Some not so great things about teaching English in South Korea

We all know that every cloud has a silver lining, so I guess every silver lining has a cloud.

Teaching in South Korea can be a great opportunity for the well educated but under employed English speakers of the world.  The pay is great, the benefits are great, and all the while you are getting the opportunity to not only visit but really experience a foreign country.   Can't get much better than that!

But there is always a 'but'.

While traveling makes you feel invincible, its important to always remember that you are more vulnerable overseas than you are in your home country.  You don't know the dodgy parts of town to avoid, or the restaurant with the bad reputation, or the scams to shirk.  But, once you talk to a few people, you wise up pretty quickly.

Having read up on it, I'm here to give you a few basic tips:

Read your contract

There are a few sneaky tricks a Hagwon (Korean English School) might use to get you to sign a contract for a job you dont really want.

There is a difference between work hours and classes.  A class might go for 40 minutes and some schools will count that as a working hour.  Others might just count it as 40 minutes.  That might not sound too bad but essentially its a lot of extra work that you aren't being paid for, including administrative work.  

Your contract might stipulate that you get ten days holiday a year, but that the school choses when those holiday days can be taken AND that you have to make up the time you are away on the weekends doing extra classes.

Don't take the first job you are offered

Teachers are a dime a dozen and it can be quite normal for disputes to arise between teachers and schools.  If you don't complete you 12 month contract than the school doesn't have to pay for your flight or give you the bonus 1 month salary at the end.  So if a dispute arises, the school can fire you and save themselves some money.  But then they have to quickly get a replacement.  


Do you see where this is going?

You have to check out the school and make sure they are good to their teachers.

You also have to make sure that they have a good reason for needing teachers urgently (that they dont just fire teachers at the drop of the hat and then rehire new teachers briskly)

Another good reason to be cautious is that it will be hard to get another job if you are fired or end your contract early in Korea, or any other Asian country.  Be prepared to stick it out if it sucks.  Or else, you are packing your bags and paying for your own flight home.

Its better to have shorter hours, and get paid less

Why?  Because you can make a small fortune teaching private classes.  The good news?  No pay disputes, no dodgy dealings.  And you accommodation is already being paid for by the school.  You might even be teaching the students you already know.  


Hagwons are better than Camps

Less hours + the chance to escape 


Look to be teaching less than six classes a day.  Anything more than that is crazy and you wont have time to prepare your classes.

At the camps you will be eating, sleeping and even showering with your students.  There is no escape.

Hope this helps!

Teach English in a country with a better economy than your own

There are numerous advantages to teaching English.

One:  You should already know how to do it.

I know its a little bit like cheating but really, being born in an English speaking country actually comes in handy from time to time.  You don't have to read subtitles when you see a Hollywood film.  When traveling, you can get  around (though its not recommended) without having to learn a second language AND you can get paid to teach others how to speak English in exotic destinations.

Two: They pay good money

Like, really good. For example, a country like South Korea will not only pay to fly you from your country to their own but also pay for your accommodation.  The money they pay you is basically just pocket money.  If pocket money was thousands of dollars.  For entry level teaching jobs you are looking at about $2200 a month. You also get free health insurance (or you split the cost 50/50 with the school), which is a pretty massive thing and could end up saving you thousands of dollars, although it only comes into affect after your first paycheck is sent so it is advisable to still pay for health insurance for your first month.  You also get an additional months pay at the end of your 12 month contract.  Thats right.  Spending money!  You could also get a resettling allowance (a few hundred dollars) or your lunch included.  There are about 14 paid public holidays in Korea and most school institutes wont make you work these days, as well as giving around 20 days off a year.

Three: No taxes!

I personally don't have a problem with paying tax (after all, I certainly enjoy schools and roads and healthcare!) but it does make calculating you income easier- unless you hail from Ireland or Canada :(  Then you pay less than 7% a year.  Thats still pretty good!

Four:  While the rate of pay is high, the cost of living is low!

At least, in Korea.  And their economy is really strong!  People have been known to regularly save $12,000 a year teaching English in Korea.  The bets part is, once you are qualified you can teach in a lot of different places, including Spain, Turkey, Japan or even France.  Who knows!  Your opportunities are endless.

Five:  If you don't have a CELTA or TESOL or even DIP ED you can teach in China and EARN it

Just a quick note on the difference between the three:

CELTA is a very difficult but impressive qualification that you can get online or at a local tertiary institute. It is often very expensive and detailed, and requires around 100+ hours of teaching experience.

TESOL can be done online, and can actually be quite affordable.  When looking at job ads at Daves ESL Cafe there does not appear to be any difference in hireability of people who have CELTA vs. TESOL.

Dip Ed is a diploma of Education.  Its a post grad course generally offered at universities, although you can still do it online. Again, there doesnt appear to be any difference in hireability.

