Reach to Teach Blog Carnival: Making the Decision to Become an ESL Teacher

Today I'm hosting Reach to Teach's monthly blog carnival. The blog carnival is a monthly series that focuses on providing helpful tips and advice to ESL teachers around the globe. If you'd like to contribute to next month's Blog Carnival, please contact Dean at dean@reachtoteachrecruiting.com, and he will let you know how you can start participating! 

One of the things I love most about meeting expats while living abroad is hearing about how other people decided to jump into the world of ESL teaching. Despite the different places we've been in the past and the different directions we're headed in the future, we all somehow managed to stumble upon the same career for at least a short period in our lives. 

Given my fascination with hearing these stories, this month bloggers were asked to write about how they arrived at the decision to become ESL teachers. I hope you enjoy reading these stories as much as I have! 

_____     ______     ______     _____     _____     ______     ______     _____     _____

Dean Barnes- Decision Making Process

So there it was, one fateful dinner with my yoda-but-not-yoda aunty had once again put me on the path to my future. So I took this new found destiny and I played with it and shaped it, stretched it, twisted it, and slowly but surely molded it into my own version of what I wanted it to be.  That is how I came on to the idea of teaching abroad in ESL.

My name is Dean, I have been traveling for around 4 years now with a small stint back in my home country. I’m from the UK and I began my teaching career on the island of Bali. I then made the move to Taiwan where I currently reside. Here I have the joy to fulfill my passion for writing by providing ESL/travel related articles to the Reach To Teach website.

Jessica J. Hill- Facing Your Fears: On Deciding to Teach English Abroad

A reader question is answered for all; advice on facing your fears about teaching English abroad.

Jessica has taught English in both Thailand and China, and she now recruits teachers to do the same at Teach English: ESL. She also continues to travel and write about it at MissAdventure Travel.

Rebecca Thering-Unintentionally Becoming an ESL Teacher

I never set out to become an ESL teacher. Although I always wanted to be a teacher when I was younger, I never realized ESL was even a subject one could teach. Through a series of events and circumstances described in this post - and less thought than you'd think - I have now taught ESL in Madison, WI; Madrid, Spain; and Yongin, Korea.

I’m a Wisconsin-native currently teaching English at a rural elementary school in South Korea.  My Spanish skills aren’t quite as useful here as they were when I lived in Madrid, which is where my Spanish nickname Rebe (Ray-bay) stuck.  I have an itch to travel, craft, learn, and read – and to make the world a better place!

Liane Nichols-Why I Became an English Teacher Abroad

Before teaching abroad, I wanted a career working in a foreign country. When that didn't work out as I had planned post graduation, I had to carve a new path.

Liane is currently working in Texas as a High School Social Studies Teacher.  She attended Texas State University for International Relations and has since been working abroad for two years.  From 2011-2013 she worked as an English Teacher in Thailand, Georgia, and The Czech Republic.  

Mary Dingley-Why ESL Teaching?

How I attempted to use ESL teaching to sneak my way into my dream career and travel the world and how it changed my life.

Mary Ellen has taught English in Peru, Georgia (the country!) and the Dominican Republic. She now lives in New Orleans where she dances to brass band music, eats jambalaya and only wears Mardi Gras beads when it is Mardi Gras, like every sane, non-tourist person.

Jamie Phillips-Ten Reasons to Become an English Teacher

Ten great reasons to become an English Teacher. #9. You’re addicted to that feeling you get when you see the light go on in a student’s face, that moment when a topic clicks for them and they really understand it; it’s like watching Isaac Newton getting bonked on the head.

I've been on the road, on and off, for seven years and counting. I've backpacked through South America, lived in a caravan in the Australian outback, traveled with my mum in South East Asia, and taught English in Taiwan. I'm currently tutoring high school students and teaching business ESL in Canada. This summer I'm doing a trek to raise money for the Roots and Wings foundation in Kyrgyzstan:
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/jamiemphillips/karakolhike

Sarah Steinmetz-Living Without Regrets: Making the Decision to Teach ESL

I've always wanted to travel, so after I obtained my degree in Secondary Education I was instantly interested in teaching abroad.  However, after I landed a teaching job in my home state my plans were put on hold for a year.  Here's how I made the decision to leave behind an awesome life in America to pursue the unknown in Korea.

I am a New Hampshire native and a proud graduate of the University of New Hampshire. After teaching at a high school in New Hampshire for a year, I decided to leave my life behind and move to South Korea.  I am currently teaching at a High School in Mungyeong, South Korea with amazing co-workers and students alike. I am currently enjoying the challenges, surprises, and lessons that come with living abroad, and I couldn't be happier about my decision to move to Korea!

