English Language Teaching in Korea

With my B.A. in Anthropology I went and taught English in South Korea and
ended up staying for a second year.  My students were children the first
year (adorable and frustrating at times--typical children), and my
classes at the adult private institute the second year consisted of
business people and college students.

I was supposedly going to be trained, but ended up being thrown into
classes and having to pick the brains of the teachers around me.
Private institutes are big money in Korea and so you have owner/money
sharks along side genuinely kind teachers, which means that you have to
be careful where you teach.  It can be a good experience, or you can get
a bum deal and end up not even getting paid for the work you do!  Check
out the schools on the Korea Gray List if you are interested in teaching
there.  I was at a decent school, not without its share of problems, but
the experience and the students made it all worthwhile.

One very big cultural difference is that in Korea a contract is a "work
in progress" whereas in America it's considered "set in stone," so you
really do go by the verbal agreements and the boss' word.  There are a
few bad apples that make it harder for everyone, but there are also some
very honest and deeply kind people, so just check out the school before
you sign a contract.  The contracts are binding because they get you the
work visa, and a work visa is only good for that particular school.  If
you quit a job, you have to leave the country, unless you can get the
school to sign a release form.

I taught in Seoul, which is a gigantic city full of interesting places
to go.  It has an extensive subway system which makes getting around the
city easy.  There are not many foreigners in Korea, and typically I was
the only non-Korean on the bus or subway when I traveled around.  The
foreigners I did encounter were usually Canadians and New Zealanders who
were teaching English or Nigerians who were working for Hyundai.  Of
course there are many American soldiers, but they were all located in
only one area of the city (Iítaewon).  The difficult part of being in a
country with so few foreigners was the overwhelming amount of attention
I received. It took some time to get used to being stared at wherever I
went.

Koreans, in general, do not smile when walking down the street, and
Seoul is a big city, so it is easy to get the idea that they are not a
friendly people, but this is not the case at all.  I found that any time
I was lost somebody would always take the time to not only help me out,
but on several occasions they would actually take me to where I needed
to go.  Usually when people realized that I had taken the time to study
and learn Korean (not that my Korean was all that great) I would be
treated less like a "foreigner" and more like family.  Koreans love to
go out drinking, dancing, singing and generally having a good time, and
I made many lasting friendships there with some of the most excellent
people I ever will have the opportunity to meet.

I am currently working on both an M.A. in English and a TESL Certification
here at Cal Poly in order to return to Korea and teach at the university
level.

Angela Blewitt, Cal Poly Class of 2000