Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Trinny]

[Korea Newfie]

[mokpochica]

[Homer]

Korea Newfie


I see your point. But you have to see beyond the "useful" sometimes. Of course, for most people learning Korean will only be helpful while in Korea. But there is more to learning a language than that. also by that standard, if you meet a spaniard or a frenchman in Newfounland they will also speak English..so not much use there for your Spanish and French.
It is true these two languages are more common worldwide then Korean.

Our situations differ K-Newfie. I married a Korean woman and for me it was imperative that I be able to communicate with my in-laws and friends. Also, we plan to have kids and they will learn Korean as well. So, for me it is an investment. Its also quite marketable career-wise. I have allready checked the waters as far as consulting and Canadian Foreign Affairs department goes and speaking Korean is seen as a huge asset. So, again, in a certain field it is very useful.
Also, you may have experienced a lot of Korea through your friends and co-workers that translate for you but I found that experiencing it yourself in Korean makes for a whole different experience. But, thats just me.
I could apply the same mentality you apply to Korean to the question of learning French in Canada. I'm from ontario and when you ask people there about learning French they will tell you "why the heck should I...its not useful". Yet some people do. I had no choice as my mother is french and my dad english.
Languages go beyond usefulness. They are a gateway to culture.
I am not disputing your right not to leanr much Korean nor do O think someone who doesn't learn it is inferior to one who does. I just think its always a bonus to learn new languages, you never really know what it can do for you.

[Michelle]

It is a weird dichotomy.

You get those people who want you to speak it whether you know it or not, and then those who will hardly let you speak it.

I know a bit and feel it makes life a lot easier. I practise when I can.

Anyway so I went into Seattle's Best the other day and said 'Anyong Haseyo'.

I have never had trouble with this for about a year and a half, but the Korean girl serving me snapped 'I beg your pardon?'

Go figure. I felt it was rude. Most people in there just switch to english and I don't mind.

I was just trying to be kind and unassuming.

But then it's one out of many. Most people appreciate my attempts.

Cheers

[Gladiator]

I've never ONCE encountered that line. It's always the other extreme: speak only English.

[Korea Newfie]

Hey Homer,

You make some good points. Your example of the Spaniard or Frenchman in Newfoundland speaking English is valid. However, to get a good government job in Canada, I have to speak French. In order to be PM one day, should I wish, I have to speak French. Speaking French and Spanish will get me all around North America (well, aside from up North ) and much of Europe, which I hope to tour extensively, but Korean will only help me in the Korean communities in LA and Vancouver, for example.

The fact that our situations differ is exactly my point, so thanks for pointing that out. It helps you greatly with your family life, but for those of us who are not in that situation, we don't appreciate those who are turning up their nose at us (not you, but many do).

I think working with Foreign Affairs would be cool, so I wish you luck with that. However, as my original thesis went, it would only be useful when dealing with Korea (again, useful for you with your family, but not for the majority). I would assume that French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, etc. would all be more useful.

Btw, while I love being devil's advocate, I have to admit that I am studying with the book, "Korean Through English." And "neh, jote-a-yo." (yes, it is good??)

[Trinny]

Homer, I know a little bit about the innerworking of DFAIT and this is my two cent's worth:

let me clarify a little bit about getting a job with the DFAIT in Canada. Speaking Korean is somewhat of an advantage, but not a huge asset as you describe in your post. Basically, to be a rotational staff at the foreign affairs, you are expected to have a Masters' degree preferably in economics, laws, business or special fields in science or technology, because most of the rotational staff gets to work on trade policy, trade dispute or pitch Canadian companies in overseas market. Most of the rotational staff's assignment actually comes down to how much of the knowledge you have under your belt about the industries you cover and how skillfully and also agressively you deal with the obstacles facing the Canadian companies in the local market. You will be expected to be on top of the changes in market situation.

DFAIT shifted its diplomatic focus to international trade. More rotational staff are called on to assume the role of sales people for Canadian companies. DFAIT staff usually doesn't do these jobs of their own. They have Industry Canada, Agriculture Canada, Science & Technology dept, etc working as a part of the team. So, the novelty of knowing several languages wears off, if you don't know what you are doing and your knowledge and skillsets will be put to the test very quickly by these people from other department.

