African penguins on Boulder's Beach

When you think about penguins you might imagine them living in a cooler environment like Antarctica instead of on a beach in sunny South Africa! However these African penguins call this beach in Cape Town their home.

African penguins are the only penguin species that naturally inhabit the African continent and its islands. African penguins have shorter feathers than Antarctic penguins because they do not live in such a cold environment. African penguins also have a black stripe that curves across the top of the chest. They are also known as Jackass penguins because of the braying sound they make. 

You can walk on the beach with penguins and swim with the penguins. There is an entry fee to access the beach but the proceeds go towards wildlife conservation and helping the penguins so it is for a good cause.

If you don't want to pay the entrance fee to the beach you can also walk on the wooden boardwalks for free. The boardwalks go through the vegetation where the penguins have their nests. Whether you will have a good view of the penguins from the boardwalk depends on whether all the penguins are on the beach or by their nests. Make sure to peek inside the bushes because the penguins sometimes hide in the bushes. The pictures below were taken from the boardwalk. 

You can also view the penguins from the observation deck which has an entrance fee. The boardwalk is the best place to view the penguins for free.

One of the best times to visit the beach is during January because this is when the juvenile birds are moulting. February to August is also a good time of year to visit because it is the Boulder's penguin colony's breeding season and you can see them in their nests. During September and October the birds spend a lot of time out at sea fishing and feeding, so there are fewer penguins on the beach. November to December is the penguin's moulting season. In December the birds spend a lot of time on the beach and you might not see many of them from the boardwalk. December is a summer month in Cape Town and many people swim at the beach so the penguins often retreat to the area near the observation deck.

The penguins originally came to the False Bay area in Cape Town from Dyer Island near Gansbaai. False Bay is a well known fishing area in Cape Town. The abundance of fish attracted the penguins to the area.

There is a fence that is supposed to keep the penguins away from entering the road and surrounding town but the penguins have been known to get over the fence, so before you leave you should check that a penguin is not hiding under your car!

This is an amazing place to visit and I would highly recommend visiting this beach in Cape Town!

Information:
Entrance fees from 1 Nov 2016 - 31 Oct 2017

• R70 for adults
• R35 for children (2 - 11 Years)

Operating Hours: 7 days a week

• Dec – Jan: 07h00 – 07h30
• Feb – April: 08h00 -18h30
• May – Sept: 08h00 – 17h00
• Oct – Nov:  08h00 – 18h30

The pros and cons of teaching overseas

Teaching overseas:
Teaching overseas is the adventure of a lifetime. It's an incredible experience that will make you more adaptable, open-minded, brave, knowledgable about the world and it will give you a fierce sense of independence. You will experience new things, save money, travel, meet new people, make friends from around the world and step outside of your comfort zone. Imagine this. You're on your own in a foreign country and you are surrounded by a completely new language. The food, the culture and the customs are radically different to your own. The little things like opening a bank account, getting a phone contract, going to the dentist or doctor can become huge challenges when you can't do it in English. You have no family or friends from home to help you. You work in an environment where things are done differently from your home country and you must adapt to a different working culture. If you are able to survive on your own in a foreign country where you can't speak the language, then you can make it anywhere!

Pros of teaching overseas:
1) You become self-reliant, adaptable, open-minded and brave. You don't have any friends or family from home to help you so you become very self-reliant. You learn to adapt to whatever situation you may find yourself in and this is always a valuable quality to have in life as we never know what life can bring. You will be forced out of your comfort zone. You will experience personal growth and become a stronger, braver version of yourself.

2) You will make friends from different countries all around the world. New people are always coming and leaving when you work in a foreign country but you have to learn to let go. Learning to let go of people is something we have to learn to do in life.

3) You will have a huge adventure. There are lots of places to explore and new things to do and see in a foreign country.

4) You can save money while you travel the world. In South Korea you can earn 2000 US dollars per month.

5) You will become more knowledgable about the world and you'll become a more interesting person. Travel is a fantastic teacher. You will learn about a new culture and probably learn a new language which is a very enriching experience. You'll have many interesting experiences and opinions to share with people.

6) You make memories that you will treasure forever. The stories you take home with you will definitely entertain people and you will experience things that some people won't even do in their wildest dreams.

