Korean Job Discussion Forums

Bryan · Joined: 29 Oct 2007

Is study at places like Yonsei or Sogang in the morning possible to combine with a job in the afternoon/evening? How much homework do they require of you?

maeil · Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Location: Haebangchon

I did a four hour/day 5 day/week language course at Kyunghee University in Suwon while working an 8 hour/day office job. It was nuts. Travel time to and back from the university was 30-45 minutes for me, so I would leave my house at 8am to make the 9am class, leave the school at 1pm to get to the office by 2pm, work from 2-10pm and then start my homework. Because it was an intensive class and I was the only student in the class who worked in addition to the class (the others were full-time students or housewives), I was always behind and my teachers required me to do preview work besides the normal homework. I was on the receiving end of the "everyone passes" rule of Korean Universities and scored 70% consistently, regardless of my actual exam scores.

I would probably do three to four hours of homework and preview work a night, and that just kept me barely hanging on. I lasted like that for 10 months of the class and then gave up. Things like laundry and a social life fell almost entirely by the wayside. My company at that time had a vested interest in my learning the language, so I felt like it was worth it. I certainly couldn't do it anymore. I was fresh to Korea then and much more eager for that sort of thing. Wink

Imbroglio · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 9:53 pm Post subject:

I did it for one semester last summer.

I started work at 6:30AM, got off at 4:30 - took the subway for 25 minutes to Shinchon, then grabbed a bite to eat before heading to class at Yonsei Korean Language Institute. Class started at 6PM and finished at 9PM - three days a week. Home by 10:30 and up at 4:30AM. Dead to the world, no time to study - but I passed the class...barely. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who works a company job. (Although my company was cool about letting me study at my desk)

Bryan · Joined: 29 Oct 2007

Sounds like too much. Anyone do this as a teacher working 6 hours maybe?

the_beaver · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

At the end of semesters I've rescheduled my exams and interviews (most of them) to the afternoon and studied in the morning -- although that only went on for two weeks before the semester ended and I was free to focus on studying.

As to passing... Who cares, really? The point is to improve Korean.

Ruraljuror · Joined: 08 Dec 2007

I've found the easiest way to do it is to work in the day, and then go to the night session at Yonsei.

"Easiest" of course is a relative term. My life really sucks. I wake up at 7 AM and get home at 10PM. I don't really have the time or energy to do anything else but work, go to class and sleep. For the first time in my life, I'm turning down sex -- I'm too tired sometimes to perform my husbandly duties. And since there is clearly no time to study during the week, the weekend is reserved for serious cramming.

I don't mean to discourage you, but it takes a HIGH level of commitment without a doubt. Especially now that the weather is nice...getting off of work and fighting the urge to do ANYTHING else rather than getting on that crowded bus and beating my head in for 3 hours with this nasty language is a daily crisis of willpower. So it's doable, but so terribly unpleasant I couldn't recommend it unless you really have the ganas to handle it.

CGully · Joined: 23 Aug 2005

I'm lucky enough to live within walking distance of Yonsei, but it's still a grind. I've done four levels of the evening classes, which runs 6:30 - 9:05 three nights a week. For me that was basically 9 am - 10 pm straight work/study. It's a bit rough, but definitely doable.

The trick for me was to do one semester on, one semester off. It gives you time to recuperate, and also time to absorb and practice the material that you learned in the previous level.

As far as doing the regular program and then working on top of that... I think that's just too much. But if you can manage, then power to you!

- CGully

ernie · Joined: 05 Aug 2006 Location: asdfghjk

i did the same thing as maeil last year at kyung hee day in suwon... the teachers were ok but the classes were REALLY inflexible (you either have to start at the VERY beginning, with all the BS 입니다 crap that is 100% useless or go to the 'intermediate' class that requires hours of study per night)...

20 hours a week is definitely not feasible for someone working a full time job, especially when the other students are doing sweet FA for the rest of the week! i learned more spending 20 bucks on 'survival korean' than my semester of 12 hour days at a korean university... plus, the exams covered material NOT in the textbook, and the questions used vocabulary that we hadn't studied! not a good way to encourage enrollment in the next semester...

Chris Kwon · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Location: North Korea

I've heard from a lot of people that Yonsei's program blows. Don't take my word for it though, take theirs. I'm sure a few will pop up in and share their experience.

Toon Army · Joined: 12 Mar 2007

I know 2 people at Sogang who did levels 1 and 2 of the regular classes and had a full time job and got by fine.....mainly because you cab get through those levels pretty easily without much study (as i found out too). Level 3 onwards requires more prep for class etc so that might be more of a struggle with a FT job

Imbroglio · Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 5:45 pm Post subject:

CGully · Joined: 23 Aug 2005

Instead of my usual rant, I'll keep this short.

Yonsei's program does not "suck". It's well designed and absolutely full of grammar and vocabulary. However it's not presented in a way that most foreigners are accustomed to, and doesn't lead quickly to conversational ability. Personally, I enjoy it and I'm making great progress.

Most everyone else swears by Sogang's program, but they don't offer evening classes past the beginning levels.

- CGully