What’s It Like Being a Foreign English Teacher in Korea? | Street Interview 

That's awful

Bully issues cannot be corrected in South Korea 😂

I sent my kids to one of those Hagwons when they were in preschool, and it turned out to be a terrible choice. I had just returned from the US and thought it might be beneficial for them to continue learning English. However, it was solely a Hagwon, and the parents seemed overbearing. They paid a significant amount, creating an environment where it felt like they could demand whatever they wanted from the Hagwon, making it challenging for teachers to be strict with the kids. I didn't find it to be a good environment for my children.

@itsmaji You are a Japanese troll obviously 😂

That is terrible. My nephew acted up here in the US. The teacher just told my brother and sister in law and they yelled at my nephew for his bad behavior. It is a bit better in the US, but the teachers still had to please the parents. The medical and educational institutions are businesses that aim to make big bucks too.

That is insane. You would think that it would be different from how US parents are because of the perception of how important education is in Korea.

Especially for under 2k usd per month. Pure insanity really. An 18 year old can just do instacart and doordash part time and make more than that

@@demri123Well many do it for the experience too not just the money, which is why it is important to like what you do.

I taught in Korea about ten years ago and I had the exact same experience. No kid every got below a C on a report card. The parents run the academy. It's very much a "the customer is always right" scenario.

Stick around long enough, and you'll be in a K-drama.

Right on she’s so bright

That’s why I wear the black ribbon. 😢

It mostly, as in 99% only affects Korean teachers. Foreigners rarely if ever deal with the parents, their complaints or consequences.

​@@seanoceallachain 🧢

과거의 사회적 문제가 또 다른 사회적 문제로 변질된 것이 안타깝네요 정작 과거에 학생들을 폭행했던 선생님들은 은퇴하고 애꿎은 뒷세대 선생님들이 민원이나 항의에 고통받는 건 억울한 일이죠 교권도 학생의 인권도 올바르게 균형잡힌 건강한 사회가 될 수 있기를 바랍니다

I know and it made me so sad and worried because I plan to come teach and my boyfriend plans to be a teacher in Korea too. He is Korean too and I don’t want him to go through that. I felt so bad for that teacher. But I heard they just passed a law that protects teachers. Even though it is not the best law yet but at least it is a start.

Guy with yellow scarf has a TikTok channel, and, whereas he is not necessarily lying, he absolutely over-exaggerates and over-dramatizes key facts. For example, not "everyone" who lives in school-provided housing gets lung diseases from mold. He once claimed that Seoul city had implemented "special martial law" in response to a couple of public stabbing incidents. "Special martial law" is not a real thing. Rather, there was just a heightened police presence. Over-exaggeration.

@@summe1972for the housing though he said it depends

Yes, he doesn’t tell the truth everything he just lives in a country side outside. He gives a lot of faults information. It’s hard to keep quiet when you see people like that.

Apparently, he loves to get into a countries, politics and laws, as he’s been from what I heard of band in Europe, in some places for stocking members of parliament. Weird people need to stop coming to other countries and trying to change it. Some things are ok but we all know what people are like. Who think they know everything.

@@Jaysk79 the gay mafia is always this way

I work for a call center and I had an elementary teacher of 21 years tell me not to do it a couple of days ago.. only want to teach abroad for a couple of years and once I get truly tired I'm going to be done. I think that that would be better than trying to do this for a lifetime. Just a conversation alone didn't change my mind but still

I opened my own hagwon but still teach as many classes as possible myself. I just love it. Been doing it for over a decade. No burn out for me.

Same here. I've been teaching English for 10 years and I want to have my own language schools. I can't see myself doing this profession in a long run.

@@dianaroseverano5744All professions can get you burned out. Just with anything, you need a break. My sister in law is a pharmacist and makes a lot of money but she said it is stressful and she gets burned out too.

@@seoultrip25Yup, which is why it is important to have the interest and passion in what you do.

