teach English abroad

It will be quite a few years before I do this!

First I have to obtain a degree, maybe get a TEFL certificate of some sort, and I’ll do it!

And who know where I will decide to go?!

I taught English in China for a year under very difficult conditions. 2000 students, five grade levels, no set curriculum, working in 33 different classrooms, little help from coworkers, few materials, technology issues, major discipline problems, etc. Everyone I’ve talked with agrees that that’s the craziest teaching job they’ve ever heard of.

I’ll be moving to South Korea in a few weeks to teach at an elementary school there. My classes are only supposed to have 10 – 20 students and I think there is a set curriculum, so I hope it will be much better.

After months of research and preparation, I will be going to Seoul, South Korea. I leave in 3 weeks, and will be there for one year! I’m nervous and excited, but I think it will be a good experience overall, and will also give me a chance to travel around Asia.

I might get the opportunity to do this next summer in Vietnam or Morocco through Teach Overseas, a Christian based program. I’m both excited and nervous! The only thing standing in my way is my husband… he doesn’t want me to leave him all summer, and there’s no way he would be able to come with me :(

I’m quitting my boring job in two week and starting my new job in Seoul in August!

I am writing from a computer lab in my school, Hipolito, in Chitre, Panama. I have been here for almost 3 weeks and have one month of classes left. It has been a challenging, broadening, delightful, infuriating, and incredibly fun experience. The school is disorganized to say the least, and the English teachers here barely know English. I am enamored with my host family, Ramiro and Ana Serrano with daughters Dayana and Kristley (and a son attending the University in Panama). There are 12 other volunteers in the Azuero province and two others in Chitre. I teach from 7:30 to 12:30, roughly, each day. And starting today I have adult classes Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 2. Living in Panama is hot but wonderful. Teaching elementary English… I´m grateful for the experience but would not choose to do this again.

volunteer teaching in Cambodia for 3 months next year. Think it’ll be a great way to “test” the profession out and help people at the same time.

so i graduate in august with a BA in history and a BA in anthropology. i’m going to need a job to pay off my student loans… i don’t really care how long it takes as long as i have a semi-regular income that allows me to incrementally get my balance down. but! i don’t want to get stuck in some shit job in the US. i’d rather take a shit job in another country! (at least for awhile)

i love traveling.

this morning i am in the process of signing up for a TEFL class in greece in october through via lingua. that way i’ll have a few months post-grad to scroung up some extra cash before the trip. hopefully being in europe after completion of the training will make it easier to score a job.

we will see! i make decisions like this on a whim all the time. this just seems like it’s really an adventure worth taking though. i called the boyfriend this morning to tell him my grand scheme, and he seemed interested but kind of half-heartedly (possibly because he knows how my interests shift so quickly). i’ve always wanted to go to greece though. always always. what better way than this? two birds with one stone.

A few years ago I read a book entitled, “The farther we go, the closer we get” about a family that traveled together around the world. I was completely inspired. We joined a home exchange network and spent a summer in Paris. Great start, and we will keep moving.

In Sanremo – Italy (very close to the French border) there is a non-profit association called Lingue senza frontiere searching for young mother-tongue English tutors to teach English to children in a very fun way. If anyone is interested in this project he should contact this association and find out if there is any position available. I think it’s an amazing experience, first of all for young students who would like to travel abroad, meet a lot of people and discover the beauty of Italian landscapes and culture!