To do list 3/30/2015

Things I have to do to start preparing for EPIK as well as getting my elementary education certification in New Jersey:

1. Sign up and take a 140 hour TEFL class (I am going with the i-to-i Professional Certificate)

2. Re-take my elementary education math PRAXIS (and pass this time)

3. Take my 24 hour pre-service program: an introduction to the teaching profession

4. All the documents. All the paperwork.

Interviewing with KorVia











Now, picking a city or province.



So here is what I’ve come up with so far:

1. Jeju Island


2. Gyeongju (in Gyeongbuk Province)


3. Ulsan (in Gyeongsang Province)


4. Changwon (in Gyeongnam Province)


I lie awake…

… and I drive myself crazy, drive myself crazy thinking of teaching programs.

I have a tendency to overthink things, and that certainly doesn’t exclude the possibility of moving halfway around the world to teach English. I slept terribly last night because I was up contemplating the different programs I’ve applied to so far. I have two interviews with Japanese companies and one with a South Korean consulting agency that places applicants into government-run programs.

There’s a lot to think about. My biggest concern, to be honest, is going to be making enough money to send some back home to continue taking care of my expenses in the States. I know that wherever I go I’m not going to have disposable income, but every little bit helps.

After that, rent and health care are pretty important. The Japanese programs I’m interviewing with offer subsidized monthly rent, while the South Korean programs take care of rent completely. Health care is provided through everywhere I’ve applied. The Japanese programs deduct an already specified amount each month, and the South Korean ones offer 50% coverage.

Now, here’s the toss up. While the monthly salaries for the Japanese programs are slightly more than the South Korean ones, the South Korean programs offer the added benefits of entrance fee reimbursement (that’s your one-way ticket), and a settlement allowance when you arrive. That helps.

Now, in about 45 minutes, I’ll be getting a phone call from my favorite high school English teacher to ask for a letter of recommendation for the aforementioned programs and talk about what I’ve been up to since graduation. Life is wild.

Becoming a Wanderlust Queen

I’ve been afflicted with the wanderlust for as long as I can remember. My mother was a travel agent before she retired, and I was very lucky as a kid to visit places like Greece, England, Italy, and Canada. She instilled in me a desire to travel and explore.

In middle school, I spent my time coming up with detailed itineraries for a backpacking adventure through Europe. Never happened. In high school, I revised those itineraries and planned to travel before I left for college. Still didn’t happen. In college, I vowed I would study abroad for at least a semester and have the adventure of a lifetime. Ha. Instead, I decided to work on a five year program to finish my MA (which I’m still 3 credits away from completing) and my dreams of world travel fell by the wayside.

They’re back, though. And apparently, with a vengeance. Two years after finishing my BA and one year after the expected completion of my MA, 2015 is the year I will finally go abroad. After applying for full-time jobs for the past two years with no luck, I have decided to teach English abroad. I’m already working on becoming a certified elementary education teacher, so what better way to gain experience?

So, right now, I’ve been sending out applications and scheduling interviews with a few different programs. Let’s see what happens.