Preparing for your Journey Teaching English in Korea

Update 1 (Feb 25, 2011): Hey everyone! Hope all is well! I just read one of the most helpful ways to learn Korean is through 90 Day Korean. This program helps you get the basics before you arrive!



I can't stress how valuable it is to know some basic Korean, as it's one way to make life so much easier. Click here to learn more about 90 Day Korean.

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Hey everyone! Hope all is well. Things have been busy back here in Canada. Life after teaching English in Korea is quite different. You start to recognize all things Korean in Vancouver and when you do see something you get this "wait a minute...I know you" feeling!

A lot of people have been emailing me about where to find a job in Korea, how to prepare yourself, etc. Well, for starters the immigration process in Korea has toughened up immensely over the past 2 years.

Just to reiterate, you will be required most of the time to...

- Have an undergraduate degree from a university
- Be a native English speaker, preferably from the USA, Canada, Australia, Europe, etc...
- Have no drugs in your system
- Have a clean criminal record
- Be interviewed at the closest Korean Consulate at your expense

If you have met the above criteria, you are sitting pretty. Most of the time, experience with children or teaching is a valuable asset. Also, if you have a TEFL certificate or equivalent, that will increase your chances immensely in impressing those picky Korean English Academy directors!

Below is a highly recommended online TEFL course being offered by i to i, and comes recommended by many across the globe.

i-to-i is a world leader in TEFL courses and TEFL jobs abroad. In the past 12 months alone i-to-i has trained 15,000 people to Teach English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and assisted them in finding jobs across the globe and have also picked up a clutch of prestigious awards and nominations.

Get the advantage you need when you're applying for jobs to teach in Korea! Click below for a free trial:

Also, when you're sending in your resume and picture, make sure you look clean cut and not like a bum! In Korea, looks are everything, and this is especially important when it comes to landing that job overseas.

PS - Don't forget to read up on my Teaching English in Korea FAQ!

PPS - Now that you're armed with knowledge, get out there and start applying today!!!

PPPS - Already in Korea? Then you need this translated menu from one of the most popular Korean restaurants, Kimbap Nara.

Getting Married in Dubai

Hello everyone! Yes, I am still alive and kicking. Apologies for the lack of updates but life has been just so busy ya know? Anyways before we get started just wanted to say a big MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR to all those people out there still reading this blog! Thanks for checking up on my updates and commenting. I hope everyone has been able to spend the holidays with their family and friends.

As for us, we have been spending the past couple of weeks again in the UAE! As most of you know we got engaged last year and just over two weeks ago we tied the knot in Dubai! It was a very small wedding on the beach, right outside the Burj Al Arab hotel and Madinat Al Saqr. It was pretty nice to be in the sun and out of the snow and cold that people back home have been "enjoying" to say the least. ;)

Here's a pic of our view from the Madinat Al Qasr:


Here's a pic of Dubai from the top of the Burj Al Arab, where we had brunch the following day. Can you see the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai (which funny enough is being built by Samsung Corp!):


As you can probably tell, we are having a blast right now. The food at the Burj Al Arab brunch was downright incredible! A massive buffet that includes such a massive array of food that it was impossible for yours truly to even taste it all! I'm not joking! I tried taking a pic of every plate but I couldn't do it anymore to my body.

The seafood selection was pretty awesome though. Lobster, king crab legs, shrimp, mussels, clams, oysters, and even caviar! There was a dude there who's job was only to spoon caviar on your plate--hilarious. Also, there was a foie gras station as well. Buddy would take your order then freshly pan sear a slab of foie gras for you. Talk about massive calorie intake right? Come on, that's what you do when you go on holidays!

Here are a few pics of what I had to eat:






On top of getting hitched in Dubai, we just got back from our honeymoon in the Seychelles. Yes, life is pretty difficult right now as you can see. Until next time!! ;)

I Bought a New MacBook!

Hey folks! Yes, I am still alive and well. Things have been busy at home so I haven't had much time to update the blog. But I recently did something very significant in terms of updating my computer collection: I bought a Mac!

I was waiting patiently for Apple to update their MacBook line up and I'm glad I did. I ended up picking up a 13" aluminum base model and I've been loving it! Using OS X was a bit weird at first, but I quickly picked up the differences after using Windows for the past 15 years!