Living Without Regrets: Making the Decision to Teach ESL

Today’s article is written for the Reach To Teach Teach Abroad Blog Carnival, a monthly series that focuses on providing helpful tips and advice to ESL teachers around the globe. I'll be posting a new ESL related article on my blog on the 5th of every month. Check back for more articles, and if you'd like to contribute to next month's Blog Carnival, please contact Dean at dean@reachtoteachrecruiting.com, and he will let you know how you can start participating!

For over a year of my post-college life I struggled to feel comfortable with an answer to one short, but complicated question:

Should I move abroad and enter the world of ESL teaching?

Although this is a yes or no question, it was anything but easy for me to arrive at an answer.

Teaching abroad as an ESL teacher was my original plan in my final months of my college career.  Although I gained my Social Studies teaching certificate right after I graduated, I knew that my prospects for actually landing a legit teaching job were extremely slim due to the slow economy and budget cuts in just about every school district.  Not to mention, I wasn't sure I was ready to settle down into a permanent career in NH just yet. When you're only 23 years old, the idea of staying at the same job until you're well into your 60s in just slightly overwhelming.  For those reasons and many more, teaching abroad was naturaly an attractive opportunity for a teacher who has always dreamed of traveling in the midst of post-graduation confusion.  My short-term plan was to work for about six months to save some money, then move to another country to teach ESL.

However, everything changed when I somehow miraculously landed a full-blown teaching job in my home state of NH.  To this day I'm still amazed that I ever got that job, especially since I got it one week before school started.  It was probably the most unexpected thing that has ever happened to me, and it is remains one of the experiences in my life that I'm most thankful for.  I learned a lot over that year, and in many ways I'm glad I didn't dive right into expat life right away after finishing college. 

So after a year of teaching stateside, what brought me back to the idea of ESL teaching? Was I fired from my job?  Was my first year of teaching that traumatic?

No, not at all. Actually, I had a great year of teaching.  I still am most passionate about teaching social studies, and I'll be happy to return to that career once I am back in America.

However, I suppose like many people who venture into ESL teaching, my decision making was again prompted by a lack of job security. As the future of my position at the school was uncertain (ah, the joys of public school budget allotments as a first year teacher!), I knew I had two decisions.  

1)  Stay in NH and hope that there would be a job for me in the upcoming year.  

2)  Go abroad.  

When I had initially started researching ESL teaching while I was finishing my master's degree, I read multitudes of blogs written by people who were currently teaching abroad.  When I read about their experiences from both traveling and teaching, I knew I wanted a part of it.  

I wanted to experience something totally different.  I wanted to live outside of my comfort zone.  I wanted to work in a different school system, eat new foods, and celebrate different holidays.  I wanted to see new things and make friends with people who live on the other side of the world.  At the time I was only 23.  I felt far too young to be so complacent in my life.  

I was way too curious and way too free to stay in the US. When it came down to it, there was really only one question that mattered:

Will I regret it if I don't take the chance to move abroad?

The answer was without doubt, yes.

Don't get me wrong, at just about every step along the way-- whether it was submitting my EPIK application, completing my interview, submitting my documents, getting my visa, or getting on the plane in Boston, I had some SERIOUS doubts. Just about every time I mailed documents out I remember the feeling of sheer anxiety as I thought "Am I really doing this?!"

So why would I leave a perfectly good life behind?  I had a wonderful life in NH.  Great friends, family, and everything else I could need. I had no idea where I would be living or working in Korea.  In many ways, I felt like I was being a bit reckless with my life.

But then again, that didn't change my answer to the major question.  If I didn't go, I would have always wondered "what if?"  I don't want a life full of "what ifs". And that alone was enough for me to commit to ESL teaching, even through the extreme doubts I had at points--and even through the tearful farewells as I said goodbye to my best friends and family.

When it comes down to it, my decision to join the world of ESL teacher was centered around the fact that  life is short.  It's so easy and far more comfortable to sit back and let opportunities pass you by.  Living in your hometown is way less stressful than getting on a plane and moving to a country you've ever been to....when you don't even have any idea about where you're be living....or what grade you'll be teaching...or who you'll be working with.  However, as I read other people's blogs about their experiences, I constantly thought: why shouldn't this be me?  This doesn't just have to be someone else's life.  I can do this too.

