A little lesson plan that I've just made up about one of my favorite TV shows: Hell's Kitchen. I'm using it for an introduction to my lesson on TV. I plan on putting the students in groups of 4 and letting them answer the questions. The team with the highest score will get a prize.
Hell's Kitchen Lesson Plan
Sunday, April 21, 2013
10 Signs of a Sketchy Hagwon
Some spot-on advice for those coming to Korea for the first time and looking for a hagwon (private institute job). From Wiggle English.
10 Signs of a Sketchy Hagwon
10 Signs of a Sketchy Hagwon
Monday, April 8, 2013
Reader Question...what about North Korea
This question from Brittany:
"I have been offered a Assistant Professor position at a University in South Korea. I am very excited and happy to accept the offer. I have so many questions though and I am trying to get as much feedback as I can. Currently the political situation between the US. S. Korea and N. Korea seems to be tense. I am wondering if you have any advice on the matter?"
My answer...so, yeah, I basically just agree with what he said.
Or, to sum it up: I'm pretty chilled out and not so worried about it. Over the 8 years I've been here, plenty of stuff has flared up (like every 6 months?) between the North and South and it ALWAYS just blows over, no matter how serious and scary it seems at the time. Here is basically how I see it:
Does South Korea want a war? No, because they'd win in like 1 day, and then have to babysit the underfed, over-indoctrinated North Koreans for the next 50 years or so until they could catch up. Like could a North Korean army general could a job in the South Korea army? Uhhh...no. Could a bank worker get a job at a Korean bank? Do they even have banks in North Korea? Could a starving peasant turned concentration camp inhabitant get a job at Samsung, or Kia, of Hyundai? Uhhh....no.
Does the USA want a war? Certainly not. They are just finishing up their two longest wars in history and are reeling economically. It doesn't make sense for them to even bother with an out of the way backwater like North Korea.
Do China or Russia want war? Of course they don't. I'm quite sure they don't want to deal with the millions of underfed and uneducated refugees who would make a run for their borders to flee the chaos of a war zone.
So, my short answer: just come to Korea and don't worry about it.
"I have been offered a Assistant Professor position at a University in South Korea. I am very excited and happy to accept the offer. I have so many questions though and I am trying to get as much feedback as I can. Currently the political situation between the US. S. Korea and N. Korea seems to be tense. I am wondering if you have any advice on the matter?"
My answer...so, yeah, I basically just agree with what he said.
Or, to sum it up: I'm pretty chilled out and not so worried about it. Over the 8 years I've been here, plenty of stuff has flared up (like every 6 months?) between the North and South and it ALWAYS just blows over, no matter how serious and scary it seems at the time. Here is basically how I see it:
Does South Korea want a war? No, because they'd win in like 1 day, and then have to babysit the underfed, over-indoctrinated North Koreans for the next 50 years or so until they could catch up. Like could a North Korean army general could a job in the South Korea army? Uhhh...no. Could a bank worker get a job at a Korean bank? Do they even have banks in North Korea? Could a starving peasant turned concentration camp inhabitant get a job at Samsung, or Kia, of Hyundai? Uhhh....no.
Does the USA want a war? Certainly not. They are just finishing up their two longest wars in history and are reeling economically. It doesn't make sense for them to even bother with an out of the way backwater like North Korea.
Do China or Russia want war? Of course they don't. I'm quite sure they don't want to deal with the millions of underfed and uneducated refugees who would make a run for their borders to flee the chaos of a war zone.
So, my short answer: just come to Korea and don't worry about it.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
An Activity for Travel/Weather/Seasons
I'm still studying away for the Delta. The test is on June 5th, so I feel like the day of reckoning is coming or something like that. Anyway, hoping for the best. This is just a quick study break to write a blog post.
Almost every ESL textbook has a unit on Travel or Weather or Seasons. Here is an excellent "task-based" kind of activity that you can do with your students, which will fit into any of these units really well:
Put the students into groups of 4-6 (I do it randomly). The students are a tour company and the customers are my parents who are coming from Canada to Busan for a visit. I will show them a picture of my parents and explain about the kinds of things they like and don't like (example: they like walking around, and sightseeing as well as watching sports, but they hate seafood). Then, the students have to plan a 1-3 day tour (depending on the time for the activity/level of students) of Busan (or your city) for my parents.