Heres an interesting video about teaching in China

http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/china/index.cgi?read=29769

Have fun!

5 things to pack

If you are female, or female in appearance. 

Shout out to all my transgendered peeps!  

Here's a short list of things I believe its important to have while traveling.  If you have a suggestion, leave a comment! 

1. BB cream

 

This can replace a multitude of things in your pack.  I am not a high maintenance woman, and i dont think you really can be if you are backpacking on the cheap.  Its just not possible to pack hair straighteners, dryers, lipsticks, eyeliners, brushes, and everything else you need for different "looks".  There is only one look you will be sporting whilst backpacking, and that is: natural.  If you really need to spice your look up, I suggest you go to a pharmasist or department store and hit those testers.  Just dont use the lipsticks... thats gross.

 

2. Sports Bra

 

I dont want to hear anybody telling me their boobs are too big for a sports bra.  Rubbish!  As a proud owner of a pair of double D's I can safely tell you that as long as you get the right size, they will look perky AND be comfortable.  I personally chose a bra 2 size smaller than I would normally wear.  The perks of this are; they are easy to pack (they bundle up small) and they are cheap!  I paid $10 for mine.  Perfect for long flights or bus trips, perfect for washing, and just a little less than perfect for romantic rendezvous, but you'll get over it.

 

3. Jeans

1 pair.  That's right, you heard me.  One pair of jeans.  You can wear them day after day, they are warm enough for cool weather and you can wear them when its mild as well. You are not hiking, you are backpacking.  Do you pack those ridiculous zip off pant/short combos unless you have dangly bits in between your legs and are likely to actually hike.

 

4. Knee High Boots

Yes, ok, they take up a lot of room. But if they are comfy, leather and nice looking, they can be incredibly versatile.  They are perfect for long trips to Europe, you can wear them in Spring, Winter and Autumn and they are great during the day or night.  They can keep you nice and warm, dress up any basic outfit and they are durable.  Perfect for schlepping through mud or snow.  All around winners, in my opinion.  

 

5. A microfiber towel

Ok, yes.  You can be male and pack a microfiber towel.  But I'm putting this in here with a sound warning:  DO NOT WASH WITH YOUR CLOTHES.  I repeat

DO

NOT

WASH 

WITH

YOUR 

CLOTHES.  

I'm serious.  Don't.  You'll be picking up those little tufts of fluff off your clothes for who knows how long.  Its annoying, its unsightly, and depending on the colour of your towel, you could end up looking like you've gone moldy.  Not cool. 

I am no longer an origianl

That's right. I can no longer hope to be the first ever, crowd founded holiday maker.

Some guy (pfft!) beat me to it.

What. A. Douche.

I'm kidding, kinda. Good on him. Sort of. I would be honestly happy for him if he were the second person to do this. I thought I had an original idea! But i guess I cant begrudge him for doing what I only thought about. Its not his fault I thought it would be better to have an established blog before I started asking people for money.

Here's his article in The Age
http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/how-to-get-strangers-to-pay-for-your-holiday-20130724-2qj32.html

Oh well. You live, you learn.

So much sadface.

On the up side, I was featured on Yahoo! News. I don't even read Yahoo news. Now i feel bad for not reading Yahoo! News.

A big "Thank You!" to everyone who came to visit me! And thank you, Yahoo. I like you guys now. (and i cant stop saying Yahoo! News. I think its the exclamation mark... its very sassy)

Thank you so much for your lovely comments. I even enjoyed the computer generated ones. Thank you to those of you who commented on the web design, my best friend helped me with it and it was very frustrating for both of us (I became a little dictatorish: move it a little to the left. No! Too much! a little to the right...Too much! I don't like that colour. Change the font. I liked it better before! Etc.) But I'm very happy with the way it turned out- especially the fact that my face is now Photoshopped onto the statue of liberty. That's pretty cool.

And I know Internet Explorer is being super dodgy but I'm not sure how to fix it, if anybody has any ideas and can make it simple enough for me to follow, could you please post a comment with instructions? I would be eternally grateful.

And to that one guy who said my spelling was atrocious... wel am sory, butt eye tri me bescht.

And a lot of you commented my writing style which made me blush, but then immediately call every person I know to tell them that I am not a failure and actually I am now internet famous. Most weren't very impressed by this and both my siblings asked me if I could make any money from my "blog-thing" (to which my answer was... uuuummmm), but I wont let that dampen my spirits!


To them I say:

Onward!

Upward!

Slightly sideways!

The Most Overrated Tourist Attractions in Melbourne

When I mentioned that I wanted to write this blog, a friend of mine said straight away:

"Crown Casino, Bourke Street Mall, Lygon Street."

And I completely agree. 

