All posts filed under: EPIK Program

MY EPIK LIFE

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Hello friends, The past nine months have been a whirlwind and I seriously cannot believe South Korea has been my home for that long. From the very beginning I have documented my entire EPIK experience including telling my mother I got the job, moving into my first apartment, eating delicious street food, having fun with my students, baseball games, sunsets, fireworks.. the list goes on and on. In the video below, I have compiled favourite moments from my EPIK life thus far. This entire journey would not have been possible without my grandfather, Georges LeBreton. He’s helped to support everything I’ve ever done including my education, dream of traveling the world, but most importantly, he loved me to the moon and back. Last week, he passed away peacefully. While it saddens me I could not be there to hold his hand, I will have him in my heart wherever I go. With so much love, I dedicate this video him. This post was created for EPIK e-Press.

BIRTHDAY AT EVERLAND

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To celebrate turning one year older, I went to the largest theme park in South Korea – Everland! I am going to answer all of your burning WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, and WHY questions from the fun-filled day. Let us begin: WHO: Went to Everland with my friend Dev and stayed at an Airbnb in Seoul (Gangnam). We took the 5002 bus, which was luckily just outside our place. The ride was 45 minutes and took us straight to the theme park. The bus is the cheapest form of transportation from Seoul (around ₩2,000), but I advise going as early as possible to avoid standing the entire time, like we did. WHAT: Everland is a magical place that holds the world record for having the steepest wooden roller coaster, T-Express (it has a slope of 77 degrees.. yikes!), and the prettiest gardens I ever did see. WHERE: It is located in the city of Yongin, which is in the province of Gyeonggi-do (same province as Seoul!). WHEN: My birthday is in October so Everland was packed with spooky ghost and pumpkin decorations as …

5 THINGS I LEARNED AT HERA SEOUL FASHION WEEK S/S’17

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This season, I had the pleasure of attending Hera Seoul Fashion Week to watch Spring/Summer 2017 collections stomp down the runways at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). I signed up for a press pass a month before, which gave me access to all of the stylish shows. If you’re an EPIK teacher who has a trendy blog or have a kick-ass photography portfolio, you can email the designers individually to potentially receive ticket to their show too! After attending the fashionable affair, here are 5 things I learned: 1. Always be photo ready Outside of DDP are hoards of street style photographers ready to snap a photo of your #OOTD. If you’re anywhere near fashion week, be sure to give ’em your good side and channel your inner Zoolander, blue steel pose. 2. Elbow your way to the front If you have a unassigned seat to a show, it means you’re four or five rows back. Wait until the last couple minutes before the show starts to hear the volunteers say you can move forward. Front row seats will be reserved for magazine editors …

WARM UP & FILLER ACTIVITIES FOR EPIK TEACHERS

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What does an EPIK teacher and a boy scout have in common? THEY ARE ALWAYS PREPARED! The classes I teach are 45 minutes, and sometimes we finish lessons earlier than expected. It would be a nightmare to let students do what they want until the bell rings (chaos will ensue!) so I always have a game or activity on deck to fill in the time. I’ve rounded up my top three filler & warm up activities for the classroom. FYI: I teach middle school so these may be advanced if you teach elementary but, you can adjust according to their level. Let’s get started! 1. A Knock At The Door You know who won’t have fun playing this? NO ONE! It’s an adventure game that can be different each time, depending on where the students want to take the story. Click to download: A Knock At The Door 2. Compound Words For this activity, you show students images and they must guess the word created by the two pictures. Explain briefly what compound words are, start the activity, and they’ll …

EPIK: HOW TO IMPRESS YOUR KOREAN CO-TEACHERS

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Co-teachers are your saving grace when you start teaching in South Korea. They help you to settle into your apartment, make sure you’re taken care of, and are always available to answer questions about lesson planning and classroom management. They do so much for you, and the best way to pay them back is making their job a little easier in the classroom. If you want to make a lasting impression on your co-teachers, here’s what you can do to get a gold star: 1. Create entertaining lessons Play games, get students up and moving, make them laugh! There’s so much creative freedom you have as a Guest English Teacher, and a co-teacher appreciates it when they see you can teach and entertain students simultaneously. 2. Talk about your culture For some students, YOU are the first foreigner or native English speaking person they have EVER talked to. They want to know where you came from, what traditions your country has and how it differs from South Korea. Go ahead, make an entire lesson out of it! 3. …

EPIK PROGRAM: APARTMENT TOUR

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Hey everyone! I wanted to share what EPIK provides when you start working with them in South Korea. Every place will vary in location and size but no matter what, when you get hired by EPIK your apartment is FREE (no stress of rent, and think of the money you’ll save!). Also there is no need to purchase a bed or a desk because in your contract, there will be a list of items EPIK will already have in your apartment upon arrival. Personally speaking, I love my place! It is in close proximity to my school.. I could literally throw a tennis ball from my door and it will hit a classroom window. The subway station is a tad far (15 minute walk or a 5 minute bus ride) but it’s never been a problem, there is a beautiful hiking trail behind my building and a handful of restaurants and cafes nearby. Below I give you a tour of my apartment and explain what EPIK provides and doesn’t provide when you make the move, as well as information …

