Please briefly introduce yourself

Hello!

My name is Cherin, and I am studying Global Business Management at Coventry University, United Kingdom.

I am currently taking part in international exchange at Hallym University. 

I was born in Barcelona, Spain, but I grew up in London, UK. 

I like to play football and I am part of the AFC Leyton Female football club, I can say I am a very active person, I like sports in general and with an active life comes eating as a hobby, so I consider myself a 'foodie.' 

What made you apply to be a HID tutor?

I applied to be a HID tutor because I love helping others, especially with language barriers. As I mentioned I was born in Spain, so my first language is Spanish.

It was quite difficult for me to build my confidence speaking in English when I first moved to the UK.

Helping other students overcome that barrier as well as building their confidence when expressing themselves in another language is something I wanted to be a part of.

To me it was also a great opportunity to experience working with students from a different culture and to make new friends.

Please describe the application and interview process to exchange students who may be interested in applying for the role in the future.

The application process and the interview were straight forward. 

In the HID induction Mr Thomas Baek, who is the Master Professor and responsible for conducting the HID tutor interviews spoke about the process.

He explained to us one of the key requisites to be selected as a tutor is: Availability.

Tutors are expected to be free for 2 hours in the evenings either Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday to conduct the seminar, and 2 hours during the week to attend one of their (the professors) lectures.

For example, my seminars are every Wednesday at 8 to 10 pm (the students and I decided the time/day on our first lecture), which you will have to attend once a week and help students interact in English. 

During the lectures you will also gather an idea of the kind of presentations they will have to do as a group, and as a tutor you will have to help them develop them and help them with their presentation skills.

After the HID induction, you will be given one day to apply and choose one of the interview slots available.

The interview is no longer than 5 minutes. The interview is to know more about yourself, and why you think you will be a suitable tutor, so my advice is be yourself and show a positive attitude.

A few days later, you will receive an email informing you if you have been successful or not, if successful, you will also know when your first lecture time will be (time/date and place) and this is when you will meet your students for the first time. 

You will also be invited to a HID tutor induction in which more detailed information about the role will be given to each tutor, and you also can ask any questions you might have.

What has been the most rewarding aspect to your HID tutoring role so far?

The most rewarding part of being a tutor is the relationship you build with your students and the satisfaction to be able to learn from them, as well as they learn from you.

It is a great experience helping other students overcome their language barriers and build their confidence when using English.

It is also fun, as every week you can play games to help student interact with each other, while you learn new things about Korean students and their culture.

What has been the most challenging aspect to your HID tutoring role so far?

In my opinion, there is not much challenge as a tutor if you prepare yourself ahead the seminars and keep yourself up to date and in communication with your students. 

There will be days where students are keener on participating than others, but it is all about keeping a great energy and genuinely wanting to help them by building positive group environment. It's a key element for them to enjoy the seminars.

How has your HID tutoring improved you as an individual/what skills have you learned/improved upon?

So far being a tutor has helped me greatly improve my social skills, I feel shy around new people and this experience has encouraged me to come out of myself and make new friends. 

As I must help students with presentations, and research, I have improved my own presentation skills, and discovered new ways to do research on topics and structure the information. 

It has also greatly impacted my exchange student experience, balancing my own studies and the tutoring job role, have increased my motivation as a student as I developed a stronger sense of responsibility and organization.

More information about Hallym exchange can be found here by downloading the 'exchange pack'.