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SAbabe
Joined: 05 Jul 2008
Location: South Africa
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 Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:03 am Post subject: Taking child to South Korea |
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My husband and I want to go and teach in South Korea. We have a 7 year old daughter.
I have heard that international schools are VERY expensive.
Is there anyone who has taken their children with and what would your advise be? |
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hugekebab
Joined: 05 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:06 am Post subject: Re: Taking child to South Korea |
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| SAbabe wrote: |
My husband and I want to go and teach in South Korea. We have a 7 year old daughter.
I have heard that international schools are VERY expensive.
Is there anyone who has taken their children with and what would your advise be? |
replace the 's' with a 'c', that's my advice. 
Sorry bad joke, I hate the nit pickers on these boards, but I find myself doing it sometimes!
I don't know anyone with children here but for what it's worth, both of you together can easily save about half of a 2 million won ($2000) pay cheque, especially if you eat at Korean/Japanese restaurants and don't keep going to American/Aussie junk restaurants. You can factor that into the school costs, once you have found these out. It may also depend on where you are going to live; I'm sure you may struggle a little in Seoul because of the higher cost of living and I bet,in all probability, the higher cost of the international schools there.
Last edited by hugekebab on Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:13 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Milwaukiedave
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Location: Goseong
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:11 am Post subject: |
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| I know an Australian couple who homeschooled their two teenagers here in Korea. There have been several foreigners I've met who have brought their kids here. I'm not sure about the international schools though. You might wait for someone else to comment on that. |
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bundangbabo
Joined: 01 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 3:12 am Post subject: |
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| Bringing a child to this country and subjecting them to the culture for more than a few weeks holiday would be on par with child abuse in my eyes unless you could insulate them a little in the international schools but you'll never afford that on ESL wages. Thats just my opinion, not a parent myself but will be soon and thats why we are out of here. |
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dc'79
Joined: 01 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 3:43 am Post subject: |
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The international schools in Seoul can run from 10,000 to 15,000 USD per year. (tuition only) Generally the quality of education is excellent. I went to Seoul International School fresh/soph year of high school.
I would not subject my child to the Korean public schools unless they can speak Korean fluently.
Homeschooling is a very decent option. |
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hugekebab
Joined: 05 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:17 am Post subject: |
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| bundangbabo wrote: |
| Bringing a child to this country and subjecting them to the culture for more than a few weeks holiday would be on par with child abuse in my eyes unless you could insulate them a little in the international schools but you'll never afford that on ESL wages. Thats just my opinion, not a parent myself but will be soon and thats why we are out of here. |
Inflammatory nonsense; disregard. |
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SAbabe
Joined: 05 Jul 2008
Location: South Africa
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:38 am Post subject: |
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Inflammatory nonsense; disregard.[/quote]
Thanx a lot. Thats what I thought.
How would you go about home schooling your child? I know that you teach your child yourself, but who looks after the children when the parents are working? |
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bundangbabo
Joined: 01 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:43 am Post subject: |
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| hugekebab wrote: |
| bundangbabo wrote: |
| Bringing a child to this country and subjecting them to the culture for more than a few weeks holiday would be on par with child abuse in my eyes unless you could insulate them a little in the international schools but you'll never afford that on ESL wages. Thats just my opinion, not a parent myself but will be soon and thats why we are out of here. |
Inflammatory nonsense; disregard. |
Do tell? You think that this is a good place for A SEVEN YEAR OLD GIRL who cant speak Korean. If they are here to make money, she will be home at least 6 hours a day by herself in a dingy little apartment, subjected to old Korean people stroking her hair on the subway, she will have next to no avenues available to make friends except for a TOKEN English friend to some over zealous ENGLISH CRAZY Korean family. It will not be some wonderful cultural experience for her to reflect on when she gets older but a very lonely time and quite possibly the catalyst for a lot of resentment towards her family.
On the other hand, if the parents are teachers in their home country, a good route would be to get jobs in an international school and get the subsidised tuition or perhaps free.
If that is not the case, it is a terrible deal and I am sure if you check with any developmental psychologist that he/she will agree.
Just her trying to play in a park here will be traumatic and Korean kids are nasty little buggers to outsiders but feel free to side with hugekebab but I could guarantee that it IS a HUge mistake. |
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Hanson
Joined: 20 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:44 am Post subject: |
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I know a couple (Dutch & American) who have four kids here. Their eldest was about 11 or 12 when they moved here, their youngest was born here. All the kids went straight into Korean schools and adjusted very well. They were/are all very popular at school and have tons of friends.
It's not for everyone, granted. |
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JamesFord
Joined: 14 Jun 2007
Location: my personal playground
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:04 am Post subject: |
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| bundangbabo wrote: |
| hugekebab wrote: |
| bundangbabo wrote: |
| Bringing a child to this country and subjecting them to the culture for more than a few weeks holiday would be on par with child abuse in my eyes unless you could insulate them a little in the international schools but you'll never afford that on ESL wages. Thats just my opinion, not a parent myself but will be soon and thats why we are out of here. |
Inflammatory nonsense; disregard. |
Do tell? You think that this is a good place for A SEVEN YEAR OLD GIRL who cant speak Korean. If they are here to make money, she will be home at least 6 hours a day by herself in a dingy little apartment, subjected to old Korean people stroking her hair on the subway, she will have next to no avenues available to make friends except for a TOKEN English friend to some over zealous ENGLISH CRAZY Korean family. It will not be some wonderful cultural experience for her to reflect on when she gets older but a very lonely time and quite possibly the catalyst for a lot of resentment towards her family.
