You try packing for a year (that includes 4 seasons - from wicked hot and humid to blowing-snow-cold) in 1 check-on and 1 carry-on...
Sheesh.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Are we're off!
Okay kids, the official words came down minutes ago. We are a go for the purposed itinerary.
We will be flying out of DIA at 8:10pm on Mon the 2nd of March - through LAX - and then on to Seoul - arriving at 7am local time.
And there you have it :-D
We will be flying out of DIA at 8:10pm on Mon the 2nd of March - through LAX - and then on to Seoul - arriving at 7am local time.
And there you have it :-D
Sunday, February 22, 2009
What's up with South Korea??? - Part 3
So all this being said, here is a list of the perks:
- Free furnished housing
- 1.8-2.4M Won/month salary (depending on education/experience level)
- of this one can comfortably live on 40-60%
- Free round-trip airfare
- 50% health care coverage
- 10-20 days paid vacation (depending on if employed by the private or public system)
- 1 month's severance pay upon completion of 12 month contract
- priceless experience, valid for any graduate schooling
- the Department of State ranks Korean as one of the top three languages desired for government work
What's up with South Korea??? - Part 2
Due to these facts pay is not all that great in Japan, China, Americas, Europe; they are not providing housing, or flights... and forget health care.
In comes the South Korean government with a mandate that all children must learn to write and read English. This is a good idea at the beginning, until they realize that the focus on reading and writing is not helping much in the speech department. So naturally they turned to "native" speakers from the States, UK, Australia and NZ.
Beyond the history, there is one underlying economics 101 principle that makes teaching ESL in Korean a big win-win: Very high demand and very low supply.
I have yet to understand why the supply is as low as it is. Perhaps everyone really is that uneducated in the ways of the current world climate (and I'm NOT talking global warming here) and therefore uninformed as to the specifics of any given Southeast Asian country's global standings.
Now I know YOU are educated (otherwise you'd not be our friend ;-) and are keenly aware of the current social and economic standing of the Republic of Korea. It is in fact very "first world" (or, at least it's metropolitan areas are), industrialized, and progressive.
We're gonna get some pics uploaded to give you a glimpse into Seoul (S. Korea's capital and largest city, with a population of over 10 million - eclipsing the size of NYC).
In comes the South Korean government with a mandate that all children must learn to write and read English. This is a good idea at the beginning, until they realize that the focus on reading and writing is not helping much in the speech department. So naturally they turned to "native" speakers from the States, UK, Australia and NZ.
Beyond the history, there is one underlying economics 101 principle that makes teaching ESL in Korean a big win-win: Very high demand and very low supply.
I have yet to understand why the supply is as low as it is. Perhaps everyone really is that uneducated in the ways of the current world climate (and I'm NOT talking global warming here) and therefore uninformed as to the specifics of any given Southeast Asian country's global standings.
Now I know YOU are educated (otherwise you'd not be our friend ;-) and are keenly aware of the current social and economic standing of the Republic of Korea. It is in fact very "first world" (or, at least it's metropolitan areas are), industrialized, and progressive.
We're gonna get some pics uploaded to give you a glimpse into Seoul (S. Korea's capital and largest city, with a population of over 10 million - eclipsing the size of NYC).
Saturday, February 21, 2009
What's up with South Korea??? - Part 1
I knew you'd ask the question, so I decided to answer it from the get go.
Teaching English as a second language (i.e. TEFL, ESL etc.) has been around for decades. Japan was one of the first nations to formalize the process of recruiting native English speakers to come teach their students and business people. Today one can teach English in almost any country, to almost anyone. But not all countries are created equal.
Japan for example, has become SO popular as a destination (due to the "first to market" principle, along with strong marketing), that they no longer need to seduces Americans or Brits or Ausies to fly over. China is fast becoming this way as well - thank the 2008 Olympic Games for a surge in its popularity.
