Teachers who work for the public school systems do not have the luxury of choosing where they will live and work. Near the final day of orientation, the new teachers will be given a list of where you will teach. … read more
After a year of teaching and working in Busan, I will be leaving South Korea in about a month, more or less. The departing will be bittersweet, because although I’m excited about being in my homeland, I’ll definitely miss Korea. … read more
Drama, drama, drama in South Korea, ladies and gents. Today, it actually snowed in Busan. This was a welcomed treat for me because I am from the South and I wanted to experience snow, but not too much snow. Oh, … read more
I’ve gotten a few contacts from people who are moving to Busan or South Korea in general to teach! You all want advice and tips for moving and you want to know what it’s like in Busan. If you have … read more
Some people may be worried about the food in South Korea. I want to attest that it’s good! Kimchi takes some getting used to; it has a pickled taste in my opinion, but other food in South Korea, like Korean … read more
I have been back in the United States for a little over two years now. People still ask me about South Korea. They want to know if I am still abroad, and if I am planning to return. Yes. I certainly plan to return to South Korea to visit. Although I loved the experience, I would rather return as a tourist and stay for a shorter period. I wouldn’t want to lock myself into a year’s contract.
What is Claudine Williams Doing Now?
read more
It has been a year since I returned from South Korea, and I miss it. I miss being able to walk around at 2 a.m. without watching my back so much. Back home, you are not likely to catch me walking the streets that late. I felt safer in South Korea, in a way. However, I’m not saying that there were not dangers on the streets in South Korea. My main concern was probably people who had too much to drink and were uninhibited. I wasn’t afraid of being robbed or anything like that. I do believe that women should be aware that sexual assaults occur everywhere, South Korea is no different. For the most part, while going to the store, or coming home from hanging out with friends, people left me alone.
I found this awesome video for learning vegetable words on YouTube. Most children have a food unit in which they learn about various foods. Maybe this video will help you teachers out there.
Can you believe that this shopping mall is in a subway in South Korea? Many of the stations in South Korea have shopping malls, called arcades. When I first saw the sign advertising an arcade in the mall, I thought that there were video games there.
When you are in Korea, you can expect to be asked out to eat by your co-workers. My school had team building activities in which teachers were more or less required to have dinner or lunch together. We each had to pay a monthly fee for these gatherings. I think that the fee began at about 10,000 won and went up to 20,000 won or something like that. The gatherings were more fun when we were able to leave work early. The second term I was there, the meetings were held after school. My experiences varied. Sometimes I had a lot of fun, my co-workers would try to talk to me in English. Sometimes I ate in silence.
Claudine Williams is currently a travel writer and an educator, who lived in South Korea from August 2009 - Sept. 2010. Prior to working in South Korea, she taught high school English in a public school in Georgia. To fulfill a dream of living abroad, Claudine Williams decided to take a chance and apply to teach in Asia. Claudine Williams was accepted into the English Program In Korea program, which provided airfare and free housing to college graduates who signed a year contract to teach in South Korea.
Claudine Williams packed up her life and settled into South Korea where she taught elementary school students in Busan, which is a coastal city in South Korea. This blog was created to document her experiences and help others who are interested in teaching and working in South Korea. Here's how she applied to teach in South Korea.
