In light of the recent foreign teaching debacle where 51 South African foreign teachers were detained in Changchun, China for having the wrong visa, it became clear that choosing to teach abroad can have major effects on your future.
MatieMedia spoke to four South African foreign teachers about their experiences abroad:
Kyle Schlemmert (24) and Lara Grobbelaar (26) – Munsan, South Korea
Both born and bred in Paarl, Schlemmert and Grobbelaar considered a number of alternative options to break away from the South African business environment. After weighing out the pros and cons, foreign teaching seemed to be the best way for them to raise enough capital to start their own business once they returned to South Africa.
“Getting a large salary as a young graduate in South Africa is really tough,” says Schlemmert who worked in marketing for the Shoprite group before heading to South Korea. “We saw teaching abroad as the first step towards building our own career path.”
However, their dreams of travelling and teaching English in South Korea quickly got shattered after they landed overseas.
Kyle Schlemmert (24) visits the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) in South Korea. PHOTO: Lara Grobbelaar
“We were placed at a private academy in Munsan, in the Paju region of South Korea, quite close to the North Korean border,” says Grobbelaar. “Our agent however told us that we would be teaching in Paju which is a lot more developed and lively than the rural Munsan,” Schelmmert adds.
In this small town close to the edge of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Schlemmert says the constant presence of military soldiers was rather intimidating.
“While we were still in South Africa, our agent sent us photos of what looked like a beautiful heritage nature reserve in Paju,” says Grobbelaar. “But it turned out that this wasn’t an accurate representation of the region at all.”
Lara Grobbelaar (26) stands in a food court in South Korea. PHOTO: Kyle Schlemmert
According to Schlemmert and Grobbelaar the agent who placed them at the private academy did not even know the school, the management system, the internal culture or the working environment.
“She made it seem like sunshine and roses, meanwhile she had no idea what was going on,” Schlemmert says. “It was also very difficult for us to know what it would really be like beforehand, because we’ve never been overseas or worked as foreign teachers before. We didn’t know what questions to ask or for which red flags to be on the lookout for.”
Some red flags Schlemmert and Grobbelaar think should be considered before leaving South African ground. GRAPHIC: Jana Wentzel/Infogram
Grobbelaar says it was only when they got to the school when they realised something was wrong. “After we landed in South Korea we had no chance to relax and get to know the environment,” she says.
“We immediately went to the school and after only a short while people told us that the director of the academy has been to jail before. They didn’t want to say why, but it didn’t take too long for us to see she is running a fraudulent company.”
According to Grobbelaar and Schlemmert, they had various encounters with the private academy’s director over fraudulent matters, including a meeting where they refused to pay 1 million Won (R12 805,50) of their salaries to the school as a deposit of their stay.
“This was never stated in our working contracts. They had no right to take our money,” says Grobbelaar. “At the end we won the fight and got to keep our money,” Schlemmert adds. “But they didn’t like the fact that we were correct and soon they started piling work on us. They really tried their best to squeeze everything out of us without compensation.”
Grobbelaar stands in front of a clothing store in South Korea. PHOTO: Kyle Schlemmert
Grobbelaar and Schlemmert both say that the inaccurate payslips each month, the incredibly long working hours and the unhealthy working environment lead to them packing up their bags and leaving South Korea without notifying anyone.
“We never signed a legally binding contract as it was in English,” says Grobbelaar. “And according to the Korean law the only legal documents are ones printed in Korean language.”
Grobbelaar and Schlemmert’s tips for students planning on teaching abroad. GRAPHIC: Jana Wentzel/Infogram
“It was really an emotionally draining time for us,” says Grobbelaar. “We tried our best to cope, but at the end of the day we had to do what is best for our mental and physical health. Lara’s female health was deteriorating and I had already lost 13kg within the first 6 months of our stay there.”
This horrible experience, however, did not put Grobbelaar or Schlemmert off from teaching abroad. “We are definitely going to teach abroad again,” says Grobbelaar. “We recently worked through a great agent and signed new contracts in Shanghai. We are extremely excited and this time we really did our research.”
“We are confident and clear-headed about our decision,” says Schlemmert. “The agent is really great and we look forward to teaching in Shanghai.”
Here is what Grobbelaar and Schlemmert are doing differently this time. GRAPHIC: Jana Wentzel/Infogram
SMALL PHOTO ESSAY: Although the teaching experience was not what Grobbelaar and Schlemmert hoped for, they still managed to have fun while traveling. PHOTOS: Provided
Lisha Kidson (24) and Eulyla Venter (23) – Shanghai, China.
Both born in Pretoria, friends Lisha Kidson (24) and Eulyla Venter (23) graduated from Stellenbosch University (SU) in 2017 and decided to leave South Africa to teach English in Shanghai.
“I’ve never believed that life expects of you to stay in a comfort zone,” says Kidson. “Foreign teaching came as an easy option to get to learn not only more about a different culture, but more about myself as well.”
Both Kidson and Venter teached at training schools when they first got to Shanghai last December, but moved to private kindergarten schools earlier this year where they give one English lesson per day.
“We both knew people in Shanghai before we came over,” says Kidson and Venter. “These friends could answer all our questions and they really helped to make us feel comfortable and at ease,” Venter adds.
Kidson admits that she was rather sceptical of moving to China at first simply because she had a misperception of what it would be like. “I’m very lucky to live in Shanghai. You really cannot compare Shanghai to any other Chinese cities,” she says. “I’ve had the opportunity to travel around China during school holidays, but Shanghai is really the most modern, safe, clean and foreigner-friendly city I’ve been in.”
SU graduate Lisha Kidson (24) has been teaching English in Shanghai since December 2017. PHOTO: Eulyla Kidson
“The experience is really amazing! I would really recommend teaching abroad to anyone, even if you don’t have a degree in education,” says Venter. “The Chinese culture is definitely something to get used to, but Shanghai really feels like home.”
According to Venter, the biggest challenge she had to overcome was finding food that she likes. “I really don’t like the smell or taste of Chinese food,” she says. “At least there are a lot of Western restaurants in Shanghai, I just wish I knew about them sooner!”
SU graduate Eulyla Venter (23) has been teaching English in Shanghai since December 2017. PHOTO: Lisha Kidson
“There is a huge South African expat-base in Shanghai and we organise get-togethers and even braais quite often,” says Kidson. “I’m really having the best time of my life and everything is so much bigger and better than I ever thought it would be.”
According to Kidson the best part of teaching is the fact that the work is so rewarding. ” she says. “Seeing how the Chinese children grasps the English language is so rewarding and the Chinese parents really appreciate us foreign teachers so much,” she says. “I’ve recently signed a new contract, so only time will tell when I’ll be coming home.”
Kidson and Venter’s tips on studying abroad. GRAPHIC: Jana Wentzel/Infogram
If you have any questions about teaching abroad or need more information, guidance or tips, feel free to contact Grobbelaar or Schlemmert: