Interview with Steph Clark: Teaching in Korea, the Czech republic, and spain
Show Notes
Our guest for today’s episode is Stephanie Clark. Steph has taught ESL in Korea, the Czech Republic and Spain, and she has traveled extensively in Europe and Asia. She completed her CELTA certification in 2016, achieving the coveted PASS-A grade. She’s here to talk with us about what it’s like to get started as an ESL teacher after completing a certification, adjusting to life abroad in various countries and cultures, and how she transitioned back into life and a teaching career in the States.
In this Episode…
What inspired Steph to start teaching
How she found a job in South Korea
Why she decided to get a teaching certification
How she found a job in the Czech Republic
What her teaching experience was like in Prague
The culture in Prague and what she found easy/ difficult to adjust to
How typical ESL teachers’ salaries compare in South Korea vs. the Czech Republic
The main differences between working in Prague and working in Granada, Spain
What kind of hours teachers can expect in Seoul, Prague, and Granada
The “academy” culture in South Korea and what it was like to teach in after-school courses
What it’s like to work as an ESL teacher in Korea and why it’s her favorite place to teach
The stigma some ESL teachers face abroad
What it’s like to work in a school with other certified teachers vs. working at schools that don’t have rigorous standards for qualification
Why she left her teaching job in Spain
How she transitioned into a career in education in the United States
The advice she’d give anyone thinking about taking a CELTA course
Have you ever wanted to teach abroad?
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“Your students won’t always remember what you taught- the content- but they’ll remember the way you made them feel.”
Why peer collaboration is so important on a CELTA course
What it is that makes the CELTA course so intense/ challenging
What she most benefitted from on her CELTA course
What she wishes she’d known before teaching abroad
Reverse culture shock and how to deal with it
Indulging wanderlust
How teaching abroad becomes an asset on your resume- even for non-teaching jobs
“Identity capital” and how teaching/ traveling abroad helps build this
Her favorite thing about teaching ESL: the students’ motivation and what learning English means to them
Homesickness: why it’s ok to not love a new city as soon as you arrive
Her favorite travel destination: the Philippines!
If you’re thinking about getting CELTA-certified, check out our free email course: Ready, Set, CELTA! It’s everything you need for a thorough overview on the course and how to pass it with flying colors- delivered right to your inbox.
