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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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| How many hours have you spent studying Korean? |
| 0-499 hours |
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35% |
[ 6 ] |
| 500-999 hours |
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23% |
[ 4 ] |
| 1,000-1,999 hours |
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17% |
[ 3 ] |
| 2,000-2,999 hours |
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5% |
[ 1 ] |
| More than 3,000 hours |
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17% |
[ 3 ] |
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| Total Votes : 17 |
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ghostrider
Joined: 27 Jun 2011
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 Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 12:34 am Post subject: How many hours have you spent studying Korean? |
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| According to the US Department of State, embassy staff need 3,520 hours of Korean language study to be able to do their jobs. That's 88 weeks x 40 hours of study each week. 2,200 of those hours are class hours and the rest is homework. To reach the equivalent level in Spanish would take about one fourth the time. I don't think most expats study the necessary number of hours to become fluent no matter how many years they've lived here. |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 12:54 am Post subject: |
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| If you count any use of Korean, including reading books for pleasure, conversing with people, watching movies, and so forth as "study," then definitely over 3,000 hours. If you only count things like learning out of text books, drilling vocabulary, and so forth as "study," then probably under 2,000 hours. |
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 2:48 am Post subject: |
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The average American hourly wage (for employees, not employers) is $24.78. For a degree holder it's higher, but let's just go with the slightly under $25 an hour figure.
$24.78 X 3250 = $80,000+. That's a lot of money. (Plus add in the cost private tutors, classes, etc.)
The thing is, for an average Joe, it's going to take even longer.
Applicants were selected for their exceptional language learning capacity/intelligence.
Most Westerners I met who claimed to be good at Korean actually sucked.
It takes a long time to get good at the language. Many, many years. The opportunity cost is so, so high. Most people don't realize this.
I'd say if you have a K-wife wife, it's worth it to study the language to try to be conversant. If not, I'd say it's probably not. |
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metalhead
Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet
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| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 3:29 am Post subject: |
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| World Traveler wrote: |
The average American hourly wage (for employees, not employers) is $24.78. For a degree holder it's higher, but let's just go with the slightly under $25 an hour figure.
$24.78 X 3250 = $80,000+. That's a lot of money. (Plus add in the cost private tutors, classes, etc.)
The thing is, for an average Joe, it's going to take even longer.
Applicants were selected for their exceptional language learning capacity/intelligence.
Most Westerners I met who claimed to be good at Korean actually sucked.
It takes a long time to get good at the language. Many, many years. The opportunity cost is so, so high. Most people don't realize this.
I'd say if you have a K-wife wife, it's worth it to study the language to try to be conversant. If not, I'd say it's probably not. |
Well how much have you been paid for all the time you spend on this and other sites on the Internet? I suppose if you view all your hours during the day as being about money then what you wrote above would make sense, but if money is so important to you why are you (I assume) teaching in Korea? Obviously you're not there to learn the language, which is not as difficult as you suggest, and if you can't see the advantages of learning the local language when living in a country then I think you need to give it some more thought (unpaid thought of course). |
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 6:09 am Post subject: |
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| metalhead wrote: |
| not as difficult as you suggest |
Oh really? What evidence do you have for that? The U.S. Dept. of States says it takes 3,250 hours (for person who is good at learning languages), not me. Do you dispute their figures? The average OECD member country worker puts in 1,770 hours of work annually. Think of learning Korean as a full time job for two years. That's a lot of time, man. Yes, there are advantages to knowing Korean (duh), but the opportunity cost is very, very high. |
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 6:15 am Post subject: |
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OK, here's a question for you, metalhead:
Why are most lifers unable to speak Korean?
Is it because A) they are losers (lazy, unambitious, irrational, unintelligent) or B) Korean is an extremely difficult language? |
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happyinhenan
Joined: 01 Feb 2015
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| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 6:19 am Post subject: |
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| World Traveler wrote: |
OK, here's a question for you, metalhead:
Why are most lifers unable to speak Korean?
Is it because A) they are losers (lazy, unambitious, irrational, unintelligent) or B) Korean is an extremely difficult language? |
Neither.
It is a lack of motivation - there is no need for English speakers to learn Korean to function in Korea.
Polish immigrants in the UK can by and large, converse in functional English despite English being very hard for Polish speakers to learn.
Is Korean very difficult to learn? Yes, but that isn't the main reason - if they had to rote learn the language - they could learn Korean. It is difficult to learn, not impossible - a big difference. |
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metalhead
Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet
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| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 7:09 am Post subject: |
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| World Traveler wrote: |
OK, here's a question for you, metalhead:
Why are most lifers unable to speak Korean?
Is it because A) they are losers (lazy, unambitious, irrational, unintelligent) or B) Korean is an extremely difficult language? |
Well, my opinion would be A, I think anyone who decides to become a lifer in Korea is a loser, not sure about lazy and irrational but definitely unambitious and most likely "unintelligent".
I guess Korean is really difficult and near-impossible to learn, I wonder how 3D workers from Bangladesh and Korean kids learn it then? If grown Western men married to natives can't learn it, then it simply cannot be learned, and screw those whiteys who became conversational in a year too, they're clearly not real people. |
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Chaucer
Joined: 20 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 7:41 am Post subject: 2000+ |
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But more pursue than study lately...you see, I cannot
study...but living here helps. |
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wooden nickels
Joined: 23 May 2010
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| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 9:15 am Post subject: |
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| happyinhenan wrote: |
| World Traveler wrote: |
OK, here's a question for you, metalhead:
Why are most lifers unable to speak Korean?
Is it because A) they are losers (lazy, unambitious, irrational, unintelligent) or B) Korean is an extremely difficult language? |
Neither.
