Monday, 3 October 2016

TEFL Success Stories - Part 9

Belgium - Colin

Chocolate I knew about, as well as fries and good beer but what about the teaching situation? "Brush up on your grammar and prepare to teach advanced learners...You'd better get an extra qualification to teach Business English. I would have thought Belgium's quite a saturated market" was what my director of studies advised me before I left for Belgium. Not quite what I wanted to hear pre-departure.

A pre-intermediate Vietnamese clairvoyant; two upper intermediate French engineers, an elementary Italian MEP; two Greek teenagers; an intermediate group made up of Japanese housewives, a Libyan expert on water management and some Belgians, were on the menu for my first week of teaching - a far cry from what I had imagined. In actual fact, just the Belgian and European capital has so much teaching work available that you need never be without work regardless of your qualifications.

As the European commission, European parliament and associated organisations, multi-nationals are based here, there is an international clientele demanding tuition if not for themselves then for their bosses, colleagues, children... Quite a few teachers are here because of their partners' careers so there tends to be a high turnover of teachers and offers of students when it's time for them to move on.

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Word of mouth is generally the way I've been gaining clients. The British Council have a list of English teachers which goes out to people looking for language teachers - no teaching centre in Belgium however. Other networks such as BETTA (Belgian English Teachers and Trainers Association) can give leads and up to date contacts for work. Language schools are generally looking for teachers throughout the year. In Brussels the largest are CLL, Fondation 9 but there are many other respectable organisations each with varied client profiles. A useful publication is the Bulletin. A few days after arriving, I replied to an ad I found in the magazine. I had the interview the next day and was working by the following Monday.

Having clients of your own brings in the best bread. Even at language schools you can earn €18 - €38 depending on your experience, qualifications and the type of classes you teach. While there are scare stories that tax in Belgium is high, once a good accountant has deducted all you're entitled to and probably a few things that you're not (Belgians say that playing with the tax system is a national sport) it works out to more like 20 - 25%. Also in your first year of working you pay very little tax. Speaking to an accountant is the best way to get the low down on the nitty-gritty for your situation and you even get to deduct the accountant's fees!

Salaried employment can be come by but you'd best come with a fair whack of experience and ideally a Master's - neither DELTA nor CELTA carry much weight in Belgium indeed for some freelance work teaching qualifications aren't always necessary. Occasionally there are openings in Higher Education Institutions and some language schools and secondary but you may also have to speak Dutch and/ or French. BETTA or BAAHE (Belgian Association of Anglicists in Higher Education) may be able to offer leads.

Outside of the capital, the main cities in the Flemish speaking area are Ghent, Antwerp, Brugges, Leuven, Ostend. In the French speaking part of the country there's Liege, Mons and Charleroi. Being a small country with excellent and inexpensive transport you could base yourself in one of these cities and commute to Brussels if you couldn't get work locally.

You will at some stage have Belgian students. Even more so if you base yourself outside of Brussels. These come in four varieties Dutch speaking, French speaking, German speaking or a combination of any of those three.

As a general rule, the Dutch speakers have great fluency and good listening skills. This is mostly due to similarities between Dutch and English but also TV and radio. Most of the American, Australian, British programmes are subtitled and most of their music is British or American. Lessons can often turn into singing sessions when they make the connection between a new word and a song. There are lots of Flemish who have acquired English rather than learnt it. Ilke Jense's approach to grammar works well as most older learners have never studied grammar and can be a little allergic to it. Also writing can be quite traumatic for learners who have never officially studied English. Unlike the Dutch, The Flemish tend to be slightly less forthcoming.

French speaking Belgians on the other hand tend not to have the oral/aural ability but are more at home in grammar books and the written language. Most English language TV programmes become French language programmes and given the strength of French speaking culture there are fewer pop songs in English so listening is more difficult for them. French speaking Belgians must study Dutch at school so Dutch syntax and vocabulary often comes out to play in their English. The French speaking Belgians see themselves as being more open and Mediterranean than their Flemish counterparts but still they need a bit of coaxing if you're to get some genuine feedback on your classes.

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The German speakers I've worked with have been the jolliest of all the Belgians. With the German speaking population being able to fill Wembley stadium or approximately 9% of the Belgian population (around 10 million) you don't get to meet them that often particularly if you work outside the German speaking region in the east of Belgium. You're more likely to work with Belgians of Arabic, Italian, Turkish background than German.