The cons of teaching overseas:
1) Depending on your particular tastes, you may or may not like the food. I found that I enjoyed the food in Japan (sushi, ramen and donkatsu yes please!!) and Hong Kong a lot. I also enjoyed some Korean food like bibimbap 비빔밥, bulgogi 불고기, hottdoek 호떡 and hobakjuk  호박죽 (pumpkin porridge with sweet rice dumplings) but I never enjoyed kimchi or boendegi (fried silk worm larvae).

2) If you teach in Asia you might experience a lack of vacation compared to other teaching jobs in the Middle East or South Africa/ America/ Australia/ New Zealand/ Canada/ UK. In Japan, South Korea and the Asian countries the people work extremely hard and you will also work hard and have very little vacation. You only get 3-4 weeks of vacation a year. However if you renew your contract you can get extra bonus vacation time that you can use after renewal. It was so different to teaching in South Africa where I get around 9 weeks of paid vacation working in a public school.

3) Letting go of people. Athough you will make friends from all over the world, people are always coming and leaving, so you need to learn to let go and remember to always mainly be self-reliant.

4) Homesickness. You will miss the people back home and you must become good at staying in touch via facebook or email.

5) Culture shock. You have to get used to a whole new culture, new language and new customs such as bowing to people, to sitting on the floor in traditional restaurants, people staring at you in public,  the lack of English and eating new food.

6) You really have to be mentally and emotionally strong to handle the challenges of living in a foreign country where English is not the official language. The little things like opening a bank account, getting a phone contract or going to the dentist or doctor become huge challenges when you can't do it in English. Whatever difficulties you struggle with at home will be magnified by a thousand. The experience of surviving alone overseas will make you a stronger, tougher person.

Teaching overseas is an incredible experience. I never regret teaching overseas and it definitely made me a stronger person.

Teaching in South Korea

I've taught in both private schools and public schools in Asia. In South Korea I taught in public schools for two years through the government-run EPIK program. In Japan I taught at a private language school which is also known as an "Eikaiwa" (英会話). I'm currently teaching in a public school in South Africa.

Teaching in South Korea:
I taught in South Korea for two years through the government run program called EPIK. I'd recommend teaching with EPIK because it is a safe, secure contract and a very reliable and trustworthy program. I received everything I was supposed to according to my contract and I also had nice working hours from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm in a public school and I also a Korean co-teacher to help translate things for me.

There are a few different ways to teach in South Korea. The main ways are through the official government-run EPIK program (English Program in Korea) where you work in public schools or at a "Hagwon" (학원). You can apply for these jobs if you have a University Degree and in addition some schools also require a TEFL certificate (Teaching English as a foreign language). You also need to meet the requirements to obtain a working visa for South Korea. There are also teaching jobs at International Schools. If you have a Masters you can also apply for lecturing jobs at Universities.

Since I taught in South Korea in the public schools with the EPIK program I will mostly be talking about the EPIK program in this blog post.

What it is like to teach English in South Korea with the EPIK program?
I had a great experience with the EPIK program because my contract was very good and secure and I received everything I was supposed receive according to my contract.  The EPIK program (English program in Korea) is the official government program through the Korean Department of Education, and it places English teachers in public school teaching positions. Their website is: http://epik.go.kr/ .You teach in a public school during the regular public school hours from around 8 am until 4:30 pm.

What is the application process like?
Teaching jobs with EPIK start in either February or August. The application process can take a few months, so when applying for overseas jobs it is best to begin early because there is usually a lot of paperwork to do and documents required. I applied in November, graduated with my degree in December, flew to South Korea at the end of March for orientation and training and then I started my teaching job in Korea in February.

There are a number of steps you go through in the application process including Skype interviews. The first step is the application step. The documents you will need to apply to teach through the EPIK program in Korea are a notarized, certified copy of your Degree from University; a sealed copy of your transcripts and marks; a few professional reference letters (I got letters from my University professors); a certificate to prove you have no Police Record (Criminal Background Clearance); a120 hour TESOL / TEFL certificate (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) but if you have a teaching degree you don't need this; a completed application form; copy of passport and passport photos.

If you are South African you must also prove with documentation that you did all your schooling in English and that you are a native English speaker. You will also have to pass a medical check to show you are healthy and your medical check is usually done upon arrival in Korea by Korean doctors and nurses. They do blood, urine and eye tests and check for everything even drugs and HIV AIDS. If they find anything seriously wrong with your health then you could be immediately deported. Fortunately I am 100% healthy!

