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I'll take you all around as long as we're on solid ground ...or even if we're not. I was an English teacher in South Korea and now, I'm struggling to find my next adventure. ABOUT ME var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-26604008-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

[tiffypoo]

What age of children do you teach?

I ended up teaching grade 5 and 6 and I had an after school club for grade 3s and 4s.

Were you interested in a certain age range?

[tiffypoo]

What did you major in college? Would majoring in education help?

Hi tinkeringsoul!My major was Psychology. If you major in English, I think you get paid a little bit more but as long as you have a BA, you're good to go!

[tiffypoo]

I read your post about the Disco Pang Pang ride and I feel really upset about and sad for you =( I hope your injuries have and maybe in the future, if you do ride it again, the person operating it will be a nicer person who makes sure the people on the ride are enjoying the experience and not getting hurt. Thank you for your time and I hope that you will have a wonderful day =)

Thank you for feeling for me Anon. Although now in retrospect, it was a hilarious experience. But I would still never do it again. Thanks for your message!

[tiffypoo]

Hello! :D I happen to have stumbled upon your blog (an awesome blog btw) while researching about teaching english in Asia and I would like to ask you a few questions if you don't mind ^^:;? I'm 16 years old by the way so I still have a lot of time ahead for me but I was wondering in order to become an English teacher in Korea, what major do i have to receive a degree for? Does it matter? Also since I'm still a little clueless, how should I get started with it all when the time comes? Thank you!!

Hi! 

Thanks for dropping by. :) 

It doesn't matter what you major in, as long as you have a BA you're good to go. (If you want to go sooner, check out the TaLK program - you only to be in university for two years before you're qualified). Because you are so young, the requirements may change by the time you do go to SK.

I have a blog that talks about the process.

I recommend getting (googling) a recruiter because they really helped me out with my documents. I was extremely stressed and couldn't imagine doing it all by myself.

Also get your TESL/TESOL - you get paid more if you have this. I definitely think it was an investment. 

The most difficulty I had was finding two references to write me a Letter of Reference - so make sure you develop great relationships with your employers/managers/etc.

You're going to have an absolute blast in a few years!  

[tiffypoo]

An Unpublished Letter, Published

Dearest Cheongju,

Although our affair was brief, you showed me years of beautiful experiences in the 365 days that we spent together.

When I met you, I was merely a girl.  Afraid and lost, I was hoping to find something in you that would help me glue it all together.

With you, I flourished into a passionate, loving individual. Destiny led us to cross paths with the vibrant people that I was lucky enough to be surrounded with. We shared laughs and drinks and happiness and tears and blackouts over those very blurry nights.

You taught me to love completely and to give every part of me to the moment because time is forever fleeting. My darling students and unreadable co-teachers and wonderful strangers showed me that sometimes, we didn’t need spoken language to communicate. Love and curiosity was all around us. All I had to do was open up and feel it.

And yes, we had problems. There were periods when I got completely lost in frustration and anger and stress and at times, you made me feel so terribly alone. You broke every piece of my heart and I spent too long of our time together longing to leave you.

But I regret nothing and thank you for everything that you have shown me.

You helped me realize that I never need to find that glue because I am not broken. Life is a series of moments, floating in our memories. It is up to us to decide which ones we will happily capture and which ones we will allow to infect us.

You were everything that my twenty-three year old self could’ve ever asked for.

Again, I thank you.

Love always,

tiffypoo

[tiffypoo]

hey tiff so how goes your airline job search going and hows summer? but yeah im always asking you about korea lol. i just got toefl certified but when you applied, did you have a bachelors degree? it looks like all the jobs i see require a BA in korea

It's okay, you can always ask me about SK! :)The airline job search is hard. I have a second interview this week though! Yes, I did have a BA to teach in a public school. There is also a program called TaLK (Teach And Learn in Korea). You only need to have complete two years of a BA program to be eligible.  

[nutellanicole]

[twentytwoforever-deactivated201]

this makes me proud and feel love for my country

[tiffypoo]

Dear readers and followers:

After discussing it with my sister, I have decided to no longer regularly blog on here. My blog posts will be sporadic, until I find an exciting job or have something interesting to write about (or when I get a camera/smartphone). Even though it makes me extremely sad, I feel like there is not too much to share in my life right now. 

If you have any questions though, I will still answer them. 

Thank you so much for following me and supporting me. You have been absolutely awesome. I love you guys! 

[tiffypoo]

How is toronto compare to seoul? Is it comparable size and things to do for young adults?

I think that Seoul and Toronto are around the same size.

And yes! Both are filled with night clubs, cafes and interesting restaurants. Seoul feels a lot more crowded and has a lot more beauty shops. 

I think I like the nightlife in Seoul better. :) 

[tiffypoo]

Hiya I was just wondering, I know you were an English teacher in South Korea and at the moment I've been watching videos and looking on tumblr and I've seen how people over there think that only certain things are beautiful. Like big eyes, tall and white skin, and I was just wondering whether you noticed that and if it affected your students at all. Much obliged and good luck with the job hunting! ^^

Hi! 

