Teaching English as a Second Language

“Congrats, Crash! Hoping the best for you. :)”

“Well that is doubtless one of the most important phrases in the English language!”

“Sorry WK! No offense You know you're prime rib in my book. :)”

“i found one of the teachers at my school on myspace. i contacted her and asked her what her general impression was, and this is what she had to say:

"Personally, I have found teaching at the hogwon is very easy and you never take any work home. Your hours are your hours. Then again, I was a teacher back home, so this is cake compared to that. They probably told you 3-9, but it's actually 2-9. From 2-3 you are just prepping for class (it takes me like 15 minutes and then I just sit there and read a book or bs). Then you have regular classes of 8-10 students from 3-7. From 7-9 you teach privates (one-on-one) students ranging from 6 to adult ages (mostly kids, though).
Jason and Yung Hwa (the owners) are very cool. They will train you for a week or so, half of which you'll be doing the teaching. Then you're on your own, unless you have questions. The nice thing about our school is that it is run by foreigners and ALL the teachers are foreigners. There's around eleven of us and we all hang out together a lot. We all live in the a group of four buiding complexes/apartments, so we're very close to each other. At other hogwons, there may only be one or two other foreign teachers, and you're director may not speak very good English/try to rip you off, etc.
It's easy to save money here, compared to Seoul, which has more of a night life and more to do in general. But you can take a bus or train up there for like thirty bucks and visit over a weekend. Gwangju has an all right night/social life.
The apartments are fairly new and they give you everything you need. I didn't bring anything but clothes and have been fine. Be prepared, though, if you come in May June, it rains a lot during the "summer" here and it's hot.
I honestly don't have anything negative to say about You and I (thats the name of the school). I've been treated well there and have talked to other teachers from other hogwons when I've gone out downtown. A lot of them regret going to the schools there at, and I don't at all.
My only regret is that I would have applied to a university or foreign school if I would've known better, because I'm certified to teach. You get paid about the same, but a lot more vacation time. Plus, the hogwon routine can become quite routine and mundane after a few months, but it's like that at any hogwon.

Hope this info helps. Feel free to ask me anything. Good luck!"

obviously, i am totally pumped now. KOREAAAAAAAAA!!!
last edited: 4/08/07 11:34:53 AM”

“I don't know much about what you're doing so if my questions are stupid or sound judgmental, forgive me.

Are you doing this for the intrinsic rewards it offers, or is this a stepping stone to something else, or are you doing it just to see other parts of the world, or is this your calling?

How long will you be in Korea and what's the plan after that? I'm sure you know this, but most colleges have an ESL program nwo. I'd think there'd be pretty good money in that for someone with the experience you'll be getting.

What is this school that you'll be working at? Is it for poeple who will be moving to an English speaking country, or just for people who want their kids or themselves to learn English just because?”

“Are you doing this for the intrinsic rewards it offers, or is this a stepping stone to something else, or are you doing it just to see other parts of the world, or is this your calling?

a little of each, i suppose.

How long will you be in Korea and what's the plan after that?

im going to sign a one year contract to start with. after that, ill probably take some time off to hike, but long term i may eventually go for my masters (to teach at the college level you usually need a masters) or open my own school. or i might just keep on alternating teaching for a year, then taking several months off to travel. or none of the above

in many countries, especially ones like korea and japan, fluency in english is a highly valuable commodity. its the language of the business world. it is the most commonly spoken non-native language in the world. private language schools, or hogwons in the korean, is a major industry in korea. english is also part of the curriculum of the public schools. if only americans were so eager to look outside their insular little worlds”

“just printed out (or as they say in canada, "owoot") the orientation booklet. have been perusing it. i must say im giddy with anticipation. im just as excited, if not more, than i was 3 years ago, just before starting the AT. probably more, because now i feel like i am taking a step forward in my professional and adult development, whereas the other thing i was taking time off to play with no real job prospects afterward.

yip!”

“what will your first language be?”

“And the fact that it's in another country makes it like an adventure too, not just a job. the sky's the limit man. Congrats.”

“I'm particularly pleased with your comment about adult development. Might try it myself someday.”

“its about time i started being an adult.

just told mom a little bit ago. she took it well enough. i think shes more worried about using the internet to talk to me”

“Your mom is so sweet! I've talked to her several times. We can keep calling her to keep her company if you want!”

“be my guest.”

“CB if you turn on the NFL channel right now you can relive the Steelers 2005 season that ended in oh yeah a SUPERBOWL RING!!!

Oh yeah, good luck in Korea!
last edited: 4/09/07 10:34:34 PM”

“so crash, will you try learning any Korean? it's a fairly easy language. it's mostly phonetic. they don't have characters, just a different alphabet, 14 consonents and 10 vowels. they taught us the entire alphabet, (to read, write and speak) in 24 hours.”

“Congrats Crash! And good luck, eh. you Hoser.”

“ Steelers 2005 season that ended in oh yeah a SUPERBOWL RING!!!

but what have they done for you lately?”

