The TaLK Program

We have now officially started our orientation for the 2011 TaLK program. The opening ceremony was suprisingly fun. At 8am, we boarded busses and headed downtown to the University of Korea to have the opening ceremony, which consists of speakers from the Korean ministry of Education and then live performances. The performances were incredible. The first group was a choir of 35 international children from different countries singing international songs. It was great, and the kids really got into it. The second group was a group called SOS, which was a group of girls that mix traditional Korean music with modern instruments, like an electric violin. Wow, that was amazing to see. Hopefully I can post of video of it soon. The songs were really intense and the group was very passionate. The third group was my favorite. It was a group of youth, ranging from like six to fifteen years old that specialized in Taekwondo. They did everything to music and dance, but in the middle of all this, they would break boards by doing flips and kicks that make some Kung Fu movies look childish. I'll see if I can get a video of that one too, it was really great. After the ceremony, we split into teams and took of tour of Seoul. A scavenger hunt was setup for us, and we had to take different team pictures in front of the assigned locations throughout Seoul. Although it was pouring rain due to the tropical storm over Korea, it was a blast, and my group was a ton of fun. We had a typical Korean meal in some small backalley restaurant and it was really delicious. Throw in some Soju (a Korean liquor) and the experience was complete.  

So if you are going to be reading this blog, you may need some background as to what I am doing and how I got here. The TaLK program (Teach and Learn in Korea) is a Korean run government organization that pays young graduates to teach english to children in the public school systems in Korea. Because English is such a big deal here in the school system, they want to provide young kids more exposure to native english speakers at a young age. The application process involved essays, references, background checks, and an interview with your local Korean consulate. I applied and was accepted for a one-year contract (6 months is also an option) with an option to extend to two years if I so desire. The program consists of a one month orientation where you learn about culture, language, and teaching strategies. For the orientation we are just outside of Seoul at the University of Korean Jochiwon. There are 320 TaLK scholars this year, with most of them being from the US or Canada and then a few from the UK, New Zealand, and Australia. We will be teaching in after-school programs throughout the country, mostly in somewhat rural areas where the children have little experience to the english language.

The entire program is paid for, including housing, a cultural allowance (to visit other areas of Korea), airfare, and a monthly salary. We will each have our own apartments near our schools, and we are free to choose our apartments upon arrival to our teaching locations. We will be paired up with a Korean university student who will help us with our transition and also help with translating during the classes as well. As you can see, the program is pretty well developed and our class is the 7th generation of students, so i'm sure many of the kinks have been worked out. So that's a little bit about the TaLK program. For more info visit www.talk.go.kr. I'm now off to Korean class followed by some much needed gym time. I'll try my best to post one more time tonight. Thanks for reading!