As cliche as it sounds, life is what you make of it.  It's certainly easy to let things pass you by, but it's much more rewarding to take control of life. Being young, healthy, college-educated, and a native English speaker puts you in a position of extreme privilege.  Even with my enormous debt, there are so many opportunities for me that pay enough to live, pay loans, and travel.  Why let such great opportunities be left for other people?

As I approach my one year anniversary of being in Korea, it's hard to imagine that I ever could have not been here, and that it would have been so easy to let this experience pass me by.  I can't imagine my life without this experience--without the friends who have become my family or the students who have left an indelible mark on my understanding of education.  For the rest of my life, Korea won't just be a country "over there, somewhere near China and Japan."  Korea is a place I've seen and lived life--with all of its highs and lows.  Not every day is perfect, but when I look back on it, I wouldn't have changed anything about this year. If I had to do it all over again, I can confidently say that I wouldn't do anything differently.  I haven't seriously thought "what if?" the entire time I've been in Korea.

That alone is proof enough that I made the right decision.

Today was the day....

Today was the day I was asked to submit my request for renewal.

If this would have happened even a week ago, I think I would have been much more excited about it.  However, given my Easter-induced homesickness, I felt the weight of the decision with full force.

In the end, renewing my contract is the smart decision. Staying in Korea is hands-down the best way to continue paying my loans (student and car) and to travel.  Traveling is still a priority to me.  I know when I go home I probably won't have a high-paying job, and it will be tough to just make ends meet.  I won't really have the ability to save money for traveling. Being in Korea is different.

Staying with EPIK for another year means that I not only go up another pay level (which means I will be taking home considerably more than I was teaching back home), but I'll also get a renewal bonus, double the severance when I leave, and an extra week of paid vacation. Oh, and when I leave I'l also get my pension, which amounts to 9% of my salary (I contribute half and my employer matches).  By the time I leave, that will also be a good amount of extra cash.

Of course, it's not all about the money.  Being in Korea has really been the most amazing experience, and I'm looking forward to seeing what I can learn in another year.  I've done a lot of things this year, but there are also so many things I still want to do.

Even with all these perks, I of course have some sadness in signing away another year of my life.  The most difficult thing to think about is spending another year away from my friends and family back home.  It feels like a dagger through my heart when I think of missing another Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, countless birthdays, and so much more.  In so many ways, it feels selfish and not worth the benefits of staying here for another year.

However, when I take a step back and think about it, I know that in the grand scheme of my life, I probably won't regret spending another year here.  I think if I give up my opportunity to travel more, I will regret it.  I don't think traveling is something people tend to regret, but I think not traveling is certainly something many people DO regret.  So many people have told me to travel while I'm young, so I'm going to take that advice and run with it.

Another thing that saddens me is the fact that I can't stay at my school.  I've known for some time that I wouldn't be able to stay there next year, but it's especially difficult to face that reality now because I have been having the most amazing semester getting to know my students and co-teachers alike.  Quite frankly, t just kind of sucks.

Luckily (although also sadly), one of my friends in Jeomchon will be leaving his elementary school position in August, so I should be able to take his job.  That way even if I have to switch schools, I won't have to move to a completely new town.

I should note that none of this will be final until I get the official contract in a few months.  If something happens and I decide to change my mind, I can still do so.  Or who knows, they could decide to move me to a completely different town or decide not to renew me altogether.  Nothing will be final for quite some time.

Additionally, I should let everyone know that I plan on coming home in August.  Unfortunately, it seems like I'll only be able to come home for about a week and a half.  I'm not too happy about this, because originally I was hoping that I would be able to take my renewal week and be home for nearly three weeks.  It's awfully expensive and time-consuming to go home, and there are so many things I know I'm going to want to do and people I will want to see.  A week and a half doesn't seem even close to enough time, but I guess I have to take what I can get.

So, there are the updates.  I will of course keep you all updated on the latest.  Thanks to all of my wonderful friends and family who continue to support me, even though I know you don't always want to. I'm truly blessed to have such supportive and encouraging people in my life.  XOX

What's in a year?

Time is a continually perplexing thing to me. From the time you're young, everyone tells you "Enjoy every day because time will go faster and faster the older you get!" I've lost count of how many times I've heard those words of wisdom uttered to me, but recently I've found myself saying the same thing to others. In large part, it seems to be true.  Time seems to be going by faster and faster with each year.  I always feel like I've just flipped my calendar to a new month, then suddenly, once again, a new month has come and it's once again time to move onto a new month.

