A love of language

Emily Doehring received her BA in linguistics. After graduating, she pursued a career as an English as a second language teacher in South Korea.

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Just a few months after earning her bachelor’s degree from Illinois, Emily Doehring hopped on a plane and moved to South Korea.

She now works as an English teacher at a small, rural elementary school in Gangwon-do Province through the TaLK Scholarship Program. She assists her homeroom teacher’s English classes and teaches several of her own lessons every week.

"My time at Illinois has been a vital key to my success as a teacher in Korea," she says. "My linguistics major cultivated my knowledge and passion for language, which has enabled me to find creative and effective ways teach my students."

Emily added that her TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) minor gave her valuable insight on how to "create useful and engaging lessons, engage with students, monitor learning, and more." And, the Korean language courses she took have helped her enormously in adapting to Korean culture and in "confidently exploring the country independently."

"Deciding to live and work in Korea seemed scary at first, but looking back I can confidently say that it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’m very happy with the skills I learned at Illinois, and I am looking forward to where my degree and international teaching experience will take me in the future."

Hear from more humanities alumni of the University of Illinois.