Tips for Sogang KLEC Level 5

Introduction

Another update here. I mainly wanted to compile some tips that I gather as I progress so I plan on editing this post at various stages. I named the post based on what I’ve been Googling. It should have some information relevant to all levels, though. There’s a lot of information out there for students in lower KLEC levels, but not a lot for higher level students. This post may be a bit of a mess but hopefully it’ll help someone eventually! It may end up focusing on things to do for preparation – or may just be a master post of cobbled-together tips. Let’s see. Just a tip for those in Oceania – we should email the KLEC 1 email (sgklec1@sogang.ac.kr), as we are considered as coming under the umbrella of North America and Europe, rather than Asia. I had been emailing KLEC 2 but was told it’s not the right one. Weird, I know, but it’s not my school… They should really make that clearer.

Tips

1. If you can, start from the Spring semester. The main reason for this is that it will be easier to join the various clubs and societies that Sogang has to offer. Some seem to have specific intake periods, and they will use the excuse “Oh, our recruitment period has passed” as an excuse to discriminate against non-Korean students. Taking this year as an example, the (compulsory) KLEC level test was on March 5th, and the two days where societies set up booths to promote themselves were March 5th and 6th. Perfect timing, right? Naturally, this advice is not so much for lower level students, as I think “Your Korean skill isn’t quite good enough to participate comfortably in our society” is actually a fine reason to reject a non-Korean who wants to join a society. This is more for competent Korean speakers who are 100% entitled to join clubs and societies, just many are quite cold and cliquey so we need to be a step ahead of the game. Please note that H.U.G., the society that provides foreign students with a local domestic-student buddy, has an agreement with KLEC whereby KLEC students are not able to participate in the program, due to its size. Unfortunate but at least they have discussed with the center officially. I wish the Sogang KLEC FAQ page stated this clearly instead of having to find out about it the hard way. Another reason why I should have applied for Spring (that won’t apply to most people as most KLEC students are not eligible) is that I could have stayed in the Gonzaga Dorm, but as the Summer semester of KLEC doesn’t align with any regular Sogang semester, I was unable to, and had to find my own Goshiwon after I had arrived. Oh, and who doesn’t like spring? Cherry Blossom season in Seoul is schedules for the first half of April this year. Much nicer for getting out and making friends to practice Korean with than winter which is icy cold, and I think has worse fine dust. So if you go to Yonsei and have lots of vocab and grammar points to study… Maybe go in winter… jk. Plus, if you’re over in Spring you can take part in the Korean speech competition, something I would have loved to do.
2. Find a Goshiwon once you get to Korea. This advice is assuming you’re after a Goshiwon at all. I think this option will suit most students, though, as it is affordable, and there are no extra bills, deposits, administration fees, and usually no minimum stay (or 1 month minimum). So even if you inspect a place, move in and it’s a dud (for example, terrible soundproofing), you can move out fairly comfortably after a month. I’ll write a review of the Goshiwon I end up living in after I’ve been there at least a month. I have an ideal budget of 400,000 Won per month, but am thinking I’ll bump it up to 450,000 Won per month for the right place if need be (an extra $16 AUD a week – the same cost of one 김치 찌개 in Sydney…). I can always move out if I feel it’s not worth it. I plan on finding a place walking distance from Arrupe Hall (the campus is big so the more specific you can be while looking, the better) to try and save money on public transport (though it is quite affordable in Seoul). I think the best resource for finding a Goshiwon is Room and Space. For good measure, also use the ‘search this area of the map’ on Naver Maps with the search term ‘고시원’. My method is to make a custom map (I used Google because I