Visitors sometimes notice that in the evenings Belgium can seem a little quiet. Seeing as you get over 45 channels on cable (nearly everyone has it) including BBC 1 and BBC2 even ITV in some regions there's no better way of getting hold of material to use with learners. Printed material such as British and American newspapers/ magazines is just as easy to get wherever you are in the country - even more so in the Flemish speaking part of the country. If however you need published EFL material there are specialist English language bookshops in Liege, Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp. Waterstones has a branch in Brussels. With inexpensive boat, train and plane connections to the UK I've been able to take groups of learners on day trips.

You may want to want upgrade yourself as a teacher at some stage. It's fairly easy given that the British Council organise various events throughout the year, as do BETTA and BAAHE. As Belgium isn't the typical destination for TEFLers the competition for interesting work and openings in areas such as materials trialing, examining is more available. For experienced and committed teachers there are opportunities to get into IELTS and Cambridge ESOL examining. Most language schools allow you to create your own materials and with some of the clients available such as in the European Parliament or Commission you could find yourself designing some niche teaching material. I've found that most professional development you do is to satisfy your own desire rather than career progression within the country.

If you are looking to earn a fairly decent wage, teach a wide variety of learners, have a good standard of living, fast track your career in EFL then you could do a lot worse than work in Belgium. Oh and perk to working in a country that has chocolate as part of it's culture is that you often get chocolates as a reward for the good job you've done - particularly if your students are Belgians.

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Wednesday, 28 September 2016

TEFL Success Stories - Part 8

Mongolia - Sender

My name is Sender Dovchin and I'm from Mongolia. At the moment I'm in Japan teaching English at a private conversational school in Tokyo. Prior to my arrival in Japan, I used to work as an English lecturer at the National University of Mongolia, the most prestigious state university in Mongolia. I graduated from the National University of Mongolia in the field of English language teaching and translation in 2001 and got an MA degree in TESL in 2002. In 2001 I started my job as an English teacher at National University Mongolia, Department of American and British studies. Anyway, I found this site very useful and informative and wanted to share about English language teaching situation in Mongolia.

A few words about Mongolia

Mongolia, more known as Outer Mongolia, is located in the heart of Central Asia, sandwiched right between two superpowers: China and Russia. It has a population of only 2.4 million people living sparsely over the territory of 1,566,500 sq. km, or equal to half of India.

The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Genghis Khan they conquered a huge Eurasian empire. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually retired to their original steppe homelands and came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing and a Communist regime was installed in 1924. However, in the early 90's, as a result of the Soviet collapse, the ex-Communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) gradually yielded its monopoly on power to the Democratic Union Coalition and Mongolia has chosen the road of democracy and a free market economy.

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Education in Mongolia

During the socialist era, education was heavily subsidized with modern schools and dormitory facilities built in all soum (district) centers. Every child—even those from nomadic families in remote areas—could go to school. With every school having a full staff complement, student-teacher ratios were among the lowest in the world and—although educationally desirable—proved expensive.

With the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, Mongolia embarked on a painful transition from a planned to a market economy. As a consequence, expenditures on education eroded drastically, with teachers' salaries having to be cut to minimal levels and textbooks becoming precious. However, the Mongolian government has been trying to overcome all the obstacles in order to set a complete new stage in the field of education.

English language popularity in Mongolia

The Russian language remains the most widely spoken foreign language among elder people, but this is changing as English is gaining much more popularity than Russian among the youth. During the socialist time, the Russian language was taught from a very young age and almost everyone could speak fluent Russian but nowadays the roles of the languages are changing. In other words, English is getting extremely popular and Russian less so. People would rather choose English or maybe other languages including Japanese, German and so on.

English language learners

With 70% of Mongolia's population under 35 years old, education is the foundation of Mongolia's future. Reforms, streamlining, and repairs—mixed with ample optimism and dedication—are propelling the English language curriculum toward achieving its goal of education for all.

By school year 1999/2000, enrollment in English language classes had risen to over 90%. Rural areas, however, still lagged behind, with enrollment in two thirds of the districts lower than 80%. Since then, every school including high schools and universities began to teach English and it has become a compulsory subject.

Nowadays, everyone wants to study English however, unlike many nations, Mongolia is challenged with educating its boys, who only account for 40% of enrollment in upper secondary education. At higher education level, female students outnumber their male counterparts by over two to one. Therefore, if you visit English language schools in Mongolia, there are classes full of girls and only few boys. Boys usually study at technical universities and they don't really see English as their future career.

