Tips for wannabe teachers...

All the kids arte shy in front of the camara - I was lucky that I never warned them before they could hide their faces

Start preparing from day one! EVEN IF YOU ARE JUST OBSERVING FOR THE 1st Week.


You will be a bit overwhelmed, but don’t worry, the staff at your school are great (99 times out of 100)

If you are confused or want to know something, just ask your co-teacher (who unlike one of mine, hopefully can communicate with you well in English)

Make friends with all the staff particularly the English speaking ones.

Find and make friends with other Native English Speakers – try and find someone who has been in Korea for at least a year and can teach you the ins and outs of your area.

You see the touch screen in the front?
THEY ARE AWESOME
and all the classes have them

The children are easily distracted and FULL of energy so always have ideas or activities on hand and don’t be afraid to create a system of discipline if you need
to (Like i did :-P)

Bye a BIG umbrella - you may still get soaked but that will be from sweat rather than rain.

Keep a roll of Toilet paper on you just in case but be aware - use it sparingly as Korean's don't flush TP (They throw it away). I do flush it but to prevent an unpleasant blockage use it sparingly! (Gross I know But trust me you will want to know this!)

Stand your ground! If there is something they ask you to do that falls outside your teaching hours for the week, don’t be afraid to say “No thank you”.

Where you store your shoes
during the school day (mine are the soaked
ones on the bottom right)

Decide what is more valuable to you: Time or Money. Time means don’t volunteer outside what you are required to do otherwise you will have so so much extra work to do. If you want more money, then volunteer for everything (Says with tongue in cheek).

MOST IMPORTANTLY: YOU WILL NEED THE PACIENCE OF BUDDAH HIMSELF – know and understand that now otherwise you will get soooo frustrated that your whole experience yeaching abroad will be tainted from the start.