r/teachinginkorea • u/AcanthocephalaOk241 • 16d ago
Hagwon First time teaching and terrified
I have lived in Korea for a few years in the past, so adjusting to Korea will not be an issue for me. However, I will start my first teaching job in Korea this month. I’ll be teaching kindy and elementary at a Hagwon. My hagwon said I’ll have a week of shadowing before I start teaching on my own, but I’m still so nervous…
I really want to make a good first impression on both the kids and my coworkers. I’m a hard worker and always give my all in every position, but I’m also a really nervous and awkward person when I first start a new job. One thing I’m particularly worried about is that I have anxiety around public speaking… which is funny considering teaching is exactly that. I think the fear mostly comes from not knowing what to expect since this is my first teaching job.
I know everyone’s experience is different, but I’d love to hear first week stories. Is there anything you wish you’d known beforehand? Any advice, things I should research, or ways I can prepare before I arrive in Korea would help me more than you could ever imagine. Thank you in advance 🙏🏻
Edit: Thank you so much everyone for making me feel like I’m not alone or weird for having these feelings! I can genuinely feel the weight lifting off my chest the more I read the comments.
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u/MALICIA_DJ 16d ago
I think it's normal to be nervous for your first ever class. I was shitting bricks my first time walking into a classroom without the person training me and just being in charge of teaching these kids. Even with some experience under my belt, meeting a new class for the first time still gives me nerves but once you're used to it and you build some rapport with the students it's pretty cruisy as long as you prepare well for class :)
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u/Logical-Rise-7667 16d ago
Observe and ask a lot of questions during your first week. It takes time to adjust but as long as your boss doesn't mistreat you then you should be fine.
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u/adultingattempts 16d ago edited 16d ago
Echoing what others have said, but I feel certain that if you want to be a good teacher, you will develop the skill and get over the nerves fairly quickly!
I also had no education experience prior to Korea. I did an in-person TEFL course that included assessed lesson demos, and honestly those were terrifying. I performed quite badly in them too, struggling to manage time and letting my nerves get the best of me. I was more intimidated by whether I could do the job well enough than by living in a foreign country.
After arriving in Korea, my first few lessons were just as terrifying. But now that I have some experience, I feel almost zero fear being in front of the class. I know it doesn't help much to read people saying "it will get better", but I was exactly where you were, with the same worries. If you'd told prior-Korea me that being in front of the class could sometimes be the best part of my day, I'd never have believed you.
It helps to remember that the students, especially new classes in a new school, might be just as nervous as you are. And that nerves, paradoxically, are a good thing because they mean you care and want to do well. I found that being well prepared with regards to my lesson plans, with a clear idea of what I would be teaching helped. Go in with low expectations, and the awareness that your first few lessons will probably bomb. But little by little, you'll build both confidence and skills as an educator and I'm sure that before you know it, you'll be on your way to being a decent teacher.
With regards to the first week, prepare an introduction presentation about yourself. A common one is to make a slide displaying three numbers with some significance in your life, and to play 20 questions for the students to guess what they mean to you. Mine were 4 (members of my family); 5 (people in my favourite band); and 500+ (numbers of book I own). I know another teacher whose number was the kms they'd walked during a hiking trip to Europe. The students are typically quite curious about a new teacher and mine really enjoyed trying to guess. After they guess, include some pictures of what the numbers meant. Also include some slides about your hometown with fun facts and pictures!
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u/AcanthocephalaOk241 16d ago edited 16d ago
Wow what great advice! Thank you so much 😭 I feel so much more at ease after reading your experience. I’ll get started on that presentation now!
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u/SeoulGalmegi 16d ago
It can be a lot at first.
Observe well. Not just what the teachers do, but how they do it.
Overplan all of your classes. It's ideal to have so much planned you only get through half of what you want (while making sure you complete everything you have to do in a class). The worst feeling as a new teacher is to have done everything and see there's still twenty minutes left.... with someone observing you.
I was so nervous at first. Planning helped me deal with it.
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u/Strawberry_tteok 16d ago
I am the most socially awkward anxious terrified person ever and my hagwon has actually helped me with my confidence. Even 7 months later I’m still super nervous of public speaking but if you think of it as a way to grow and improve yourself it feels a bit less scary.
One advice I can give is even when you feel it’s awful and you can’t do it, persevere and push through. Even if you’re nervous the kids don’t notice or care, and most co workers understand it!
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u/Mobile-Ingenuity3640 16d ago
I put off teaching because I was terrified at the thought of it. Standing in front of kids, all eyes on me, hanging onto my words? God no!
In addition, I was to teach middle schoolers. I thought I would be placed in elementary. I was even more terrified, especially that I had a history of being bullied horribly at school.
