My name is Sobia, and I am from Mississauga, Canada. After graduating, I decided to travel and work abroad for a year while I figure out what to do with rest of my life. I was introduced to the recruitment company Aclipse who took me through the entire placement process step by step until I arrived in Seoul, South Korea. I accepted a year long teaching contract with Chungdahm Learning Institute. It was a great company to work with. Their one-week training was
Read MoreTags: arriving in korea, teaching at Chungdahm, exploring korea, weekend travel, chungdahm learning, Teaching skills, teaching at CDL, korean staff, teacher testimonial, pay off loans
Congratulations on becoming a ChungDahm teacher! As a ChungDahm teacher myself, I want to share my top five teaching tips that will shed some light into my own personal teaching style, philosophy, and experiences, all of which will help you in your exciting new journey. Let’s begin.
Read MoreTags: teaching in Korea, arriving in korea, teaching at Chungdahm, chungdahm learning, teaching kids, Teaching skills, teaching at CDL, teacher testimonial, teaching tips
Balancing Work and Creative Endeavors
I am nearing the halfway point of my first year teaching in abroad in South Korea, and so far this experience has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in my life. Fresh out of university, I had no real understanding of what the next step was for me. Halfway through my undergraduate degree I found a real creative voice as photographer and writer.
Read MoreTags: arriving in korea, teaching at Chungdahm, chungdahm learning, bundang, seongnam, work balance, teacher testimonial
Moving to Korea can be really intimidating. There are plenty of questions racing through your head, such as "Where am I going to live? How am I going to get to school? Will people understand me? Will my students like me?" We all worry about things we cannot control, so to lessen the nerves, at Chungdahm Learning you will receive a lot of guidance and help that will make your life easier and more comfortable.
Read MoreTags: First week in Korea, housing in Korea, arriving in korea, teaching at Chungdahm, Training Center, training week, team leader, chungdahm learning, hweshik
Training week is your introductory course into teaching in Korea for ChungDahm Academy or April Institute. For one week, you will be with ChungDham trainers at the beautiful training facility in Jamsil before getting moved to your working branch. Living in Korea is amazing but it is important to make sure to pass training week first. Here are my 3 key points for passing training week:
Read MoreTags: English teacher in Korea, arriving in korea, teaching at Chungdahm, Training Center, training week, chungdahm learning
For over the past 5 years, I would need to go to the Seoul Immigration Office every year to get my Alien Registration Card extended. You need your ARC for pretty much everything when living and teaching in Korea. You will need it for banking, setting up internet services, setting up your mobile phone and this will be your primary ID while living here. Here are some things that you need to have prepared before going to the immigration office. This is specifically for those who are located in Seoul. If you are not in Seoul, please click on this link to find your designated immigration office.
Read MoreTags: teaching in Korea, living in Korea, working in korea, arriving in korea, immigration, teaching in seoul, ARC
Meet Chungdahm Learning's newest teacher, Jenna McGonegal! Jenna, 23, is from Toronto, Canada. Jenna began teaching in Korea about 3 months ago and has almost completed her first semester teaching in Korea. As Week 14 of the Summer semester comes to a close, Jenna discusses with Aclipse Marketing assistant, Tijana Huysamen, about her journey to Korea, her favorite teaching moments and how to tackle any obstacles during CDL's training week.
Read MoreTags: semester, First week in Korea, life in Korea, video blog, arriving in korea, teaching at Chungdahm, Training Center, training week, chungdahm learning, new teacher
Arriving in a new country can be really overwhelming. There are many things that need to be done quickly upon your arrival! Your head will soon be spinning, without knowing what to expect and how to go about it. Everyone coming to teach in Korea can better prepare for the time ahead by doing a little bit of research, and having a few conversations with foreigners. By doing this you can feel relaxed and be assured that your transition to life in Korea, will run smoothly.
Read MoreTags: ex-pat life in Korea, life in Korea, learning Korean, teach in Korea, arriving in korea, what to do after, Meetup, new teacher
I sneak in one last goodbye call to my mom before the flight attendant shakes her finger at me, and we’re off. I’m in the air, going 500mph away from familiar Vancouver International Airport, speeding through the sky towards Seoul Icheon airport, towards what will be my new home for the next year.
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Teaching English in South Korea certainly is an attractive option for many, and the motivations for doing so vary widely. Obviously the chance to experience a new culture was a strong draw for me, coupled with the glaring and troubling realization that I was not totally sure of what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. But another large part of the appeal of this profession was the opportunity to save significant amounts of money. Now, there are varying degrees of frugality that you can strive for, and personally I would put myself somewhere in the middle of the savings spectrum. I do not make many extravagant or expensive purchases (some of my friends jokingly call me a tightwad), but at the same time I am a big lover of food and drink, so I like to eat out with friends pretty regularly. Whether you are a dedicated worshiper at the alter of penny pinching, or simply a person who likes to save a few bucks here and there, one of your strongest allies in the fight for a bigger bank account is Daiso.
Read MoreTags: saving money in Korea, cooking in korea, arriving in korea