Teachers Share their Experiences While Living Abroad!

Now that it's 2018, it also means it's officially tax season. Korean tax filing occurs in the month of January and it usually happens quickly. As an expat it can be a rather overwhelming experience, if you are under-prepared and ill-informed.  Koreans let you know things at the last minute and expect you to file taxes as quickly as possible. It’s just the nature of their culture, so it is better to be organized in advance, instead of being caught off-guard.

Here are the top 3 things you need to know about doing your taxes while teaching in Korea.

Hi, my name is Giselle and I recently became a teacher at ChungDahm Learning's Daechi branch in Gangnam, Seoul this past November.  Last week in part 1 of my blog series I wrote about my first days in Korea and going through ChungDahm's training week. Today, in part 2 of my blog series I will focus on moving into my officetel and transitioning to life as a full-time teacher.  I hope through this blog series that it will help those interested in teaching in Korea get a better idea of the transition period one must go through to get adjusted to their new home and job abroad.

Living and teaching in Korea is all about what you make of it and who you spend your time with and events at work are a great way to create memories when you are far away from home.

At Chungdahm Learning you have the opportunity to work with people from all over the world, so it is possible to challenge yourself to experience new things, cultures and grow as an individual. Being able to socialize with people from diverse backgrounds has been my favorite part of teaching abroad, so I recommend you do your best to plan events within your academy where you can build bonds with your fellow teachers outside of the classroom. In this blog I will talk about some of the events my fellow teachers and I have done at ChungDahm's Songpa branch. 

It has been one year since arriving in South Korea and beginning my job as an English teacher with Chungdahm April Institute. After deliberating long and hard about my options and wants, I've decided to stay in Korea for at least another year, though I won't be teaching with Chungdahm anymore.  With that being said my time with ChungDam has been fruitful, desirable, challenging, and educative in numerous ways, and I'm beyond grateful for the experiences they've facilitated. For my final blog post with Aclipse, I've decided to choose three lessons I've learned after living and teaching in Korea for one year, in hopes that my experiences can help, guide, or comfort future expats in South Korea.

Hi, my name is Tijana Huysamen. I am from Cape Town, South Africa, have been traveling for 6 years, 4 of which was spent teaching in Korea, and have been to 42 different countries.

I am currently a Team Manager at Chungdahm Learning in Seoul where I work at the Songpa Branch and have been an employee of the company for 3 years now. I absolutely love working at CDL, as the hours and the pay are the best in Korea! The amount of opportunities and growth you will experience at the company, will allow you to feel like your time abroad is well spent.

One thing that differentiates a new teacher and from an experienced teacher is confidence. While most people think confidence means knowing, it actually means listening and learning. An experienced teacher goes with the flow of things, and doesn’t stress out about the small details. Showing confidence is really is all about managing your words and actions. If you want to be well-liked among your fellow teachers, and have a good status within your ChungDahm academy, then follow my tips below.

Hi! My name is Morghan, and I’m a brand-new teacher with Chungdahm Institute. I’m from the east side of Washington (state) and I went to school at Western Washington University, which I’ve only recently graduated from. Upon graduating I decided I wanted to teach in Korea for a simple set of reasons: I wanted to explore, I’d never been to Asia before, and I wanted to take a risk and do something completely new. Korea seemed like the perfect country to gain quality teaching experience, all while being able to travel. Plus, school was expensive, and I can save a lot of money here.

My name is Romy Darius and I am from the city of Toronto, Canada. I graduated from York University with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and obtained a TESOL Certificate and this past August, I decided I wanted to teach English in Korea. The opportunity to teach students abroad intrigued me due to my love of teaching. I have never lived outside of North America, so this was my perfect chance to not only gain experience teaching, but, to engage in another culture and make a difference in the lives of others.

When applying to teach English in Korea through Aclipse, you initially will apply to teach for ChungDahm Institute. ChungDahm Institute is one of the most famous and well financed private after school academies in all of Korea. The students who come to ChungDahm pay some of the highest tuition rates per month and their parents are expecting to get their money’s worth with that price of tuition. But what many people do not know is that ChungDahm is a huge company. ChungDahm has hundreds of locations in Korea and have recently opened up in the markets of Vietnam and Japan. Not only is there ChungDahm (mother company), but there is also the i-Garten program, ChungDahm Chinese, and April Academy. This blog will help you differentiate between April Academy and ChungDahm Institute.

Teaching abroad is all about engaging with the people and experiencing a new culture. Koreans are notorious for treating foreigners excellently, especially when they can see that a person shows an interest in Korean etiquette and is trying to learn a few basic Korean words. It is well worth trying to get to know Korea and Korean people, while living and teaching in Korea. It will go a long way with your time spent in the country, and you will encounter more unique experiences and make some friends outside of your comfort zone. Getting to know the Korean people, will help you grow as a person and also allow you to feel less frustrated with language barriers or small misunderstandings. In this blog I will focus particularly on building a relationship with the Korean staff at ChungDahm.