Mongolian students are very talented and enthusiastic about learning English, so it is easy to work with eager and self–motivated students. Generally, the written and reading skills of the students are pretty good because they write essays, do written exercises and read texts, however, because of the lack of native speaking teachers their speaking and listening skills leave room for improvement.

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English instructors in Mongolia

During the painful process of economic transition in 90's, there were only a few English instructors some of whom used to be Russian language instructors. These teachers were well aware of the importance of training themselves and improving their skills and English ability. Therefore, they often attended English language teacher training funded by several foundations and institutions which offered native speakers who had degrees in TESL. This training and other projects have boosted teachers' abilities as well as confidence. These days the teachers are motivated and capable and that helps the learners stay in school.

Thankfully, native speakers who come to Mongolia as volunteers have made a difference in teachers and learners. The number of English native speakers coming to Mongolia has increased dramatically since 1990 as Mongolia opened itself to the world and some of them even began to live in Mongolia to teach English despite the cold climate – the most challenging aspect of the country - and the low salary. English teachers in Mongolia can expect to receive up to $90 per month in rural areas and $100 in major cities. This figure puts Mongolia well ahead of other former socialist countries in the region such as Tajikistan, where teachers' salaries are just $5 a month.

Final words

If you would like to teach English in Mongolia, you will be welcomed by friendly and hospitable people of the eternal blue dome hanging over an endless steppes who closely intertwined with the nature and unique nomadic culture. In this country, everyone knows the urgent need to master the global language which is why English teachers are also needed in language institutes, fashion design schools, business and technical schools. Most of your students here would have a strong grasp of the language giving you the chance for a fascinating experience.

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Saturday, 24 September 2016

TEFL Success Stories - Part 7

USA - Maytal

I taught ESL in California, USA for about one year. After I posted a few flyers in the Mexican supermarkets a lot of South and Central Americans called me. After a few lessons, I realized that the main thing I needed to teach was not English, but rather self confidence and basic studying skills. I had a 50-year-old student, who had been sent to work on a farm since the age of 5, and had been working ever since. He had never studied, and felt very insecure about his ability to learn. His wife told me, that he was worried I would not want to teach him because of his bad memory! I constantly encouraged him, and told him he was doing very well. My top priority was to be very patient. I kept reminding myself that what I had planned to teach, was for HIM and not for me. It would take a few weeks to complete one lesson.

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The South Americans who have immigrated to the USA are the main market for ESL classes. They have left their home to live in a place where there is enough money to live on. They usually do not have studying skills, and work long hours at hard jobs. By the end of the day, they are not very motivated to study English. Therefore, the lessons must be exciting in order to have a chance!

The South American US immigrants don't need English classes, don't want to pay for English classes, and are scared of them. Let me explain. Due to the large number of immigrants from South America to the USA, it is very easy for them to spend their whole lives there, without speaking any English! There are Spanish speakers in every shop, government agency and bank. Knowing that, it seems they are willing to give up on English lessons, without feeling guilty. They don't NEED English.

As most people know, spending money is a very complicated thing. Guilt is a common feeling, I would say, when taking out one's wallet! And coming from a culture where most people spend their whole lives working and not studying, you can see that it is hard to spend money. They don't WANT to pay for English.

But, after all they do take classes! Keep in mind that they are being very brave. In order to encourage them to continue their studies (and not just start), let them discover this: Knowing English is beneficial to them for many reasons: better paying jobs and job advancements could be available to an immigrant who knows English. Also, the immigrant's children are in English speaking schools, and come home with homework in that language. So the parents who can understand their children's homework, can help create a better future for the children and themselves (those with high paying jobs, have the chance to support their parents in their old age!!)

I had a few Japanese students as well. They did have good studying skills, and seemed to need challenging lessons. They got bored easily, maybe because I had gotten used to teaching at a slow pace with the South Americans.

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I asked at a few private schools, about teaching there, but all required university degrees. I do not have a university. degree, but I do have a TEFL certificate. I was confident in my teaching skills, so I put up a few flyers. I received a lot of calls, and was able to charge $20 for 40-minute private lessons. What I'm saying is that there is plenty of work in California.

Also, UC Berkeley Extension (in Berkeley, CA) offers many different types of short classes on teaching ESL. The classes last a few weeks, or months and are inexpensive. I assume that all major Universities offer these classes in their extension schools (anyone can attend, you don't need to be accepted).

So, to those who want to move to the USA and teach ESL, my recommendation is: dive in! Good luck and remember to be as patient as possible with your students. Teach them at their pace, not yours!!