Crazy.. to think that Asians like East Asia plus Singapore are oftentimes praised for their many people with academic degree and being quite popular for being maybe intelligent people or good at math and education which may be a stereotype - but I would have expected those countries or Korea to have high standards in education system like lets say in Finland ..that teachers get treated well and paid well etc etc..but that all sounds quote corrupt and horrible.. maybe the korean drama Sky something wasn't so unrealistic after all...😅

If they had high standards, they wouldn't hire a college graduate with a mere Bechelor's degree and no real teaching experience in the first place.

You’re not Korean. Many Koreans are nice or at least respectful. You should not stereotype all Koreans based on your limited experience. Your comment is racist and ignorant. I bet there were at least a few nice or respectful Koreans, but you chose to focus on the ones that weren’t “nice”. Your school does not represent all of Korea just as you don’t represent all native English teachers.

JET is more competitive than Korea.

I think it has less to do with concerns about fluency, and more about advertising a foreign experience to Korean parents. Even though most western countries are really diverse, when Asians think of the westerners they still think of some stereotypical white person with blonde hair and blue eyes. There might be some leeway given to hiring people of other races, but hiring someone of Asian descent doesn't allow the schools to really sell the experience of learning from a foreigner as easily. It's not right, but Korea doesn't have the same standards against racial discrimination.

@@TheRealityofFake Yeah, it’s all about perception. Even a blonde, blue eyed person from an Eastern European non-English country with an accent has a better chance than an Asian American with a 1600 SAT score with a Harvard degree (yes, it’s a slight exaggeration, but it does have merit). Speaking of that, I heard that the acceptance rate for JET is lower than for Ivy League schools. The irony is that with many Asian countries, tons of celebrities were born in the US (especially with K-pop, HK movie stars, etc.), so you’d think they have an affinity for American born Asians because they represent “their people.” They could be an example of one of their own who can speak English well.

While the race because of accent reason is legit, most of those parents are too dum to notice the nuances anyway nor do they know foreign languages well enough to know the difference ; an Asian American from California is going to have a different accent from a White American from California (very very slight Asian accent even if they're born and raised in America unless they're adopted and raised by a White family in a purely White community)

Yes, this one lady from a Chinese program straight out told me they prefer white looking teachers. However, I think things are a bit better as they finally realize that not only white looking people know English well and can teach it.

Did you try China?

@@kenyup7936 No, I'm openly queer so that's not a choice for me.

But if you teach at public school in Taiwan (they only accept govt-issued teaching/subbing licenses) the salary situation is much better and on average you get at least five weeks of paid leave a year, whereas here in Korea it's 35 days (not including weekends) in public school, plus the 12 or so red days. With hagwon jobs employees are entitled to 11 days in your first year (to be used at the employee's discretion), 14, the next, and every two years you accrue an additional two days, legally speaking, but there are still lots of job ads only offering ten days per year and they're split right down the middle between summer and winter. I've heard buxiban jobs are just as bad but the public school jobs are like golden tickets if you qualify.

@Hamidmahdi OH I agree, the benefits are fantastic! The flexibility here is better. Some places are bad, but most are great. The similarities are the work culture. My first job was a trap, but after that, it's been great!

@@Hamidmahdi same in China too

The majority of white people in Taiwan seem to be sexpats from my experience.

That is so true and I find that sad that true teachers with true intentions are undervalued due to those who teach for the wrong reasons. Therefore, all teachers get stereotyped for being losers back home which is not true at all.

English teaching institutes need to raise their requirements to prevent these kind of people you have described to apply and work for them. The LBH are additionally a threat for their students and country and are the reason the stereotypes exists

@@OCV102Dude I know people who were in the JET program, the strictest English teaching program to get into, and they went to Japan to be drunk and sleep with Japanese girls (by convincing them they have every intention to stay in Japan forever). I’m ashamed to say I have distant relatives who did that and would proudly boast back home how he would be hung over when he showed up to class… this the most rigorous English teaching job in Asia They should require at least a Masters in Education. With an undergrad in English. The issue is very few would take that job.

