Teaching Guidelines, Training Needed!

By Connie Defalco

My Korean age is 48, soon 49. I've been in the workforce for over 25 years. My first jobs after university were in Customer Service and Contract Administration. When I was 39, I decided to go back to school to become a software developer, which is the job I held for over 9 years before coming to Korea.

South Korea is not well known in Canada compared to Japan, so, originally, I was going to try to teach in Japan. My daughter is currently teaching English at a Japanese university. After doing research on Japan and Korea, I realized that South Korea would suit me better. Busan is not far from Japan and the Korean alphabet was much easier to learn. I also felt that the EPIK contract was better than Japan's JET program's contract. I was also very impressed with the government's commitment to English education in Korea.

I think the most difficult time was when I first arrived in Busan. I didn’t know what to expect. At our orientation, EPIK told us that they could not tell us what to expect because everyone's experience would be different. Since I never worked as a teacher, I would have appreciated being able to observe some English classes before I began teaching. I would have appreciated being given a lesson outline and told: ``Teach this your first week.’’ I would have appreciated seeing videos of actual classes depicting different experiences.

I also find it difficult to have to depend on a Korean friend or co-worker to help me do simple tasks like ordering merchandise or buying a ticket online.

But, all in all, I've enjoyed learning about the Korean cultural and have not felt any serious culture shock or been homesick. I know this is because of the wonderful people I work with and have befriended during my time here.

My advice for future EPIK teachers: inform yourself. Read about Korean customs and culture. Use the EPIK mentor program and support personnel if you have questions or issues. In your first week, bring bread or cake to share with your co-workers. Expect that after the initial honeymoon period, the students will probably be more talkative and your class management skills will become more important. Finally, just do your best, that's all that can be expected.

Connie Defalco is from Canada and worked at schools in Busan, Korea’s southern port city. She can be reached at connie.defalco@gmail.com