To be completely honest, YES I do think that beauty has an effect on how one is treated in Korea. My eyes aren't as big (but apparently they are in Korea) and I was super tanned when I first got to Korea. 

When I lightened up and stopped wearing glasses, I noticed that people treated me "better". I didn't experience any horror stories of my students making fun of me. Kids will be kids so I had some bad days with classroom control and student motivation. 

Students and parents graded the teachers and I got fairly high ratings. My students wrote about me being beautiful, smiley and friendly (although I'm not too sure if that's a completely good thing, it's better to be a scary, strict teacher imo). 

During camps, my students were well behaved and would constantly comment on my "beautiful S-Line". 

My sister is gorgeous, so when she came to some of my classes my students were completely mesmerized. 

I hope that I answered your question!

Thanks for reading my blog. :) 

[tiffypoo]

Thank you for the support and the suggestion! 

Please note that the gym I recently joined is a really inexpensive, dinky gym. I know that if I went to an expensive one, the experience may be comparable to the one I went to in Korea.

In Korea, I was paying $80-something a month. There was a pool and saunas, the gym was two floors. It was extremely spacious and it had some equipment that I've never seen before. There was a post-work out machine that had a band that you could put around your waist, and it acted like a hula hoop. All the treadmills (12) faced individual TVs. It was really nice.

The gym that I signed up for, I paid $8.95 for the first month. There were four treadmills that sat uncomfortable close to each other and they faced a huge mirror. I was really intimidated because I didn't wanna watch myself or other people run. Their machine seemed... cheap? The technology didn't seem as advanced as Korea's. It seemed really tiny.

But either way, I'm still getting my exercise... right? 

[tiffypoo]

Guys! I'm part of a website called The Urban Craze. I haven't written anything on there yet but I will soon!

On Saturday, we met up to attend the Toronto Underground Market. Here is the description of the event from their website: 

"TUM is a social food market for the community to sample the food of Toronto home cooks & budding entrepreneurs. TUM is a venue to showcase food products." 

I had so much fun! We tried a lot of different things (not as much as I wanted to) but after an hour-ish, there were lines everywhere. 

My favourite was Fidel Gastro's sandwiches. I cannot even begin to describe how delicious they were. They were just perfect! Juicy and savoury, melt in your mouth goodness. I immediately regretted not purchasing six more. 

I also loved the macarons from 3 Macarons. I was never a lover of these until I tried theirs. The owners were also incredibly nice! 

I can't wait to go back next month! For all of my Torontonians, you gotta check this out. 

[tiffypoo]

hey tiff, where did you get your certificate and how much did it cost again? i was just at a job fair and there was a an opportunity to teach english overseas. Global Tesol College, they have a 5 day certification course and said to be about $800. but looking at their brochure is like minimum $1000+ depending on the kind of you take. I know you got certified then applied at an agency, but they certify you and help you find a job oversea. just wanted your opinion on this since theres lots of fake

Hey!

I got my TESOL through this website. I completed the 100 hour, no tutor lesson. I can't remember exactly how much it cost but it was less than $200. 

I think I applied through ESL Planet for free and they were really informative and helpful. 

I definitely think that you'd be paying way too much just for a TESOL certificate. If you're willing to pay that much, you might as well go for your CELTA (which is + another $2000). 

I'm not 100% sure though, so try to do a thorough Google search. 

:) 

[tiffypoo]

The Art of Deskwarming

Being a foreigner in Korea requires a lot of effort. One has to constantly improve on techniques that they have just started to learn. They are still VERY awkward in this country. 

This is why my principal decided that I needed to practice on my desk warming skills.

All of the other teachers and students have already mastered this art, thus allowing them to roam free while enjoying the weather and laughter during the winter vacation.

But I’ve only been in Korea for less than a year, so there is a lot for this young grasshopper to learn.  

I have not yet developed the patience of the Koreans and so I must sit in an empty office  eight hours a day, for four weeks in a row. This work helps me improve my independence because I know that there are only five other who are required to be in the school and they have actual work to do. 

When I realize that my bladder is about to explode, I defeatedly walk into the bathroom of squatting toilets and look at the plants gathered around a very warm heater. I’ve learn to deflate my ego and throw away the idea of self importance as I sit alone, with a heater that randomly shuts off.

Having all of this time allows one to reflect upon the interwebs and work on their underdeveloped youtubing, facebooking, tumbling, stumbleuponing, wikipeding and researching techniques. 

I have learned to control my angry spirits and calm my soul that constantly eggs me to tear this place up. 

I feel at peace and am ready to further work upon the skills that I have yet to acquire.

My tranquil eight hour day has begun.  

[twenty-tree-blog]

I’m no teacher…but i feel you. Desk warming. The worst way to waste time.