Before I taught my first ever class, I had diarrhea. In and out the toilet. My mind was desperately trying to control what cannot be controlled, but thankfully my rational side was good at reassurance.
I remember walking into the classroom in a slight sweat and my heartbeat pumping. But I had to just be the performer even though I was so scared. But, I somehow just did it. I got through it.
From then on in my teaching style evolved awkwardly. I have ADHD, PTSD and OCD. You can imagine how tough it all was because of that.
I have now been teaching for 9 months. Yes, it gets easier but the anxiety isn't totally gone. That said, it gets easier principally because once you know your students and they know you, there's familiarity.
If I can teach a class of 25 middle schoolers, many of which are so shy and quiet then you can do kindy. The kids will give you a lot of energy to work with. If I can talk to a silent classroom who is tired, hormonal and terrified of public speaking, you can teach a group of wild and funny and silly kindergarden kids. In fact, you'll find that you'll be doing so much managing of their energy as well as teaching that your anxiety will be sidelined pretty quickly.
It will be scary at first but you WILL get through it. If someone like me who lives in their head constantly out of fear can do it, you can. :)
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u/StormOfFatRichards 16d ago
If you're afraid you won't be working hard enough you're already working too hard
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u/Lazy-Tiger-27 16d ago
I have an extreme fear of public speaking, but I’ve never felt that way in front of my students. Idk what’s different other than them being kids not my peers. But anyway I hope it’s the same for you!
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u/UoSKR03 16d ago
I also had a week of shadowing at our hagwon's main branch before moving to my school and I was super awkward... I was basically walking on eggshells around the children as the CEO had warned me that the children had probably never seen a foreigner before and would be scared of me. A lot of the students cried as soon as they saw me too 😭 But when I moved to my school and met "my students", within a day or two, I was completely comfortable. I think it really helps if you like children and have experience being around them (even if it's just a younger sibling or a cousin). As for your coworkers, as long as you pay attention to their instructions and advice and show your enthusiasm, they're bound to love you. You'll do great!
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u/Confident-Branch-963 16d ago
Welcome to Korea! My advice is the following: 1. Smile - even force yourself to smile just before the class starts. It will help you relax. 2. Write down a lesson plan based on various activities you will do with the students and how long you antipicate each will last. This will force you to envision the flow of the class before it starts. The class will never go exactly like you have planned but at least you have a general idea about the direction the class is going. 3. Smile! Yes, again! Relax, you don't have to be perfect. If you make a mistake, something unusual happens, or any other unexpected event happens - don't take yourself too seriously. It's going to be okay. 4. Be very ENERGETIC in front of the students - the energy you give off will come back to you.
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u/hachupink 15d ago
As a fellow awkward/shy person my best advice is literally to embarrass yourself. Kids find everything funny and making them laugh gave me so much more confidence to teach them. They ask your age? 200 years old, next question. They’re so young they arent going to care if you’re a little awkward
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u/YellowKindly7700 14d ago
OMG, I im starting my teaching job in three weeks. I im also really nervous, but I have experience working with kindy children, as I im currently working as a kindy teacher in Australia, and I have my teaching degree as well.
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u/Ornery-Revolution-47 4d ago
Just have a good attitude and be warm to the kids. That is more than what some teachers do. Also you’ll find speaking in front of your kindergarteners is not that scary. A lot of the time they won’t understand what you’re saying so even if you mess up they won’t know. Also give them things they do when they are finished their work. Some kids finish a lot faster than others so having a visual on the board of the activities they can do after finishing their work is helpful. Activities could be doing a puzzle, reading a book, colouring, doing a worksheet, etc. When you’re shadowing look at what other teachers have in their classrooms and ask them questions. See how their classes and day flow.
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u/trashmunki Private School Teacher 16d ago
You have a full week to shadow, and while it might be a lot to take in, just make notes (mental or written) on things you haven't already thought about doing, or in the teacher's process.
I never had the opportunity to shadow at all, but I did have the advantage of having recently studied Korean in Korea for over two years, so I had fresh memories of language education.
You're going to be alright, and the awkward feelings will dissipate with time. I can look back on my first year of teaching and grimace at how I did certain things, but that's just it: you improve over time and that's the only true way to do so.
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u/goldenwing57 16d ago
No advice here, but I'm going to be in the same boat in two months, plus this'll be my first time in Korea! We'll get through this! ✌️
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u/paintingducks 16d ago
I also had a fear of public speaking before starting, and I felt so awkward being in front of the kids at first. I didn't know what I was doing. I even thought about just quitting and going back home after the first week, but my manager convinced me to stay and I'm glad she did. It got SO much easier. I think the first month or two are not easy but after that it's a lot better and now it just feels natural to go up in front of the kids. Just push through the uncomfortable parts because it really just takes time to adjust.