TEFL Prague and Abroad

  TEFL Prague and Abroad is proud to feature guest writer, Jonathan Last,  and his book Teaching With Chopsticks. You can buy a copy of it here Teaching With Chopsticks  Jonathan Last has taught English to adults and children in Europe and Asia. In this extract from his hilarious autobiographical novel Teaching with Chopsticks: TEFL from the Frontline , he identifies the different character types amongst his young students. Now I’ve been teaching here a while, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are eight types of student: The Unblemished ones. Young enough to not be cynical, still unfamiliar with foreigners so fascinated by me. My class with Jenny and Nancy, who are still keen that I don’t break the No Korean rule, is an example of this: their English is pretty good, and they’re easy to please, so are a general delight to teach. The Shy ones. I have this boy, Pat, who never talks above a whisper and sits very still. When the students don’t say much, i...

  Here's a great guide to teaching in Korea written by Tom Salmon, one of the trainers at The Language House TEFL Teaching English in South Korea Please read through everything in this brief overview prior to asking any questions about teaching in South Korea. A lot of basic information is covered here and once you’re clear about these things, you’ll probably find you have a much narrower focus of questions to ask than simply “So, what’s it like to teach in Korea?” Table of Contents: 1. Introduction 2. About Living in Korea 3. Teaching in Korea 3.1 Visas 3.2 Types of Schools 3.3 Recruiters 3.4 Applying Directly through EPIK, SMOE, or GEPIK 3.5 Requirements and Basic Overview of the Application Process 3.6 More than just “Base Level” 4. Useful Resources 5. Closing 1. Introduction There are a lot of reasons people decide to pack up and move to the Republic of Korea for work. Foremost in a lot of people’s minds is the possibility of making and saving...

 I just got a news flash from some graduates working in South Korea that the government has recently put in regulations requiring teachers to have a recognized TEFL certificate if they do not have background in either education or linguistics. This comes directly from EPIK recruiting in Korea, one of the largest and most respected recruiting agencies in the country. Previously, a TEFL certificate was not necessary, but did equate to earning a higher salary. Now, it is needed if you want to find legal work.  If you are thinking of teaching in Korea, you're going to need a TEFL certificate to ensure success these days at a quality school. The Language House TEFL has a great network of graduates who have taught in Korea, and we can help. Contact us if you are interested in taking a TEFL course with us or for more information on these new policies.  Cheers Chris Westergaard The Language House Prague Courses 

       I posted a question to a bunch of Language House TEFL graduates asking them to list their 5 favorite and least favorite things about working in Korea. Here's what they posted   Heather L. T he Good 1. People compliment you in the streets, good self-esteem booster.    2. Awesome food, if you love spicy food.  3. Drinking in the streets is legal.  4. Noraebongs are actually fun entertainment.  5. Strange dancing girls,   or mimes, or men on stilts performing things to advertise a company on random street corners.   The Bad 1. Pollution, gray skies nearly every day, which leave a strange smell that takes awhile to get used to.  2. Lack of organization in many hagwons and you`re expected to change your plans to meet the new classes or meetings.  3. Asian style expectation that westerners should work as hard as they do....which is all day every day.  4. Illness - caused by Koreans feeling the need ...