Post-degree travel & teaching!
07. Mar, 2010 
3 Comments
Teaching overseas had always been a dream of mine. You may ask “why?” and I’m not even sure I could give a person an answer. It all seemed very interesting at first; a new experience, a new country, culture, and lastly, getting away from everyone you ever wanted to! While all of these are certainly what you get when you decide to up and leave – destined for a foreign country – there are many aspects that a person should consider before making the move.
Upon completion of my undergraduate degree from the University of New Brunswick, the world seemed wide-open to me with endless possibilities. I decided I would look into teaching in South Korea. The money seemed great, the cost of living was low, airfare is taken care of, benefits and no rent to pay. What more could a person want.. or need?! There was an agency in downtown Fredericton that helped me get the ball rolling. After a few months, a few fees, a few stamps and application forms I was ready to set out on an adventure of a lifetime.
I had decided to break my trip into two flights flying from Moncton to Los Angeles (spending 4 days in LA) then flying to Seoul, South Korea. Not only did I get to experience the city of LA but it was cheaper than flying directly from YQM to SEL.
Another advantage of coming to a place like Korea is that it is quite easy to travel around South-East Asia and even to Australia for a decent price. I have been fortunate to have travelled to Japan, Malaysia and Australia in the first 6 months of me being here. Other friends and people I know have gone to China, spent weeks on the beaches of Thailand, fired MK47s inVietnam, while others used their break to travel back home to Canada and the US. My travels allowed me to meet up with an old high school friend in Japan where she was studying. I was also able to visit a former exchange student from my high school – spending 10 days in lovely Melbourne!
If you are thinking about coming to South Korea to teach, I strongly advise that you take advantage of being so close to so many countries. It’s easy and affordable.
About The Author
Hey,
Congrats on making your way to South Korea! Once I graduated with my B.A (with a major in English) the plan was to teach..somewhere…
I’m now doing a second degree, somehow I changed paths. Regardless, however, keep me updated with everything… I’m living part of my dream through you!
I’m actually debating teaching in Korea. Anything I should know? I want to do my B.Ed.. do you think this may give me extra credentials to do so?
Thanks for the blog and post!
I do have another blog which I will probably keep and still do this at the same time. The site is nsteeves.blogspot.com – it’s mostly personal experiences but I will make more info available about teaching and how it can help you on this site.
There is a ton of information you should look into before you come to Korea to teach. You may want to pick up a bit of the language as it will help you not only in the classroom but also getting around the city/country. It looks great on a resume, it is a lot of fun and does help to get into a Education program. I just recently got accepted (last week) after having been denied after I had just completeld by B.A. in April of 2009. I know in New Brunswick, having experience like this will also help your salary