Interview with Our Native Teachers: Altiora Pangram Wirye
Native Teachers Self Q&A: Ms. Kayleigh & Mr. Thomas Altiora Pangram Wirye 1. Can you introduce yourself? Hi! My name is Kayleigh, and I'm a native headteacher at Altiora Pangram Wirye, and I've worked here for 3 years. Hello, I'm Thomas, and I'm a homeroom teacher for the 6-year-old Viento class at Altiora Pangram Wirye. 2. What types of resources and materials are provided to the teachers? They provide us with a laptop, stamps, and all the necessary teaching materials, which makes it easy to deliver lessons. 3. What reporting systems are the teachers responsible for, and how frequently do they report? Altiora headquarters sends a monthly report form, which both native teachers and subject teachers need to check. Every two months, we also write overall comments about the children. 4. How would you describe the overall culture and atmosphere at this school? Overall, communication with my co-teachers is smooth, and we have a weekly teacher meeting where we can freely discuss various topics. 5. Can you describe the facilities at the school? Here at Altiora Pangram Wirye, there’s a gym used for special occasions as well as PE. There’s also a library filled with interesting books, and a rooftop on the 12th floor. I really appreciate how spacious it is, and there are many classrooms and amenities. 6. Do the foreign staff members support and spend time together outside of the school? To be honest, all the teachers support and help each other as much as possible. And from time to time teachers will get together outside of work. 7. How do you assist foreign teachers in adjusting to the school system and Korean work culture? Foreign teachers help new foreign teachers adjust via a “big sister, little sister” program where the new teacher follows a veteran teacher and is able to ask them for help whenever they need it. The foreign teachers lean on each other a lot and frequently help each other both in and out of work. 8. How do you and the Korean staff help support new teachers at the school? Similar to the foreign staff, the Korean staff are always offering to help new teachers. We sit and work at a long table during breaks, so if there are any questions, both the Korean and foreign teachers are available for help. 9. Does the school help the teachers with things outside of school? (i.e., banking, hospitals, etc.) The school is very helpful with things outside of school-especially for teachers who have never lived in Korea. Administration helps new teachers set up appointments at immigration and directs them to hospitals if they need it. They also help new teachers set up a bank account if they do not already have one in Korea. 10. What can teachers expect in terms of workload, work-life balance, and support? When it comes to work-life balance, it's a big change for me. I worked 9-5 at my old job and had time to work out, cook dinner, and spend time with my friends. With the change to 9-6, I have to meal prep, and I can really only spend time with my friends on the weekends. It's not ideal, but it could be worse. Whenever I need help with classes, my co-workers are always supportive and help me as much as possible. Sometimes we're too busy helping each other, and other times groups of us can help each other. 11. What kind of training or onboarding did you receive as you first started as a teacher at Altiora Pangram Wirye? The training here was great! The classes are easy for kids to understand, and teaching them is a great experience. Some classes may feel repetitive, but they can be used for other purposes, such as catching up on missed lessons or doing group readings. I was able to grasp all the classes I taught within a week. Occasionally, you might be assigned to a class you haven't taught before, but the lessons are very self-explanatory.