I am happy to say that I will never have to format and reinstall XP ever again. What a great feeling to be liberated from the grips of Microsoft. It's really unfortunate that I never did get the chance to experience the wonderful upgrade in Vista. /sarcasm

Anyways, here is a pic for your enjoyment. If you have any applications you can recommend or good sites to visit, let me know! Until then, I'm happily enjoying my new MacBook to go along with my iPhone 3G. Does this qualify me as an Apple fan boy yet? ;)

Blog World Expo 2008 Contest Entry Take 2

For those who have been following my blog still, you may remember my previous contest entry to win a full pass to the 2008 Blog World Expo from the notorious panda killer, John Chow. Well, unfortunately I didn't hit the jackpot that time, but here we go again. Enter Blog World Expo 2008 contest entry, take 2!

Zac Johnson is going to part of probably going to complete one of the most EPIC panels ever at Blog World Expo 2008. You're not going to find a bigger star-studded line up of bloggers and marketers then the likes of John Chow, Jim Kukral, Darren Rowse, Jeremy Schoemaker, and Brian Clark. These guys can afford lots of luxury goods I tell ya!

Why Do I Want to Attend Blog World Expo in Las Vegas?

I want to attend the Expo for a variety of reasons. Attending the Blog World Expo will allow me to meet so many of these influential bloggers and marketers whose advice I've been following all this time. It's through the help of people such as Zac Johnson, John Chow, Darren Rowse, and Shoemoney that have helped inspire my blogging aspirations. Their models for positive success has helped me achieve my own through my other blog, iPhoneinCanada.ca!

Moreover, I have already booked my flight/hotel to the Expo and I am excited to visit Las Vegas for the first time. I managed to book an Exhibit-only pass at Blog World. If I won this full conference pass it would definitely be the icing on the cake!

Winning this pass would enable me to witness history in the making by listening to some of my online mentors speak about what they love to do best! I'm also looking forward to meeting the Unique Blog Designs crew that helped design my iPhone blog too!

Hopefully this entry explains why I want to attend the Blog World Expo 2008. Looking forward to seeing you all in Vegas, thanks for the contest, Zac!

Food Consumed During the Summer (Goodbye Summer!)

Helloooooo everybody! No, this isn't your eyes playing a sick joke on you, it really is Gdog coming at you with a blog update! How lucky (or unlucky) for you! Well, the summer has come and gone and it's been a busy one. I've been very busy with my iPhone blog and enjoying my first summer summer off as a teacher (it's going to be extremely difficult to wake up early again). 

Anyways, aside from relaxing everyday and riding my bike around town, I've eaten a whole variety of different food here in Vancouver. You can eat any cuisine as the choice are just endless. I'm going to stop with the rant and jump right to the pictures!

BBQ salmon on a cedar plank:

BBQ Duck Noodles at Congee Noodle House on Broadway/Main:

Beef and black been sauce on rice noodles at McKim's Noodle house in Richmond:

Cedar plank salmon with chips and guacamole:

Fresh fruit salad (Yes, I made this) with fresh black plums, lychees, raspberries, cherries, green seedless grapes:

Fresh steamed mussels on the patio at Granville Island:

Some breakfast action at IHOP...look at those pancakes baby!!

Beef flank noodles with beef tripe...MMMmmm....mom's special recipe:

Chicken Shawarma plate...there was so much food here I could barely finish it:

The best egg benedict in Vancouver at Cafe Zen on Yew St:

BULGOGI downtown on Robson St (there's a mini Korea-town strip there):

Homemade lasagna with meat sauce:

Clubhouse sandwich with double the bacon...yes, that is a jar of Miracle Whip!

So there you have it, that's just a small sample of the food I've enjoyed eating this summer. The cherry season was cut short due to weather that affected the crop, which resulted in higher than average prices. These local cherries from the Okanagan are the highlight of my summers!

On a side note, I've been having some fun shooting photos with my Canon digital SLR and recently photographed my first wedding with my uncle. It was a great experience and you can check out our gallery here.

OH, by the way, I've been getting emails about teaching in Korea from lots of ya. Sorry if I haven't responded, just email me again. Anyways, if you haven't already, be sure to check out my Teaching English in Korea FAQ to help you answer some questions. Good luck and talk soon!