Pay day bonus

Pay day and I've finally got all of the bonus which was due two months ago. I'm crossing my fingers that the currency won't tank over the next twenty four hours because I want to send home a little bit of money just in case the value does goes down over the next few weeks and months. Please be nice North Korea!

Maybe the best part about working in Korea

Twelve months have just flown by again. There are many high points that you go through as an ESL teacher in Korea and one of the best is today, pay day. Not just any old pay day but the end of contract bonus. Yes today is very satisfying. After completing your contract you get paid an extra months wage and there are other tops ups to that make it a big payslip.

Although I am not leaving Korea for some seven months, my academy has already paid me the money for my airfare home. It will be less hassle to book it with my wife than for my company to book a ticket for her. On top of the airfare (1million won - approx £550) I have got paid all the days vacation that I didn't get. A lot of academies don't work that way so I'm lucky. Yes working in Korea has many benefits but you can't deny that for almost everyone here the reason for coming is money.

Hitting an ESL brick wall

Because of exam time in schools I managed to get one break at work yesterday. I decided not to waste all of my time so prepared some stuff that I'd have to do at a later date. I was making questions for my classes when I temporarily hit a wall.

In over four years of doing this job I've asked many questions with depressingly predictable answers for the most part, certainly there has been little variation in responses. Every week I prepare questions for my three levels of students for listening classes. This is almost the same as when I was teaching reading. The questions check comprehension and then go on to discussion (if possible).

Now I find myself running out of new questions. Yes, the students change but there is a rotation of questions that I can choose from given the material I am working with. I try to be creative but I am as tired of hearing the same tired replies as I am of asking the same things. In short, I am restricted by the levels I teach. However, I have no wish to teach a higher level. The problem then is mine.

Is running out of questions even a possibility? Is there some failing on my part? Variables change but something is remaining constant, me. Who, what, where, when and why. Now five of my least favourite words in English. I am temporarily frustrated by the repetition. It's pay day so I am sure this phase will pass.