I’m the guy in a yellow scarf. I have two degrees in English education!! I came to Korea 6 years go. I teach all ages, from ages 8-58.

I definitely relate to your feeling of not being taken seriously - I have two degrees in English education as well. In my experience, the majority of people who come to teach English in Korea don’t have backgrounds in English ed, so I can’t really blame people if they don’t see many native English teachers as actual teachers. I’m a bit inclined to agree with them, honestly… It does suck to be painted with that same brush, though. I worked hard for these degrees 😭

I came here originally as an intern in TaLK, and then moved on to EPIK for a bit...with a degree in Spanish. I've met some ESL teachers here with degrees in all sorts of fields even when they're not related to Humanities. The thing is, joining EPIK or any of the other public school programs, they'll (usually) ask for at least one of the following: 1. a govt-issued teaching license from your home country 2. a TEFL/TESOL certificate 3. a CELTA/DELTA Despite this, there is no difference in how the Native English Teachers are treated as we're just expected to be the "fun" animated teachers regardless of our abilities. Additionally, NETs aren't taken as seriously as Korean homeroom teachers (who also have a govt-issued teaching license) or sometimes even the Korean co-teachers (who may or may not have a teaching license).

I'm a certified teacher, but I feel pretty similarly to those interviewed. Especially about not being taken seriously.

I’m one of the teachers in the interview and I have two degrees: English major and a graduate degree in political science. The comments are right and your educational background goes undervalued. I worked in communications for five years prior. When you start teaching for the first time at a hagwon in Korea you start at ground level. I knew nothing about how to teach before I set foot in a classroom.

All teachers were students too! A lot of the time we don’t have control over what we teach… only how we teach and sometimes even how we teach is controlled. Of course we want it to be interesting and fun. However it’s not always possible due to different reasons (lack of time for planning, lack of resources, teacher burnout, bad classroom management, misbehaving students etc). Even when teachers put time and effort into creating fun and interesting lessons, a lot of students simply don’t care about English or respect English teachers 🤷🏻‍♀️.

i taught english in korea as a kpop stan and i agree! I would also say that liking K-pop helped me connect with my students more too!

@@cassie695 totally agree!

I appreciate you 🥰

First of all learn Korean if you want to work as non English teacher.

To work in an office, you need to have proof of Korean language aptitude by taking government tests (wayyyy harder than oppa kimchi saranghae). Freelance work is not legal on a working visa, so you will either need a residency visa or a marriage visa. Best way to come to Korea for long term is: 1) come as a student and graduate from a Korean university 2) come as an English teacher and work your way up 3) be ethnically Korean but born abroad 4) marriage visa.

Not worth a topic, you must understand in order for you to be coming into another country a company have to sponsor you and that you aquire spealize skills that is in demand that domestic supply can't reach. If you met these qualities the pools of 6 figures pay would be more lucrative back home. EVEN a smaller chance is your working for a international company that is willing to relocate you.

meeff app find korean friends

Think about the reverse. In your own country how do foreigners get job opportunities ? The same would apply to Korea. Be "skilled"

EXACTLY and that's the patience, sacrifice and dedication not everyone has. So I commend and don't envy NONE OF THE TEACHERS! I've seen what they go through and they do a good job with us students😂.

Not only that but pass a drug test and a background check. Thats about 0% of the US population these days. Everyone smokes weed or has a DUI

@@demri123 Who are you hanging around with, lol? I don't know anyone with a DUI. Also, weed isn't too big deal because it leaves your system in a couple of weeks.

Oh common going to College is the bare minimum if you want to make anything of yourself. It’s not an accomplishment… you don’t deserve a cookie just because you have a useless art history degree.

