As most of ya’ll know – South Korea has been calling me this year.
And I have decided that I want to go and see it all in person π
The more that I learn about the culture (and food), the more I know that I don’t want to just visit for a few weeks. I want to stay. For at least a year.
So, I have decided to prepare for teaching in South Korea!
Since it is so competitive there these days, I have started to learn Hangul. I’m still waiting on my passport, and am almost done with my AA. Now, to teach in Korea, you need at least a BA, so I figure that while I am still in school for that I can continue my Hangul studies and take the required TEFL courses online.
And if anyone has any suggestions on where to start with that – please let me know π
Someone asked me one night why I want to teach in South Korea (now that I’ve told my closest family/friends about my decision, I can’t seem to stop talking about it. lol) and I legit teared up.
I was just so happy, and I had never really said my response out loud before. Yes, I love the language. I’ve studied other languages before, but Hangul seems to make the most sense to me and even when I’m struggling with it – I still am excited about learning it.
The culture and history is also interesting to me, but the main reason why I want to teach is the possibilities. Β The idea of teaching kids and in turn learning from them is one that I never considered before. And the thought of being able to show them a positive representation of a black woman is amazing!
I know that it is going to be hard – if I even get the chance to teach. But I can’t shake the image and feeling that I get from the possibility Β of teaching and hopefully doing away with the negative stereotypes surrounding my culture while being in theirs.
Sigh. So I plan on spending the next 3 years preparing for the opportunity. Because when it comes I don’t want to miss it.
Soprano Musings Abroad! 
Awesome!! Although, you don’t need to have any special training (such as TOEFL). And once you’re ready to find a job, Dave’s ESL Cafe is a great website π
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Thank you! Oh, so I just need my Bachelor’s degree?
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I only had a Bachelor’s when I came over the first time, and my majors had nothing to do with teaching. Since it is so popular right now to come over here, I would suggest some volunteering to pad your resume…something with kids π I was asked flat out “do you like kids?” because the teacher I took over for in November apparently didn’t even like kids very much.
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Oh wow! Why would anyone take on teaching kids if you don’t like kids? I’m looking for more volunteering opportunities now, so thanks for letting me know that I’m on the right track π
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Lol I have no idea why they would want to teach kids if they didn’t like them. But it’s an easy job to work in a hogwan (super frustrating some days if you actually care about the job) and the pay is good. I send back around $1000 Canadian every month and still have around $1000 in my account here for living expenses. And last month, the bills I had to pay added up to less than $100 (internet $40, cell phone $30, electric $7) so it’s cheap to live here and easy to save money and pay off debt. It’s a big draw for people right out of university.
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μ§μ§! Whoa! That’s another bonus in my book π I’ve heard of another program for those who only have their AA (talk). Have you heard anything about that?
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Hehe great use of Korean!! But no I haven’t heard anything about just the AA -I actually don’t even know what that is?
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lol – I’ve been learning a few phrases now that I know the alphabet π It’s short for Teach and Learn in Korea. Where you teach after school programs in rural areas of South Korea π
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Oooo very cool!
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