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Thursday, 22 September 2016

TEFL Success Stories - Part 6

Mexico - Mark

I arrived in Mexico in the summer of 2000 fresh from a TEFL course. I'd taken a job in the city of Queretaro in central Mexico after a 20-minute telephone interview with the school's Swiss owner. I didn't really know what to expect but was just looking forward to something new…something different.

On arrival in Queretaro I was amazed. I found myself in one of the most beautiful cities I'd ever been in - full of beautiful Spanish colonial architecture, terrace bars and restaurants, plazas with ample seating and beautiful fountains full of families in the evenings, narrow winding streets with vendors selling all kinds food and local handcrafts and grand old houses with beautiful, open "patios". With so much history around me, it felt like I was walking around a movie set. I felt incredibly lucky to have ended up in such a place but was soon to find out that Mexico is full of equally wonderful cities.

At 7am Monday morning however, I remembered that I was here to work. The school was smaller than I'd expected as was the system of teaching. I was told that I'd be teaching classes of no more than 4 students of more or less the same level but that they'd probably each be doing a different chapter from the book. Later, I came to realize that buzz words or phrases in the marketing English institutes in Mexico are "native teachers" and "small classes" and that various other schools in the city offered very similar systems.

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The first few weeks flew by trying to teach 3 or 4 different grammar topics in one hour. After a month it felt like I'd taught everything in the book. I realized that in fact it was impossible for a student to possibly understand how we use, for example, the present perfect simple after their 15 minute explanation from me but that this wasn't my problem. Too keep myself motivated I started trying to think of imaginative, "student centred" ways to present the topics and thus keep the students engaged even if they weren't exactly learning what I was supposed to teach them.

Within the first month the school converted my FMT tourist visa to an FM3 working visa and paid the $1700 pesos to the immigration department. I would just say to anyone whose thinking of coming here to get your TEFL certificate, birth certificate and degree certificate notarized back home first otherwise you won't get the visa.

Furthermore, I was getting paid my $6000 pesos per month on time and occasionally received a bonus. The pay was enough to rent a room in a house in a good neighborhood, eat out several times a week and go out at the weekends. I couldn't save too much and couldn't travel very far, but that didn't matter too much as I had no time to go anywhere.

The students were great and I made some good friends. They ranged from business professionals, university and high school students to bored housewives. The small classes meant that I was able to get to know some of them quite well. I found myself invited to all kinds of parties and celebrations and got a great insight into Mexican life (at least an affluent, middle class version).

In general my students seemed quite motivated – most of them needed English to find good jobs or to enhance their chances of promotion in their existing jobs. The demand for English as a foreign language in Mexico stems the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994. NAFTA meant that many north American companies set up plants the in industrial areas of Mexico such as Monterrey in the north, Mexico City, and the Bajio region in central Mexico which encompasses the cities of Queretaro, Leon and Celaya.

The only problem was that I was exhausted after teaching 8 hours a day plus Saturday mornings. The shifts were split; the mornings began at 7am and the afternoons ran until 9pm. I also began to notice that the morale amongst the staff was pretty low. Everyone felt the same about the system and the hours. As the months went by, teachers came and went…few stuck out their year contracts. I kept working, realizing that the system at the school wasn't the greatest but that I was learning a bit of Spanish, traveling a little and getting to know the local area and its people. I'd taken a risk going there, my relationship with my boss was good and I was enjoying life.

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After a year, strangely, I found myself as the most experienced teacher in the school just because I'd stuck it out. My boss offered the opportunity to become the academic director of one of his new schools in the smaller city of Celaya which is about 45 minutes from Queretaro. My pay was doubled but the hours got longer. More money meant I could rent my own apartment and live more like I would back in England. It also meant that my Spanish got a kick start as I suddenly became responsible for selling courses when people came in for information and dealing with my secretary who didn't speak any English. On the plus side, it gave me an opportunity to shape the teaching system and change some of the materials and more generally develop a more effective learning environment.

Another year went by and things were good. My boss asked me to move to Morelia, another beautiful colonial city 3 hours away, and open a new school for him. I got another pay rise. Once again I found myself in another beautiful place, this time closer to the pacific coast. Things were good. I realized that I'd got lucky in Mexico.

