Jim B.
About me
| Jim B. | |
| Politics | |
| Politics | |
| Undergraduate | |
| Halifax | |
| 2011 | |
| Korea, Republic of |
My employment
| Senior Teacher | |
| Child U | |
| Korea, Republic of | |
| Education | |
| 2013 | |
| £26400000 | |
| £48000000 |
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A day in the life of a Senior Teacher in Korea, Republic of
Where I hope to be in 5 years
I intend to use my experience to make the transition to University Professor in the next few years.
My advice to students considering work
Take advantage of your time as a student. If you have the opportunity to do an internship now, do it. Studies are only half the battle. Take every chance you have now to improve your infield experience. And don't rule out working abroad.
Get qualified and don't be in a rush. Don't look for the big money on the first job. Get the experience and find out if it's really for you. Consider doing a short job overseas rather than throwing all your resources at something it turns out you're not comfortable doing. If you have the right personality and can be resourceful and flexible you will do well.
My advice about working in my industry
Get qualified and don't be in a rush. Don't look for the big money on the first job. Get the experience and find out if it's really for you. Consider doing a short job overseas rather than throwing all your resources at something it turns out you're not comfortable doing. If you have the right personality and can be resourceful and flexible you will do well.
What I do
Depending on where you work, ESL is likely to be a business enterprise. If you're looking to spend a year working abroad then this is unlikely to matter. If you want to enter ESL teaching as a career you need to be able to handle the business side of it. As a teacher I teach on average about 5 hours a day to students of varying ages. As a manager I manage the other teachers in my school, coordinate with other managers and try to remain some balance between students, parents, teachers and management's wishes.
Skills I use and how I developed them
Extracurricular skills:
Although not always required, some teacher training is a good idea. It is the first thing I look for when hiring a new member of staff. Flexibility and resourcefulness are crucial. The ability to stay upbeat is important and body language is crucial - you need to be able to seem respectful and understanding to people that can't speak the same language as you. As a senior teacher it takes pretty much the same skills but more of them. In order to reach a management position it is important to show willingness and attempt to learn the language as well.
What I like most
At the level I have now reached I have the flexibility to make a lot of my own choices. I have the advantage of being both a teacher and deciding the entire curriculum, and that makes life a lot easier. I never expected that my career path would lead to any kind of management position and I really enjoy the challenge of it. To be honest I also enjoy the pay, which is very favourable in the economy I live in.
What I like least
The first while in the job was challenging, but as I progressed it became easier. The most important asset in this job is flexibility and staying on your toes all day every day can get frustrating but it has never really got me down. Finding the balance between the opinions of everyone with a stake in children's education is a never ending battle but the results are very rewarding.
Next steps...
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