EPIK TEACHER: WHAT TO PACK & NOT TO PACK

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“How do I put my entire life into this?” A question I pondered to myself five months ago as I stared quizzically at my silver suitcase laid open on my floor, waiting for me to pack. Anything. “This suitcase is massive,” I tilted my head, “would I be able to fit myself inside of it?”A question that was neither here nor there but in case you were wondering, the answer is yes. Yes I could. Eventually I figured out the whole packing situation and since I’ve been in Korea for awhile, I have a few tips for upcoming EPIK teachers. Below are my suggestions on 5 items you should pack and 5 items to leave behind when moving to South Korea. What to pack: 1. Fitted bed sheet In Korea we use a pad that goes over the mattress and I’m constantly pulling at the corners to keep it on. The only problem is that the bed size at your place will vary. I have a double but I know a couple EPIK teachers who have a queen (lucky …

APPS EVERY EPIK TEACHER SHOULD DOWNLOAD

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When living abroad, your phone is your safety blanket. It’s how you stay connected, keep organized, and it can help you look busy in awkward social situations you don’t want to be a part of (just me?). There are thousands of apps to help with your transition to South Korea (a translating app for starters) and as an EPIK teacher myself, I’ve narrowed down my favourite (FREE!) apps I use religiously and hopefully they will help make life easier for you too. 1. Kakao Talk When I first arrived to Korea I thought, “I don’t need Kakao, I have WhatsApp and it’s basically the same thing.” I was wrong, so wrong. EVERYONE IN KOREA USES KAKAO! When you meet someone they won’t say, “what’s your phone number?” They’ll say, “What’s your Kakao?” Kakao is an app where you can make free calls and texts as long as you have data or wifi. I personally love the animated Kakao emoticons and use them in my teaching materials because my students get a kick out of it and anything that makes …

MY FAVOURITE THINGS TO DO IN BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA

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Ever wondered what Busan is like? What is there to do? What is worth seeing? Where should I go? I remember being in that spot. Googling and searching on YouTube this foreign city that wasn’t Seoul. While Seoul is incredible, Busan certainly has so much for you to see, eat, and experience. In my video below I tell you some of my favourite places to explore in Busan including where to go for breathtaking hikes, non-touristy beach recommendations, temples to trek to, the insanity that is watching live soccer and baseball games, where to shop, my favourite spot in the city to see the skyline (nope, it’s not from the Busan tower), and a dog cafe because well, why not! Be sure to follow me on Instagram to keep up with my adventures: CLICK HERE  This post was created for EPIK e-Press.

EFFECTIVE INTRODUCTORY LESSON FOR FIRST TIME TEACHERS

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I’ve been featured in the EPIK newsletter and wanted to share my article with you! I wrote about the introductory English lesson I taught at my school (seems like this happened forever ago). My hope is that upcoming EPIK teachers stumble upon this article and can get a few ideas and inspiration for their own first class. 🙂 EFFECTIVE INTRODUCTORY LESSON FOR FIRST TIME TEACHERS Put up your hand if you’ve never written a lesson plan in your life *raises own hand* now, put up your hand up if you’ve never formally taught in front of a classroom of students *raises other hand*. That was me, with both hands raised, one month ago. The thought of preparing my first lesson was daunting because my own mother barely listens when I talk so who says 35 students will keep their attention on me for 45 consecutive minutes. I panicked. Do I simply write my name on the board, do a dance, and then play charades? Can’t say that didn’t cross my mind. When I went to the EPIK …

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING AN EPIK INTERVIEW

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You finally did it. You have snail mailed your resume, references, lesson plan, passport pictures and all the rest of your paperwork in a pretty package and sent it to EPIK. Now, you wait. The waiting game is tough because for the next two weeks you’ll be constantly refreshing your email, waiting for someone to confirm your interview date and time. Cue: ALL THE SWEATS! If you applied for a position with EPIK, your interview will come soon enough and I’m here to tell you what to expect and my own experience of going through the process. How do I get an interview? Apply for a position with EPIK! Think about when you want to start working in South Korea. The first semester starts in March and second in September. I’d recommend starting your application process 3-6 months in advance of when you want to go. I had massive help from my recruiters at Hands Korea. I got in touch with them through Oxford Seminars, where I completed my TESOL certificate. Hands Korea was my LIFELINE. They set up my EPIK …

EPIK TEACHER: FOLLOW ME AROUND

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Ever wanted to follow me around? Wait, that sounded creepy. Let me rephrase. Ever wanted to know what I do at my job as an EPIK teacher? You’re in luck! In this post I take you through *inhales* my morning routine, introduce to you my co-teachers, lesson plans, lesson prep, how I teach, what I ate for lunch, what I do after school, when I get home and all the other super fantastic things I do in a day. *exhales* Being a teacher means you are constantly developing, learning and growing with your students. I never thought of myself teaching at a middle school (I was counting on elementary when I first got to South Korea) but now I couldn’t see myself teaching at any other level. I have been an English teacher in Busan, South Korea for a little over a month and have established a workday routine that works for me. That being said, the first week of being a teacher here was the hardest, I constantly asked myself, WHAT AM I DOING?! / WHAT …