Teach in a public school in Incheon

I taught English in a public elementary school in Incheon, South Korea. I have fond memories of my whole year in Korea. While there were many challenges to living in a country where foreigners are such a small minority there were also many perks.

Incheon is a large city approximately thirty minutes by subway to Seoul. While it does not have the wealth of activities and culture of Seoul, there is plenty to do in the city and Seoul is an easy subway ride away. I lived a mere fifteen minute walk from my school and most of my friends could either walk or take public transit easily to their schools. Teaching in a public school means less classes to teach than private, and more dependable salary and more respect of the contract, more vacation days (more travel!). You also get a Korean co-teacher who helps teach and control the classroom with you. Co-teachers can often make or break your public school teaching experience. Sometimes if the level of English is low at your school and your teacher does not assist you, teaching can be incredibly frustrating. Also, public school teaching can be more monotonous than teaching at a private school because there are less individual lessons to teach in one day. Overall, I think public school teaching gives you more opportunities for travel, and more a cultural experience since you are generally the only foreigner in the entire school.

I thoroughly enjoyed living in Incheon, mainly because it is so close to Seoul which is a lively city with a wealth of music, art, museums, good restaurants, shopping, and cultural activities. Lastly, if you're missing home Seoul is the place to find familiarities from your home country.