COVER LETTER OF APPLICATION To whom it may concern Hi, my name is Joe Higgins. I am 25 years old. In October 2010 I completed a one year contract teaching English in Changwon, South Korea where I worked for Sung Shim Evergreen Kindergarten. While at Sung Shim I taught children aged between 5 and 12. My working day comprised of teaching one hour of classes in the morning and four hours in the afternoon. I really enjoyed my time at this school. Being my first year teaching it took me a while to get used to my job but I feel that by the end of my contract I had developed into a much more competent and confident teacher. I also feel that during the course of the year I came to understand and enjoy Korean culture. Looking back on my year I have many great memories. I wish to return to Korea and improve on my teaching ability as well as learn the language. I feel that teaching English to Koreans is a career in which I wish to pursue both in Korea and in New Zealand. I am looking forward to my next opportunity to return to Korea. Yours Thankfully Joe Higgins. CURRICULUM VITAE (C.V.) JOE HIGGINS ADDRESS: 76 Swamp Road R.D.1. RICHMOND 7081 Nelson New Zealand TELEPHONE: 022 0826748 or 03 544 8384 EMAIL: joeh8384@gmail.com DATE OF BIRTH: 9th of May, 1985. EDUCATION Lincoln University, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, 2009. Southern Institute of Technology, Certificate in Sport Performance specializing in golf, 2003. Waimea College, University Entrance, 2002. TEACHING EXPERIENCE I have one years experience teaching English to children aged between 5 and 12 in Changwon, South Korea. During this time I worked at Sung Shim Evergreen Kindergarten where I worked from 9.30am to 6.00pm. During the mornings I taught the Kindergarten classes. Each morning I would have 1 hour of class time. During this time I would spend 15 minutes in two separate classrooms reading books, playing games and singing songs to the class; which usually consisted of about 12 children. Each morning I also had 30 minutes in the hall with up to four classes joined together. These lessons were much more active. I created lesson plans that incorporated a sporty atmosphere while at the same time teaching the students English. In the afternoon I taught four, 50 minute classes. I had my own room during this time. The children were aged between 6 and 12. My classes started at 2pm and finished at 6pm. For my 2pm class (6-7 year olds) I created my own lesson plans. I tried to make these lessons as fun and interactive as possible. For the next three hours (7-12 year olds) I taught from a DVD and a book that Sung Shim Evergreen Kindergarten supplied. Over the course of the year I developed a reliable lesson structure which the students enjoyed and engaged in. While working at Sung Shim Evergreen Kindergarten I wrote monthly reports for each of my students, did my best to maintain a tidy classroom, interacted with parents on open days, interacted with Korean workmates and most importantly made friends with my students. SKILLS THAT I HAVE OBTAINED WHILE STUDYING WHICH WILL ASSIST ME IN BEING A QUALITY ENGLISH TEACHER. BACHELOR OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE- LINCOLN UNIVERSITY. During my degree in Landscape Architecture I learnt how to design functional, sustainable and culturally inclusive landscapes. For my major design I chose to design an ecological golf course which targeted the development of junior golfers. Within my site I included an education center which was set up to accommodate school field trips. The idea was to bring school classes to the site and teach children about the importance of ecology and recreation. The golf course which I designed was specifically targeted at junior beginner golfers and their development into top quality adult golfers. CERTIFICATE IN SPORT PERFORMANCE SPECIALISING IN GOLF- SOUTHERN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. During my year obtaining a Certificate in Sport Performance I learnt how to play golf to a high standard as well as how to teach golf. Part of the course requirement was to go to local primary schools and teach students the basics of golf, while also insuring they practiced in a safe environment. During the year I got my handicap down to 2 and I won the Coringa Country Club, Club Championship, represented the Coringa Country Club Division 1 side in Canterbury's Woodward Cup and represented the Tasman Senior side. This certificate along with my previous accomplishes in golf helped me obtain a Sports Scholarship to Lincoln University. . EMPLOYMENT HISTORY SUNG SHIM EVERGREEN KINDERGARTEN- KHAN ENGLISH ACADEMIC (Changwon, South Korea), 2009-2010. During my time at Sung Shim Evergreen Kindergarten I taught English to Korean students aged between 5 and 12. NELMAC, LANDSCAPE MAINTENCE (Nelson), 2008 - 2009 While at Nelmac I worked in the Landscape Maintenance Department. The team I was with focused mostly on residential garden maintenance and commercial garden maintenance. While at Nelmac I worked in a team and by myself and interacted with clients in a professional manner. VBASE VENUE MANAGEMENT (Christchurch), 2005 - 2008. Vbase is a company that manages the events at A.M.I Stadium, Westpac Arena, the Christchurch Town Hall and the Christchurch Convention Centre. During my time at Vbase I was part of the Presentation and Set Up Crew that set up events as well as performed customer service tasks. The job involved working as team, following instructions and setting up events within a certain time frame. EVERGREEN LANDSCAPES (Christchurch), 2007 - 2008. Evergreen Landscapes specialize in large scale landscape construction and maintenance work. During my time at Evergreen we planted trees on sub-divisions, did some hard-scape work such as cobble stone paving and did a range of maintenance jobs such as looking after the Selwyn District Council Building which included hand weeding, spraying and pruning. COLONIAL LANDSCAPES (Nelson), 2006 - 2007. Colonial Landscapes specialize in residential design and construction. During my time at Colonial I helped with landscape construction and did a landscape concept design plan which was accepted by the client. OTHER INTERESTS I am extremely fond of spending time outdoors. My second home is the Greenacres Golf Club in which I have been a member since I was 12 years old. During my time at Greenacres I have represented the club at inter-club level for a number of seasons, won the B Grade Club Championship and helped as a volunteer coach after school where I taught children under 15 how to play the game. I have also played rugby since I was 6 years old. I started with Waimea Old Boys and I have since played for the Waimea College first XV, Marist Albion U21 and Div 2 and Waimea Old Boys Div 1. I have also spent many years playing cricket. I have played for the Waimea College first XI and the Waimea Toi Toi Division 1 side. I also have a passion for the outdoors. I regularly go on forest walks and I enjoy fishing. When I was in Korea I really enjoyed going on the many mountain walks on offer. I see myself as a social person who easily makes friends. I believe I am open-minded and I will always listen to somebody's opinion or problem. I believe I am fun to be around and I am always up for a good time. I have been to 5 Big Day Outs in New Zealand and Australia and I went to the Jisan Valley Rock Festival in 2010. I have also seen many rugby and cricket games live and I don't mind going to a bar every now and then. REFEREES SIMON LOW VBASE VENUE MANAGEMENT HOST MANAGER 03 3668899 or 0272207234 JAIME BALDWIN CONLONIAL LANDSCAPES FOREMAN 03 541 8940 or 021 420 207 MIKE BARTHELMEH LINCOLN UNIVERSITY LECTURER barthelm@lincoln.ac.nz