Surviving a university job interview in Korea

Filed under Daegu, GAP YEAR TRAVEL by on February 6, 2012 at 1:46 am {24 comments}
Keimyung University
Working at a Korean university?

A few of weeks ago, when I tweeted I was undergoing a job interview in Korea, I got a response from Dave of The Longest Way Home about doing a post on ‘Surviving a job interview in Korea’.

At first, I laughed at the idea and then later, I thought…well, why not? 

“K******** University wants you to contact them ASAP about a job position. Please call them; they are a very good university.”

That was the message I got from Eun-Hyung, my Korean co-teacher, last April in India.  It was a university job I had applied for long before I left Korea. The position started March 1st and it was for a full-time lecturer in the Media Arts department, teaching Video and Animation. At (more…)

Inside my Korean apartment

Filed under Daegu, How & why teach in Korea? by on March 4, 2011 at 3:03 am {6 comments}


So after having whimpered early off about my introduction to my apartment and Daegu, I’ve been reluctant to show you my free English teacher’s apartment. Well first of all, it’s not really called an “apartment”. This is what Koreans call an apartment.
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A Day in a Life of an MTV Producer turned ESL Teacher (Part 2)

Filed under GAP YEAR TRAVEL, How & why teach in Korea? by on February 8, 2011 at 1:27 am {no comments}


A Day in a Life of an MTV Producer turned English Teacher

Continued From MTV Producer to English Teacher in Korea 

 

My Schedule:

8:25 am    Arriving at school

Stepping onto the school grounds, I am greeted by sleepy-eyed elementary students.

“Hello Christine teacher!” they chirp.

“Good morning. How are you today?” my energy level shoots from 0-90, caffeinated by my students’ voices.

Alarm is the volleyed reaction. A deer-caught-in-the-headlights kind of look. My more confident students who attend after school programs might respond; but my lower-leveled students giggle and run away.

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From MTV Producer to English Teacher in Korea (Part 1)

Filed under GAP YEAR TRAVEL, How & why teach in Korea? by on February 7, 2011 at 2:17 am {8 comments}


My fantastic 4th grade ladies.

These days I find, readers have been curious about the life of an English teacher — What’s my story? Why did I take a gap year break from my life?... Well, my story can be shot from many angles- this is one aspect of it…

 

My Story:

Reality teens to real life tots

I teach in the public school elementary school system through the EPIK program. When I left my career as a TV producer/shooter in New York City to embark on a gap year(s), I was beginning to feel a little burnt out from producing MTV teen reality shows.  I didn’t have a 9-5 cubicle job, but being a freelancer in NYC is a 24/7 gig. Sustaining a career in a competitive city, I was shackled to the pressure-cooking megalopolis of a work-obsessed regimen and obviously, the economy wasn’t getting better.

I never stopped loving my career in entertainment, mind you. Working in a creative field is my life-long passion and most (more…)

5 Things Working at MTV taught me about teaching ESL

Filed under GAP YEAR TRAVEL, How & why teach in Korea? by on January 11, 2011 at 8:04 pm {11 comments}

Before moving to live and teach abroad in Korea, I had a career in producing and shooting  some of MTV’s top-rated teen reality shows, such My Super Sweet 16, True Life, Engaged and Underage, Camp’d Out. What did this teach me about teaching ESL?

Directing a good soundbite (aka Pronunciation)

Did I just hear someone utter pibe vs. five?

Repeat.

My students may not be TV talent, but clarity and good enunciation is still important for an audience’s ear.

If I don’t correct their speech habits, their pibes will grow to sebens,  then to elebens… until their ” pishes swim in a riber”.

ESL students aren’t the only ones afflicted with bad pronunciation habits, though. It plagues English-speakers too. I remember sitting in many Super Sweet 16ers‘ bedrooms with camera on tripod and lav mic on the talent, directing interviews and promotional reads. Sometimes, a ‘regional accent’ or ‘southern drawl’ gets in the way, making a kid sound like they’re talking with food in their mouth. Other times, it can be a speedy delivery, as if the kid’s words are exhaled into one long and slurred, run-on sentence. There were times some of my show kids were really incomprehensible…

I gave the one favorite word that I use today–

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Do you really want to teach English in Korea? (Part II: Public vs Private schools)

Filed under How & why teach in Korea?, Teaching English by on January 2, 2011 at 12:14 pm {10 comments}

If you ask most people why they were drawn to Korea, the very first answer you’d commonly hear is– the benefits. Korea has by far, the best package out there. Along the way, you discover the experience itself is so much more, but before I get into that, here you go~

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Do you really want to teach English in Korea? (Part I: Q & A)

Filed under Features Slide, How & why teach in Korea? by on December 20, 2010 at 2:52 am {11 comments}

Well deciding to teach English abroad can feel like ordering a mail order bride. You’ve got a description and a list of hopeful expectations; yet you can’t see what you’ve got until the day arrives. How will you know what you asked for will be what you wanted? Honestly, sometimes even when you’ve crossed over to seeing your prize, things can still seem a bit veiled; but at least you’ve tackled the biggest hurdle… making it happen!

Recently friends and readers have asked me about my experiences in the ESL classroom and how they can teach English abroad too. I’ve decided to make it a three part series. This is general Q&A I’ve gotten.

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1o (More) Shocking Facts about Korean Schools

Filed under Crazy Korea, How & why teach in Korea? by on November 28, 2010 at 9:04 am {9 comments}

Sometimes, the cultural differences of working in the Korean classroom can be a real trip for a westerner! Either you’re left open-mouthed at every corner or you’re still trying to understand the Korean logic…

Back in March when I first arrived here, I was just uncovering my new environment (Read”10 surprising facts about my Korean school”). Today, it’s become a routine; yet as much as I live the daily idiosyncrasies and tics of my kimchi habitat, some of this stuff still boggles the mind a bit.

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Why I Love Teaching English to my Korean Students

Filed under Daegu, How & why teach in Korea? by on November 7, 2010 at 4:04 am {7 comments}

Sometimes life choices can make you feel like you’re on The Price is Right game show. How do you know you’ve made the right choice? So you’ve opened door #1 to a brand new car! Do you still dare risk all for the mystery behind door#2? There are times I reflect on whether I’m making the right choices for my life.
Last weekend after just having given my notice of contract non-renewal,

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