“defineitely, pam. i saw some software that im thinking about getting”

“LOL. Crash gets there just as the American Military pulls out....NO seriously that is great Crash good luck and stay in touch.”

“I hear those Koreans like chittlins too......”

“crash, japan is way better then Korea. My brother has been to both and is stationed in Japan right now.
He says climbing Fugi is awesome and nudity is mandatory in the hot springs.”

“Congratulations, CB!!”

“spirit

none of the japanese schools i applied to hired me

plus, most korean schools pay for your airfare and your apartment, while most japanese schools do not. korea also has a lower cost of living

the only downside is japan probably has better hiking, but its still not very far away and i intend to get there at least a couple of times”

“Just remember this crash, the Koreans are not very fond of the Japanese.”

“ive been reading up on that. ill just sneak out and tell anyone who asks im going to thailand to do a little bangcock
last edited: 4/10/07 1:28:42 PM”

“끔찍한, 끔찍한 충돌 사고! LOL!

헤이 ∥ 당신은 이 프로그램을 알아듣기 위해 즐겼다 나는 그것을 좋아한다. 나는 나의 한국의 책을 위한 찾기를 물건을 다시 한번 배우기 위해 참을 예정이다.”

“Pammie is a spy for The Dear Leader...............NO!!!!

>8^O”

“Soo funny mARKo! ever try to learn North Korean from a South Korean? Many things about the DLIFLC were funny.”

“Don't they speak the same language?

And WTH is DLIFLC?”

“It's a bit different.

D.L.I.F.L.C. google it, i think that works still.”

“minor snag that hopefully doesnt turn into a major snag:

i sent the school that hired me all the necessary documents for immigration. all of them except my diploma, which i sent a notarized copy of. i found out later that it needed to be notarized by the korean consilate, or the original needs to be sent. not wanting to waste time sending it off to chicago, i just sent the original by usps global express. according to their website, it was delivered on april 20th, but my school says they have not received it. im still waiting on proof of delivery email from the postal service, or word from the school that theyve found it. frustrating”

“Oh scheet! Hope they find it fast.”

“hey you comin to my open house on may 20?”

“I'm trying to come to your hike. I have a plan and it just may work.”

“crap, assuming they do find it will you get it back?...the website should have who signed for it...you might be able to track that person down”

“i submitted a request for proof of delivery from the website. as soon as i get it, i will let the school know. if this is not resolved by monday, i am going to call the korean consulate in chicago to find out what to do”

“you had said before they didn't have one in Chicago but i thought there was. did you find one?”

“i smell and international incident”

“i thought i saw a list of consulates one time, and that dc was the closest. musta been hallucinating”

“diploma found. crisis averted”

“Good.
last edited: 4/27/07 5:34:50 AM”

“i'll tell W to take the missles off stand by”

“Hope they don't do the same thing with your paycheck. >;D”

“a few days ago one of the younger kids (tonya) was heard to say "i dont like Fecher". yesterday, i told her i heard what she said. i didnt make a big deal out of it, just ribbed her a little bit about it, cuz shes a really good kid and fun to teach. i think she must have felt a little guilty, because today she handed me a note. the note said that she likes me because i teach her and i make her smart. big awwwwwwwwww moment

anyways, thats just one of the reasons why i have changed my mind about what i want to do. if i am going to do this as a profession, i absolutely DO want to teach elementary, and am not going to just focus on pre-college level students.

yip!”

“There ya go. It gets easier when you know what you want to do, doesn't it?

Doug”

“i'm in a quandry. i think i may have found a way to get a contract in an area i want (its in greece, but i would take any Western European nation). its not a gimme, but its a very good chance. i would have to take some schooling, and then they would help place me. the research i've done is very encouraging, but there is still the small possibility i could go over there and come back without a job, but that really wouldnt bother me much, because, hey, i just spent a couple of months in greece. the one true drawback is that i would have to go over a lot sooner than i would want to. i was hoping to have until at least october before going back to work, so i could have more time to spend with friends and family. unfortuneately, the way the job market works over there, i would need to go in mid-august to assure myself the best chance for a job. any later than that, and the opportunities drop significantly. and for the amount of money i'd be paying for the training, i'm not taking any chances.

so ive got the job in the place that i want, but i have to leave home much earlier than i want, vs my safety, which is to wait until late in the year, and go back to korea, which is great money, but not nearly as exciting as spending a year in europe.

decisions, decisions”

“I'd go.



Or not.”

“You have an opportunity to live and work in Greece, and you aren't sure???? It's only for a year. Go and have a blast.”

“after having been in korea for a year, i was hoping to have more than 2 1/2 months home before having to go overseas again. there is so much i want to do, that i couldnt possibly get it all done in that time. but i thought of a way to make it work. i could go and get my schooling in greece in august and come back in september. before i come back home, i will try to arrange for a job that starts later in the year, november, for example. that way, i could have both and not sacrifice another. the only thing i would have to drop would be my long trail thru-hike, but i think the trade-off would be quite ok. i just emailed the recruiter to see what he thought the possibility would be”

“Despite the quandry, it's nice to have those opportunities, isn't it? Pretty cool.”