Things You Need to Know while Staying and Teaching English in South Korea

More and more every year South Korea is gaining international recognition, be it for award-winning films, record-breaking pop idol groups, or its delicious food. With their high rate of cultural exportation, it’s easy to see why Korea is such a significant player in today’s global scene. Not too long ago South Korea was one of the poorest nations in the world, today it is an economic powerhouse, an important political actor, and one of the most popular destinations to teach English abroad.

If you speak to most Koreans, they will tell you that Korea is not a big country and it lacks many natural resources compared to more powerful and economically advantaged nations in the region. However, one thing Korea does have is its people. Korea focuses heavily on investing in its human capital in order to be a great nation. Naturally, education is incredibly important in Korea and the education industry is steadily growing, especially the ESL industry. Now let’s look at some expectations while staying and teaching English in South Korea

The Korean Education System

Perhaps the number one thing people don’t realize before coming to Korea is that the education system is not going to be the same as in your home country. In fact, many new teachers may come to South Korea and find what they perceive to be flaws that they’d like to change.

You should come to Korea understanding that it is a different country and the way your country does things is not inherently better. And no, you are not going to convince the higher-ups to change the system to a way that you think is better!

Education is intense in South Korea and from a young age the majority of students attend multiple schools and spend most of their time every day focusing on education.

In Korea, kids start their education at kindergarten (from ages 3-6) and around the age of 7 or 8 students start elementary school. Most students will attend at least one after-school private academy, also known as a “hagwon,” with English being the most popular subject studied. It is not unusual for some kids to attend several different hagwons every day and arrive home late into the evening!

How to Help Your Students

Being a student learning English in Korea is not easy, but the time they spend in an ESL classroom can often be an escape from their normal, intense routine. Most hagwons and the public schools in Korea are beginning to institute more interactive teaching methods in ESL classrooms that allow for more engaging and exciting learning environments.

Traditionally, English learning in South Korea had been focused on memorization and surface-level understanding of the language. While these methods proved effective for students in Korea to pass English examinations with soaring marks, it did not create an environment conducive for real comprehension and fluency. Now, more and more schools are bringing fun into the ESL classroom, using activities and games to help students learn English. They are also focusing more on practical conversational skills and student confidence.

As an ESL teacher, you can be the fun teacher that your students can feel relaxed and comfortable with. When I was teaching I always focused on building up my students, helping them to gain confidence in themselves so that they could feel comfortable speaking English even when they had a low skill level. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of Korean education, I tried to focus on what I could do with my students each class to let them have at least one fun and enjoyable class of the day.