English teacher Craig Markley 'reports' from Seoul

36-year-old Craig Markley, an outgoing guy who's been an English teacher in Seoul for over 3 years, was born and raised in the great city of Chicago, majored in journalism and worked in Los Angeles, California, at a public relations firm where he did hi-tech PR and Microsoft. Then, eventually, when he got bored with his other major job in banking where he worked for one of the largest Beverly Hills banks, he got clued into the opportunity of becoming a teacher in South Korea.

After learning about his interesting background and personality, it's easy to see that Craig is no ordinary teacher here. In 2008, Craig created his YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/craigcmarkley) and has, since then, shared on there his amazing experiences in Korea, interviews with his fun Korean girlfriend Min Jung and has shown he has a selfless goal to help improve the lives of other expats (especially teachers) who come to Korea to have a great time or even build a future here. This is especially true for newcomers!

       Me and Craig at a chicken place in Hongdae, Seoul, in February this year, when I met him in person. -- I ran into one of Craig's videos on YouTube last year and was captivated by his selfless personality, the various topics covered by the videos, and his interesting transparent approach to amateur documentary filmmaking.

Craig's handycam resembles a handgun (hilarious), which allows him to shoot with one hand and point it easily and steadily to wherever he wants to. He just quickly edits his videos on the camera and posts them on his channel, no formalities. What will grab your attention right away is the smart (funny, at times) things he says, the interesting places he goes to, his cross-cultural experience with his Korean girlfriend and Korean friends, and his visible excitement about sharing his adventures with other teachers and newcomers.

Craig reports from the KBS Performing Arts Hall, Seoul, on RENT - The Broadway Tour, September, 2009 (Craig's video I ran into last year):



To me, what Craig has been doing with his YouTube channel is a model to be followed by all the other teachers who come to this fascinating land to teach a foreign language, enrich their lives and the lives of others - sometimes even more than their own.

Craig and I meet for the first time - Hongdae, Seoul, Feb. 2010 (next two videos):
--I also have a YouTube channel:  
www.youtube.com/user/agathamaia1
Nothing compared to Craig's, though :)