Korean Job Discussion Forums

[brianthestrider]

Hey,

I've heard some people mention different ways of continuing your studies whilst working in Korea and I'm just looking for more advice from any of you out there who are doing/have done it.

I've heard it's not very expensive to study with a Korean University and that they'd accommodate English speakers. Is this true? Has anyone got any idea of how this works with visa/working, etc?

Some people are obviously doing a distance learning MA with Universities at home. Pros/cons? Difficult to fit in with a job? Problems with visas perhaps if contracts finish mid-way through?

Any advice would be much appreciated. Korea is great but teaching little kids is making my brain fizzle away....

Brian

[blackjack]

mate i posted this about a month ago try this

http://www.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/fms/default/uoa/for/currentstudents/money/SO%20docs/Z_Ext/Externals/Korean_Scholarship.pdf

It is a scholarship for international students, masters or phd. from any country, you do need to be able to speak english or korean

for masters
2years plus 1 year korean lessons
for PHD
3 years plus one year korean classes

It provides
airfares (return)
health insurance
800,000 won per month living
arrival and depature costs (200,000 arrival, 100,000 leaving)
50% tuition and 100% entrance costs (not 100% sure what this means)
research costs
printing costs
1 year free korean classes


It is not just for those from NZ (i found it on my university web page in external scholarships)

also try this link more general

http://yoohak.ied.go.kr/study/study_main.asp

[hugo_danner]

First of all, it depends on what you want to study and what you want to do with it! An MA or PhD in Korean history, language (etc...) from Seoul National University would hold more weight than the same from "Midwest State U." But conversely, I don't think Korean degrees generally hold a lot of weight outside of Korea. But again, it probably depends on the subject matter and level of the degree. An advanced degree is an investment in your future, but it could also make you "overqualified."

A degree in a field that is narrow or not highly valued could be shooting yourself in the foot. I know several PhD's and MA's/MS's in fields like Sociology who have crappy jobs because there is no demand for them or there are 10 people with that degree running around for each job in the field.

I finished an MS Ed while teaching here back in 2002. It cost around $6k and took a year and a half. I was glad I was here and had lots of time to do it. I don't think I could have done it with a regular 40 hr/wk, fight traffic job back in the USA.

[europe2seoul]

At Korea University in Seoul you get monthly scholarship and tuition reimbursment if you join some Lab and do your MA there. You can live in the dorms.

So basically you are a full-time student. Bear in mind, being a Master's student in a Lab, means your professor owns you more or less. Noone cares you are a foreigner or not.

So while your (then former) ESL friends are sitting & drinking beer on Monday afternoon you will be in the lab from 9AM-10PM, Sat included with mandatory MTs and other shyte.

But you get the degree later on & can go to some good chaebol and be all-set in the grand scheme of Korean things. So its worth it.

[stevemcgarrett]

bump

[stevemcgarrett]

If it's EFL or TESOL you're looking for, try either Sookymung University in Seoul or Woosong University in Daejeon. The latter let's you work while you teach and your tuition is discounted. At least that's what I've heard through the grapevine.

[jaganath69]

You could consider studying online. I am doing my MA International Relations through Deakin University in Melbourne. PM me if you want to know more.

[brianthestrider]

Thanks for all the info.

What I'm hoping to find out about is people doing their MA part-time (with whatever University). Costs? Time? Effort? Efficacy?

I'm looking to do it in Peace and Conflict Studies, Peace Education or International Relations.

I'm off to send a pm but any other perspectives would be much appreciated!

Brian

[europe2seoul]

I was doing graduate work full-time getting money & having tuition waived. Money was not much as I and others already said, but you can live and be a student. Also nobody forbids you to do privates few times a week to get some extra $$.

Most universities in ROK have english websites but check only Korea, Yonsei, SNU and some others like Sogang/Ewha. Other smaller ones don't bother.

Usually MBA and technical degrees have classes in English. Others have classes in Korean, so depending on your language skills you may not be able to join. But classes are usually over the day and some are at night for part-time working Korean people. So its possible.

Checking website & phoning/visiting university you like would be the best choice. Even sending email to some faculty would be good since they can open some doors for you not to worry about $$ if they want to globalize their dept by bringing a foreign student in.

[fusionbarnone]

Be careful about teaching illegally as a student.

I was dating a korean russion who did this whilst a phd candidate(invited to help along with a student friend who was employed). The newspaper cameras turned up(obviously having so many foreigners on a winter camp was worth bragging about; the school claimed a jeolous rival high school informed on them) ,she ducked behind her bag as I saw it in a newspaper article a year after this had happened. Immigration then became involved. The hungarian student had to pay a find and was sent back to Hungary, whereas she based her argument on her participation as being merely voluntary and was allowed to remain on her program(no fine either).

It all looked pretty comical. This lady was never boring.

If I did a degree I think I'd prefer to do it here. Thanks for all the info.