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Most Popular posts of 2014

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The Most Popular posts of 2014: It’s always hard to predict what the reader wants to know. These posts hit a common nerve and you were interested in reading this. Here are the Top 10 most popular posts of 2014 (so far), and we don’t plan to stop posting more of these any time soon… Did you miss any of them? Which one was your favorite?

10. Arriving in Korea

You’ve waited weeks for this moment, perhaps even months. You have landed at Incheon Airport, and you’ve been told how to get out of the airport (take a bus into Seoul, look for someone holding your name when you come out of baggage claim, etc). But you probably have no idea what comes next, right?

Here’s how to make your first weeks after arriving in Korea a little less stressful.

 

9. The ultimate checklist

It’s crunch time, and you’re preparing to actually GO ABROAD! It probably feels like everything is happening way too fast… and truth be told, it probably is. With that in mind, here’s the ultimate checklist to help ensure that you have everything covered…

 

8. Weird facts about North Korea

According to Kim Jong-Il’s biography, he was born under a double rainbow as a new star appeared. He  started to walk at 3 weeks old, and claimed to be able to control the weather by his moods. What are some other weird facts you’ve heard about North Korea?

 

7. Weird places in Korea

Yes, we know about all the must-do’s in Korea.. But how about the weird, the different, the unusual places in Korea…?

 

6. Useful websites in Korea

Are you new to Korea? Have you been here for a few years? Either way, we’ve found these useful websites in Korea to be super helpful in planning nights out, weekends away, or exotic trips out of the country.  We hope this list will assist you as you create memories overseas!

 

5. What I wish I knew before coming to Korea

What I knew of the world changed during my first few days, weeks, and months in Korea. I did my research, but there were a few things that I missed. This is what I wish I knew before arriving in Korea.

 

4. Living cost in Korea

So you’re coming to Korea, and you’ll be earning around 2.0 – 2.1m KRW (average starting salary for a 1st year teacher). You’re probably wondering what your living costs in South Korea will look like, right? How much can you save? How much can you send home to pay off student loans? How much will you have in your pocket to spend on traveling?

 

3. Returning home after being abroad

Reverse culture shock, according to Investopia:

“The shock suffered by some people when they return home after a number of years overseas. This can result in unexpected difficulty in readjusting to the culture and values of the home country, now that the previously familiar has become unfamiliar.”

You just returned from a place that is very different. The language, the customs, the way of living… and now you’re “home.” But if it’s “home,” then how come I feel so… out of place?

 

2. Learn to read Korean

Did you know that you could Learn to read Korean in less than an hour?! This picture is famous for being a good way to learn to read Korean, in just 15 minutes… (Took some of us closer to an hour), but imagine spending 1 hour – and being able to save so much more time in the future, by being able to read!

 

And the most popular post of 2014:

 

1. What not to say to an expat

I’ve been gone for a while, and I know you don’t fully understand the ways that I’ve changed. So, to every expat-friend-and-family-member-ever. Here’s what NOT to say to an expat.

 

What topic will be more popular then this one? Let us know, and we might just write about that next!

 

10 Apps You Don’t Want To Miss in Korea!

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When you arrive in Korea, you will quickly realize the value of having a smart phone. It will help you stay in touch with friends and document your daily adventures (selfies heeey!), it will help you navigate your way around the country and look up info about local restaurants. Here are 10 apps you don’t want to miss while you’re teaching English in South Korea!

mzl.zxzzkxtx1. Subway Map for iPhone + Android

Not sure how to reach your destination? This app provides you with the latest subway maps for Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, and Gwangju.

 

2. Gyeonggi-do Bus Map for Android

Access real-time bus route information in the Gyeonggi, Seoul and Incheon areas. Search for the the closet bus-stops,  look up specific bus routes, or map your own trip. The times of arrival are pretty accurate, too !

 

mzl.ubmrskep3. Visit Korea for iPhone + Android

What better way to see the country than to listen to those who know? This app offers you the opportunity to really experience Korea.

 

mzl.biicxeos4.  Naver Maps for iPhone + Android

For those who don’t already know, Naver is to Korea what Google is to North America. Naver Maps is like Google Maps. No wi-fi or data where you’re going? No problem! You can download the map beforehand.