Then with the rate at which Americans are learning Spanish as their second language, South and Central America are also becoming popular destinations for the prospective English teachers who are a bit more risk adverse - not being sure if they could stomach the Asian culture, language, or the [insert notorious Asian food item here].
The only other notable continent would be Europe, West and East. And the sad truth is, those in the European Union care only to recruit from the UK. Don't ask me why. And yes there are those Eastern Euro countries not yet in the EU - yes you could go teach in Prauge, but understand the situation is just like that in Japan and China - low demand, high supply.
Admittedly, there is also the Middle East, but hey, if you are that adventurous, more power to you. Just don't expect any quality information out of me, other than I know the pay is really the big reason people go.
To be continued...
Teaching English as a second language (i.e. TEFL, ESL etc.) has been around for decades. Japan was one of the first nations to formalize the process of recruiting native English speakers to come teach their students and business people. Today one can teach English in almost any country, to almost anyone. But not all countries are created equal.
Japan for example, has become SO popular as a destination (due to the "first to market" principle, along with strong marketing), that they no longer need to seduces Americans or Brits or Ausies to fly over. China is fast becoming this way as well - thank the 2008 Olympic Games for a surge in its popularity.
Then with the rate at which Americans are learning Spanish as their second language, South and Central America are also becoming popular destinations for the prospective English teachers who are a bit more risk adverse - not being sure if they could stomach the Asian culture, language, or the [insert notorious Asian food item here].
The only other notable continent would be Europe, West and East. And the sad truth is, those in the European Union care only to recruit from the UK. Don't ask me why. And yes there are those Eastern Euro countries not yet in the EU - yes you could go teach in Prauge, but understand the situation is just like that in Japan and China - low demand, high supply.
Admittedly, there is also the Middle East, but hey, if you are that adventurous, more power to you. Just don't expect any quality information out of me, other than I know the pay is really the big reason people go.
To be continued...
The countdown begins
Hi folks!
Ya the countdown to South Korea begins. And ya, we have created a blog...look at us...so cool.
Actually Steph is snoozin' and cruisin' next to me on our Tempurpedic king size bed as I type these soon to be infamous words. Dang, we're gonna miss our bed this coming year...
But hey, let's look to the bigger picture. God is THE bigger picture, and wow is He good. We seriously didn't think we'd get even this far (and we're not even out of Denver yet). But He has been showing His face every step of the way in this process, and now we have our visas, pasted right into our passports. (Steph has now collected three visas - Brazil, Spain, and now South Korea - my wife is awesome :-)
So, ya I'll admit I have pretty high hopes for this blog - I pridefully admit I have visions of hundreds flocking to this blog, hanging on every word, eager to live vicariously through our Asian adventures. Heheheh...but who am I kidding? I simply hope this will be a great way for our family and close friends to keep up with our every move...
Is this blog going to be like my journal from grade school? Where I started with all the gusto and gumption I could muster, but then never revisited.....hmmmmm...
Ya the countdown to South Korea begins. And ya, we have created a blog...look at us...so cool.
Actually Steph is snoozin' and cruisin' next to me on our Tempurpedic king size bed as I type these soon to be infamous words. Dang, we're gonna miss our bed this coming year...
But hey, let's look to the bigger picture. God is THE bigger picture, and wow is He good. We seriously didn't think we'd get even this far (and we're not even out of Denver yet). But He has been showing His face every step of the way in this process, and now we have our visas, pasted right into our passports. (Steph has now collected three visas - Brazil, Spain, and now South Korea - my wife is awesome :-)
So, ya I'll admit I have pretty high hopes for this blog - I pridefully admit I have visions of hundreds flocking to this blog, hanging on every word, eager to live vicariously through our Asian adventures. Heheheh...but who am I kidding? I simply hope this will be a great way for our family and close friends to keep up with our every move...
Is this blog going to be like my journal from grade school? Where I started with all the gusto and gumption I could muster, but then never revisited.....hmmmmm...
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