Gyeonggi English Village(EFL goes to ESL)

Like you know, when we decided to bring Gina (my precious!!) to Korea,

I have to stop working in retail where I have worked for more than 10 years.
I strongly want to get a job in retail in Korea, too.

But soon I realized, I can not get into retail in Korea because I can not speak korean as a Korean.

To me, the English teaching job is the nearest. So, here I am teaching English in Korea.

I still want to go back to the retail job again soon.

Anyway, sometimes I am still surprised at Korea's passion for education.
I think Korea's passion for education finally passes on to their kids.

There is a place called the English Village in Korea.

This is what wikipedia says about the English Village.

English Villages in South Korea provide a short-term immersion in the English experience in a live-in environment where only English is spoken. This is intended to promote English learning and to build students' Anglo-American cultural awareness.

The first English Village was opened in August 2004 in Ansan , Gyeonggi-do province. Additional English Villages have been planned in both Gyeonggi-do and Seoul.

English Villages employ a mixture of foreign native speakers of English and fluent English-speaking Korean staff. They are intended to help students face the particular challenges of speaking English in the Korean context. Many families seek to improve their children's English ability by sending them to study abroad in English-speaking countries. This results in a substantial amount of money leaving the country. The English Villages are intended to reduce this loss, and make the immersion experience accessible to students from low-income families as well. However, many questions remain whether the English Villages will be cost-effective.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Village

Now there are villages around in Korea.
As an English teacher in here, I always want to visit.

Okay, let's take a look around.

Called the English Village, this means that everything is in English.

I mean, you speak only English here. If not, you have to go to jail :-)

I really mean it. After serving the jail term, you have to go to court...and pay the fine.

Even this process is also in English.

Let's go!

A lady in the ticket office smiles at the camera.

Where do you want to go?

Blocks of stones near the entrance. Maybe these mean something.

But I do not know what.

Entrance fee: Adult 2 USD, Kid 1 USD

The Main street.

Um, I feel like using Englsh. I mean the exotic scene doesn't look like korean.

If you can not speak English, you have to miss your meals. :-(

But people eat something anyway.

That is the spirit!

This one is actually working.

The Central Park before the Residents Area.

The Residents Area. Nice for strolling.

They have a bunch of restaurants and cafes.

If you can speak English, you can survive here.

One report says Korea's tutoring market is more than 24B USD.

The English tutoring market is 12B USD.

Among the English market, the share of the elementary is 1.5B USD.

Also for someone who teaches English in Korea, I feel it is a huge business.

If you are interested in teaching English, watch the Korean market.

In Korea, EFL (English as a Foreigh Language) goes to ESL (English as a Second Language)