1. Crown Casino

Situated on the banks of the Yarra, Crown is a Packer family Casino and hotel.  It has marbled lobbies and bars, clubs, and food courts.  Its easy to reach, just across from Flinders street station (which isn't overrated).

Walking along the boulevard, its actually really special.  They have installed a bunch of towers that release fireballs and look all pretty.  They do this on the hour, but the schedule changes between seasons.

here is the schedule from crown.

They also have really pretty fairy lights in some european trees as well as some weird donut shaped sculptures.  Walking along the boulevard is the best chance you'll have for people watching without having to pay a fortune to eat at one of the many restaurants along Southbank.  Plus, you get the added bonus of a free concert from any one of a number of talented buskers, my favourite being Davy Simony (listen here ). 

But, Crown casino itself is a mecca of suburban tweens on a mission of rapid intoxication.  Having a conversation with one of these consumer drones is less fun that listening to Justin Beibers greatest hits (of which I can almost guarantee they are fans).  Then there's the overpriced, overcooked fare at the food court (luxury living, guys!) and the soul sucking poker machines in the casino. 

0/10.  Would not attend.

2. Bourke Street Mall

Basically, its an out-of-doors Westfield.  There are no little boutiques or special independent stores, just a whole bunch of chains in the one place.  I fail to see the appeal.. except maybe that they are all together, but that's hardly gonna get you excited.  (I hope)

The GPO is the only exception.  Built during the gold rush, it used to be the General Post Office but has since been renovated and repurposed into a (I hesitate to say) shopping mall.  Sorta. 

In here you will find boutique shops that are outrageously expensive. But they are nice to look at.  There's also a giant purse sculpture, if you're into innuendos. You'll also most likely be set upon by the velociraptor charity seekers (Hint:  tell them you already give money to their organisation... they'll thank you and then move on to better prey)  

3. Lygon Street

You know, here's a little tip for visiting Melbourne:  there's a big difference between 'north' and 'south'.  Here's a really good example:  North Lygon St, exceptional.  Would spend a Saturday there, no problems.  Lygon Street, no.  No, no, no, no, no.  NO.  Uh uh, not happening.  In fact, I recently took a bunch of Italians (and one Brazilian!) around Melbourne and walked straight past it. 

And yet tourists flock here because they think its got the food Melbourne's famous for.  It doesn't.  It has overpriced crap.  It does, however, have Nova Cinemas, which are great.  Especially if you are on a budget! They have Tight Arse Tuesdays, and like to play art housy stuff.  Its good. 

Ive drawn you a handy dandy map so you can tell the difference:

This is Lygon.

This is north lygon

They are divided by Carlton Cemetery.  Take the number 8 tram from Swantson street.

A little bit of Health and Beauty!

Yesterdays post proved quite successful with some of you, so I thought I would do a little follow up and talk about some important maintenance when you are on the road!  Our bodies are like sports cars.  You can only abuse them for so long before something goes terribly wrong. And the backpacker life can be more than a little hard wearing. Smoking, drinking, eating junk.  Not to mention sleeping a little rough in those horrible hostel beds!  (And, we all know the real reason one backpacks: its not really for the culture, its for the fellow, like minded people you meet along the way.  Ladies and gentleman: you wanna be a little more flash-packer and a little less rough-packer, if you know what I mean.)

Rough-packer

Flash-packer

So when you get your weary little bodies to Melbourne, here are some options for some R&R:

1.  Endeavour College of Natural Health ($15 for Students, $30 for everyone else)

1/368 Elizabeth St
Melbourne
(03) 9662 9911

These guys are all learning their trade and need some willing victims :)  They're actually all really great, and at $15 for students for more than an hour, its pretty much an unbeatable bargain.  They do a couple of different types of massage here, as well as acupuncture and natropathy.  It does take them a while to set up, and they have to check with their supervises about the correct course of action for your ailment, but hey.  You're a backpacker.  You have time.  Also, great location.  Just opposite Melbourne Central Station.  Can't get more central than that!

Just note:  they DO follow a university timetable, and stop in between semesters for breaks. 

2. Joey Scandizzo Salon (Free!)

1/168 Toorak Rd
South Yarra
(03) 9827 7503

Need a little trim?  Like things to be free?  Head down to Joey Scandizzo, Australia's best hairdresser (maybe... I'm pretty sure I heard that somewhere).  He trains up his little minions and, again, they need someone to practise on!  It does take them a while but they do a good job.  I've been going there for 5 years and I think I've had two bad hair cuts.   That's a pretty good batting average as far as I'm concerned.  They are pretty well located too, just opposite South Yarra Station. 

3.  St. Kilda Beach (Free!)
The Esplanade
St. Kilda

Wanna go where all the cool kids are?  Well, get you arse on down to St.Kilda!  Not to mention, most football clubs take their players down there for a cool off after matches, and can I just say, ladies... its a sight worth hauling ass for. 