If your initial application is successful you will have a follow up Skype interview with an EPIK staff member in South Korea. They will ask you all kinds of questions about yourself and why you want to teach in South Korea. My interview went extremely well and I was offered the job two days later and a contract was sent to me to sign.

What is the training and orientation like?
Upon arrival in South Korea you will have orientation and training at a Korean University. You will stay in the University dorm which is a good way to see how Korean University students live. The training is intensive and you are busy with classes from morning until afternoon and evening. There are also other fun things you do during orientation such as watching a Taekwondo performance, Korean fan dance, dressing up in Hanbok (traditional Korean clothing), learning to do Taekwondo as well as learning Korean language.

During the training you are put into groups and you will present lessons and plan lesson plans.
You will get a completion of training certificate when you finish your training and then you are taken to your school and new apartment. You will meet the staff of your new school, move into your apartment and begin work shortly after this.

What is the actual teaching job like?
Koreans work hard and you will work hard too! Koreans have very high standards for education and Korean students are smart and hardworking. At your new school you are often thrown into the deep end of teaching and you must stand in front of a class and teach them to speak English. You must plan lesson plans (you have to type them out and give them to your co-teacher), follow a textbook and do assessments. You will also have additional responsibilities like sometimes running a broadcasting show (I did this) and running a summer and winter academic English camp during part of the school holidays. A lot of South Korean schools use technology and have smart interactive TVs in the classroom so you will also most likely have to make PowerPoint presentations and interactive educational English games. A fantastic website to go to is www.waygook. (Waygook means foreigner in Korean). You will have a South Korean co-teacher with you in all your classes with you to help you translate, but every South Korean co-teacher I had let me do all the teaching on my own. Everyone has a different experience when it comes to their co-teachers.

Your co-teacher is probably your most important ally at your school so it is important to try and build a good relationship with them. Pray that you do not get a crazy co-teacher, as this sometimes happens. Also pray you don’t get a lazy co-teacher who does not help you translate. The whole experience will help you learn how to get along with all kinds of work colleagues which is a good skill to have in life.

What are the benefits like?
If you work in a public school through the EPIK program you can earn around 2000 USD per month (sometimes more) plus extra benefits like a free, fully furnished apartment and medical aid. Since I was South African I was also able to enjoy a tax-free salary and I did not have to pay tax in either country for two years. Part of your generous salary package includes a free furnished apartment (all to yourself, you do not have to share), free airfare and return airfare (refunded to you), financial and vacation bonuses for renewing your contract, medical aid and a good salary. You will be responsible for paying your own bills like electricity, gas, and your housing deposit. The housing deposit is refunded to you. By working in South Korea for 2 years I paid off my 100 % of my entire student loan for my Degree as saving a big nest egg and affording to travel to Japan and Hong Kong on holiday. Countries like Japan, Taiwan and Thailand do not offer to pay airfare and do not give you accommodation, so South Korea is a better offer as the schools may provide you with furnished accommodation and reimburse you for your airfare.

A word about hagwons:
A hagwon (학원) is essentially a business selling education. It is a business-run private language school that offers extra classes after public school hours. If you choose to teach at a "Hagwon" make sure you do your homework and find out about the working environment at that school, try speak to some teachers who have taught at that school and check that it is not on the Hagwon blacklist. Teaching at a Hagwon can be fine, but there are teachers who get overworked, don't get paid, don't get their flights covered at the end of their contract and don't receive what they are supposed to. Hagwons are private schools that students attend for extra lessons after they finish public school, therefore the hours can vary and you usually start working in the afternoon and finish work at night. Korean Hagwons, like Japanese Eikaiwas have a strong business focus because they are selling education. They care about making money, not only about teaching. You often have additional business duties at these schools and you have to sell their textbooks and seminars and meet financial targets set by management. The Japanese version of a "Hagwon"(학원) is called an "Eikaiwa" (英会話) and I have taught at an Eikaiwa in Japan. Some people think these kind of schools fill a need not met by the public schools while others see these schools as creating unequal footing between the rich and poor, with rich children having the chance to get ahead by getting extra lessons. Another reason why I think these schools are popular is because South Korea and Japan both have incredibly high standards and children have to study very hard to get the top grades they need to get into the top Universities there so they often take extra lessons at cram schools. I've experienced teaching in both the public schools and the private language school systems in Asia and the public schools are far nicer in my opinion.

If you are thinking about teaching in South Korea I'd highly recommend the EPIK program. If you have any questions about teaching in South Korea then please leave a comment below and I would be happy to answer your questions.