 

mzl.bkxzouzi5. Hidden Camera for Android

 

You’ll quickly notice the shutter sound your phone makes whenever you take a picture. Annoying, right? Oddly enough, that sound cannot be switched off. Good news – this app will allow you to snap a pic of your best friend sleeping on the shoulder of an ajumma on the subway… and your phone won’t make a peep!

 

skype-icon6. Skype for iPhone + Android

Seriously, how did the world ever function before Skype?

 

 SRZ9o7Z7. Google Translate for iPhone + Android

This app is MAGIC. You can speak into it, type a word, or take a picture of something… and boom = translation.

 

p56dutd7vfzm8ja78. Kayak for iPhone + Android

When you’re booking flights for epic vacations during your time off, this app will come in handy. Kayak helps you search flights from a handful of airlines to get the best deals!

cgv-app9. CGV for Android

Movie times at your local theater! This app is currently in Korean only, so ask someone to help you out. If it’s not an English movie, make sure there are English subtitles! You don’t want to be end up watching a Spanish movie with Korean subtitles when you are a monolingual English speaker… and yes, those movies exist in Korea. You’ve been warned.

 

Kakao-Talk-app10. KakaoTalk for iPhone + Android

Korea’s most popular texting and group-texting app. You can add friends from all around the world (up to five friends per chat at once) — for free!

 

 

So there you have it – a quick guide to getting the best smart phone apps in Korea. If you are moving soon and are wondering about getting a phone, the team at The Arrival Store can help get you set up!

 Want to learn more about communication in Korea? CLICK HERE!

 

Going Abroad? The Ultimate Checklist

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It’s crunch time, and you’re preparing to actually GO ABROAD! It probably feels like everything is happening way too fast… and truth be told, it probably is. With that in mind, here’s the ultimate checklist to help ensure that you have everything covered.

Adventure Teaching Presents: The Ultimate Checklist

1. Documents

Some important items you don’t want to forget:

  • Passport (duh)
  • Copies of your passport – bring with you when you travel, too, in case you lose your actual passport
  • A photocopy of your immunization record –  if you travel to an area where certain immunizations are recommended/required, this is helpful to have on hand
  • Contact info for your friends/family – once you get a cell phone set up, you’ll want all of those phone numbers!

2. What to pack

How do you pack a year’s worth of stuff, when your airplane allowance is 23kg / 50lb?

  • A must: Photos and other small souvenirs from home, and a few of your favorite snacks. DVDs and TV Shows.
  • Items connected to your hobbies. Small instruments. Basketball shoes. Knitting needles. Your Xbox or other gaming console.
  • Extra passport photos – you’ll need 4-8 more after you arrive. They’re handy to have for traveling, too, as some countries will need photos for tourist visas.
  • Gifts for your co-workers – not mandatory or expected of you, but a nice gesture. A small trinket or souvenior from your home town/state/province/country.
  • For everything else: What to pack

3. What you don’t need to pack

 

  • Bedding: a comforter, a pillow, a sheet
  • A mattress pad
  • Full size bath towels
  • Water filter
  • A cleaning kit
  • A transformer:  are you from the States or Canada? Check the voltage of your electronics. Make sure that they will be able to handle 220V. Double check specific appliances, such as your hair straightener, blow dryer, electric toothbrush and gaming systems.  For these appliances, you will most likely need a transformer.

4. Money

  • Find out what you will need to be able to wire money back home. Bring proof of your bank account. You’ll be able to link your Korean account with your account at home.
  • Make someone at home your power of attorney, so they can have access to your accounts on your behalf.
  • Understand the currency conversion for USD / ZAR / GBP…. to Korean Won
  • Bring enough money to last you until your first paycheck (which you’ll receive about a month after you arrive)

5. Communication

  • Consider buying or renting a phone in Korea
  • Speak with your current carrier about getting your phone unlocked so that it works in Korea (and then set up a phone plan with a Korean carrier after you arrive)

 

Hopefully some of these tips are helpful. Don’t miss checking out what we wish we had realized before going to Korea.

 

Did we miss anything? Comment below!

 

Arriving in Korea: 5 things you should know!

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You’ve waited weeks for this moment, perhaps even months. You have landed at Incheon Airport, and you’ve been told how to get out of the airport (take a bus into Seoul, look for someone holding your name when you come out of baggage claim, etc). But you probably have no idea what comes next, right?

