by Matt | Jul 16, 2017 | Korea
Out of all the good decisions I’ve made in my life, taking the plunge and coming over in 2011 to teach in Korea was easily in the top five. Sounds pretty dramatic, but for a (painfully) shy 24 year old kid from the suburbs of Canada, who’d never travelled...
by Matt | Jul 1, 2017 | Teaching English
Two of the most popular destinations for ESL, especially for first time teachers, are Japan and South Korea. And for good reason. They’re both modern, developed, first world countries. They both have a strong demand for English teachers. They both offer a...
by Matt | Jun 27, 2017 | Language Learning
When it comes to a learning a new language, speaking is often the skill that gives new learners the most trouble. Not only does it (usually) take the longest to develop, but for many, the prospect of trying to have a conversation with someone in a language...
by Matt | Jun 16, 2017 | Japan
It’s now June, 2017, which means that those of you who applied for the JET Programme have been accepted and received your placements. For those of you who’ve made it in and will be heading to Japan soon, congratulations. I was a JET from 2013 and stayed on the program...
by Matt | Apr 9, 2017 | Korea
One of the first decisions you need to make in order to teach English in Korea is to decide what kind of job you want. For the majority of first-time teachers, you have two choices- working in a Korean public school, or working in a private academy (known in Korea as...
by Matt | Jul 25, 2016 | Travel
When people think of Asian cities, they usually think of the giants; Tokyo, Bangkok, Seoul, Shanghai. Visions of a Bladerunneresque metropolis usually go through their head when imagining life in Asia. I like Asian megacities. I’ve lived in Seoul, and I’ve...
by Matt | Jun 9, 2016 | Japan
12:30pm. Tuesday. June 2016. I’m sitting at my desk in the teachers room, eating my lunch and pretending not to notice the perpetual sheen of sweat stuck to my forehead. Or the fact that my shirt is stuck to my back because I worked up a sweat trudging up the...
by Matt | May 23, 2016 | Korea
I like to think that when it comes to all issues related to teaching in Korea, I’m on the ball. That said, after a job interview I did for the EPIK Program, I must say that, even after the interview was over, I still didn’t completely understand a.) what EPIK is, and...
by Matt | Mar 23, 2016 | Korea
For a lot of people, going to Korea to teach English is their first experience living in a foreign country. For some, it may even be the first time they’ve lived on their own. Even if you’re an experienced traveller, the prospect of actually moving to a...
by Matt | Jan 17, 2016 | Korea
“Hey Matt, I’m thinking of coming over to Korea to teach, can you recommend a good recruiter?” I get this question repeatedly. People ask me all the time. I also see it asked on forums, social media and blogs. Or it will be some slight variation-...
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