Don't worry, fellas, I haven't forgotten about you.  St.kilda is a bit like what I imagine Los Angeles to be, where fitness is the craze de jour and if you aren't hot to trot you stay in doors.  Except, of course, that St.Kilda has a famously seedy past that has lead to a famously seedy underbelly, meaning you can still spot the occasional lady-of-the-night as well as certain, how shall we say, connoisseurs of the less than above board supplements?

nomadic matt is a great blog that i stole a couple of pics off!  go check it out

PIZZA!

Hello Chums!

I apologise, I have not been writing as often as I should.  I had exams and both (both!) my laptops have died recently, if you can believe it!  I know you're thinking, "she cries poor, but she has TWO laptops?!" 

Well, i didn't buy either of them.  One I kind of stole/borrowed for an extended period off my dad, the other was a present.  Anyway, both of them mysteriously died within weeks of each other.  Everyone is crying fowl and saying I didn't look after them (because I have a, quite frankly, well deserved reputation for not looking after things.  Which reminds me of a couple of funny stories I'll tell you one day, involving leaving my laptop on top of my car when I drove home from university, leaving it on top of a parking ticket machine in the middle of the city, leaving it on top of a train ticketing machine at the station and and leaving it on a city loop train... not all on the one day, but still.) Anyway, i totally looked after the one that was a present and it died within a couple of months of me getting it!  Talk about shoddy workmanship.  The other one I've had for five years so I guess, after all its been through, it decided to just give up and go to a better place.

So, thank you for your patience, and your loyalty!  I thought I would reward you by giving you the best three pizzas in Melbourne!  (pics to follow)

1.  Bimbos (87% on Urbanspoon)
376 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy

You cannot go past Bimbos for the typical Melbourne experience.  For starters, they have a giant babies head on their sign.  Also, their pizzas are 4 dollars (most of the time.  They have kind of a convoluted system of pricing, which goes a little something like this:

Mon-Fri 12-4pm
Mon- Thurs 7-11pm
Fri & Sat 7-9pm
ALL day Sun

So basically on weekdays you can eat here for lunch or dinner and get a pretty tasty pizza for $4.  My favourite is prosciutto con formaggio, with cherry tomato's and rocket.  So gooooood!  :)  The atmosphere is pretty cool as well and the vibe is very Melbourne.  I would go so far as to say if you are going to come to Melbs, you have to go to Bimbos. 

2.  The British Crown Hotel (an undeserved 64% on Urbanspoon)
18 Smith St
Collingwood

We are a tiny bit obsessed with our colonial roots in Melbourne, and you will find a lot (LOT) of British type pubs etc around the place.  This is one of those places.  Its cheap, and to be honest its a little bit like the Aussie Leaky Cauldron.  If you didn't know it was there, you would walk right past it. 

See what I mean?  But.... and this is a BIG but... there pizzas are $3!
Three dollars?  THREE DOLLARS.  And they are HUGE.  Well, thick bases and meaty fillings anyway.  One time I went here for lunch, and just so happened to have a zip lock bag in my purse (no, really) and I took half of it away with me when I couldn't finish. 

That's right.  In the worlds second most expensive city (I just made that up.  No idea if its true) three dollars can last you from lunch til dinner.  How goods that?  They are a little hidden at the back of the menu however.  My favorite is the sausage one, but we have also sampled the pumkin, cheese and chicken satay, which weren't too bad. 

3. A1 (91% on Urbanspoon)
643-645 Sydney Rd
Brunswick




http://sweetandsourfork.blogspot.com.au/


Oh, my dear lord.  What is with lebanese and pizza?  Its like.. tomato and basil.  Or Forest and Jeny.  It just goes, you know? 

So good.  Crunchy yet soft pizza bases, salty squeeky cheese that sort of dribbles out some whey when you bite into it, total diet breaking bliss.  *Sigh*
I used to live in Brunswick, and when I would ride my bike past their shop I would stop and get a half meat, half cheese pizza.  The combo of meat and cheese, with some chilli powder or lemon, is total culinary heaven.  For me, anyway.  And i guess 91% of people agree with me!
Pretty much any pizza place along Sydney Road is going to tickle your dangly bits, but A1 is my favoirte.  They have all kinds of pizzas, little spinach and cheese triangles or meat and cheese, and they range from about $2.50 to around $4, which is incredibly cheap.  The only thing is that they close at about 7pm, so get in early.  you can always spend the rest of your night at one or the great pubs along Sydney road. 

So leave me a comment to tell me how you feel, about my writing, these pizzas or life in general.  Im hear to listen, guys! 

:)

DFTBA and I'll see y'all soon!