Let's Be Frank - Chapter One

I) What Others Won't Tell You

If you have researched teaching English in South Korea, surely you have read or heard a number of horror stories.  After your arrival in Korea, you will continue to hear more.  The ESL industry in Korea can be a very messy one.  The stories of difficult encounters and situations between foreigners and their employers often seem endless.  On the other hand, the great things about living and teaching in Korea are too good to pass up!   In the majority of situations, the good times and benefits far out weigh any negative experience encountered while in Korea.  Adventure Teaching exists to help you avoid making the mistakes that countless teachers have made while choosing their teaching position in South Korea.  If you run into any problems during your contract, we are available to support and advise you.    We want you to be able to step confidently into your position and make your transition to living and teaching in South Korea as smooth as possible.  

We do not want to scare you away from teaching in South Korea because we think it is a FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY!  We have provided the following information to help you establish a REALISTIC VIEW of teaching and living in South Korea.  We want to help you mentally prepare for the Adventure that you are going to embark on.

We at Adventure Teaching provide each of our applicants with exceptional care.  We strongly believe in what we do.  We will never place a teacher in a situation that we would not feel comfortable working in ourselves.  We provide our applicants with the best service available. 

Recommended Reading +The Koreans: Who They Are, What They Want, Where Their Future Lies by Micheel Breen +Korea – Culture Smart: A Quick Guide to Customs and Etiquette by James Hoare +Lonely Planet Korea by Martin Robinson +Learning to Think Korean: A Guide to Living and Working in Korea by Robert L. Kohls +Korea: A Walk Through the Land of Miracles by Simon Winchester +Everlasting Flower: A History of Korea by Keith Pratt +Living in South Korea by Rob Whyte

First and foremost, always keep in mind that you are working in a FOREIGN environment.  You cannot expect things to function the way they do in your home country!   Expect to experience some cultural frustration.  You will have to be flexible.  When you move to any foreign country it is a good idea to learn some things about their culture before you arrive.  We highly recommend reading a book or doing some internet research about South Korean people, culture, and customs before you arrive.  By having a better understanding of why things are done a certain way they are will greatly relieve some natural frustration and confusion. 

Vast cultural differences exist between Western culture and Korean culture.  Whereas most western countries have become culturally diverse Korea remains a rather homogenous society.  The Koreans have developed a very a strong sense of pride in being “Korean,” and a mild skepticism of foreigners due to their tumultuous 5,000 year history.  Because of its vulnerable geographic position, the Korean peninsula and the Korean people have been overthrown, taken over, ruled and protected (willingly and unwillingly) by larger more powerful foreign countries for the past several centuries.  These include China, Japan, Russia, and the United States.  Only since 1950 has the South Korean government had sovereign control of the nation.

 
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