After a year in Morelia I returned to Queretaro, back where I'd started. This time I was to work as a teacher trainer. I did for 6 months but realized that my heart was still in Morelia. In February 2004 I returned to Morelia and started working freelance, teaching business English in-company and running TOEFL preparation courses in the evening. Mexico has been good to me and is a wonderful country to live and work in. The historic cities have beautiful colonial architecture, there are mountain ranges, forests, jungle and desert like climates. There are beaches to cater for all tastes from undeveloped virgin stretches of coasts to luxury resorts. Traveling long distance in Mexico by bus is cheap and comfortable, although not always fast, which means that teachers here are able to really enjoy what Mexico has to offer. Mexican culture is rich in variety which manifests itself in the countless festivals and national holidays such as the Day of the Dead and Independence Day. The people are warm and friendly although more conservative and religious than I'd imagined and are very family-centered. Sadly, there is a deep divide between the rich and the poor. English classes in private institutes are obviously for the better off and this means that living and working in affluent neighbourhoods, where most institutes are situated gives you a rather unbalanced view of life here.

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Tuesday, 20 September 2016

TEFL Success Stories - Part 5

Australia - Steve

I really enjoyed teaching English in Australia and found it a great way to experience a truly massive and amazing country. I'd recommend it to anyone who (like me) can't afford to fund an extended trip around the place but is willing to juggle work and play over the course of a year.

Work can be found in private language schools, teaching a mix of Asian, European, South American, and occasionally African students. These schools are similar to those operating in other English speaking countries, and generally consist of young adult students hoping to improve their English whilst having a good time in Oz. This means that motivation levels can vary widely. Classes range from hard working Cambridge groups and IELTS/EAP students desperate to get into Australian colleges, right through to easy going general English groups with more interest in surf reports than reported speech.

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If you're wondering about access to work there's bad and good news depending on your age! Visas are tricky to get, and sponsorship (by employers) is not easily obtainable in the TEFL industry unless you have something special to offer. BUT, if you're under 30 and from a signatory country (including the UK, Ireland, Canada and many others) you can qualify for a 'Working Holiday Visa' (See the Australian Government Website in your country for details). This bit of wallpaper for your passport isn't too expensive and entitles you to work for 1 year (up to 3 months for each employer you can find).

When armed with a visa, blast all prospective schools with emails and CVs offering your services, and providing you've got a TEFL qualification you should get some positive responses. An invaluable resource is the list of accredited language schools which can be found at www.neasaustralia.com. Schools are listed by state and if they don't supply an email address you'll have to do a few searches by name to dig out the contact details.

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Pay is usually enough to live on comfortably though definitely not extravagantly. I managed to save up travel money during my work stints without starving or staying home every night. The usual rules apply regarding employers - get a contract, check the pay, but remember that there's a steady supply of teachers in the bigger cities so your bargaining power is limited.

I found that some of the bigger schools in particular weren't overly concerned with real teacher development (revolving door employment policies to keep wage costs down) but always paid on time and had good resources. Also, some places only recognise Australian or British Council school teaching experience when it comes to remuneration, but are happy to ask such 'unproven' staff to teach Cambridge or other more demanding classes.

Accommodation is cheap if you're prepared to share a house - check the classified adverts in the local papers. Private residences can also be rented and tend to be of varying quality but uniformly expensive.

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When it comes to spending your earnings, you can start to enjoy the benefits the 'lucky country' has to offer: great food, the great outdoors, surf, loads of sports facilities, modern shops etc. Supermarkets are reasonably priced but eating out in Australia is deservedly popular and many places let you BYO (bring your own) alcohol. Loads of pubs and clubs; outgoing people; and a lively, original arts scene all mean plenty to see and do.

My own experience was of nice classes and fun school activities (like being paid to take surfing lessons or play beach volleyball with the students). Management varied from friendly and enthusiastic to bureaucratic and dishonest. The bits of independent travel in between work were fantastic, and I even got to know a few Aussies amongst all my fellow tourists. The locals are easy to talk to but speak their minds, so don't always expect polite banter or five-star customer service. On the other hand, they value their leisure time and like to show guests a good time.

As for travelling around and seeing the sights, you've all read the guidebooks, so get out there - if your school runs a social activities programme you might even get paid to do it!

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Monday, 19 September 2016

TEFL Success Stories - Part 4

Cameroon - David

When I first told people I was going to work in Cameroon, the most common reaction was: 'Why?'. The second was: 'It's in Africa, you'll die!'. The third: 'Where is that?'

So let's give some answers. I was offered a job that looked interesting in a part of the world I'd never been to before. I'd also long had an interest in Africa, if in a rather vague way, so decided it was time to find out the reality.

