For the past couple of weeks I’ve been in a very sentimentally reflective mood. It’s impossible to explain how I feel about Korea. The truth is, my opinion about Korea changed almost weekly. Looking back, I can see what a truly exceptional time we’ve had. We thank our lucky...

Rachel’s tears were making me more upset than I was used to being. I was emotional as well, I just didn’t show it as freely. Onlookers must have thought someone had died. Thankfully that wasn’t the case. We were saying goodbye to the people who had mattered most to us in...

For the first time in 2 years my principal has given me the entire winter vacation off. I’ve been asked to desk warm every other time. Having said that, every time I bumped into the principal during one of these vacations she seemed shocked to see me. I’m sure most of the time she...

The academic year draws to a close tomorrow at my school. I imagine chaos will reign throughout the corridors as the students overrun the school – fuelled by the prospect of 2 months freedom. Like most people in my position right now, I have mixed feelings. I came to the conclusion that...

Discussions on the Gwangju EPIK teachers Facebook page generally start out with people complaining about something, then others tell them to stop complaining, then the thread is deleted. Yesterday there was uproar about a letter the Education Office had sent to our schools telling our...

I’m going to keep this to the point. You may die in Korean public schools if you don’t read this guide. You’re about to learn very little from someone who is not qualified to give any real advice. Therefore, read the points below with care, and ignore most of them. Some may...

It seems EPIK have decided to raise the bar and hire teachers slightly more appropriately qualified to teach English in Korea. Previously the minimum qualification was a degree which would qualify you as a level one teacher. The recruitment team we went through, ESL Starter, recently wrote on...

The week before the school semester finished, a few of my co-teacher’s old students who graduated last year came to visit her. Among them was a boy who I taught every week, who is very unassuming, shy, and self-conscious. He used to get in trouble for wearing make up at school and being...