Program Reviews

What Can I say about the program...

It has been couple of years but the memory is vivid as it happened only yesterday.

I won't say how good is the prgram because you have to experienced yourself to know what it really likes.

ok...
good things....endless!!!
i'll try to make it as simple as a shopping list.

1.Wonderful opportunity to meet people from other countries and make friends.- I still keep in touch with some!

2.School teachers were really helpful and nice.
at my school, they gave tips of student's characters and it helped me a lot to understnad students and how to approach them. Also they found me a good place to live!

3. Good pay, good working condition and good life!
the pay is good and TaLK is really treating their scholars well. you are going to be placed at a rural area but you won't be alone because you will have other scholrs around your region and it helps a lot to settle down.

now 3 advises I would like to give to coming scholars.

1. Be nice!
please be polite. this is the key to have the best experience and get along with others no matter who you meet.

2. madke sure you have someone to talk to and meet.
very very important. maeke sure you are happy and don't feel lonely. Seriously, they will down size your problems when you share with them, they will maximise good things :)

3.Be thankful.
being in a strange culture is not easy. everything seems weird and awkward. but remember they(the school and children) also feels same way as you are!
But they are willing to accept you and love you. so be thankful for their willingness and open heart.

I can go on and on and on and on...

but i'll leav the best things for you to find out!

The TaLK program is something unforgettable in every aspect of the world. There were ups, down, and all around amazing experiences.

While living in the rural countryside, I learned to become independent and responsible not just for myself, but for all the children I was teaching. The students you have will make you both want to rip the skin off your face and fill you with so much pride your chest feels like it will pop. While the language barrier can be something difficult to overcome, I learned that patience and perseverance is the key. They want to understand you as much as you want to understand them.

Traveling was one of the best things about living in South Korea. Feel like heading to the Haeundae beach? Hope on the train or bus and go! Its that simple! The cost is next to nothing and transportation in mind-boggling fast. It got to the point where I was traveling somewhere new every weekend that I always had a small travel bag ready to go at the drop of a hat.

So many of the cities are rich in history and seeped in South Korea's cultural identity. In my year and a half there, I've seen and lived with monks, been inside castles, temples, and breath taking museums. One of the more interesting being the Love Museum of Jeju Island. That's one everyone has to see at least once, if not for giggles.

Don't get me wrong, there have been some serious hardships as well. The language barrier is one of the most prevalent. But the lessons in Korean offered during the orientation and training has been an incredible help.

Weather, if you aren't used having a range of it, can be daunting. South Korea is the land of four distinct seasons. Spring is stunning as the cherry blossoms come into bloom (along with the allergies) and weather is mild... for all of two weeks. Then the blazing, humid summer is in full drive and the hum of cicadas a common background sound in day to day life. The air is so thick with moisture that you practically swim from place to place. The autumn season is unrivaled in its beauty as the trees turn into an array of amazing colors. The cooler temperature is relief from summer and before you can blink, its the dead of winter. Snow and sleet are heavy and it actually hurts to breath at times.

Mosquitoes, I learned the hard way, are beefed up and probably on steroids in Korea. During the summer, if you're not careful, they will eat you alive. They drove me mad as the made a meal out of me, even through the jeans of my pants!

The TaLK Program was the best thing I've ever done for myself and will be for a very long time. The people I've met, from all over the world, have touched my life and I know I'm a better person for knowing them. Immersing yourself in an environment so completely different and alien can be terrifying, yes, but just as rewarding. The memories I've made and the things I've done there things that some people will never get to experience in their lives.

Don't be afraid to a step off the edge. Don't let yourself get complacent. Don't make excuses for yourself. Learn to live! Learn it in South Korea.

TaLK is a pretty good idea if you are still studying but want some extra experience outside of lectures and essays. If you've graduated already though, I wouldn't recommend it as there are far better deals and experiences to be had.
For me, the average school meant getting to school for around 8.30am, teaching a lesson or two in the morning, and a lesson or two in the afternoon. Fifteen hours a week teaching is not stretching, but in our school although there was money for resources, there weren't any, so I spent a lot of that extra time making flashcards and the like, which I strangely enjoy. The most frustrating thing were the days when you only had an hour of class, but had to hang around all day just the same. On the other side, the school did make every effort to include me in all aspects of school life - from field trips to music clubs, which definitely enriched my experience. It's one of those you get out of it what you put into things...
To be honest, I didn't go to many of the TaLK organised sessions after the initial training; I settled into life in Korea pretty easily, and they just weren't really things I fancied doing. But the fact that I didn't go wasn't a problem, and I knew lots of people who went and had great times.
I taught with TaLK from 2008 - 2009, after which I stuck about in Korea for another year before moving back to Europe. Three years down the line and I'm still teaching and training to be a qualified teacher in my home country, and I can definitely thank TaLK for some of that.

