As I am currently trying to explore paths that I could take after graduation, I am approaching these interviews as a way to learn more about careers that might interest me. I hope through these interviews I can narrow down which things might fit better than others, so that I can start making a plan for what I want to do after I graduate.

For my first interview, I met a teacher I connected with through a friend of my aunt’s. She has lived in Korea for five years and is currently an English teacher at the French international school in Seoul. I wanted to interview her because I have an interest in possibly teaching abroad or working abroad in general in the future. I was also interested in talking to her specifically because we have somewhat similar language backgrounds­­—English, French, and Korean. She started out teaching English through the Korean government program. She wanted to work in Korea after visiting a friend in Korea while teaching in Mumbai—during the visit she fell in love with Seoul and wanted to come back. She spent her first year teaching in Daegu, and then moved to Seoul to teach kindergarteners at a hagwon (private academy). It was here that she realized that she loved teaching younger kids, even though she always thought she wanted to teach older students in the past. Her advice was that sometimes the age group you always thought you wanted to teach might not actually be the best fit for you, and if you teach for long enough you will find your niche and what actually makes you look forward to going to work every day. Through a chance meeting she learned of a full time teaching position opening up at the French international school, and decided to apply. It turned out to be a great opportunity because not only could she keep her French up, she was also able to stay in Seoul for longer as well as gain an actual teaching license after working there for a couple years. She advised against working at only hagwons if you want to be able to find other teaching opportunities, because most places do not recognize these jobs as certifiable teaching experience because they are often part-time and are not regulated by a supervising agency. Through taking a permanent position at the French international school, she was able to get a teaching license as well as significant experience (she recommended 2-3 years) to help open up opportunities at other schools around the world. I never knew there were such nuances to doing different types of teaching jobs abroad, so it was very interesting to learn about this.

It was also interesting hearing about unexpected opportunities she has come across while living in Korea. Through making a close friend and some weird coincidences she ended up becoming a co-owner and shareholder of a bar in Seoul and so now has a small business venture in Seoul. Through a friend she ended up joining the Korea recreational ultimate frisbee team and gets to travel all around Korea for tournaments during the season. She also appreciated the freedom that came from taking a permanent position at a reputable school—not only financially but also the freedom to go to more types of schools with her resume and teaching license. She has already traveled to many places in East and Southeast Asia in her time here, and is hoping to find another teaching position in Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Singapore in about a year and a half.