couldn’t work Naver or Kakao easily…) plotting out all the Goshiwon you’re interested in, including their contact number. I also find the official websites of the Goshiwon, and try and identify some favourites to start with, and then continue on to a second round if none of them have rooms or are suitable. Be sure to check the Q&A or 공지 on the official websites to try and scope prices or promotions. I do not recommend the English-language site GoshiPages as there’s hardly anything on there, and I feel like they probably jack up the prices (‘foreigner discount’). Another app that seems good is PeterPan. The app is more straightforward than the blog page. Then once you arrive in Seoul, stay in a hostel or guesthouse for a few days while you go around calling each place to see if they have spare rooms (‘빈방’), and what kind of rooms they are, and then going for an inspection. Of course having a friend who’s fluent in Korean will help if you’re nervous. One advantage of Room and Space is that I think some places stay on Naver Maps even after they close, or get re-branded etc. For example, one place used to be called “Sweet Goshitel” but was renovated to a super hip Goshiwon called JUST LIVE Sogang, and is now – unfortunately for me – women only.
3. Pre-study the vocabulary via Memrise, and the grammar points via looking at the textbooks’ 구성표. I had to do a bit of digging to find the nice high-res versions – you’re welcome! Of course – you won’t know your level for sure before you take the level test, but in my case Level 5 seems to suit me perfectly. I’d rather try and prepare for it and end up not getting in, then doing nothing and ending up getting in. I might be too lazy to do this, but I think it’s a good idea to practice and memorise your 자기소개 with a language exchange partner or friend who is fluent in Korean. It seems like during the level test they will almost definitely ask you for this, and unfortunately for most people they only learnt how to do one back when they first started learning Korean, and that way is actually pretty inauthentic.
4. Know which telecom provider you’re going with  – my recommendation is (watch this space). Some people seem to go with Evergreen as you can organise it before you arrive in Korea. This is something you’ll want to organise as soon as you arrive in Korea, possibly at Incheon airport (where they’re used to dealing with non-Koreans and have many phone company booths). For this reason it’s good to think about before you arrive. I might put a couple of options here. The classrooms and campus should have WIFI. Most Goshiwons will. So, I might try and get a cheap plan with low data.
5. Get your application documents ready even before applications are open. I plan on applying the day applications open. This is because the process is like this: Apply to course online -> Receive acceptance letter -> Take acceptance letter to local embassy/consulate to apply for D4 visa -> Receive D4 visa including eligible travel dates (entry/exit) -> Book flights (and accommodation as needed). The earlier this process is started, the better. It won’t take ages, but it will be an ordeal. Another step is to pay the tuition fee – but fortunately I don’t have to worry about that step this time. Something that I think is useful is knowing that the applications weren’t open from midnight or 9am Korean time, rather closer to 1pm! So I was refreshing all morning, and then sent an email to see if I was doing something wrong, and then only later in the day I saw the “New” button sitting across from the “List” button. Update: So even though I applied as soon as applications opened (March 12th) they will only send out the visa documents from April 1st. So…
6. Another thing is you should be sure to book your ARC appointment once you’ve booked your flights. You could also prepare the documents and forms in advance as well if you want to be even more prepared. I might need an ARC if I end up wanting a monthly phone plan, and I’m hoping to take the free Korean-government provided KIIP course, so I need a valid ARC before I can start organising that too. The earlier I start, the better. I think I’ll book my ARC appointment for a couple of days after I arrive in Korea, by which point I’ll have hopefully found a place to stay.
7. (Pending!)

