Why I am enjoying every single moment teaching in South Korea

Published on 31st August, 2018 by Andrew Wigford. Published in For Candidates / TIC News

July Bernal is from Colombia, South America. She previously taught Spanish and English at a school in the USA. This August, July moved to South Korea to teach at The International School of Koje (ISK), in the city of Geoje. TIC helped July to get her position at ISK and we recently spoke to her about her first few weeks living and working in South Korea:

“I decided to teach at an international school because I wanted to challenge myself within a new context. I also wanted to improve my language skills, and learn Korean. I read a lot about other teacher’s experiences before deciding to teach at an international school; their stories made me determined to do it!

International teaching broadens the mind

I previously taught in Colombia, my home country, and in the United States. But it’s not until moving here, to South Korea, that I am really experiencing the concept of ‘international mindedness’. Being in a school with people from so many places around the world broadens the mind, and gives you a new perspective on the world. Learning on a daily basis about a culture completely different to your own makes you appreciate who you are, and where you have come from. I really enjoy sharing the Colombian culture, and language, with the students here.

South Korea is a beautiful and safe place to live

I love living in South Korea. The biggest challenge so far has been communicating with the locals; the Korean language is hard! But it’s also been fun. I love walking in the mountains here, and using the public transport. The Korean food is also amazing. I really am enjoying every single moment here!

Some teachers might be worried about living and working in South Korea. But there’s no reason to fear working here; so far, I can tell this is an extremely safe country. I personally find South Korea a beautiful and very peaceful place to live.
My advice is to do your own research, take your time to decide where you go to teach, and thank you very much to TIC Recruitment for helping me to get my job!”

TIC helped July to find her job and be selected for her teaching position at the International School of Koje. You’ll find plenty more advice about teaching in international schools in our Teacher’s Stories section. Register free with TIC now.

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Andrew Wigford

Andrew is Managing Director of TIC. He has been involved in international education both as a teacher and Headteacher for over 25 years and has worked in Germany, Colombia and Austria. He set up TIC recruitment in 2005 to help teachers find great jobs in great international schools.