English Camps in Korea & How To Develop A Successful One

The idea of coursework during summer and winter vacations is quite foreign to most westerners--as is a school year that starts in March!  Unlike the west, schools in Korea begin their school year on or around March 1st.  Students are then in school until the end of July, taking their summer vacation throughout the month of August.  The second semester spans from the end of August until Christmas, and the students have a long winter break for all of January.  Weirdly enough, they come back for the first week of February for graduation, but then go on break again (for Lunar New Year) until the new school year begins in March.

However, students aren't free to relax, go on vacation, or even really get much of a break during these "vacation" periods because they are required to attend "camps".  Camps (and for us native English teachers, English camps, specifically) are additional special courses that students must enroll in during their summer and winter vacation times.

This is similar to how kindergarten started out as completely optional in the USA--wait.  Did you even know kindergarten was optional in the USA?  In fact, even today only 16 states mandate kindergarten enrollment!  Today, kindergarten is seen as such a norm and necessity we don't even question the idea of enrolling our children in it.  Parents don't want their children to be "left behind" their classmates academically and socially upon entering 1st grade, so the idea not enrolling them isn't even given a second thought.

This is essentially the mentality behind Korean summer and winter courses, as well as the hagwon  (학원: Korean private school/academy) obsession pushed upon Korean students today.  Parents, and many times even the students themselves, are so obsessed with getting that extra leg-up against their peers that they're willing to sacrifice nearly any and all free time.  Of course (just like kindergarten enrollment in the States), when everyone does it, it eventually becomes expected.  To not attend winter or summer camp would be seen as quite strange or lazy.

Most native English teachers (NETs) are asked to teach two weeks of camp in the winter, and two in the summer.  Some schools condense it into one, and others have even extended it into three or four.  It all depends on the needs of the school and the teacher's mandated vacation time, which is why teachers at different schools will have different breaks and camp requirements.  As contracted public school teachers in Jeollanamdo, our contracts entitle us to 24 paid vacation days in winter and 8 in summer.   This means that for the long winter break of January and February, any days that are not in my 24 approved days I must be in school as I'm being paid for them.  Most schools will have teachers "desk warm" during that time (no classes to teach, just required to be present in the office), though the school has the right to utilize us for camp classes during those days if they so desire.

Teaching in Rural Korea (And Why "One School" Sometimes Means "Three")

Before I left the USA, the one thing I was the most excited about was getting my placement.  I was constantly online searching all over Jeollanamdo (전라남도), trying to see what regions and cities there were, and what life was like there.  When I finally received my packet from Canadian Connections, I had been placed in my second choice: Boseong county (보성군)!

In hindsight, I'm actually very, very glad I ended up here and not Yeosu (여수), which was my first choice on my application.  Yeosu is a beautiful, larger costal town about a 75min drive from me, but nothing quite has the beauty and charm of a rural town in the Korean countryside.  Boseong county has a population of about 63,000, but the town of Boseong itself is only around 9,000-10,000.  It's actually around the same size as my hometown of Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

Swung by the tea fields on a rainy day...You can imagine what it looks like on a sunny one!  Stunning.

In total, those 63,000 people are spread out over 256mi^2, or (663km^2), which means once you leave the towns, it's relatively sparse.  Children have to be bused all over the region to attend school, and as a result, many schools have a very small number of students.  For us teachers, this often means teaching at more than one school.  This both cuts costs for the schools, since they split the cost of an English teacher among themselves, and makes it easier to ensure all students in the region are receiving English education with a native speaker.

Bonding on Your Teacher's Trip, and How Not to Die.

Back in September my co-workers and I had a meeting to discuss our school trip.  There were many ideas on the table, ranging from island hikes to temple visits to traveling to multiple cities, but I didn't know quite what was in store for me until I was picked up on Thursday morning.  Our itinerary, a five page packet, was written entirely in Korean.  I couldn't be bothered to translate it, so I opted to just roll with whatever was thrown my way.

Fellow foreign teachers in Korea, consider this your warming: regardless of their age, all of your Korean co-teachers can out eat, drink, and party you.  The activities are never-ending. They will not stop, and they will not show you any mercy.

Our general route from Boseong to Geumodo...followed by Yeosu, Suncheon Bay, and the Naganeupseong Folk Village.

The morning began innocently enough.  After managing a last-minute washing machine delivery (don't ask), two of my other co-workers and I were picked up bright at early by our school's bus driver, Seokoh-ssi.  His van had two seats in the front and an open back, so my two co-teachers kicked off their shoes and sat on blankets while I was ushered into the front seat.

Birthdays In Korea.....And Why I'm Old.

I have almost forgotten that I am actually 24, not 25.  In fact, I won't turn 25 until March 6th of 2015, but on January 1st of 2015 I will be considered 26 in Korea.  What?!

Koreans count your time in the womb as part of your life span, so when you are born you are considered 1 year old.  Age is incredibly important in Korea, and your age is labeled by the year you were born in, not the individual month and day.  So, since I was born in 1990 and it is now 2014, I am considered to be 25 years old along with every other child born in 1990.  When the new year changes over in January (solar) or February (lunar), there is a big celebration for everyone turning a year older.  So in the year of 2015, everyone born in 1990 is considered to be 26 years old.  Yikes, talk about feeling like time is escaping you!

One of the first questions I am asked by every Korean I meet is "How old are you?".  In Korea, you are considered "friends" or 칭구 (chinggu) with anyone in your same birth year.  There is a very strict hierarchy in Korea, so even if someone is only one year older than you, you must speak to them with formal language and treat them with respect.  On the flip side, if someone is younger, you are able to freely speak in more casual language.  Obviously this can get even more complicated with people who are considerably older than you (parents age, grandparents age), as can sometimes lead to confusing work situations.  For example, if a boss is younger than some of his employees, how does he address them?  Formally because they're older?  Informally because he's their boss?  Do they have to use more formal language with him even though he's younger?  I'm just glad everyone at my school except one teacher is older than me!