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When I first got the idea to move to South Korea in 2012, someone in my job at the time asked, “Why would you move halfway across the world to teach English when Mexico is right down the street?” He had a point. Of all countries, why South Korea? Not Japan, but South Korea?! But it didn’t matter; I was already set on moving halfway across the world. And it wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision either. Of course, I needed a passport—my ticket to the world—but I’d already been culturally preparing myself at that point. (My chopstick skills were better than any Korean I’d met.) If done sloppily, moving to a foreign country can be the worst decision of your life. I mean the worst. With this guide from my lived experience, however, the move can be a piece of cake, or what Koreans say, “like eating rice cake lying down.”Your passport must prove you’re from one of the seven official English-speaking countries. By the way, having English as your first language has absolutely nothing to do with teaching skills or the ability to converse well. With that said, teaching ESL in South Korea requires a passport proving your nationality is from South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, the United States of America, or Canada. I don’t think there is any way around that. It was written in all of the teaching contracts at all of the schools I taught at.I recommend sharpening your professional development skills before deciding to teach anything anywhere. In the case of South Korea, an online certification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) or a bachelor’s degree is the minimum for applying for full-time positions. Don’t worry if your major isn’t in direct line with English, education, Asian studies, or any other field you’re sweating bullets about; having a higher education is what matters. It’s most likely the law, just like the passport requirement, but it also shows some skin in the game in terms of knowing how to learn. So, anyone who feels they wasted money on a four-year degree can spend a few years teaching ESL in Asia! I hold a bachelor’s in Communication with a minor in Spanish. (Don’t expect to tener una conversación with me, though.)To double down on professional development, let’s sprinkle in some ways to sharpen your intercultural communication skills:&nbsp;<ul><li>Make friends with international students at your local university. (I recommended frequenting the international studies department.)</li><li>For extra brownie points, get acquainted with language-specific professors and international professors. (One professor who helped me was a Political Science professor from South Korea.)</li><li>Offer them advice on the best places to eat, how to settle into (college/work/marriage) life in your country, etc.</li><li>Better yet, start your own language exchange club at a library. You may earn the title of Cultural Advisor in your neighborhood.</li></ul>No matter which country they’re from, they’ll appreciate your efforts and host you at their dinner parties!Leadership skills will set you free. Let’s be real. Becoming a successful teacher takes getting comfortable speaking in front of people; there is no way around it. Everyone "speaks" nonverbally; even kindergarten ESL students can sniff anxiety from a new teacher. We can all agree that teaching is not an easy job, and being half across the world can magnify the experience tenfold, sending any seasoned teacher on the first flight back to their home country. Leadership skills are crucial in teaching abroad because, technically, you are in their house. Be stern in the beginning, then slowly ease up as the school year progresses. This sets the tone for the classroom, affording you wiggle room to mold yourself into the type of teacher you want to become. Being too nice in the first weeks will lead you in the wrong direction; students will walk all over you and, worse, bring their parents to class to evaluate your teaching practices.This last point goes without saying: Learn basic Korean at the very least! If you’re lucky like I was and have more than enough opportunity to practice your Korean speaking skills before making the big move, your efforts (and new friends) will thank you later. It goes without saying that learning a new language is not only fun, but it enhances cultural competence and shows your peers (classmates, future employers, co-workers) that you’re willing to cast aside your own culture for a while. Even though you’ll be discouraged from using any Korean in your teaching workplace, you’ll be free to speak to whomever you like everywhere else.This list isn’t a comprehensive life guide for living abroad, but a few of the lifestyle tips I practiced before taking the big dive. So what are you waiting for?!