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Second, a small amount of research showed that in more than 40 years since gaining independence, Cameroon has been a peaceful country with no wars. Of course it has had political repression and the occasional flare-up, but this country hardly falls into the Africa stereotype of wars and famine. Not only were there no wars, but Cameroon is a food exporter to the region.

Now, after three years, I can say that these have been the healthiest years of my life! No malaria, typhoid, cholera or any of the other frightening diseases you read about when Africa is mentioned. The worst thing that ever happened to me was a bout of food poisoning - once.

And for those with poor geographical knowledge, Cameroon is situated in the west of Africa, next to Nigeria and surrounded by Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Central African Republic, Gabon and Congo Brazzaville.

So what is it like to teach here? Well surprisingly not so different from teaching anywhere else: prepare a duff lesson and the lesson will be dull. Prepare a good one, relevant to your class and things will be good.

Most students come to us with a bit of English in their heads. Cameroon is a bi-lingual country with French and English as official languages, while there are also close to 200 local ethnic languages in a country of 16 million people. French is the dominant language, spoken by about 80% of the population, while the English speakers often prefer Pidgin. This rich mix of languages creates its own learning problems: 'Was that first, second, third or fourth language interference?'.

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It does take time to persuade students to take part in an interactive EFL lesson. It's just not what they're used to. The local school system is very traditional and somewhat strict. Perhaps not surprisingly when there can be up to 150 students in the classroom (of which maybe 30 have the book, and there are probably seats for 70) - try organising and monitoring pair work in that environment. However, give them a bit of time, coax them a bit, explain why you want them to do it your way and soon they'll open up and you'll be wishing they'd shut up.

Like anywhere, students appreciate it if you know a bit about their country, and not just Roger Milla (top scorer of the 1990 World Cup, in case you're wondering). It helps if you know the names of the ten provinces, know who the first president was, can say a word in a local language (I only have mandingwawhich means 'I love you' in Ewondo, the language of the capital city Yaoundé) and know that Yannick Noah isn't French.

So in conclusion: Cameroon isn't just football. Nor is it war, poverty and disease. It's just life and people, like anywhere else.

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Thursday, 25 August 2016

TEFL Success Stories - Part 2

Teaching in South Korea - Jeffrey

After spending two years as an ESL teacher of Grades 3-6 (ages 10 to 13 in Korea, compared to 8 to 12 in Canada), Jeffrey is back home for a short time, he is planning to go back to Korea next term.

What do you do as an ESL teacher?

Jeffrey: According to my contract, my duties are to assist the reigning Korean teachers. Just what "assist" means is not written in stone. I've taught alongside a number of teachers during my time here, and just how active of a role I take in a given lesson has varied with each one (although "pretty active" is generally the norm). I teach at a public school, so we have a curriculum to follow, but it's a little flexible itself.

As far as planning goes, I usually prepare some sort of interactive PowerPoint presentation as well as a fun game that helps the students practice speaking, reading, or writing the lesson material. This probably isn't indicative of every public school, though.

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What does an average day for you consist of?

Jeffrey: Four or five hours of teaching in the morning and early afternoon. Classes are 40 minutes each followed by a break. I always have a Korean co-teacher by my side – sometimes it's necessary to explain things such as game instructions and grammar rules in Korean.

How did you get used to teaching without having major experience before you left?

Jeffrey: At a public school, they generally won't just throw you into the deep end and tell you to start swimming. I observed for a few days, and was afterward able to ease into the role. Having a co-teacher is pivotal at that stage.

Before you left, you cited culture shock, homesickness and the language barrier being major obstacles you would have to overcome. How did you tackle them?

Jeffrey: Having an open mind is essential for overcoming culture shock. I've just kind of taken everything in stride. There are quite a few foreigners here, so you're never going it alone, either. As for homesickness, there's always Skype.

The language barrier isn't a problem as often as you think it is. Even if mastering the spoken language is a different story, the written alphabet is very easy to learn, which makes things such as reading menus much easier. English signs are everywhere, especially when you take public transport. And even if you only learn the Korean equivalents of "hello," "thank you" and "how much," you'll be OK in most situations.

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What skills have you developed through your teaching experience?

Jeffrey: OK, you got me. The language barrier is a bit more pronounced when you're teaching eight-year-olds. Overcoming it has been a big challenge, but I feel very comfortable teaching them these days. I've gotten to know what kinds of language I can use to get points across, both oral and visual.

You've also been able to do some travelling within and outside Korea. Has this been a perk of working abroad?

Jeffrey: Yes, yes, 100% yes. Asia is beautiful. Go there.

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