Late in the afternoon John Bacon’s students begin to get aggravated with their English teacher. But their teacher is quick to remind them that if they have a bad attitude it’s not going to be a fun class.

“Most of the days are good,” Bacon said. “The kids can be frustrating sometimes but I’m frustrating to them and we try to work around that,” he said.

The children leave at 6pm and Bacon heads home to drop off some belongings. His love for Korean food has caused him to cook less in his new home country so he opts for his favorite restaurant. While it might remind him of a good old-fashioned U.S. diner, the menu is quite different and less expensive.

“Dinners are incredibly cheap and you get a lot of food. Ill get a bowl of bibimbap, which means mixed rice with vegetables and spicy sauce, and then they’ll bring up some miso soup and some side dishes with that, for about 4,000 won which is only $3.80,” Bacon said. “So I eat out… a lot.”

Bacon seems to live the life of a young average American, and yet he is living abroad in Korea teaching young children English.

“Originally the very first reason [I left for Korea] was that I was having a lot of difficulty finding employment fresh out of college,” Bacon said.

Like many graduates, Bacon was faced with rising unemployment rates which left him jobless and forced him to find other sources of income. That search ultimately led him to teach English as a second language overseas.

“At first I was intimidated about teaching ESL but the more I read on it the more interested I got and the offer sold me,” Bacon said.

And more recent graduates are going the same route. The opportunity to live abroad, study a new culture, and most importantly make money is attracting more recent grads. The Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Institute is a school that helps young adults to get certified to teach and find a job abroad.

Established just five years ago, the TEFL Institute vows to take English worldwide. The program certifies adults to teach English abroad in foreign countries.  Through online and on campus classes, the institute certifies 1500 students yearly and has over 25 locations all over the world, with their Chicago location as its headquarters. (more…)