Recommended resources

bieups on Tumblr (+ a recount here from 2018) (2019) – Gave a generous response to my anonymous question

mlx144 on Reddit (2018) – Great advice for the placement test

Yale’s Unofficial Guide – It’s recent, it’s long, so I guess worth a look

Alecia’s blog series ‘How to Sogang’ (2017) – Lots of detailed posts covering application to graduation

ChineseIrish’s YouTube Videos (2015) – Low-fi but informative and effective videos

The Accidental Ajumma’s Tumblr – Epic-length detailed account of various levels

Dana’s blog (2011) – Some nice, long, and detailed posts but unfortunately 8 years old

A Post

I figured a half-assed post is better than none at all.

In two days’ time I’ll complete my final prac placement for my Master’s degree. Then, just got to finish first semester of next year, and I’m on my way to Sogang University for a 2-semester (6-month) scholarship to study Korean language.

I can’t wait. Everything I’ve read has been positive – except for maybe the difficulty, or the chance of getting a dud teacher (despite being low). The difficulty will probably be a good thing in the long run, and I hope to develop some really good routines and study patterns. I think I’ll be placed in Level 4 or 5, not sure which one I’d prefer at this stage. Level 5 is supposed to be super challenging, but Level 4 might be a little easy/too much revision for me.

While I’m over there I’m going to try to complete the KIIP program, so I can get a whole heap of points towards an F visa, which would be a great option if I end up in Korea for an extended period of time again. Plus, it’s extra free Korean classes and a chance to get out of my bubble. Really hope that works out.

Afterwards, might come back to Sydney for a couple of months then go back to teach English with the EPIK program for a year. Might not. Might stay an extra semester if I love the program and can justify/manage the cost.

Anyway, I’m so excited and it’s all I can think about even though I have a lot to prepare for my prac placement…

Hope everything works out.

Job Listings

I want to keep an archive for some job listings, giving me possible pay ideas, location ideas, position ideas. For example, I was surprised to find a university position in Gwangju (a city I’ve liked for awhile) that doesn’t require university experience, only 2 years teaching experience. Low pay but great benefits. I would give it a go if I were eligible.

An Update

Flash forward and it’s December 2017 and I’m finishing up my first year of a Master of Applied Linguistics and TESOL at UTS. One and a half to go (probably).

In 2016 I extended my contract for an extra 3 months, went on a world trip, and got back to Sydney with very little money. Got a job teaching General English to Intermediate-level adult students in Sydney CBD. Was supposed to be only a couple days a week, but because it was Christmas time all the teachers were going away so I was asked to fill-in and work full weeks. It was hectic. Unlike at my hagwon in Korea, nothing except a textbook and instructions on which pages were to be covered each lesson were provided. Not even a data projector. Suffice to say, I floundered. It was way too much, way too fast, and so different from my previous experience. I thought I was doing the school a favour by covering for other teachers, but I just wasn’t ready, so it ended up being a favour to no one. So I resigned, apologised, and decided to enrol into the Master program at UTS, with the intention of getting a ‘real’ qualification, as opposed to the Certificate IV I received during one university vacation period during my undergraduate.

It’s going okay. It’s not as practical as I’d hoped for, or well structured or taught (considering the staff are professional teachers). But I think I can still gain a lot from it. I’m most looking forward to the pronunciation and teaching academic English subjects. Also wanting to get a lot out of the second Practicum subject, but dreading it at the same time. Teaching as a guest, especially with another teacher watching, is pretty nerve-wracking.

So my options currently are:
1) Drop out of Masters early with a Graduate Certificate and go back to my old school in Seoul for Spring Semester 2018, but have a limitation on when I can return to complete the degree. I’m not sure of this time limitation yet.
2) Finish Masters (part-time as full-time is too hectic) mid-2019 and look for jobs either locally or abroad. Maybe try teach locally, see how I go, while preparing my documents for overseas in case it’s not a good enough fit to really keep me in Sydney.

I think that’s it?

I like Sydney but I miss Korea. But I’m not sick of Sydney though. I’m not as close with my friends here as I was before. Working and studying, and growing apart just takes its toll. Makes it easier to feel like I can just pick up and go. My housemate isn’t great either. But could be worse.

It’s such a big decision. But if I do go back to Korea, I want to make more money than before, and save up more than before. This might sound trivial, but I want to try see a personal trainer twice a week (I am still single and I think it would be a good change) and take Korean class twice a week. I think I can still do that and save more money than before. I had a great time, but I spent a bit too freely. I also want to take housing allowance, rather than provided accommodation, and hopefully save a little from that. Maybe live with some Korean-speaking housemates? Not sure how realistic that would be though.

So that’s where I’m at. December 2017 in Sydney. Just got one more subject left for the semester, my practicum placement, which is dragging on a bit. I should be preparing for that now, actually…

3 More Months

So I saw a tarot reader and extended my contract from the end of May to the end of August! I wanted to enjoy some more warm weather, save up a bit more (I lack budgetary discretion), improve my Korean and have some more time with my kids. My boss also really wanted me to. Why rush, anyway? I miss home, but it’s not going anywhere.