Here’s how to make your first weeks after arriving in Korea a little less stressful:

1. Internet

Once you arrive, you should be able to find the free WiFi at Incheon Airport. While you’re waiting for baggage, standing in immigration lines, or waiting for your bus to arrive, you can use your laptop or phone to connect to the internet.

If your school is putting you up in a hotel for the first few days, you’ll probably have internet access. If you’re going straight to your apartment, it all depends on whether the teacher before you has cancelled or kept their old internet contract.

Solution: Find a coffee shop in the area – they are plentiful, and most have free WiFi. You could also look for PC-Bongs – computer rooms.

2. Your Apartment

Do you have any expectations about what your apartment might or should be like? Some advice – don’t have any. It will probably be dirty. You’ll likely spend your first 2 days deep cleaning every single surface. You’ll probably have to throw out a bunch of random stuff that was left by the teacher before you.

Trust us – it happens to everyone. Just buckle down, clean it all up, and then start to settle in. And hopefully the experience will motivate you to leave the apartment in a better condition when you head home!

Apartments in Korea come in different shapes and sizes, and just remember to keep an open mind. After all, this will be your home for at least the next year!

3. Language

You’ll learn how to use hand signals you never knew existed… you’ll probably make up a few, too!
No: Cross your arms  in the form of an ‘X’
Yes: Show the Okay sign
Be cute: Show the peace sign, next to your face

Learn some basic Korean – a little bit goes a long way! Then, learn how to Read Korean – if you have someone helping you, it shouldn’t take you more than a few hours!  You won’t have any idea what 99% of the signs actually mean, but hey, you’ll be able to read them!

4. Grocery Shopping

There might be a Home Plus, Lotte Mart or E-mart close to you. If not, you’ll be able to get the basics from corner stores like CU, IGA, 7-Eleven or GS25. You should also have a bakery, like Paris Baguette, in the area.

You’ll slowly get to know which products you can find (and which are impossible to track down) in Korea. Until then, make friends with people who have been in Korea longer than you!

5. Dealing with colleagues

We’ve created this section, to get you prepared for the working culture of Korea, and to give you an insight in what might be expected of you. This will change your attitude in the workplace and definitely score you some brownie points in the office!

 

Eager to know more? We’ve spent a lot of time developing Adventure Teaching’s Guide to South Korea. It’s packed full of information that will help you know how to navigate your first few days in Korea!

 

So, what did we miss? Do you have any stories to share about your arrival to Korea?

Let us know: email [email protected] or leave a comment on our Facebook page!

 

 

Useful Websites in Korea

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Are you new to Korea? Have you been here for a few years? Either way, we’ve found these useful websites in Korea to be super helpful in planning nights out, weekends away, or exotic trips out of the country.  We hope this list will assist you as you create memories overseas!

Social

English Magazines in Korea – up to date events, photography and entertainment.

Movie showtimes in cities throughout the country, all in English!

Find friends in your area – a super helpful interactive map of Facebook groups in South Korea.

Adventure Korea and WINK –  want to travel Korea AND meet people? Check these sites out!

Korean Gig Guide – Concerts & Shows in Korea – great calendar listing many of the great shows in Korea.

Transportation

Bus / Train Schedules all over Korea – so that you can choose the easiest / fastest / cheapest way to get places.

Cheap flights – want to go explore Asia? This list is an amazing resource!

Seoul Subway – an interactive Seoul subway map.

Driver’s license – Get your driver’s license in Korea

Food

Kimbab Heaven – an online menu, full of cheap Korean comfort food. It’s a little outdated, but the basics are there.

McDonalds Online – watch out for the McDonald’s delivery scooters zooming around the streets of SoKo – McD’s does delivery in Korea!

Teaching Resources

Learn to Read Korean in 30 minutes.

Lesson Plans – if you don’t know about Waygook yet, well, you should!

Shopping

Gmarket – quick finds when you need something in-country.

Expat mart – the one stop online grocery store for shopping fresh fruits, vegetables, frozen food and daily use essentials

iCompany – the place to get hold of furniture

Hummus in Korea – fresh, homemade hummus is just a click away

iHerb – they sell nutritional supplements and other healthy products

High Street Market –  offers a relaxed western style shopping experience with hard-to-find foods such as imported meats, artisanal breads, gourmet cheeses and imported beer and wine, all under one roof.