I usually give them around 20-30 minutes for the task, and at the end they have to share their ideas with me and the class. I make a rule that 2-3 people should do the speaking, to give more students a chance to talk. I pick the top groups, based upon the following:
1. I think my parents would love the tour
2. They just speak, and don't read from a paper
3. Their presentation was convincing.
And of course, they get a little prize (one stamp as part of my reward system).
This could also be adapted into a more comprehensive task, such as making a brochure or promo video or something like that.
Almost every ESL textbook has a unit on Travel or Weather or Seasons. Here is an excellent "task-based" kind of activity that you can do with your students, which will fit into any of these units really well:
Put the students into groups of 4-6 (I do it randomly). The students are a tour company and the customers are my parents who are coming from Canada to Busan for a visit. I will show them a picture of my parents and explain about the kinds of things they like and don't like (example: they like walking around, and sightseeing as well as watching sports, but they hate seafood). Then, the students have to plan a 1-3 day tour (depending on the time for the activity/level of students) of Busan (or your city) for my parents.
I usually give them around 20-30 minutes for the task, and at the end they have to share their ideas with me and the class. I make a rule that 2-3 people should do the speaking, to give more students a chance to talk. I pick the top groups, based upon the following:
1. I think my parents would love the tour
2. They just speak, and don't read from a paper
3. Their presentation was convincing.
And of course, they get a little prize (one stamp as part of my reward system).
This could also be adapted into a more comprehensive task, such as making a brochure or promo video or something like that.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Some Reader Questions...Copy-editing, uni jobs
"I have a bachelor's degree in history and a master's degree in
journalism. Does that give me a leg up on the competition? For jobs that
start in September, would you say that universities start posting job
ads in April or so?
Also, do you also know of the availability of non-teaching
jobs, like copy-editing, in Korea?"
My answers:
Yes, a masters in journalism will certainly help you get a uni job. It ranks somewhere up there with a degree in English, but probably lower than a degree in Tesl or Education.
Jobs for September will start coming out in April, but the late ones won't be out until July or August so don't give up if you don't get interviews right away. Unis often do 2-3 rounds of interviews/hires anyway after their top choices decide on another offer.
Copy-editing? Yes, it's possible but not exactly easy to find. In my almost decade here, I've met precisely 2 people who worked as editors! And literally thousands who worked at teachers. So, you can calculate the odds there :)
For all the tips and tricks and answers to your questions about university jobs in South Korea, check out this book:
For all the tips and tricks and answers to your questions about university jobs in South Korea, check out this book:
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
MIA
Sorry for the lack of updates. Things are busy these days with the new semester underway. I have a refreshing change from the engineering students of last semester and now teach students with majors like International Trade, Tourism or Business Administration. Let's just say that their general English skills are far, far superior to my students from last semester.
And, I've started studying online for the Delta, module 1. It's the step beyond the Celta course and consists of 3 modules. 1 and 3 are possible to do online, but module 2 requires practice teaching so will need an in-person component somewhere.
Anyway, it's intense. Basically, my grammar skills are really not up to speed and I've had to spend a horrendous amount of time "catching up." And I have a big test in 10 weeks that is already looming large on the horizon. Hence the lack of blog updates! See you again in another month. Back to the modals, noun phrases and phonetic alphabet for me.
And, I've started studying online for the Delta, module 1. It's the step beyond the Celta course and consists of 3 modules. 1 and 3 are possible to do online, but module 2 requires practice teaching so will need an in-person component somewhere.
Anyway, it's intense. Basically, my grammar skills are really not up to speed and I've had to spend a horrendous amount of time "catching up." And I have a big test in 10 weeks that is already looming large on the horizon. Hence the lack of blog updates! See you again in another month. Back to the modals, noun phrases and phonetic alphabet for me.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Reader Question...How Long?
