Teach English in South Korea
You are here: About FCC » About South Korea

Life in South Korea

Life in Korea is different. From the food to the language and the culture, it can all seem pretty strange to those new to the country. Moving to a foreign country invites a certain amount of trepidation however, for me at least, excitement far outweighed any negative feelings. Being suddenly immersed in a foreign culture is a truly fascinating experience. Some people experience a period of culture shock on arrival in South Korea. Thankfully, that didn’t happen to me. In fact, the only culture shock I experienced was on returning to my own country. I found myself taking my shoes off at the door, bowing my head, speaking Korean, and giving and receiving things with two hands (a polite custom in Korea) - much to the amusement of my friends and family. Rice Fields in Korea

It is likely that you will be living or at least working with other foreigners (NB: you are a 'foreigner'). The more experienced teachers usually take pride in looking after ‘newbies’ – showing them where to have lunch and how to order a beer. A new teacher brings a hive of excitement to a school and you can expect to be asked a plethora of questions by the Korean teachers who will want to know everything about you. As in any other society some people will be nicer than others but in general Korean people are very friendly and helpful, at least to 'foreigners'.

When going to Korea for the first time try to relax and take it all in. You will discover something new everyday. After six months of being in Korea I was still waking up in the morning thinking ‘Wow! I’m in Korea! ’. Not understanding the language is a little unnerving at first. It sounds odd and a little harsh. Everyday conversations can, to the untrained ear sound like blazing arguments - especially among the market women! You will be surprised at how quickly you adapt to life in Korea and pick up the language. After the initial excitement of being in Korea wears off and teaching is as easy as tying your shoelaces, you will find that life is pretty sweet. Alarm clocks will become a thing of the past as it is unlikely that you will have to work mornings. You will be paid way over the Korean average income and because you don’t have to pay for your accommodation or travel costs to school, you will be pretty well off.

Vacation days in Korea can seem quite few and far between but these are supplemented by many Korean national holidays and you’ll learn to make good use of them. Travelling in this part of the world is very cheap and easy. In time you will think nothing of taking off to Thailand or Vietnam at the drop of a hat.

The best source of advice and information on what life is really like in your town or city is other foreign teachers. You will discover early on that foreigners tend to gather at the weekends to socialise. You will meet people from every corner of the English speaking world and although you may initially think that you don’t have much in common with them you will quickly find that you have. The mere fact that you all made a decision to take off and live and work on the other side of the world means that you already have a common bond.


Previous page: Teaching in South Korea
Next page: Quick Facts