I'm an American in Taiwan. It's the same

But it was just a working holiday right? I bet it’s more rewarding than flipping burgers. That seems to be what people in Australia on working holidays tend to do when they travel to the UK or America.

Because the parents want the full foreign experience

White worship. Its not only prevalent in Korea, but it on other asian countries too.

@@OCV102 Whatever, you don’t know what you’re talking about. 🙄

As a Korean-American living in Korea, with an advanced degree in English from an Ivy League university, I have been shocked by the lack of English language skills (grammar, etc) by these teachers. Many of the English teachers have their jobs NOT for their English language skills but because they have a 4 year degree and a passport from an English speaking country (and a white face). Koreans do not take learning English seriously, as they do for Math, say. Koreans are obsessed with education but not necessarily to learn. They study to pass tests but they do not test these teachers. I am sorry to say that IMHO many of the teachers have no business teaching the English language. Once Koreans takes English seriously, the teachers will get better pay and the qualified people - where ever they are from - will be given the job. BTW most White Americans that you see in Korea are either teaching English or in the military. Socially, Koreans treat white foreigners very well and make them feel special - like the woman who said she never wanted to leave because she felt special to be in Korea . That said, they are never allowed to assimilate fully into the society either - no matter how long they’ve been in the country. Because the very thing that makes you special is the thing that keeps you out.

They are still required to do that

Korea seems boring

I think that is still required but I never heard of the HIV stuff.

Some of that is still required, i certainly did not have to get my teeth checked though

It depends when they filmed the video. If they filmed it in on a weekday in the morning then most public school teachers would be working, whereas some hagwon teachers wouldn't have started work yet. If it was filmed on a weekend, then I don't know why they didn't invite public school teachers. I don't think they invited any South Africans either...

THIS! and also, speaking from experience, learning a foreign language from a native speaker is NOT the best (especially when these 'teachers' are not even able to communicate with the students well because they don't bother to learn Korean). Take English for example, there are so many rules that native English speakers know without even being aware, for example how we order adjectives, "big, red, plastic chair" is the correct order but most don't even know this existed, they just say "it sounds right".

​@gamlash95 your example sounds interesting, big red is correct, saying red big sounds weird, why though haha Can you elaborate or give me a word to Google? 😂

@@veero8130 adjectives must follow the order of size, age, shape, colour, material. There are some other categories of adjectives I probably forgot but only these 5 come to mind XD It's something native english speakers naturally know because parents/friends will correct them since young but never learned it as a set of rules to remember

@@gamlash95 I agree. Unless one consciously learns English syntax, most native speakers are not aware of why they speak the way they do. They just know they speak it in the way that feels "right". But that's not good enough to a non-English speaker who needs to know the rules. I am a retired teacher in Canada, and I tried to apply for English teacher in Vietnam, and realized the biggest obstacle was my age! They want young, western looking person regardless of whether or not she/he has teaching degree or any teaching experience. Seriously, it's mostly for optics. Good teaching skills is a bonus, not an expectation.

​@@9y2bgyThe basic rule in Asia is if you are a blonde blue eyed early twenties female. You a pretty much guaranteed a job and spoiled for choice.

I fully agree! It was the same for me. Please don't think just because we like Kpop and Kdramas that we are delusional.. ps I'm the woman in blue!

Hallyu stans are the reason why the min wage hasn't moved up. Hagwon owners keep it 2.1 bc 22 year olds fresh out of college think it's a good deal to work for min wage bc they can meet their oppas

thank you i thought i was the only one who clocked that. The guy was just looking down at foreigners who go to korea…….while being a foreigner in korea

People who "clean" a criminal record is not a person we need to listen to 😂

Literally 🤦🏻‍♀️

Whatever you do, don't base the decision on videos like this. There are so many variables, your personal experience will not look like anyone else's, and it will not look like any of your preconceptions (based on lots of personal experience). If you have a college degree and a clean record, just go and see what happens. It will be an adventure (in the full sense, ie, good and not so good, as every adventure should be). Aim for teaching adults (way less stressful), and at schools run by foreigners (way more reasonable)

😂

Good call. Don't do it. The level of abuse because you're foreign is atrocious. You'll also be the scapegoat for anything that goes wrong in your department. All those Korean bully dramas? There's a reason there are so many of them.