 

Can you think of any useful sites we need to add?

Let us know: [email protected] or comment below.

 

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Learn to read Korean in 15 Minutes

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Learn to read Korean in 15 minutes

Did you know that you could learn to read Korean in less than an hour?!

This picture has been created by Ryan Estrada – It’s famous for being a good way to learn to read Korean, in just 15 minutes… (Took some of us closer to an hour), but imagine spending 1 hour – and being able to save so much more time in the future, by being able to read!

The written alphabet is made up of symbols that represent phonetic sounds, unlike the Chinese alphabet that uses pictures to represent thoughts or whole words. The entire Korean language is make up of only 19 vowel and consonant sounds. Though many foreigners can learn to read Korean with ease, it is difficult for English speakers to grow in fluency due to the complex grammar of the language. When you are done here, head over to the Korean Language page, and test your pronunciation…

Now get that pen and paper ready… Let’s Learn to read Korean!!!

How to Read Korea

 

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Hagwon vs Public School

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Hagwon vs Public School

So, you’ve decided that you want to teach English in Korea. Now you need to decide: hagwon vs public school?

We will try to help you by providing the details you need to make an informed decision.

 

Hagwon: 

  • Several foreigners will be working with you
  • Typical working hours are afternoons through the evening (1pm – 9pm, or something like that)
  • Ages: Elementary and Middle school
  • Curriculum: It depends on the school, but it is usually pretty structured
  • Training: You might receive short orientation when you first arrive
  • Size of classes: 10-15
  • Paid vacation: 10 days, and you might get some National Holidays
  • Salary is set according to the teacher’s experience and education
  • Round-trip Airfare
  • Health insurance will be split 50/50 with your employer
  • A studio style apartment that might be partially furnished – housing allowance provided if needed
  • Severance bonus upon completion of your contract
  • Hiring Season: throughout the year

Public Schools:

  • You will likely be the only foreigner in the whole school
  • Ages: Elementary, Middle, High school
  • Typical working hours: daytime (8:30am – 4:30pm)
  • Curriculum: Government provided. Youwill need to supplement the lessons with your own material though
  • Training: 3 day orientation provided
  • Size of classes: 30+
  • Paid vacation: 15 days, as well as National Holidays
  • Salary is entry-level (2.1 mil won/month) if you’re a 1st year teacher
  • Round-trip Airfare
  • Health insurance – split 50/50 with your employer
  • Studio style apartment, partially furnished – housing allowance provided if needed
  • Severance bonus with the completion of your contract
  • Hiring Season: February/March and August/September

 

For more information, find below two more in-depth articles:  

– Types of Teaching positions in South Korea

– Hagwons vs Public Schools

 

 

Advantages and disadvantages of teaching abroad

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Looking to move abroad soon? Living and working overseas as an English teacher will be challenging. One thing you can always count on: we will provide you with honest and upfront information so that you can make well-informed decisions.  Find below the advantages and disadvantages of teaching abroad (specifically in China and Korea):

Advantages (Pro’s):

  • East Asia is currently recognized as one of the best places to teach abroad internationally
  • Have a job set up before you leave home
  • Great Salary, Low Cost of Living… save a lot of money, pay off loans, etc!
  • Free (or discounted) housing provided with contract (utilities excluded)
  • Renewal bonus or severance pay upon completion of contract
  • Paid vacation days
  • Korea: 50% Medical insurance and Pension
  • An extensive public transportation system (Subway / Bus / Train / Flight)
  • Travel opportunities: It’s cheap and easy to visit other Asian countries!
  • An opportunity to absorb a new culture, meet new people, and continue writing a great story
  • Life is easy! A cliché, yet so true.

Additional Information: Why teach abroad

 

Disadvantages (Cons):

  • You may be the only foreigner at your school
  • You will experience culture shock for the first few months
  • You have to sign at least a one year contract
  • Students are cute, but they are just normal kids… you’ll want to pull out your hair at times…
  • East Asian philosophies of education are very different than they are in the Western world
  • You will get stared at. Relentlessly.
  • Pressure from parents – they want their kids to learn English!

Additional Information: Let’s be Frank

English_Pong_01_2013

 

Feel free to send us an email for more detailed answers at [email protected]