5 Reasons to Teach English in South Korea

Teaching English in South Korea has been one of the most fulfilling experiences in my life.  There are so many tangible benefits to doing this, and I would like to share my top 5 reasons to teach English in South Korea.

Increase Self-Reliance

Remember that first time you were separated from anything that was remotely familiar to you? For example, that time when your parents dropped you off at Kindergarten for the first time was a somewhat shocking experience that we all remember, or leaving for college and moving into communal dormitories for the first time knowing that it may be months before you see your loved ones’ faces again.  All of this is to say, removing yourself from the familiarity of your family and surroundings is always initially overwhelming.  There is always a period of emotional confusion where you are elated about you progression into your new milestone in life, but also uneasy about leaving everything you feel molds your current existence.  This is exactly the familiar feeling I had leaving for South Korea.  But despite these feelings, I remained steadfast in my belief that doing this will allow me to grow in my self-reliance in ways I never knew.  Being in a foreign land where you don’t know the language, the culture, or even how to navigate your new community you realize that by not having the luxuries of living in the familiar, you are forced to have faith in yourself. You are forced to figure things out. You are forced to be your biggest supporter.  This is something everyone is fighting to do, and moving abroad to a country like South Korea to work where homogeneity is the standard will push you more into your independence. 

Improve Adaptability

The ability to easily adapt to different environments is a very valuable skill to have, especially in a world that is ever evolving.  Moving to South Korea in general, you will have to adapt to culture, which some foreigners have a hard time adapting to.  For example, the biggest cultural expectation that foreigners have a hard time adapting to is the hierarchy system here, which is essentially the idea that absolute respect should be shown to those older than you.  Sometimes this cultural ideal becomes tricky when discussing work issues as almost everyone you will work with will probably be older than you and therefore have the ruling opinion.  Although things like culture and surroundings may be fundamentally different than yours back home, it is important to remember that things that differ in life don’t always have to fit the good/bad binary, but to simply just be two independently different things.  That should be the case when moving to teach in South Korea.  The culture and work environment will be very different from what you expect, because expectations are based on previous experiences.  It is important to let go of these expectations and come to South Korea with an open mind willing to respect the culture of your new environment and to thrive.

Leave Your Footprint

As humans, we all have this innermost desire to feel helpful or leave a mark in one way or another.  It is a part of our genetic makeup to want to live on through our legacy.  Although you can accomplish this through a number of different ways, teaching Korean children is definitely a unique way to do so.   When I first stepped into the classroom, there was a look of surprise and kid-like curiosity that made me nervous.  This will be their first time having daily contact with a foreigner, a black woman foreigner.  How do I make sure I serve these kids the best way I know how, while at the same time exposing them to my culture that leaves them interested in exploring the world themselves one day?  All of this went through my head initially.  But after a few months, I realized that the kids really developed an unconditional love for me as a foreigner teacher, and my presence will impact them forever.  I always remember, one of my toughest students who would always ignore my instruction saw me walking in the neighborhood as I was coming from the grocery store.  He was so excited to see me, and waved with such delight.   He spoke to me in Korean and I communicated back with my broken Korean—I will never forget that moment.  This goes to show that serving as an English Teacher for young children here in South Korea will be a lasting imprint on them, and that idea warms my heart so much.

Save While Seeing the World

Teaching in South Korea allows you to save money while immersing yourself in a foreign culture.  It is really a unique opportunity, and depending on which route you take to teach abroad, you can have ample amount of time to travel.  I came to South Korea through the EPIK Teaching Program in which I was provided many vacation days in conjunction with the “Red Days,” or Korean Holiday dates.  I have had the opportunity to travel to many different countries in the eastern part of the world that I would probably have a smaller chance of visiting if I did not live in this area.  Also, many teaching positions in South Korea offer free housing for teachers, so that allows you to save more money.   So, taking advantage of the financial and locational benefit is a huge advantage of teaching English in Korea. 

Make Meaningful Relationships

Lastly, you are able to connect with a network of teachers who are generally teaching English in Korea for the same reasons you may be.  People from all over the world come to Korea to teach English, and building genuine relationships with a diverse group of people adds so much more perspective to your life.  Even beyond the time you teach in Korea, these relationships can last for a lifetime. 

I hope this piece was insightful as well as inspiring for you to move abroad, or even teach English abroad in South Korea.  There are so many benefits to living and working abroad, benefits that I believe can positively shape the rest of your life. 

---