This one from Jacob:
"How long is it possible for somebody like you to teach in Korea at the University level?"
My answer:
It's possible to spend decades teaching at Korean Universities and I've met a few people here who've done it. There are a few things to consider though:
1. The market is becoming saturated in terms of a large number of very qualified teachers fighting for a limited number of "good" jobs. It's becoming more and more similar to Japan where good uni jobs are few and far between and are mostly locked up by an elite few. I have a feeling that Korean unis will realize this soon enough (if they haven't already) and job conditions will become not as fabulous as they are now.
2. Age discrimination is an issue in Korea. You will likely not get hired here if you're above 60. And if you start somewhere when you're younger and are approaching that age, watch your back and start exploring some other opportunities.
3. Some unis won't hire foreign instructors for more than 3-4 years because of issues to do with the Korea Teacher's pension plan. In a teacher's fifth year, the school has to pay a significant amount more for their portion of the contribution than they did in years 1-4, which makes some places reluctant to keep people for the long-term.
"How long is it possible for somebody like you to teach in Korea at the University level?"
My answer:
It's possible to spend decades teaching at Korean Universities and I've met a few people here who've done it. There are a few things to consider though:
1. The market is becoming saturated in terms of a large number of very qualified teachers fighting for a limited number of "good" jobs. It's becoming more and more similar to Japan where good uni jobs are few and far between and are mostly locked up by an elite few. I have a feeling that Korean unis will realize this soon enough (if they haven't already) and job conditions will become not as fabulous as they are now.
2. Age discrimination is an issue in Korea. You will likely not get hired here if you're above 60. And if you start somewhere when you're younger and are approaching that age, watch your back and start exploring some other opportunities.
3. Some unis won't hire foreign instructors for more than 3-4 years because of issues to do with the Korea Teacher's pension plan. In a teacher's fifth year, the school has to pay a significant amount more for their portion of the contribution than they did in years 1-4, which makes some places reluctant to keep people for the long-term.
Friday, February 22, 2013
I'm back...and a Reader Question
I'm back from sunny Thailand and am happy to be back in Korea, despite the chill in the air. When is springtime again? Anyway, an easy reader question to ease back into blogging. This one from Chanel:
"How does the academic years looks like for students? When does the seasons end and start, usually?"
Uni students have 2 semesters. The first one starts around March 1st and goes until the middle of June of so. The second semester starts at the end of August or beginning of September and goes until mid December.
"How does the academic years looks like for students? When does the seasons end and start, usually?"
Uni students have 2 semesters. The first one starts around March 1st and goes until the middle of June of so. The second semester starts at the end of August or beginning of September and goes until mid December.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Movie Review Lesson Plan
From Sara Davila on Educating Her World. A writing focused lesson plan, using an authentic text. Seems like good stuff!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Reader Question: French Teaching Position in Korea
"I discovered your blog doing some research to find a job in Korea. I'm
actually looking for a FRENCH teaching position in a Korean university.
There are not many resources (to say the least) about French teaching in
Korea. I know there's certainly less jobs than in ESL. Any idea where to look, what to
begin with? Recruiters? Or contacting universities directly?"
My answer:
Yes, you certainly are correct in saying that there are less jobs in French teaching than in ESL in Korea. Over my 8 years in Korea, I've met thousands of English teachers, but precisely 3 French teachers. Native speaking Japanese and Chinese teachers are much more common even. So, it certainly is possible but probably very difficult, if not almost impossible to get a position. And, I truly don't have any fabulous ideas about where to look for these jobs. Maybe contacting the French departments at universities in Korea directly? Perhaps the readers of this blog could give some tips.
My answer:
Yes, you certainly are correct in saying that there are less jobs in French teaching than in ESL in Korea. Over my 8 years in Korea, I've met thousands of English teachers, but precisely 3 French teachers. Native speaking Japanese and Chinese teachers are much more common even. So, it certainly is possible but probably very difficult, if not almost impossible to get a position. And, I truly don't have any fabulous ideas about where to look for these jobs. Maybe contacting the French departments at universities in Korea directly? Perhaps the readers of this blog could give some tips.
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