Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Dryst]

Hi, I tried to use search but everytime I did the screen would just stay blank and after about 20 pages of searching and not finding anything I decided to go ahead and just ask.

I've been wanting to travel and live outside the U.S. for awhile now, with graduation approaching finally in 3 months i've decided to go ahead and try out ESL for a year and see how I like it.

My only concern is the language barrier. Ever since I saw "Lost in Translation" it has made me terrified to move to another country where i'm not fluent in the native tongue. Of course i'm going to learn basic phrases and enough Korean to be able to read signs etc before I make the trip over, but I doubt I ever learn enough in this first year to be able to hold decent conversations with people.

I'm not going to be one that stays locked up in their apartment when not at work. I go out 4 or 5 nights a week currently and don't plan on slowing it down at all if I move to another country. I love meeting new people... my biggest worry now is that i'm going to go out every night to a different bar/club and won't be able to find anyone to talk to. Like pretty much every other new person interested in doing ESL I would ideally like to be located in the Seoul region from which my understanding there is no shortage of places to go to at night.

From your experiences how many non-foreigners speak english well enough that I won't feel like an alien? Of course i'll talk to other foreign teachers etc but I really want to take in the experience and meet as many true koreans as I possibly can.



P.S. Also on another note would this experience be beneficial to my resume at all if i'm not in the education field. I'll be graduating in the spring with a BBA in MIS and not sure what field I want to go into... but unless this experience completely changes my mind I currently don't have any interests to teach here in the U.S. I plan on doing it either way, hell I would work at Starbucks for a year as long as I can support myself and make enough money to enjoy my stay.

[plynx]

if you're in the seoul "area" (i love it when people say that ), then you will have little to no trouble at all finding someone who speaks english (others might have a different opinion, depending on what area you're going for). out in the boons, however, there might be a few blips here and there when trying to converse.

p.s. it's actually kind of nice (sometimes) being able to tune people out because you don't speak the language.

[Cornfed]

[plynx]

[Cornfed]

[Ukon]

Don't worry about it...most of the important stuff is in English as well and many of the younger people can speak some english.

[nolan]

I'd say +1 for a resume builder. It demonstrates a number of desirable traits: open mindedness, independence, communication skills, confidence.

It may not give you 1-2 years office work experience but it will differentiate you from someone else with the same credentials.

[Ginormousaurus]

[Starla]

I met several Koreans already who can speak fluently. If you expect them to get all the little inside jokes and subtleties that only Americans would know, then you're asking too much.

[Jammer113]

Prefacing this by saying that I never go to bars or clubs...

In a major city, I don't think the language issue is going to be a huge problem. While I'd say the majority of people don't have a functional ability in English, there are many who do. And the ones who can speak English got that way by interacting with foreigners in one way or another, so you're more likely to be meeting them.

Obviously, without speaking Korean, you're going to be limited. There's all sorts of social clubs and such here, and if you don't speak Korean (or maybe even if you do), it's going to be hard to get involved in those sorts of things. Whatever you do, language barriers are going to be a problem, but they're not going to make living here and going out impossible.

You can still feel like an alien, though. Even if you speak the same language, you can have many, many cultural miscommunications. Furthermore, unless you're of asian descent, you're going to stick out like a sore thumb. No one talks about it (to me), except kids, but everyone thinks it. My favorite was a three year old who stared at me and said "You're hair is a weird color". Some people like foreigners, some people dislike them, but regardless, you're going to be seen as foreign. That can range from getting special treatment at restaurants to people refusing to speak to you out of fear or embarassment(sp?) to people randomly coming up to talk with a foreigner. Close friends will accept you, but in public, you're always going to be seen as "alien".

As for getting jobs, it probably won't help as much as a year experience in your chosen job field, but you can make it look good. Talk about how much you learned, how it helped you to become mature, and how much your communication and conflict resolution skills improved when working with another culture. As an entry level employee, those skills are extremely important in setting you apart from everyone else with a degree.