Graduating in Dec, have always wanted to visit korea. Have a degree in english. I already have a career lined up for me as soon as I graduate, but am currently debating delaying it for a couple years to teach abroad, I just am not sure I am ready to lock myself up in something for the rest of my life... idc would love to pick your brain though about your experience(s)?
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Sure, pick away. I'm on my second year in Korea now and have experienced most of the ups and downs of ESL teaching life. My experiences have been overwhelmingly positive, but I understand that this life certainly isn't for everyone.
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This is a really exciting blog for me because I am leaving in January to teach English in China. Not the same as SK I would imagine, but still similar.
One thing that I can comment on is that you definitely want to have some language abilities before you leave. I would recommend a website like www.memrise.com + Show Spoiler + where you can learn the language of your choice at home for free.
I would think that as a foreigner, unless you purely want to associate with ex-pats, you will feel isolated if you can't speak to anyone.
GL and HF though. Remember to pace yourself when it comes to planning. Get your required immunizations! And don't listen to the ignorance that seems to permeate any thread where someone is pursuing an adventure 
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EPT