The Present Future Plan:

1. Finish my job. Get a good reference letter. Collect my pension.
2. Relax. Take about 2 weeks off and relax in Korea, and travel somewhere. Destination unknown. Start looking for job listings and free Korean class start times.
3. Return to Sydney. Move in with my mother. Look for accommodation and apply for jobs immediately. Catch up with friends.
4. Work. Play. Live, laugh, love.
5. If I enjoy teaching at my next school too, then think about applying for a Master’s Degree. Weigh up the pros and cons.
6. ~ Ethereal Void ~

It’s been good here so far. I have regrets, but I do think it’s shown I still have some growing up to do. Things to learn, a new person to grow into. I haven’t made as many close friends as I would have liked. It isn’t easy. But it makes me appreciate my friends at home all the more. I hope once I get back I’ll take things won’t take things for granted as much as I used to.

I think my next post will be to help me keep track of ideas for my reference letter, and scope out the current job requirements and conditions. I’m pretty content at the moment, but not enough for another year. We’ll see.

The End?

At the end of the month I’ll have to decide if I want to extend my contract 3 months, or head home at the beginning of June. Not really considering staying an extra year.

I keep putting off thinking seriously about it, because it’s such a big decision. There are reasons I’d want to stay and reasons to leave.

I want to stay here longer because:
The longer I stay the easier it gets. I settle further into the routine and demands of my job. I could also ask my boss to give me a textbook-based class, so I’d be practicing another style of teaching. All my classes are speaking-focused at the moment. I love my kids, and really care about them. I’m also slowly, slowly meeting more people. Kind and fun people. So I’m curious to see if we could become really close and I could feel a better sense of belonging and companionship here. My Korean is slowly but surely improving, a lot of it by coming across words in everyday life. I remember them a lot easier that way. Like when my landlord was trying to explain there was ‘construction’ going on and I had no idea what he was talking about… But now I’ll never forget ‘construction’, heh.

That said, I’ve already got some great friends back at home. There are some free Korean classes in Sydney, and I could possibly enrol with one of my favorite teachers. I seem to be qualified for some of the TESOL positions that come up in Sydney. I miss the food, and being able to talk to anyone and say exactly what I mean, and understand what they mean. Also, just meet people that I feel like I connect with, regardless of the language. There’s someone in particular that I miss deeply, but I’ve got to be realistic about that I guess.

Aaanyway. Life here is fine. I’m not unhappy. I just feel a bit like I’m fighting an uphill battle. My friendships just don’t compare to the ones I have in Sydney, and what I get out of them. Their frankness and understanding and humor. I used to feel self-conscious at the gym, but doubly so here. I haven’t taken my jacket to the dry cleaner because I’m too nervous, not even sure about what exactly? My place doesn’t really feel like my own. Maybe I’m nit-picking, but I’d like a room/place that really feels like mine. Like my old room did. Not a big factor, but just reflecting on it now.

Hmm so. I think I’m hesitant to move back because I’m scared of the unknown. Scared that there’s maybe something cool I haven’t found here yet, and scared that there’s nothing in the unknown waiting there for me.

Side note, it’s so rewarding when students express how much they like me. Like when some hug me, or give me food, or when they find out I’m their teacher they all yell with wide grins “Yaaaaaaay!”. For phone testing a student today said I’m her favorite teacher, but maybe she was just playing the system, heh. Still. I really like being a positive force in their lives. They’re funny, and cute and relatively hard working. I’ll miss them a lot, and it’s pretty sad to think I will probably never see them again.

I don’t know. I think one year is enough. I knew I was leaving some big things behind when I came here in the first place, so that I could try and move forward. I think I should try do the same thing again.

A Bump in the Road

So yesterday my boss pulled me aside for a meeting, following my extra round of observations. While I’ve improved, it didn’t seem quite enough to satisfy her. She maintained a really serious tone.