💛

yea and the reason why is because everyone knows them and they are recognizable

Those are actual Korean productions. What’s the problem? Netflix financed them

​@@mydogisbaileyright

They are Korean. What am I missing?

But also that man is going for his citizenship so he may appear like one of the stans or whatever its called but clearly has put in effort and been there a decent chunk of time to even qualify to take the test

He's so douchy.

@@andreaaldrich4046 Well he does come across as a stereotypical jock, but at least he seems honest and genuine about his answers.

Why did you feel the need to insult either of them?

@@andreaaldrich4046I don’t see how aside from his appearance. I think a lot of you didn’t like what he said about the people who moved their because of their like of Korean media.

Wah wah wah 🍼🍼🍼

Can confirm, brown girl (but Australian), and taught in Japan & China. Was more scrutinized for my ethnicity in China.

Wouldn't it make sense that schools and parents would rather native English speakers..... Not everything is a conspiracy you snowflake

As an English major and an ethnic Korean, they will reject me for the English teaching job specifically because they want a stereotypical "Western face" for English. Don't ask me why, I wouldn't know.

@@estherkang Bc they think a Westerner speaks English good, but an Asian speaks English bad...😉

Standing up for yourself is key!! But not everyone is able to do that. I'm with you though.

Nope, cases in that video says they struggle there

@@kenyup7936 It's only a struggle if you need the job. I have money so I don't need the job. It's more of an optional thing - a way to keep my mind sharp in retirement while paying it forward for society.

The retirement age in Korea is 60 and most schools will not hire someone that is older.

go for it homie, novel experiences are great

I agree with Bashore 101. Speaking from experience when I tried to apply for English teacher in Vietnam, Thailand, and China, the biggest obstacle was my age. I am a retired teacher of Korean ethnicity. They didn't want to go through the process of getting work visa only to have the gov't reject it due to my age, so they don't even want to try. They want people from 20s to mid-40s tops. I was really surprised bc I naively thought my experience as a certified teacher would be my biggest asset. NOT! That tells you that the biggest factor in English language program in these Asian countries is the optics of having someone YOUNG who looks like she/he speaks excellent English. It's superficial, but parents dish out the big bucks, so their prejudices drive the program.

As a foreigner in Japan who taught for almost twenty years and is in a terrible situation and is stuck here, this is true. I am “not allowed” to work anymore because of my husband, but I miss it. I miss the kids. I loved the kids. I’ve been exploring possibly going to Korea, until I can work at somehow going back to my home country, but it’s so hard to get back into my home country at this point. I’ve been out of it so long, and I have no one left there plus my degree is only a basic four year degree and worthless there. I think being a teacher in general is challenging and requires a lot of patience. It can also be so rewarding, though, when you see your students learn and grow!

Hi! I am currently working on becoming an English teacher in South Korea and I've done some research on the whole process and the thing is, you can still teach in Korea even though you're not a native English speaker. However, you are required to take a test to prove you can speak, read, write and understand English at an advanced level. The truth is Korean school officials do prefer to hire native English speakers, but it's still possible for you to teach in South Korea. It will just be more challenging in certain ways, but don't give up! If that's what you really want to do, then go for it!! 😁

@@babybujja1288 This is not true. The 7 "native" English countries are written in the immigration law. You cannot get a visa to teach English in Korea if you are not from Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, or New Zealand. The only way around this is to have a residency visa, which means you either 1) are ethnically Korean born abroad, 2) are married to a Korean citizen, or 3) have lived in Korea for a long time and have taken the residency exams. I do not recommend teaching in Korea if you are a resident unless you absolutely enjoy it because most schools will not pay you enough to reach the minimum income requirement to acquire a residency visa.