On the other hand, if the parents are teachers in their home country, a good route would be to get jobs in an international school and get the subsidised tuition or perhaps free.
If that is not the case, it is a terrible deal and I am sure if you check with any developmental psychologist that he/she will agree.
Just her trying to play in a park here will be traumatic and Korean kids are nasty little buggers to outsiders but feel free to side with hugekebab but I could guarantee that it IS a HUge mistake. |
I agree. What's with all these people deciding to bring their kids with them to Korea? My opinion means jack-squat, but I'm like...... wow..... what are you thinking?
I can't imagine having to had come here as a waegook-in kid. For us teachers, Korea's a pretty safe country, but it's not necessarily so for a kid. So you bring your kid here and something goes wrong and they end up like that other kid that died and then what? I'm just saying it could happen. Your kid could get hit by a car, or any number of things could happen and you can't count on Koreans or their services to help you. Sure, things could happen in your home country too, but that is a place and culture that your kid understands. This place is different.
I can't see any benefit to bringing your kid here. This place can be depressing for the biggest of apologists.
We all should be able to have some adventure in our lives and have the freedom to do what we want, but at the same time, we need to be responsible and accountable with our children. It's sad to see adults who want to be 'different' or 'adventurous', at the expense of their children.
It reminds me of the British woman who lives in Goa and had her pre-teen daughter living with her there. One morning her daughter's raped body is floating in the ocean. And she still can't take any responsibility.
If you're kid had some Korean blood in them and could speak the language, it would be a different story. But it's hard enough for a 22 year old out of university to make it here, let alone a 7 year old. Put your kids first. |
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bundangbabo
Joined: 01 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:31 am Post subject: |
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Spot on JamesFord. One more thing that I will add is the kids that I have met who were home schooled including some kids in Japan whilst their parents taught were seriously socially awkward. But don't get me started on home schooling and the sort of child it often produces as that is a whole other can of worms.
Seriously, put your daughter first and keep her out of this country.
Whatever you do don't listen to Hugekebab, he is an idiot.  |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:47 am Post subject: |
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I'm not a parent, but it seems to me taking a 7-year-old to a foreign country would be an excellent opportunity.
Right now she can learn a new language without substantial pressure. I say bring her and put her into the public schools. It would not hurt to tutor her several hours a week for subjects you feel she would be missing (like English). |
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Kikomom
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: them thar hills--Penna, USA--Zippy is my kid, the teacher in ROK. You can call me Kiko
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 8:25 am Post subject: |
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| SAbabe wrote: |
How would you go about home schooling your child? I know that you teach your child yourself, but who looks after the children when the parents are working? |
Public school.
Get a Korean language program (Rosetta Stone?), get her versed in the basics now, then send her to public school while you are working. Or, set up different schedules, where you work mornings, hubby works evenings so one will be available to be with her at all times.
Home schooling shouldn't be too much of a mystery. You do plan to be teachers, correct? Start with the 3 R's--- Reading, 'Riting, 'Rithmatic, then have fun from there.
If she's totally miserable and isn't catching on, do you have parents that you can send her back to for the remainder of your year? That's what Barack Obama's mom did when they were in Indonesia. And now he's a candidate for the US presidency and a Yale Law School JD.
Ten bucks says that in six months you'll be learning Korean from her. |
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amilin90
Joined: 08 May 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 8:34 am Post subject: |
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| Kuros wrote: |
I'm not a parent, but it seems to me taking a 7-year-old to a foreign country would be an excellent opportunity.
Right now she can learn a new language without substantial pressure. I say bring her and put her into the public schools. It would not hurt to tutor her several hours a week for subjects you feel she would be missing (like English). |
Kudos to that!
I went abroad when I was a month shy of turning 6. Sure it was a bit different, my parents knew some smidgens of English (though I didn't even know the alphabet). But I was public schooled, through and through.
It's a bit different in the states of course. People from different countries, different ethnicities weren't strangers.
However, public schooling for an obvious foreigner might do more harm than good, especially if she didn't know the korean language. She obviously looks different, acts different, smells different (yes, smell..) and honestly, Korean kids in public schools aren't used to such huge differences.. an international school would be best for her, if you brought her along. Which I personally think you should go for!
Living in two completely different societies has helped me become somewhat different from kids my age in either Korea or the States. It's awesome  |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 2:23 pm Post subject: |
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| SAbabe wrote: |
How would you go about home schooling your child? I know that you teach your child yourself, but who looks after the children when the parents are working? |
cross posted in your duplicate thread here:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=128111
International schools currently run about $20,000 per year for tuition + extra costs.
Options would depend on where you are working.
If you are at a hakwon, she can stay in the school during the day (attend classes with the kids) and then home school at your convenience.
IF you are in a PS, then she could/would attend the Korean classes as a regular student and you can supplement her classes in your breaks to make sure she stays up to date on the material. They really are very helpful to the foreign kid (experience talking).
IF you are from Canada then all the provinces offer a distance learning option for about $1000 per year. Your child can attend school and use the correspondence courses to stay up to date with classes at home.
http://www.aldc.ca is an example .
If you are from the states, home schooling / correspondence courses are still an option - just more expensive. http://www.calvertschool.org/home-school/ .
I don't know about home schooling / correspondence programs for students from the other 5 (E2) countries. I expect there should be something similar from AUS.
And speaking as a parent who HAS done it before and IS doing it again, it is most definitely worth the little extra work and trouble for the parents.
.
Last edited by ttompatz on Tue Jul 08, 2008 1:25 am; edited 2 times in total |
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