From TEFL to the Language Show LIVE!

So on Saturday I attended the ‘Language Show Live’ at Kensington Olympia, London. This exhibition was for Students and Teachers a like to find out more about studying and teaching a range of different languages including our very own, English.

The TEFL section was particularly small and the seminars were more specific to teaching the exam side of things (on a specific programme), and did not cater for people (like myself) who just wanted to pick up a few teaching tips. All in all it wasn’t really that well programmed for Teaching English as a Foreign Language, however I did have an interesting conversation with a company called ‘Education First’.  The interesting thing about this company is that you can go off to China for a year or so and then come back to a secure Job in England, at least this is how they made it sound. I am actually considering this, as the thought of being able to come back and have a job here is extremely appealing. However, I haven’t really considered China as an option and I don’t really fancy it next to my beloved Korea if I’m honest. Either way it wouldn’t hurt to have a little meeting with them and look in to this a little more.

In other news this week I have received my documents back from the government, all notarised and aposilled which is great and took a lot less time then I imagined. I'll pop a little email over to the recruitment agent in the US, as its a good idea to stay in touch with them.

As I don’t have much else to report this week, I thought it would be a grand idea to attach some sites that I have found extremely useful through this process so far. So, if you are looking into doing a TEFL and packing up your entire life then have a little read of some of these fantastic and very informative blogs, sites and resources:

TEFL Course 

Recruitment Agency  

Dave's ESL Cafe 

Expat Blogs 

12 of the Best South Korean Blogs 

Enjoy!

If no one hears a phone ring, then does it really ring?!

Yes, yes it does! As I soon found out this week when I had my first call from South Korea….and missed it! A lovely sounding Korean man left a lovely sounding voicemail in an almost robotic sounding American/Korean accent. He spoke with almost perfect English and told me that he had seen my resume and would like to speak with me about an opportunity that had arisen at his school in Seoul next year. He then followed this with… I will email you the details and try to arrange a better time to talk.

The only problem being is that he didn’t leave his name and I couldn’t make out the schools name either. A day later and I still haven’t received his email. I have contacted my recruitment agent but as yet she has not responded. I am in London, England. My agent is in the good ole USA, and the man that left a voicemail (I.E the potential employer) is in Seoul, South Korea. It is hard enough trying to get in touch with people in the same time zone as you, but trying to liaise with 3 different countries is proving difficult to say the least. Hopefully I will hear from him again soon via email and I guess I could ring back but then what would I say? I do not know ANY Korean and do not have his name, I am also slightly reluctant to spend £5000 (estimate) on a phone call to South Korea. Terrible rates…I’m not calling the moon for Pete sake!

 Very different places as you can see!

Excitement fills my thoughts to the brim, but I am also aware of the absolute terror that soon dawns upon me at the exact same time. Especially as I have been told that it may actually be sooner than my expected departure date, which is quite daunting. This was also the first day that my profile had been live, which is of course a good thing as it means people are still interested despite the horrendous video CV I made of myself. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as I had previously thought! Self-criticism is a tragic thing! HECK!

In the last couple of weeks the waiting game finally came to an end (sort of) as I could send off for my Disclosure Scotland Check AGAIN and once again start the document process. This has now been delivered to my solicitors and is currently undergoing notarisation. My solicitor Alison (remember her?) will also be sending this off to the government to get it apostilled which saves me the bother thankfully. Lovely Alison, always helping out the small ‘guy’. She will send this off this week so I should expect to get my documents back within 6 to 8 weeks…hopefully.

I hope this blog isn’t coming across as the most boring thing you have ever read, but I feel it is important to give as much information as possible which unfortunately requires me talking about the dull paper work involved as well as the fun times ahead…and of course there will be fun times ahead (I hope). Here’s a video of a cat playing a piano whilst cracking a nut and wearing a bright green T. 

Better?!

All in all, this week has actually been quite productive but as the weeks go by and I feel ever closer to going, the panic starts to set in. Leaving the place I have laid my 17 hats for such a long time will no doubt be the most difficult challenge ahead, of this crazy, and epic new journey.