Concerts, Donuts and Teaching in Korea

I spent part of this evening celebrating the second day of Chinese New Year with my sister, who is teaching English overseas in Korea over Skype. She gave me entertainment news about the concert that she'll go to next week, food reviews during this snowy week and five tips for others who might want to teach in Korea.

First, entertainment news. She will watch Beast in concert next weekend. When she was stateside, she watched the Wonder Girls and 2 P.M. in San Francisco.

Second, food tidbits. Three noteworthy desserts. Two main dishes. And one oddity.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons Green Donut

Dessert: Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts in Korea offer Bavarian cream, pistachio glaze and cafe hazelnut pastries. I am especially interested in the Bismark bar as described by my sister. Chocolate candy coating, filled with Bavarian cream on one end and chocolate filling on the other. She also likes the green pistachio glazed raised donut. Yum!
 Though restaurants are closed right now during Korean New Year's, donut shops are open for business.
Main Dishes: Korean Chicken with Onions and Cold Buckwheat noodles. More detail next time.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons Bavarian Cream Donut

Oddity: Blueberry pizza with walnuts, mozzarella cheese, raisins and wedges of savory potato.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons Blueberries

Lastly, practical tips. Five tips from my sister, the EPIK Program kindergarten teacher.
1. Earn your Teaching English as a Foreign Language certificate before you apply to http://www.epik.go.kr/
Why? You are eligible for a higher salary than other candidates without such certification.

2. Gain classroom experience 12 months before you apply to a program teaching English overseas. She taught Math and English at a Korean school in California for a year before she applied to the program managed by the Korean government.

3. Ace the interview by answering honestly during your Skype interview why you want to teach in Korea. Is it for the cultural experience? Are you already interested in the pop culture, music and entertainment? Do you want to grow as a teacher? Do you already know the language?

Photo Credit: Creative Commons Korean New Year

4. Confirm expectations with your employer. In exchange for teaching, your employer may provide a salary and housing for you during your contract. For instance, my sister's employer arranged for an apartment for her with a full kitchen that she does not have to share with a roommate.

Your obligations may include teaching during the regular school year in addition to summer and winter camps. You will spend a great deal of time lesson planning and adapting for your audience. For example, during a typical day my, sister may be expected to teach nearly 60 kindergartners in one classroom with only two teaching assistants for classroom management.

5. Enjoy coworker friendships. Who are some of the other teachers selected by the program? My sister has made friends with fellow teachers from South Africa, Australia, London and America. It's a 50/50 split between male and female teachers, predominantly in their 20s.

If you are curious about my sister's adventures in teaching, read future lenses and check out images of Korea on her Pinterest board.

Happy Traveling!