I would like to underline three personal qualities that an ideal candidate might need: a love of languages, an adventurous spirit, and a commitment to lifelong teaching and learning.
Language learning has defined my life. From taking my Latin GCSE a year early, to gaining B2 in Spanish within 6 months and moving to Italy (wherein my last romantic relationship was in Italian), language learning has seeped into all areas of my life. Furthermore, my learning style is highly independent, which means I have honed my teaching skills alongside my core language abilities. For instance, I have spent the last year working in French, writing grant applications and managing our organisation’s finances. This necessitated continuous learning of financial vocabulary and adapting it to long-term memory. I am now studying for my Level 5 TEFL, which I aim to complete in November. As language learning is part of my identity, I believe that I have the passion and deep understanding of language components to transmit this passion to students.
Alongside this, I consider myself to be highly adventurous. This curiosity and open-heartedness should engender trust and strong bonds with students – and help me integrate well in Korea. To date, I have lived in Newcastle, Cambridge, Nice, Oléron (an island off Western France), London, Turin, and Calais. Whilst working with healf and as a Research Assistant, I was volunteering or travelling in Morocco, Poland, Ukraine, the West Bank, and France, before spending two months in Mexico. I love to live with an open mind, humility, and an exploratory mindset – essential traits for learning, and teaching, a language. I hope to bring this energy and openness to your students.
Finally, I have incorporated lifelong learning and teaching into my identity. I play multiple sports, pick up hobbies regularly (including skateboarding), and have taken on numerous jobs: from localisation to customer service, finances to public relations. My curiosity and ability to learn rapidly are core parts of my identity. Crucially, I believe that I can teach people how to understand their own learning style and make the most of it, due to my own understanding of how I work.
Furthermore, I teach languages on a casual basis. As an English native that speaks the language of the host country, I find that many people feel safe to practice their English and revert to their own language for any technical parts of the conversation. I have also done the same in Calais, teaching French and Italian to my English-speaking colleagues. Whilst this may not be the case in Korea, I am nevertheless used to coaxing the best out of people on a one-on-one basis as well as in groups.
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