It is a lack of motivation - there is no need for English speakers to learn Korean to function in Korea.
Polish immigrants in the UK can by and large, converse in functional English despite English being very hard for Polish speakers to learn.
Is Korean very difficult to learn? Yes, but that isn't the main reason - if they had to rote learn the language - they could learn Korean. It is difficult to learn, not impossible - a big difference. |
this |
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wooden nickels
Joined: 23 May 2010
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| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 9:26 am Post subject: |
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| metalhead wrote: |
| World Traveler wrote: |
OK, here's a question for you, metalhead:
Why are most lifers unable to speak Korean?
Is it because A) they are losers (lazy, unambitious, irrational, unintelligent) or B) Korean is an extremely difficult language? |
Well, my opinion would be A, I think anyone who decides to become a lifer in Korea is a loser, not sure about lazy and irrational but definitely unambitious and most likely "unintelligent".
I guess Korean is really difficult and near-impossible to learn, I wonder how 3D workers from Bangladesh and Korean kids learn it then? If grown Western men married to natives can't learn it, then it simply cannot be learned, and screw those whiteys who became conversational in a year too, they're clearly not real people. |
I have an on campus BA with Honors and an on campus MA with Honors, teacher certification. I speak 2 languages fluently, neither are Korean. I own a home in Korea, debt free. I own a business in Korea, debt free. I have a small investment in my home country paid for. I'm building a pension here in Korea. I'm building a cash fund for retirement here> - - - ,000,000 won. I'm planning to buy a small apartment, cash paid in full in the near future to generate further income. Is this the definition of unambitious and unintelligent? Loser? |
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Who's Your Daddy?
Joined: 30 May 2010
Location: Victoria, Canada.
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| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 10:10 am Post subject: |
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| I think for the vast majority it is a waste of time because they will have left the country before they get any good. |
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metalhead
Joined: 18 May 2010
Location: Toilet
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| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 12:30 pm Post subject: |
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| wooden nickels wrote: |
| metalhead wrote: |
| World Traveler wrote: |
OK, here's a question for you, metalhead:
Why are most lifers unable to speak Korean?
Is it because A) they are losers (lazy, unambitious, irrational, unintelligent) or B) Korean is an extremely difficult language? |
Well, my opinion would be A, I think anyone who decides to become a lifer in Korea is a loser, not sure about lazy and irrational but definitely unambitious and most likely "unintelligent".
I guess Korean is really difficult and near-impossible to learn, I wonder how 3D workers from Bangladesh and Korean kids learn it then? If grown Western men married to natives can't learn it, then it simply cannot be learned, and screw those whiteys who became conversational in a year too, they're clearly not real people. |
I have an on campus BA with Honors and an on campus MA with Honors, teacher certification. I speak 2 languages fluently, neither are Korean. I own a home in Korea, debt free. I own a business in Korea, debt free. I have a small investment in my home country paid for. I'm building a pension here in Korea. I'm building a cash fund for retirement here> - - - ,000,000 won. I'm planning to buy a small apartment, cash paid in full in the near future to generate further income. Is this the definition of unambitious and unintelligent? Loser? |
It's great to see a lot of people here are really concerned about my opinion, thanks to all of you, I appreciate it. Oh, and to answer your question:
Yes. Who the hell brags about retiring in Korea, and buying a 'small apartment to generate further income'? That sounds awful. |
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wooden nickels
Joined: 23 May 2010
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| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 4:14 pm Post subject: |
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| metalhead wrote: |
| wooden nickels wrote: |
| metalhead wrote: |
| World Traveler wrote: |
OK, here's a question for you, metalhead:
Why are most lifers unable to speak Korean?
Is it because A) they are losers (lazy, unambitious, irrational, unintelligent) or B) Korean is an extremely difficult language? |
Well, my opinion would be A, I think anyone who decides to become a lifer in Korea is a loser, not sure about lazy and irrational but definitely unambitious and most likely "unintelligent".
I guess Korean is really difficult and near-impossible to learn, I wonder how 3D workers from Bangladesh and Korean kids learn it then? If grown Western men married to natives can't learn it, then it simply cannot be learned, and screw those whiteys who became conversational in a year too, they're clearly not real people. |
I have an on campus BA with Honors and an on campus MA with Honors, teacher certification. I speak 2 languages fluently, neither are Korean. I own a home in Korea, debt free. I own a business in Korea, debt free. I have a small investment in my home country paid for. I'm building a pension here in Korea. I'm building a cash fund for retirement here> - - - ,000,000 won. I'm planning to buy a small apartment, cash paid in full in the near future to generate further income. Is this the definition of unambitious and unintelligent? Loser? |
It's great to see a lot of people here are really concerned about my opinion, thanks to all of you, I appreciate it. Oh, and to answer your question:
Yes. Who the hell brags about retiring in Korea, and buying a 'small apartment to generate further income'? That sounds awful. |
Owning property in 2 countries. Having 2 pensions. Having a - - - , 000,000 won cash fund. Having several other small income generating investments. Debt free. That sounds awful, to you? |
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happyinhenan
Joined: 01 Feb 2015
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| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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| metalhead wrote: |
Well, my opinion would be A, I think anyone who decides to become a lifer in Korea is a loser, not sure about lazy and irrational but definitely unambitious and most likely "unintelligent".
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Nah.
Being a lifer in Korea doesn't make one a loser.
There is only one definition of a 'loser' as far as lifestyle choices regarding living in a particular place goes and that is a person who hates their existence in xyz but won't do anything about it.
If one enjoys Korea and their life there, makes them a bit of a winner in my book. I know people who fit that description and I don't regard them as 'losers' in any way whatsoever - even though Korea isn't my personal cup of tea. |
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