At the beginning of the program, I enjoyed the stay at the university. I met a lot of people and had no need to speak the language. Things were great! When I was moved out into my own province and my own city and apartment, things started to get difficult. Not knowing the language was choking me. With all that said though, the staff from the school was amazing. They sattisfied my every need and issue. They were always there when I had a problem, so this made life enjoyable and comfortable. My apartment was a mess from the previous scholar, but it didn't bother me much. I cleaned it up with my Korean co-teacher. She stayed up until 3 in the morning and helped me. I organized all of my stuff and turned the apartment into "my apartment". After all, this was going to be my home for the next 5 months. The time has passed by very quickly and I can't believe I only have 3 months left on my contract. Trips to Seoul, Samchuok, and other cities have been very enjoyable and you never feel like you have nothing to do. Gangneung has a river, which I walk along every night to clear my mind and breathe fresh air. This internship/scholarship program has offered me a great experience of teaching, culture and adventure. I highly recommend everyone to try it!

Although the day-to-day experiences can depend entirely on luck and how positive your own outlooks are, the experience as a whole is something unforgettable. The perks are undeniable, and the chance to work with children at your own pace is something I'm glad to be doing. It's been a great personal growth experience thus far (it's only been 2.5 months!) and the time has flown already!

TALK is such a wonderful program for anyone wanting to teach English in South Korea, especially for college students and college graduate who want to experience more of the world. The TALK program is a Korean government sponsored program, so the scholarship includes free housing and cultural field trips to learn more about Korea.

The schools where you teach are in the countryside, so it takes some time to travel to if you live in the city. But if you choose to live near your school, you can really develop relationships with the Korean community. The schools are often equipped with good technology and resources for teaching English.

The program requires you to only teach 15 hours a week, from Monday to Friday, so you have a lot of time to experience the culture, learn the language, and relax. It is also very easy and relatively cheap to travel to other Asian countries from Korea if you want to travel during your vacation.

Although you can certainly get around Korea with only knowing English, it would be great if you learn some Korean in order to communicate with the local people better and enjoy your stay in Korea better. The food is quite spicy compares to American food, so keep that in mind and be open-minded about trying new things. Korea is a fun place to be in because the Korean dramas and pop songs are very entertaining. Its fashion can be really cute. All in all, TALK is a great program to be in if you want to experience Korea and teach English to countryside students.

The work was fulfilling, being able to help children learn English, while doing it in a fun way. Help is available when you need it, and as long as you put an effort, in school and out, you'll have a great experience.

I loved being part of this program. First of all, they provided a whole month of training, cultural experiences/introduction to Korea, Korean classes based on your level, and time to connect with a great group of friends who from all around the world and who are placed all throughout the country. The awesome thing about that was that when you visit different regions of Korea, you almost always have a place to stay, or someone to meet you there to stay with at a jjimjilbang (best alternative)! Plus, now that I've been out of the program for 2 years, I have friends all over the US and the world, and much more reason to visit those places!

Everyone's experience was different, so I'll just list my experience. I lived in a homestay with the family of one of my students. This was a great way to be involved in the community, to learn Korean and experience the culture on a day-to-day basis, and because I loved coming home to them every day. Also, I saved a ton of money this way since I didn't have to worry about electricity, heating, internet, or other living costs. I was able to take a large chunk of money home after my year! Some of the drawbacks were that I had a fairly small space of my own, I like I should come home at a decent hour (which is sometimes hard on the weekends, so then I just stayed at a jjimjilbang), and because of my limited Korean, we couldn't always communicate everything we wanted to each other. Still, I wouldn't have changed my experience living with them.

I lived in a ship building town in Jeollanamdo near Mokpo. It was a small town packed with people in high-rise apartments. My class sizes were about 30 per class and I only saw each class once per week. Also, I only saw 4th-5th grades. Most other people in the program had smaller school sizes, taught all grade levels, and saw their classes every day. Like I said earlier, every experience is different. Sometimes I wish that I had that small-school-experience, but I enjoyed where I was. It wasn't always easy to communicate with the staff and teachers of the school since I was not fluent in Korean. It was helpful that I had college students "Korean scholars", who were able to communicate in both languages, come and help with behavior management and getting messages across to the other teachers and staff. These Korean scholars were awesome, and became some of my closest friends!

I would say that the pay is pretty good for the work that we do. We basically work 15 hours per week aside from lesson planning and material preparation. Some programs pay more, but those jobs are full-time. If you are looking specifically to make money, then maybe this isn't the program for you, but if you are looking to experience Korea, gain a great community, and have an enjoyable time teaching, and then I would suggest that you consider TaLK! : )

Nowhere else will you find this good of a program, with these ample benefits, in this awesome of a country. Everything is paid for, if you're considering TaLK, you'd be insane to turn it down. ^^

This program was fantastic! It was my first time living in a foreign country and TaLK really made it easy to adjust to the culture change with their in-depth orientation which thoroughly prepares you for your adventures ahead. I spent 12 months teaching and I liked living in Korea so much that i am returning next month.