[burndogturns-blog]

The ‘grasshopper’ reference is ignorant and racist. 

Here’s a tip…you’re in your first year of teaching…you’re deskwarming…how about using that time to become a BETTER TEACHER?  Your students deserve better than someone who has nothing better to do than bitch and moan about shit that is CLEARLY IN LINE WITH YOUR CONTRACT.  If you didn’t want to deskwarm, then you should have applied for a Hagwon job.  Why?  Because they don’t usually have to deskwarm.

Use your time wisely…take out your contract…have a quick read…and realise why you’re coming accross as a whiny fucktard.

Sorry…but I’m totally over people whining about deskwarming like they’re the first person who’se ever had to do what their contract asks them to do.

Harden up buttercup.

[imsureitslovely]

Get over yourself, Burndog. The best way to become a better teacher is to teach. You can only spend so many 8 hour days planning lessons without teaching any before you’re wishing for death. The majority of us opted for a gig like teaching specifically because we didn’t want to sit silently at a desk all day. It’s a very specific kind of person who can work days like that without languishing. Feeling defeated and frustrated after a few days of that is pretty goddamned ordinary and you of all people ought to know that a blog is a great place to vent your frustrations.

[burndogturns-blog]

I agree with you Senor Crazy…I do need to get over myself.

If you’ll give me a minute of your time (you can wait until next time your deskwarming if you like) I would appreciate it.

Teaching may well be the best way for a teacher to teach…however…there are plenty of things that we can do (such as creating materials, planning and development) that can be done when we have some time.  Not all teaching is done in the classroom…in fact…I would say that I spend more time planning and organising shit than I do in the classroom.

Secondly, you said that a blog is a wonderful place to vent your frustrations, and that’s exactly what I did.  I get sick of the same fucking shit with deskwarming every sinlge time there’s a break.  Every time.  How the fuck do people come here with NO IDEA about deskwarming?  Research.  Read the odd forum or blog…and you’ll be aware that deskwarming is part of the gig.  Boo fucking hoo that punters signed up to this gig expecting to not sit at a desk…when…if they’d researched a little…they’d have seen that public school teaching in Korea…more often than not…involves desk warming.

All that aside…it’s going to be less of an issue now that they’ve shortened the vacation times to make up for deleting Saturday classesI wager there won’t be time for proper deskwarming any more.

[imnopicasso-blog]

Stand by for complaints about the lack of extra vacation/half days.

I bitch about deskwarming. Not gonna pretend I don’t. I bitch about a lot of perfectly normal things that I don’t want to do. But I try to draw the line before I make it into an evil conspiracy against me because I’m a foreigner. Maybe that’s because I’m aware of the fact that foreign teachers brought it on themselves. By…. bitching.

[tiffypoo]

I wrote this on my third week of deskwarming - I was probably 100 hours in. I was SUPER bored and frustrated since I was allowed to "roam free" during my first semester. My principal gave me permission to go home but my VP wanted me there because he "needed a promotion". It had nothing to do with the contract at this point.

I don't think that because I complained about deskwarming that it meant that I was a bad teacher. My Korean co-teachers complained all the time but they were great. I planned my lessons before they happened so I didn't have any catching up to do. My winter camp rocked. I had nothing to plan at this point.

I wrote it so that fellow deskwarmers could relate and laugh about it, not to make a point that I hated my job. I loved Korea and I loved being a teacher. Maybe I should have made it more obvious, but I wrote that post sarcastically. I would rather have taught winter camps for all of those weeks than sit around and do nothing. 

Don't take it so seriously. I didn't really think that they were conspiring against me.

Also, using grasshopper = racist? REALLY? Aren't you the racist one for even making that connection - because that was not my point at all.  

[tiffypoo]

It's official! I've been in Canada for a month now AND I finally got my mojo/swag back! I walk down the streets of TO with complete confidence and I don't feel like a weirdo anymore. 

Going to interviews excite me. I really want to share my experience with you but upon further reflection, I think it's best that I keep it confidential (since I link this blog on my resume). 

My newest goal is to start eating healthy and working out. Going to Korea = gaining a bunch of weight. So for those of you who are planning/going, be prepared! 

[tiffypoo]

im super interested in Lasik and I just read your story about it and i just have it ask, DONT YOU WANT TO BLINK?! aahhhh the thought of the vacuum sucking your eyeball out i would want to close my eye, can you just not no matter what? i feel like i would try to and flinch and destroy my eyes or something

Haha! Of course I wanted to blink! I could feel my eyes trying to close sometimes but I kept reminding myself that if I blinked, I could screw up the operation.

The device obviously made it harder to close but I think if I tried really hard, I could've "broke" free. 

Thanks for reading about my experience! 

[tiffypoo]

Sending some love your way in case White day wasn't that kind to you :D love the blog.. it's funny how I came across your page while looking for korean recipes but has been my weekly read since. Much love and God bless.

My followers are the best!

Thank you. I know a few, simple Korean dishes. :D