Saturday, June 18, 2011

Got My Travel Books

I have purchased my phrase book and travel guide... I have been studying both of them more thoroughly than I have ever studied any of my travel guides. I have especially enjoyed reading about the Korean history and culture. I do not know much about either and am excited to be able to go over there and learn more. I have also recently found out that the sister-in-law of my mom's boss is leaving in the same neighborhood that I will be living in. Maybe I'll be able to become acquainted with them and learn more about the Korean culture.


Friday, June 3, 2011

Contract

Hey yall, just wanted to let you know I have received my contract from the school I will be teaching at. I will be getting paid 2.2 million won a month which is about $2,037. I will be getting 10 days of paid vacation, of course not all at the same time. If it continue for a second year, I will get a raise of 2.6 million won ($2,407). I was planning on doing a second year if I enjoyed it, so this is an even bigger incentive.

I have also received my training manual when I met with the director. I just was able to start reading through it during my break at work. It's a 93 page manual that is a substitution to the TESL, so I am happy I do not need to pay $400 to get my certificate. I will continue to keep you all updated of my preparations.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

First Post (Pre-Departure)


Hello everyone, I don’t know who all will be reading this and I don’t really care who reads it. This is my first post about my journey to be a English teacher in South Korea. Today I found out what city I will be in as well a my date of departure. I decided that I wanted to blog about my pre-departure as well as my new life in South Korea. This blog will help me mentally prepare me for my journey, which is why I am starting it now as well.

So today, I was able to meet with the director of the school I will be teaching at. He was in Seattle with his son looking at universities. He even brought me a cute little pouch that is apparently a traditional gift in Korea.


So the school I will be teaching at is called A Class; it is located in Sanbon (a neighborhood of
Gunpo, a satellite city of Seoul. It is 45 min south by Subway). My journey will begin on August 1st when I take a very long flight to Seoul.


An interesting thing about this school is that the teaching methods they use are adopted from the Meysen Academy in Japan. Since 2004, I have worked at Crista Camps - Island Lake where we have hosted the Meysen students for two weeks of camp. The director was excited that I have that connection. Anyway, thats all for tonight. I’ll post again when something exciting occurs!