Come teach in Korea

Coming to Korea is certainly one of the best decisions I've made and I thank Footprints Recruiting for being so helpful in the process. I've been asked by several people that are intrigued in teaching abroad and I always mention Footprints because you all really made it as simple as possible and walked me through step by step. I always recommend going through a recruiter, especially Footprints.

I'd like to share my experience with EPIK. English Program in Korea provides teachers with a 9 day orientation that made adjusting to Korea incredibly easy. We learned about Korean culture, language, the school system, food, and teaching strategies to prepare us for the classroom. Everyone is so friendly and down to earth, you meet so many people that are in the same exact situation as you and sharing that experience is already one way to connect.

Groups are split depending on what area in Korea they'll be teaching, so I met friends who now live in my town and province. My group was for Gangwon province, there were about 30 of us. Around 15-20 of us meet up at least once a month, or we visit each other during the weekends. It's really like nothing else I've experienced. I met people that I know I will friends with for a very long time. Orientation really did help me since I had no teaching experience aside from the TESL certificate.

Life in Korea is amazing. I live in a smaller town called Taebaek in the mountains of Gangwon province. The town used to be known for its coal mining and is the highest city in South Korea. I teach at an all boys middle school, a five minute walk from my apartment. Teaching has its ups and downs. Boys can be difficult to manage in the classroom, but overall my experience has been very pleasant. I recently had my six months mark and am considering renewing my contract another year.

I'm lucky in ways I didn't realize when I first arrived. Although I live in a rural area, we have a decent city center and main trains and buses that travel to larger cities within three hours. Also, the foreigners in my town are now like family to me. We have a real tight community and gather once or twice a week to eat out and sometimes take weekend trips.

The majority of foreign teachers I know feel a similar way, some haven't found a reason to leave and have been here for many years. Our jobs are not that absorbing, the benefits are great. We don't worry about rent too many bills. We are paid well enough that we can afford to eat out a couple times a week, take weekend trips, visit nearby countries on vacation and still be able to save. The consensus is: for anyone who is thinking about coming to Korea, don't make it a maybe just do it. You won't regret it.