Korean Job Discussion Forums

[FlyKiwiGuy]

Hi guyz


I am a complete noobie with no teaching experience or qualifications wanting to teach ESL in Korea. I applied through some recruiters and am now working on the public school EPIK essay as below:

"We are interested in your ability to succeed as an EFL/ESL teacher in a public school in Korea. In the space below, please share with us your reasons for wanting to teach ESL in Korea, your educational philosophy and your thoughts on encountering cultural differences."

Now i'm quite happy with everything EXCEPT for "your educational philosophy" section of my essay...

Can anyone suggest to me what i should be broadly covering in this section of the essay? e.g. i researched the ESL teaching methods Audiolingual vs Communicative Language Teaching. In your guys experience teaching ESL in Korea public schools, does A-L method seem to be the predominant teaching method used in-classroom? Is this what they mean when they ask for my educational philosophy? Or have i missed the point on this question?? ANY help or suggestions for this part of the essay would be GREATLY appreciated!! Thank you so much in advance

[crisdean]

I think the best thing to do is summerise what you know about teaching, and then as a newbie discuss the type of learning environment you preferred as a student and say how you plan to implement that, but at the same time mention that due to being a blank slate you are more than willing to differ the wisdom and experience of your Korean co-teacher(s) and will be looking to learn as much as possible from them (they love stuff like that)

[Senior]

Just copy and paste the wikipedia article on "Education Philosophy". Do you think they have someone who reads hundreds of essays?

[Depths of My Soul]

[TheUrbanMyth]

[crisdean]

[oldfatfarang]

Hey Kiwi,

Educational philosophy: " I want to encourage my students to learn English in a happy and safe educational environment etc. While I think playing games are important for motivation, I also want to help students make sentences so that they can learn to SPEAK English with confidence.

Stress learning English shouldn't be difficult - it should be fun.

Looking forward to learning how to teach from the Korean teachers etc.

Heard that K students are very diligent - and I'm looking forward to helping them with their English (la, la, la).

I want to enjoy Korea's dynamic mix of modern and ancient culture (la, la, la).

PS: Don't say anything about earning money - asian girlfriends etc.

Also, have a really good photo (passport head on, above shoulders, button down blue shirt and tie (a dark blue suit jacket is good). A pink shirt and silver tie is OK, too. Clean cut, well shaved. SMILING, SMILING, SMILING. No ear rings/studs/tats. Put some Clear Eyes/Visine in your eyes so your eyes are shining brightly.

Include any photos you have of teaching/helping kids/students (in any capacity).

Get your essay proof read by someone who knows Englisheeeee (spelling, punctuation, grammar etc) and keep your sentences/paragraphs short (1 page max).
Good luck Kiwi.

[Triban]

Brother if you do not have the mental stamina or capacity to write a simple 500 word essay...don't apply. Seriously. I hate to be harsh but that is simply ludicrous.

[oldfatfarang]

Nothing wrong with asking for a few suggestions. Competition for EPIK jobs is really tight these days.

[crazy_arcade]

To have a fair and inclusive environment that takes into acount different learning styles.....

or something along those lines.

[Yaya]

[rickpidero]

if you are from an English speaking country and have a head, you can get a job with EPIK.

[oldfatfarang]

[FlyKiwiGuy]

hey guyz, thanks very much for your suggestions especially oldfatfarang, that's some gold mate, cheers!

[oldfatfarang]