Korean Job Discussion Forums

davidcool · Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Location: USA

I just finished my TEFL training, and I have to say I didn't enjoy it much at all. Is teaching in Korea going to be as demanding as this training was? Will I be creating lesson plans and having to come up with activities everyday from scratch?

I'm looking for some insights as to day-to-day activities. I know there are many different teaching circumstances, and it may be hard to generalize... I'm really excited to travel, but I'm afraid I'm going to be up until 1am every night again preparing lesson plans. I'm starting to wonder if this will be any fun. Can anyone confirm or deny my suspicions.

Tokki1 · Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 10:59 am Post subject:

Totally depends on the job.

Fishead soup · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Location: Korea

The standards are much lower. For the most part the people you will be working with have no idea about T.E.F.L. If you are working in public school be prepared for oversized classes with kids who are falling asleep and a co teacher who will do practically anything to avoid coteaching.

ddeubel · Joined: 20 Jul 2005

Yes, totally depends on the job and also you.

Sounds like you had a good TEFL program though I don't think that a good TEFL program necessarily precludes fun. But as with any preservice training, it should be demanding. Once you get into the classroom, then you have more liberty, more room to breathe, be creative. But at first, in training, you should be forced to do the basics and fundamentals. If you continue that routine in the regular classroom, is entirely up to you.

I know that my first few years of teaching after teacher's college and TEFL, I continued to plan a lot, make lesson plans weekly, if not daily. But then increasingly, I did less and less of that as I got more experienced. I think all new teachers should continue to plan overtly and then as they gain experience wean themselves from it and only do long term planning and what is bureaucratically "demanded".

As for fun. You'll have fun. Just get the right job. Freedom and respect to be the teacher, do what you think is in the student's best interest. Good colleagues. Some downtime. Help with the cultural confusion/paperwork.......

DD

frankhenry · Joined: 13 Mar 2007