It's true that when I think about years as a whole, they seem to have flown by.  It seems completely unbelievable to me that it's been a year since I went to the Bahamas with Megan.  It doesn't seem in any way possible that it's nearly been a year since I finished teaching at North.  It certainly feels like a dream when I think about the fact that I've been in Korea for 8 months.  Yes, 8 months.

However, it's also true that these supersonic years can be filled with painfully long days.

These same years that seemingly fly by can be composed of days that are filled with pain, boredom, and sadness.  These interminable kind of days never seem to fly by, but instead seem as if they are years in themselves.  Days like these are a part of life.  If we're lucky (and I certainly am), these days are limited and eventually fade into the distance of our minds as they're overshadowed by fonder memories.

Nothing makes you more aware of just how much happens in a year than living abroad. This is good and bad. Yes, it's amazing and wonderful because of all the new experiences and people you meet.  There are priceless memories and new opportunities for introspection that allow you to learn about yourself in ways you may not have been able to in any other setting.

However, being absent from some of the natural things that happen over the course of one year--deaths, births, holidays, graduations, and weddings, really awakens your consciousness to how full of important events every year is.  When you're home you notice these things, but not in the way you do when you're absent from them. There's a particular kind of pain that comes with missing all of these elements of a year.

When I moved to Korea, I knew that by the time I moved home things would be different.  Friends would change and move away. People would pass away. Babies would be born.  Kids would grow up.  People would get new jobs.  Stores would be built and stores would go out of business.

I know I won't truly know the power of how much can change in a year until I'm home and I can see all of these changes. And perhaps more importantly, how they've changed the landscape of this idea of home that I have in my mind.  I've heard about various things that have happened in my absence, but I know none of it will really feel real until I can see and experience it for myself.

As I'm constantly weighing my options for next year, I can't help but wonder what will be waiting for me if I decide to go home. And maybe more importantly, what will be waiting for me if I stay in Korea for another year and move home in 2015?  What's in Korea if I stay for another year?

Life is short and unpredictable.  I feel I've been given some bold reminders of this recently.

There are so many things I want to do, but they come at the price of missing my friends and family back home.  It's a high price to pay, and my main concern about staying in Korea for another year.

Additionally, this week has brought a consuming kind of homesickness as it is Holy Week and Easter and on Sunday.  In many ways Easter is my favorite holiday, but this week hasn't felt a bit like the week leading up to Easter, which has been incredibly disorienting for me. This is a week I really don't care to spend in Korea at all.  There's not even an ounce of me that is passionate about being here right now. Instead, my heart would much rather be in Manchester, in my home church and with my family.

I know my school is going to ask if I want to renew my contract at any time now (some of my friends have already been asked), but it's a strangely emotional time to make this decision (hence this long ramble of a post).  It's difficult to separate the rational from the emotional at times, and it certainly doesn't make decision-making easy when the two don't agree. This week I've felt a powerful dissonance between my mind and my heart.

Nonetheless, I know this homesickness will pass, as it always does, and things will work the way they're meant to. In the meantime, I hope everyone at home knows just how much you are missed and loved.

XO

What's next?

My heart wants roots
My mind wants wings.
I cannot bear
Their bickerings.
--E.Y. Harburg

As I was sitting at my desk this afternoon, I started flipping through my calendar.  I have four months left to my contract.  It's astounding to see how many of those weekends are already booked.

The reality of the decisions I have to make are starting to hit me straight in the face.

I'm not ready to move back home (although I am ready for a visit). There's so much to see and do yet.  I'm not ready for this to be it.

But then, I'm not sure what the best decision for next year is.  I feel completely conflicted, yet I suppose that's how it nearly always is when it comes to making decisions about the future.  There's no certainty about how things will be, and that's what makes it so scary.  But then again, I wasn't ever 100% certain about coming to Korea in the first place and it was the best decision I ever made.

Times like these I need to remind myself to breathe.  A lot can change in 4 months.

That's not always a bad thing.

Life decisions at 23

One year ago, I was living in Newmarket, and about to finish up my Master's of Education at UNH.  It was perhaps one of the strangest and most challenging times of my life.  I was about to leave the world I had come to know and love over the past 5 years.  I loved my apartment on the river, my experience during my internship at Marshwood, and of course most of all, I loved my friends.  The fact that all of these things were about to be taken away from me when I received my diploma was unfathomable to me.  It's no secret the months leading up to graduation were tumultuous for a multitude of reasons, which do not need to be rehashed.  In short, I was emotionally drained and unsure of what was in store for me.  I was completely conflicted because I knew that I had outgrown "college life", but even knowing that didn't make it any easier to leave.

