Korean Job Discussion Forums

branchsnapper · Joined: 21 Feb 2008

My wife and I are currently looking after our Korean niece in the UK, and find it hard to get clear information about the difficulties she will face if she goes back to Korea. She is 17 and has just finished her GCSEs, and was going to do A-levels, but has just decided that Korean life suits her better. Apparently the Koreans are not very accepting of non-Korean qualifications - in particular when gained by nationals - and it may be impossible to continue in the Korean system without doing the local exams, both now and also if she finishes A-levels here and then wants to attend a Korean uni.

Her mother wants her to remain here in the UK.

You would think that with all the Koreans studying abroad this wouldn't pose a problem, but some people have suggested it does. I wonder if anyone has experience with this issue, or clear information about it?

jvalmer · Joined: 06 Jun 2003

How long has she been going to school in the UK? Because from what I understand, the Korean they use in universities is much more formal than they use say in middle school. So, she might have several years gap in vocabulary that her Korean peers don't have. That will be an issue. As for entering a university, I going to guess she is going to have to spend a year, or two, just studying at hagwons to pass the KSAT, and entrance exams. Anyways...

Knew of one Korean guy who returned to do university in Korea, about 18 years ago. Lived in Canada from middle school. He entered a Canadian university, but flunked out his first year. His English was ok, but you could tell it wasn't his first language. I have no idea how he got in the Korean university, but I think it was in one of the lower tier universities in the Seoul area.

Anyways, the first year he constantly called home on the verge of tears saying how hard the classes were because the Korean was so hard to understand. That 6 years of grades 7-12 of not attending school in Korea really exposed his lack of formal Korean vocabulary. But he did manage to graduate, or maybe the university just graduated him (since many K-universities are mere degree mills). And he has been working a soulless, but well-paying, white-collar job for the last 15-ish years. He hates the job, but it pays the bills (something most people just have to do).

SeoulNate · Joined: 04 Jun 2010 Location: Hyehwa

Why in gods name would she want to go to a Korean university if she has the opportunity to go to one in the west?

The vast majority of Koreans I know would have killed for the opportunity to attend even a mediocre college from the UK/US as it would have given them a huge leg up getting a job in a saturated market.

jvalmer · Joined: 06 Jun 2003

Fox · Joined: 04 Mar 2009

andrewchon · Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 2:47 pm Post subject:

Question you could ask is: do you live for your resume or do you live for your eulogy?

1. As far your niece is concerned, her life in UK sucks. So let her find out for herself that life in Korea sucks just as much. When she can see herself in the mirror, then she'll decide. Either going back to UK or staying in Korea, she'd have gained some valuable life-experience of seeing oneself in the mirror.

2. Mothers never cut the umbilical code.

3. There are learn from textbook people and there are learn from person people. Perhaps your niece is the latter kind. Who know? There are also don't want to learn anything people, as well.

wanderkind · Joined: 01 Jan 2012 Location: Japan

branchsnapper · Joined: 21 Feb 2008

She hasn't been in the UK too long (2 years) - I don't think it will be a massive problem for her to return. Socially she likes it better, and like many young people now she has never really had to mentally leave the homeland because she has an i-phone to which she is fairly addicted.

Her dad also isn't keen to keep paying the fees.

It is just that I wonder how hard-core the authorities are about making people in her position finish all of the relevant local exams before entering a high school (she would go into the third year in March) or a university, or if they allow older students to do that and pay for it.

jvalmer · Joined: 06 Jun 2003

T-dot · Joined: 16 May 2004 Location: bundang

Some of that info is incorrect.

She can either come back and finish her last year in Korea at a FLHS or a HS that is language specialized (there are a few).

Or

She can finish her A levels and then apply to a Korean UNiversity as a Korean national.

There are a few routes she could chose from that DON'T require her to tale the KSAT.

As far as I know, I haven't heard anything about people not beig accepting of non-korean qualifications.