Steps for a smooth transition to teaching ESL in South Korea

Earlier this year, I invested some money in a grant-writing course. At the time, while living in a homeless shelter, I became more and more curious about how local nonprofits keep the lights on. Tulsa has a high number of homeless people, and there are plenty of nonprofits that provide job placement assistance, free groceries, transitional living facilities, donated furniture, mobile showers, and other resources to anyone experiencing or who is two paychecks away from homelessness.<h3>What is a grant?</h3>A grant is a specific type of financial assistance awarded to a certain type of organization. Below are some criteria.<ul><li>The organization must be registered as a 501 (c)(3) (a specific kind of nonprofit exempt from federal income tax, and is normally structured for scientific, educational, charitable, religious, or literary purposes).</li><li>The funds must align with the organization's purpose, meaning an organization can't simply apply for funds to start a fundraising event, then turn around and use the money to buy a forklift for its food bank warehouse.</li><li>The grant application must abide by certain rules, and in some cases, the money can't be used until a later date. Funders lose trust and confidence if shady business practices and irresponsibility arise.</li></ul><h3>Types of grants</h3><ul><li>Government grants are issued federally, state(ly?), and locally for well-established organizations.</li><li>Foundations are for corporations and private companies.</li><li>Small-scale, locally funded grants are given to clubs and chambers of commerce.</li><li>Partnership grants are for umbrella organizations and co-ops.</li></ul>Applying for a grant isn't as easy as just sending an email, fax, or handwritten letter asking for money. It all begins with a Request for Proposal (RFP). This lengthy document is usually posted on an organization's website for easy access, but for some, an applicant has to ask the organization directly to access it. An RFP is a guideline and basis for (1) how to start an application, (2) which sections to include, and (3) any supporting documents you may need. Since all RFP's have a deadline, it's best to start reviewing the guidelines well ahead of the deadline.An RFP also goes by:<ul><li>Request for Application (RFA)</li><li>Notice of Funding Available (NOFA)</li><li>Call for Applications (CFA)</li><li>Letter of Intent (LOI) for the pre-application steps.</li></ul><h3>​Dismantled publishing scene</h3>A nonprofit must put forth much effort to complete a grant application, and it can take weeks or months to gather all of the needed documents. I someday want to help an organization with a literacy grant or book fund to publish a book (or books) by an author who doesn't have the resources to pay for a literary agent. The publishing world is dismantled thanks to social media platforms that have built a stable bridge between authors and readers; literary influencers and authors have less red tape to tear through when it comes to increasing readership and generating a fan base. Still, there are plenty of people who cannot access these platforms due to physical and mental restraints, or they simply don't know they exist.I don’t know much about how nonprofit publishing houses work, but <a data-mce-href="https://www.tiltedaxispress.com/" href="https://www.tiltedaxispress.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tilted Axis Press</a> seems to have a great business model, and I’ve been keeping up with their news over the years. Many of their books sit on my bookshelf at home (as seen in the cover photo of this post).If you had the opportunity to write a grant, which organization would you choose, and for what kind of project?Thanks for reading, reader!

What is a grant? And how it can fund literary ambitions?

Severed hand Thing from Addams Family on dark background. Halloween holiday decoration.

Be honest with me and tell me you search your name on [insert favorite browser here] from time to time. Having an online presence is important for many aspiring writers. Plus, it's smart to make sure the right things are popping up in the search results. Website. Social media. Check. That grainy video from your college years? Not so much. Even worse? Cringey metadata (text that appears under the clickable link) and descriptions.When I searched my name on DuckDuckGo a few weeks back, I was pretty shocked to read my website's metadata read, "Devon Furbush is the Dr. Frankenstein of your manuscript; saving it from unreadability and tedium." This site has an option to generate automatic AI descriptions. I must have missed that when I set everything up. Not only is the description misleading, but downright cringeworthy. And who would call themselves the Dr. Frankenstein of anything? For one, he used stolen body parts to make his monster. In the writing world, that is plagiarism. And not only was he neglectful in stopping his monster from a series of murders, but he also claimed to "know what it feels like to be God." Something I would never ever do. Unlike him, I know the limits of my ambitions (don't ask about my time as a technical translator).So I did what any modern man would do and changed the metadata ASAP. Anyone who calls themself the Dr. Frankenstein of anything should really consider a career change. What about you? Which fictional character would you call yourself? Send me a reply!

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Steps for a smooth transition to teaching ESL in South Korea

What is a grant? And how it can fund literary ambitions?

I am not the Dr. Frankenstein of anything