About a year ago we committed to teaching English in Korea. It's a great opportunity to travel (especially in Asia) while having a very rewarding job. We know countless people that have done and and / or are still doing this and we've heard nothing but positive experiences. Julia has a cousin that has been over there for nearly 6 years now and has been able to travel and see and do things that would make up a lifetime of experiences. I have friends that went 10 years ago and had a great time, people we know from our time in Australia that teach in Korea and China still (5 years later) and countless others. We knew that it was a 'now or never' sort of scenario, as we had just bought a house in Ottawa, both have great jobs (which doesn't make the decision very easy) and the next 'logical' step was to start a family. Maybe that's what we're 'running away from' ?? Who knows.
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We decided that to play it safe and apply through EPIK (English Program in Korea), as this is the government run program in South Korea and would be our best bet for our first year overseas. After we get to Korea and fulfill our contract with EPIK, we could choose to re-sign with that program or perhaps teach at one of the many hagwons (private schools or academies) in South Korea. Alternatively, once we gain some experience, we could look at moving to Japan and teaching a year there, as part of either the JET program (similar to EPIK) or more likely, a private school. There are opportunities in China, Thailand, Taiwan (all of Asia really), the Middle East, South America, Europe etc... Essentially, anywhere in the world where English isn't the native language, there is opportunity for ESL teachers to find employment. We'll be teaching in an elementary school, however we're also taking a specialization in teaching business English, which would offer more opportunities to teach a different type of student altogether.
The process was long, and at times very confusing, but as it stands now, our contracts are on their way from Seoul, and certain details are still up in the air. We originally applied as a couple. This means that they place you in the same school, or within very close proximity and you get a larger apartment. As it turned out, all of these positions were taken and we had to continue with our applications as individuals or withdraw. We continued as individuals. That being said, our coordinator at EPIK knows we're a couple, they have our marriage certificate on file and as it stands now, we've both been placed in the Chungnam province. The only thing left to find out is exactly which city we're in and how close our schools are to each other. The absolute worst case scenario is if we're in opposite ends of the province (it's about 3 times the size of Ottawa). If we're placed very far apart, we'll have a decision to make. Likely, one of us will accept the position, and the other will look for employment at a Hagwon that is close to where we will live. We'll wait though to see if this concern even comes to fruition, and if it's the case, we'll deal with it at that time.
Chungnam Province is located southwest of Seoul, and is the furthest point that is still serviced by the Seoul metropolitan subway system (bonus!). It has a total population of a little over 2,000,000 people. There are 8 cities in Chungnam and the biggest is Cheonan, with nearly 600,000 residents (it's a big drop off from there). Chungnam is the 'wealthiest' province in South Korea. We originally requested to be placed in Busan, but are by no means disappointed to be placed where we were! We're also quite close to Incheon International Airport! If all goes well, we'll be taking off for Korea in roughly six weeks!
That's it for now. I'm going to do my best to keep up with this blog as we travel over the next however many years... and if you haven't already hooked up with us on social media, do it now!
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