Maybe it’s because she was really disappointed with my lack of preparation for our Saturday class. On Friday night. After I’d already stayed back offering an extra 45 minutes of my time – unpaid of course. It was more of a games and fun event than a regular task, and as such there was more organising and decorating to do, as well as moving desks out of the classrooms. There was more work to do than usual, but we weren’t given any extra time to do it. Our schedules are tight. There obviously wasn’t enough time allocated for adequate preparation. I don’t just sit around twiddling my thumbs all day.

She said I should be more of a team player, but if management isn’t doing their bit then it’s a pretty one-sided team. It’s pretty ridiculous that I’d basically be expected to stay back over an hour to prepare for school in my own time. Unpaid overtime wasn’t in the job description, and wasn’t in the contract.

I feel like a capable teacher. I’m only just able to complete the work they give me in the time I have, let alone extra work.

Taking up the bulk of time are things like grading, phone testing, curriculum development, test printing, Weekend Journal grading and speech contest training. There’s little room for extra preparation on top of that, especially without compromising the quality of my curriculum development. It’s not something I can do quickly, and well.

Anyway. Was pretty upset when my boss said she was very disappointed in me. It was a small consolation to recieve a message from a coworker saying that the kids really love me. It cheered me up. Hopefully I can cheer up and keep getting better.

A Milestone

I should be asleep because I have Korean class in the morning before school, but today feels like a bit of a milestone. I had 2 class observations by the head teacher from main campus. They watched my classes then we talked at the end of the day about them.

My performance was “satisfactory” and it was highlighted that the fact that I haven’t had any experience was taken into consideration. I really think I was in the right place at the right time when it came to getting this job. Anyway, the boss at this campus had previously watched some of my classes and was disappointed. I won’t go into details – but I really think it was the curriculum/materials’ fault, not mine. Regardless, the onus was on me to improve, and I feel like I did pull it out for my two observations today.

I didn’t hear anything like “you should do this instead”. Just “the atmosphere was really nice” is the thing I remember the most. So I’m quite proud of myself for making it through observation unscathed. Even if I were to have received some pointed criticism, I wouldn’t have beat myself up. The purpose of class observations isn’t to pat teachers on the back, its to improve them, and I was more or less tossed in the deep end.

I’m feeling a little inundated with work, there’s a lot to juggle and get done before the summer vacation. But I’ve kept up well enough so far, so I’m not too stressed about it… Yet.

Also my student got 3rd place at an English speech competition. It did take a few hours of my time, and I only helped with some fine details, but still I feel quite proud. They’re really bright and passionate about what they were talking about too. It was really good to see how self motivated and dedicated she was, not to mention talented. Plus I get a small bonus so that’s just the cherry on top.

I’ve gotta book something(s) for when my friend comes to visit for vacation… I keep procrastinating. Fingers crossed not everything’s booked. Fingers and toes.

The Present, The Future

So I’m long overdue for a new post.

I’ve been teaching for just over a month. 11 more to go. Overall I enjoy my job. I enjoy it far more than my old job at a cinema. This job is tiring, there’s a lot to do, and more pressure. But it’s also interesting, and fun. It’s not as stressful as I thought it would be. I’ve been doing a pretty good job of leaving work problems at work (not that there’s been anything major). Just having the majority of my week cut out is really full on. It’s called full time for a reason. Because of this I’ve sort of been trying to cram my weekends full of things to do, for fear of missing out I guess. I also just want to say ‘yes’ because I think it’ll help me grow. I’ve met a lot of cool people already, and I hope that before two long I can start to develop some really deep and meaningful friendships with both foreigners, Koreans, gay and straight people.

In general I really like my kids. The youngest ones tend to be the most tiring, but that’s not necessarily the case. I have 3 classes who have their own problems, kids fighting, walking around, crying, playing, being too loud and out of control while I’m trying to teach. They’re just kids so I can’t be too hard on them, but I feel especially bad for the quiet hard working students who care about improving their English. I don’t know what to do really but I’m having class observations soon so that should hopefully be more help than a hindrance.

