It was January 2020, and I had just completed my initial training at Oxford Seminars, only to realize very quickly that, due to COVID-19, there would be no travel for the foreseeable future and therefore no opportunity to put my new skills to use in an international setting. Fortunately, through the Oxford Seminars graduate placement service, I was able ...
I admit, I’m not usually what you’d call a sports fan, or at least not in the way that anyone in North America might think of it. I don’t follow any specific teams, nor do I follow any major professional sports. I’ve never attended a single professional game of baseball, basketball, or hockey (I know, I’m a terrible Canadian). ...
Let’s time travel back to February 2021: I had just turned 25 and had quite literally a quarter-life crisis. The pandemic had undoubtedly put a pin in my previous plans of becoming a lawyer, and I was now a manager at the same job that I had been working at since I was 16 years old. I never wanted ...
If you are an English teacher from the United States, Korea is probably one of the best places you could go. The people are wonderful, the food is fantastic, the weather is moderate, and the scenery is excellent. Once you arrive here, you may find yourself in a big city or a rural county. If you are in a ...
Getting a work visa to teach English overseas is, for many prospective teachers, a bit like going to the dentist – it’s not something we’re looking forward to with eager anticipation, but we know it’s important and has to be done. It’s also very common for a number of questions to arise when contemplating the topic of work visa ...
I was walking through the Eaton Center in downtown Toronto, Canada a few days ago when a store called Reiwatakiya caught my eye. It looked like a whimsical beauty store, and when I walked inside it, I saw – to ...
At long last borders opened in March, 2022 to some of the biggest TEFL markets in Asia, with governments in Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam all announcing the easing of COVID-19 entry restrictions for those crossing their borders for work. JAPAN Easing of Long-Awaited Border Restrictions Finally Announced In fact, the government of Japan announced on March 1st that for ...
Teachers the world over know that the dollar store is a great place to get teaching supplies. Classrooms always need pencils, paper, and props for lessons. While Japan doesn’t use the dollar, those embarking on a teaching adventure there can still get everything they need for their classroom at the hyakuen, or 100-yen store. Chains like Daiso and ...
During my time teaching in South Korea, I tried to make it to as many sporting events as possible. Mostly, this consisted of watching Jeonbuk Hyundai dominating the K-League or trying to comprehend what was happening while watching Kia Tigers play baseball. Over the years, there were also some bigger occasions: I managed to see Korea take on Brazil ...
- Oxford Seminars
- February 2, 2022
- Countries, Getting TEFL Certified, Japan, Life Abroad, Mexico, Oxford Seminars, Switching Cultures, Teaching ESL, TESOL Jobs, Travel
It's pretty fair to say that COVID has been like a very big, very wet blanket, thrown over so many of our plans since it emerged in 2019. Many of us have had to adjust our career goals, our travel plans, and our lifestyles to accommodate this almost surreal situation. Now however, after more than two years of frenzied ...