Teaching English in South Korea In February 2017, the beginning of the northern hemisphere’s springtime and a new upcoming academic year, I started a new adventure as a “Guest English Teacher” in South Korea. I arrived in Korea without much prior knowledge about the country, culture and of course their famous (well it wasn’t to me) pop-culture. I chose to apply for the EPIK program (English program in Korea) which places you as an EFL (English as a foreign language)/ ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher in their public-school system. Other very popular destinations for South Africans to teach abroad include Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand and China. Each country has their own set of advantages and disadvantages, but I guarantee you that becoming an English teacher in any of these places will be a lifechanging, eye-opening and confidence-boosting adventure of a lifetime. Every person has their own reasons for wanting to work or teach abroad. I had worked abroad a few times before going to Korea with jobs ranging from waitressing and housekeeping to care work. I always enjoyed my adventures and saved some 16 | Teacha! Magazine
money, but this time I felt like I wanted to secure work abroad doing a job that required a degree and that would challenge and develop me in new ways. Out of all the fantastic options of places to teach, people always ask me why I chose Korea. I will answer this question honestly and say that I chose Korea because of the salary, benefits and security that the EPIK program could offer me. I cannot claim to have a deep passion for teaching kids the English language, but I craved to at least try the experience. From researching online, it came to my attention that the EPIK program was a fantastic launching point in an ESL career, because you don’t have to have teaching experience and they provide you with training and support. I had a friend who had taught through EPIK for three years and had saved money as well as had a wonderfully fulfilling time.That was exactly what I was looking for in an experience. I took her recommendation to heart and delved into the application process. The education system in Korea is extremely