@@Bashore101 With all due respect, that is not completely accurate. I just looked that information up online again and I read that some Korean schools will make exceptions for and sponsor non-native English speakers who are completely fluent in English. It's important to note that they will only do so for highly-skilled candidates, which is why many schools in Korea neither hire nor sponsor non-native English speakers.

Japan is even more strict and challenging than Korea is.

You should not give up and I am working towards it too. I heard my friend who is Korean American and is teaching in Korea now said that his academy hired a Russian teacher who was not a native speaker. You can still do it but it is just more challenging. I am fighting hard too.

What is your definition of regular? I did a public school

@@RenCurrymusicalseoul regular school is not a cram school aka tutoring center

You can apply to work in a government elementary or middle school with no prior teaching experience. You just need a degree and to be from an eligible visa country.

You legally wouldn't be able to teach English in Korea, unless you recieved an f visa (through marriage, investment, or the point system) . One way to do that is to get a degree in Korea . But other than that it would be illegal. Its a crazy requirement but it is what it is.

No. The only way is for you to 1) become a citizen of an English country, 2) marry a Korean, or 3) live in Korea for many years and acquire the points-based residency visa (requires government language assessments and civics exams). I honestly do not advise becoming a teacher on residency visa unless its your passion because most schools do not pay enough for you to even qualify for residency.

Try for a South East Asian country, like Vietnam. There are serious schools, run by serious people (often owned/run by various Australian universities). They employ non-native speakers. They can be found in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, etc. My Vietnam experience was preferable in most ways to my experience in Korea (and payed more, despite being a far poorer country) Of course, there are also lots of potential traps.

No

There is no time limit to it! Check the visa conditions and join us 😂 ps I'm the woman in blue!

For 2k a month? Man keep going with the programming haha. Unless you really love kpop or something.

With your skillset, you could always take a gap year and come back to programming. I went the public school route instead of academy, and met plenty of people from other professions doing that. Also, you could program remote and teach if you want.

Korea makes you contemplate life

U get stared at a lot

I think it's also having to do with, if they hire a Korean, the salary would have to be much higher compared to the pay of these western "teachers"

You would think it would make sense hiring a person who can speak both Korean and English. But I guess they want the more cultural part of the European teachers as well.

The main reason they do this is because they want native English speaking accents.

It’s the parents more so than the schools themselves. The mothers want to see white, blue eyed teachers in photos with their kids.

⁠@@CupofkoreaYou can have a native accent without being white.

You know he’s there to take down the local tang.

Korean teachers literally just walked out the classroom, en masse, to protest the rash of teachers who have killed themselves recently due to extreme abuse and bullying from Korean parents. Just doesn't sound very 'respectful'.

They were contacted from all over Korea

They post online in foreigner groups and people apply and travel there. Austin (blonde hair) isn't even from Seoul. He's a famous guy here because he's quite active in worker/political rights for foreigners.

In Korea, we learn American accents in school. I've heard that Japanese schools also teach American accents, and in Chinese schools, it can be either American or British, depending on the institution (though I'm not entirely certain, it might be the other way around). As far as I know, Hakwons have a variety of accents; my kids' teachers were from the U.S., the UK, South Africa, etc. I've never met an Irish teacher, which can be challenging for me as well. The Australian accent isn't that difficult to understand if they don't speak too fast. I believe there are Australian or New Zealand teachers in Korea. Well, my kids have Korean accent anyway, so I do not really care what accent their teachers have.

No unfortunately they can’t because it’s not considered an English speaking country

No please dont be confused. It's illegal unless they have an F series visa. With an F series visa, anyone from any country can do any job legally. Ps I'm the woman in blue!

You actually can, but usually that's in a city that is not popular (so not seoul or busan), since they have trouble finding teachers in rural areas. Usually all people just apply in Seoul.