There’s far more admin and not-teaching work than I realised. I generally work 11:30am-8:30pm but only teach 2:30pm-7:30pm. Grading, entering the grades in the system (they take tests every lesson), marking journals for the upper levels, phone testing, curriculum development (editing old PPTs and tests) for every lesson, converting and uploading a short speaking video of each student once a month to the website, helping students practice their scripts for speech contests.

Also teaching isn’t that difficult apart from the classroom management issues I’m having. I’m quite proud of myself for that and a bit relieved. From Day 1 I’ve actually been quite confident. I just took my stuff, started teaching. When I was doing my practicum for my TESOL certificate I remember being so nervous. Maybe it’s because they’re kids, or because I’m unsupervised (CCTV on the boss’ desk though). Anyway I’m proud of myself for having confidence and conviction.

I’m a bit homesick. Missing people. Being vegetarian is hard here, too. Not speaking a lot of the language I get nervous and feel a bit guilty I guess. But I feel lucky overall. My boss is kind, so are my coworkers. We don’t have a lot to talk about but we get lunch together often. My accommodation is comfortable. I shouldn’t take for granted that it’s paid for. It’s location is pretty sweet too.

Anyway. There are good things about Seoul, and there are good things about Sydney. I don’t think I’ll want to spend another year here right now though. I want this kind of job, or similar, in Sydney. I probably won’t be able to live 5 minutes walk from work, but who knows.

All things considered, I’m happy with my present, and hopeful for my future.

Gaining University Level Experience Internationally

Image credit: Jens Schott Knudsen

Posted: 13/04/15
Last updated: 12/05/15

As noted in my article Getting a University Job in Korea, the minimum criteria almost across the board lately is to have a Master’s and two years experience at university level. There are some accepting without, but by the time I get my Master’s it will be the standard. But how to get this experience?

The most obvious answer I can think of is to teach in a country with a less competitive job market. These markets seem to be parts of Asia and the Middle East.

A few countries stand out to me personally. I’ve started by compiling information and observations about them across some time. I’ll probably start by accumulating job listings I can find across a few weeks.

China

First impressions: A Master’s Degree is not a requirement for most positions. Research into the reputation and lifestyle in the areas of the universities would be really important here. Posts keep saying “only apply if you’re seriously ready to come to China” almost like a warning, as though people bail out fairly frequently, because they can’t handle living in China. For me, I’ll probably want to live in or near a city, and preferably somewhere with a milder climate… I’m not sure that exists though. I would definitely consider moving to China though. Some jobs provide free Chinese lessons, which is great, and I would really appreciate.

Vietnam

I’m having even more difficulty finding positions in Vietnam than in Thailand. But even at RMIT’s campuses the qualifications don’t seem particularly rigorous. I would be very interested in a position at RMIT internationally and would probably jump at the opportunity.

Thailand

The best resource for jobs in Thailand seems to be ajarn/ajarnjobspace, with another resource being gooverseas.com. Try using the search function for “university” on ajarn if positions aren’t showing up in the board, this appeared to bring up contemporary results when I tried it. Some advice can be found at studyinthailand.org. A reasonable article about teaching in Thai universities can be found here, but it’s undated.

Ajarn notes:

There’s an old saying that the best jobs never get advertised and teaching jobs are no different.

Who knows what gems you might unearth by simply enquiring at the school admin office or making a speculative phone call? There’s a school near my house that’s had a ‘teachers wanted’ sign hanging on the school gate for months. They’ve probably never heard of ajarn.com either.

Others

Past job listings

China

China 19

China 18

China 17

China 16

China 15

China 14

China 13

China 12

China 11

China 10

China 9

China 8

China 7

China 6

China 5

China 4

China 3

China 2

China 1

Vietnam

Vietnam 1

Vietnam 2

Thailand

Figure 8

Thailand 7

Thailand 6

Thailand 5

Thailand 4

Thailand 3

Thailand 2

Thailand 1

Others