By Katie Baxter
Guest blogger from onlinetefl.com
Follow these simple rules and you’ll soon have a glowing CV/resume that’ll make employers weep for joy! Remember that what seems acceptable back home in a CV is not always the same when applying for TEFL jobs over the other side of the world!
by Monika Salita
@monikasalita or About Monika
By Feen (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Before I headed off to the south of France to teach high school English, I read and read as much as I could to know what to pack and bring with me. Not just tee-shirts and sandals, but teaching materials too.
You may not be completely certain of what your teaching environment may look like, but hopefully this list of teaching tools will help you to prepare or think about a few key items to bring, in advance.
By Katie Baxter
Guest blogger from onlinetefl.com
By Hannes Grobe (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
So you’re going to spend a year abroad teaching English? Full of enthusiasm, you pack your bags with tons of books, resources, teabags, so that by the time you’ve finished packing, you’re three times over the maximum luggage weight allowance.
Or perhaps you’re a travelling teacher who has decided to backpack around the world, and you need a rucksack that you can carry. With limited space in your rucksack, do you actually need all of those heavy books to teach English? Remember, the only really essential item is you!
If you are lucky enough to teach in a state of the art language school, where they have everything from satellite TV, video cameras, DVD players and an interactive whiteboard, then fantastic! But even if you are teaching in a small impoverished village, with little in the way of resources, don’t panic. Here are a variety of suggestions of essential equipment to help you prepare for your time in the classroom.
Part three: Seoul by day and night
Part two: South Korea’s culture and character
Part one: Being a TEFL teacher in South Korea
by Jonathan Last @JonathanLast1
Author of Teaching English with Chopsticks: TEFL from the Frontline
Despite its Buddhist heritage and the large number of temples scattered around the countryside, South Korea is a predominantly Christian country; therefore Christmas is a national holiday. However, there is only one day off as a national holiday, so you’ll be working the day before and after. There is also a solitary day’s holiday for New Year’s Day. Both events are celebrated with less fervour than in the West, with little of the same decoration and festivity.
Much more important is the Korean New Year, AKA the Lunar New Year, celebrated on the first day of the lunar calendar. Since this is dependent on the moon’s cycle, its date varies from mid-January to mid-February. It is a time for family celebration, with ancestral rituals performed whilst wearing traditional hanbok dress.
By Monika Salita
@monikasalita or About Monika
Teaching your native language in a foreign country, sometimes located halfway around the world, to very eager and not so eager students can be an arduous task. My time teaching high school English in France was a very rewarding and key life experience for me. I loved where I lived, the new adventures I was able to experience and the work I got to do, with (mostly) eager younger learners.