Leaving Japan To Teach English In South Korea

Once you’ve gone as far as you can go teaching in Japan, and once you’ve gotten used to the culture shock and the routine, it might be tempting to try a teaching gig in another country. Because Korea is so close, this may lead you to decide to teach English in South Korea. From there, you may end up hopping all over the world, who knows?

South Korea is culturally quite similar to Japan, and teaching there isn’t much different at all, but there are some differences. Here’s a little of what you might expect if you go hopping across the Japan Sea!

How Is The Teaching Different?

Well, on this point, the experience may be virtually the same. You can teach in a conversation school (called “hogwons” instead of “eikaiwa”) which is quite similar to those in Japan. You can also teach at an international school, or work as an assistant language teacher in a public school, much like a Japanese ALT position.

Your students will be pretty much the same, although Koreans are known to be more vocal than Japanese, who are known for their shyness. Overall, your actual teaching will probably be about the same. There are no major surprises waiting for you there.

How Is The Pay?

By world standards, the Korean currency is not as strong as the Japanese yen. This means you’ll be getting paid less. But, you’ll be making lots more in terms of the local currency. In Japan, it’s virtually impossible to live in a large apartment on a teacher’s salary. In Korea, you can do quite well.

In Korea, you’ll also have lots more disposable income. If you save and live frugally, you can have some money left over to save or use traveling if you teach in Japan. In Korea, however, it’s a guarantee that you’ll have money left over. And, nightlife in Korea is much cheaper than in Japan. If you want to go out to clubs and hang out, you’re money will go much further in Korea than in Japan.

What About The Language?

Well, there’s no way around the difficulty of the language. Korean, like Japanese, is tough for westerners to learn. But, from people I’ve talked to, it seems somewhat easier to learn Korean. The writing system is definitely much easier to learn.

How Are Foreigners Treated In South Korea?

This, of course, depends entirely on who you ask. Some say that Koreans are warmer and friendlier to foreigners than the Japanese, who are often polite but distant. Others say that Koreans are often rude to foreigners and sometimes outright hostile.

The truth is that it probably depends on your personal situation. In Seoul there are quite a lot of foreigners, but when you get out into the sticks, you may meet people who have never seen a westerner in their entire lives.

As far as treatment of foreigners goes, the main difference is that Japanese people usually keep their feelings to themselves, whereas Koreans are much more open and direct. This may actually make making friends with Koreans easier than with Japanese, but it also could be unpleasant if you feel uncomfortable being an outsider.

If you plan to teach for the long term, trying out a few different countries is a great idea. It gives you some idea of what kinds of situations are out there. If you teach in Japan, South Korea is a logical choice for a next destination. You may find that the lifestyle suits you better!