As for the importance of language in the recruiting process, Korean is up there with Japanese, Chinese and Arabic as the most difficult language to learn for Canadians. And the ability to speak Korean will be highly valued, if you have masters' degree, score really really high in the recruiting test and interview, and be fluent in both English and French. Korean will not get you anywhere, if you don't meet the said conditions.

[weatherman]

[Homer]

Trinny,

Good points. But as one who did contract work for the DFAIT I must say that for one who can speak, read and write hangul there is plenty of work. I have an M.A. allready.
Also the rotaional nature you speak of is for those public servants that work for the DFAIT based on a recruitment test taken IN Canada. Those applying overseas..say from Korea get full time non-rotational positions at the Cnd embassy in Seoul. They get the same benefits and better pay. Also, in the course of the contracts I did for DFAIT I was often told that having an asian language...any asian language is a huge bonus.
We now come to trade. Trade between Canada and SK has been growing at a phenomenal rate in recent years and the government of Canada is needing people that can effectively communicate in Korean and that are Canadian. The other departments dealing with Korea through the DFAIT are also looking for Korean speakers. Its not an avalanche of positions but there are quite a few. This applies to Industry Canada, Science and tech, National Defense and even governemental relations. You can also work for the translation bureau in Ottawa, the RCMP as a civilian analyst.
then there is the private sector where corporations doing business with Korea, and there are quite a few out there, need university grads with linguistic ability in Korean to do consulting and or training for potential employees that will go to Korea.
Also, the DFAIT recruitment process does require you to score rather high on those tests but lets be frank these tests are not the hardest ones on the planet. If you are unable to make the cut, but have the qualifications linguistics wise you can enter through whats commonly known as the "side-door". These are contractual posts that hinge on your linguistic and educational background. These contractual posts can lead to permanent positions at the DFAIT.
In my case I am allready fluent in French and English and have an M.A..
These jobs all open up because of Korean language ability and a university background.
Then there is the field of higher education. If you are looking to go for a university tenure in the field of East Asian Studies, you now need 2 asian languages and the last time I checked Korean was still considered an asian language. Furthermore, the field of Korean studies is getting more demand from undergrad and grad students in Canada and other western nations and Korean studies specialists are still few in numbers. Of course this requires a PHD but its still an opening created by having learned Korean.
Then there are the opportunities for work outside teaching in Korea because one speaks Korean.
So, while Korean is not the most popular language on the planet it can and does open up doors for a person.
Speaking Korean can pay off.

[Gladiator]

Canadian Teacher wrote [quote]Koreans believe that only Koreans can speak Korean."

This is true. Or they assume that any foreigner who successfully makes a coherent, correct construction in their mother language must have done it by accident. Or by luck. Or perhaps they are imagining things?

Do they assume because Korean is a scientific language its syntax etc. is too "scientific" for foreign minds to deal with?

[Homer]

No gladiator,

They assume that most foreigners do not know korean well because most don't!
They also sometimes react this way because they don't intereact with foreigners very often so when a wae-guk comes up and starts speaking Korean it surprises them.

[Gladiator]

Point taken Homer.

But on the wider issue of accepting bilingual foreigners into the Korean mainstream I think Korea has miles to go.

I've never once encountered a campaign urging resident foreigners to learn Korean to assimilate into this society. On the whole learning Korean doesn't seem to be supported or encouraged much. Even the token KL courses at Yonsei, Seoul National and so on regard their courses as nothing more than novelties to teach foreigners a few basic phrases for decorative purposes.

Koreans just aren't as responsive to foreigners speaking in their mother language as, say, the Japanese who seem to have a more mature, integrating (and bilingual) approach with foreign residents of their country.

I wish it wasn't like this.

If you have strong Korean language skills then it's a great asset for navigating through Korean life.

I once saw a Caucasian girl toddler (possibly American?)speaking native Korean to an ajuma in a Buy the Way store (in Haengshin Dong, Koyyangshi to be precise). I guess she'd been born here or something? It was remarkable. But Koreans were reluctant to believe me.

[masuro]

[Homer]

Gladiator,

True to some extent but again the lack of development of the Korean teaching field may be related to two factors. One, foreigners living in and working in Korea are a somewhat recent thing.
Two, their numbers (or our numbers...) here are still very low compared to the general population.
Hence, taking Korean lessons can require the wae-guk to show some initiative and go look for these courses. When I got here in 1997 it was much worse then it is now. So things are changing.