After a lot of tears and countless hours of unpacking my life, I was back in Manchester.  The only certainty I had at that point was the nanny job I had lined up for the summer.  Beyond that, I had absolutely no idea what the next months had in store.  

Before I moved back home, I started to look into my options for teaching.  There were virtually no teaching jobs in the US, and any jobs that were posted for Social Studies teachers would get absurd numbers of applicants, many of whom would have more experience than I had with only my internship under my belt.  As I started to realize my options were limited, I began to look into options outside of the country. I've wanted to live abroad for quite some time. It was one of my goals during college to study abroad.  Clearly, that never happened as I elected to do an accelerated Master's program to save money and be done with all my schooling after 5 years at UNH.  While foregoing the option to study abroad was my greatest regret about my time at UNH, with a little bit of research, I quickly learned that there are tons of opportunities to teach abroad.  The prospect of teaching abroad immediately appealed to me--getting the chance to travel while teaching?  Not a bad way to spend one's early 20s.  I knew I wasn't ready to settle down for the rest of my life at the age of 23, so teaching abroad seemed like the perfect option for me.  I was sold.

Of course, God has a way of changing all your plans on you.  At the end of August I got an e-mail from one of my professors at UNH telling me that there was a last minute teaching position available at a local high school.  He gave me the contact information of the school and told me to get in touch if I was interested in applying.  It was a Monday and I had just gotten back from babysitting....after working at my church's weekend-long festival, mind you.  I was tired.  I wanted to go abroad.  I had a part-time job working at the museum.  I almost didn't reply to the e-mail.  While I really didn't think I had any chance of getting the job, on the off chance that I did, I thought it would mean giving up on my dreams of traveling.

But at the same time....it was a job.  A job doing what I went to school for....with a salary....and with benefits.  I responded to the e-mail, had an interview two days later, and was offered a job hours after my interview.  School started a week after my interview, and the rest is history.  

Don't get me wrong.  I LOVE my job, and to this day, I constantly remind myself of just how ridiculously fortunate I am to have a job.  Getting a teaching job right out of college is almost unheard of these days, and I am beyond thankful that I not only landed a coveted position, but that I have had the most amazing experience over the course of this year.  Am I constantly exhausted? YES. Am I forever behind on grading? YES.   Am I overwhelmed, almost on the daily? YES.  

But do I also work with some of the greatest kids? YES. Are the people I work with amazingly supportive and kind, generous people? YES.  At the end of the week, do I feel happy with what I'm doing with my life? Absolutely.

I love my job.  I love teaching.  I love the school I'm at.  And as much as I was dreading being back in Manchester, this year has been amazing.  Do I miss my friends from college?  Do I miss the seacoast?  Oh yes, I do.  But overall, I am in such a better place than I was a year ago.  While last year at this time I was a little short of a mess, this year I feel at peace.  It's really amazing what a year will do.

So, this brings me to my next point...if I'm so content, why would I want to change anything?

Well, this is the problem.  I am 23, soon to be 24.  There aren't many points in life where you can pack up two suitcases and move to the other side of the world.  Some people manage to do this at different points in life, but I can see the window closing for me.  I want to see the world.  I want to test myself.  I want to be outside of my bubble.  

Some people tell me I should just keep working here and travel when I can.  While I hope to travel throughout my life, I want to do more than just visit places.  I want to live with people from a completely different culture from my own.  I want to be able to make a home and find comfort in a country completely different from the US.  

Teaching abroad at this point is not going to be a step up for my career.  In fact, it's one of the main things that makes me want to stay put.  I have worked so incredibly hard this year, and I feel like I could be a much better teacher next year.  On some levels, it seems wrong to stop that momentum now.  

This is where the conflict comes in...what is advantageous for my career is not what is advantageous for me personally.  If I stay here I will become a better social studies teacher.  If I go abroad, I become a more well-rounded person.  I'm not sure I can have both at this point.  

I have passed my interview with the EPIK program in Korea. If I go, I'll be working with a co-teacher teaching English to students in public schools in Korea.  I have no experience teaching English.  History and government are my passions, so I'm not even sure I'll enjoy teaching English.  I won't be leading my own classroom. These are jobs that many people without teaching experience obtain.  I have a Master's in Education, and a year's teaching experience.  I am overqualified for the position.  

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the position is beneath me by any means, it just seems backwards from the way I wanted to do things.  I wish I could freeze the job I have now for a few years from now.

So, the decision I have to make is this--do I put my career on hold to accomplish a personal goal?

As of now, I think yes. Although, I'm not sure I will ever feel completely satisfied with any decision.