I'm not sure/can't remember if you've been asked this before... but did you learn Korean before or after you started teaching in Korea? Did you need to know Korean to apply for the position? Also, love your blog! Choosing to remain anonymous though ;)
Asked by Anonymous
thanks! i’ve become kind of lazy blogger in recent months. i’m glad somebody still reads this. :)
let me start by saying that what is required by the school hiring you (which is what i did) and what i personally recommend you do are completely different things. normal english academy and/or public school positions do not require any korean skills. however, don’t do what i did. start learning early.
before i moved to korea, i thought i had learned how to say “hello” and “thank you”. but, that was it. once i moved here, i realized that i wasn’t even saying those words correctly. that was the extent of my knowledge of the korean language. obviously, i don’t recommend going about things in that way. it was a rough first few weeks. (okay, more than a few.)
things you should do, which i didn’t.
1. learn to read before you come. (it’s not hard!) there are numerous tutorials on hangul (the korean alphabet) online. watch them. make flashcards. it will help you tremendously once you start trying to find your way around, order things in restaurants, or catch your students writing naughty notes on the desk.
2. once you’re here, try to make korean friends. don’t just hang out with all of the foreigners at your school. foreign friends are great (and definitely necessary when you want to pull your hair out because of work/social differences/etc), but don’t seclude yourself. mingle with the locals. (oh, and actually try talking to them in korean. it will take some of the pressure off of them, and it will give you a lot more confidence in your speaking!)
3. read everything around you. even if you don’t know what it means.
4. watch tv shows/movies with subtitles. try to listen for common phrases that you hear over and over again. look them up. see if they actually mean what you think they do.
5. AND, if you’re not a lazy bum like me, actually buy a few books and do some self study or take a class. i know that i could be much further along than i am now if i studied formally somehow.
i hope this helps. good luck with whatever you decide!
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