Korean Job Discussion Forums

Bryan · Joined: 29 Oct 2007

I've looked at the prices of the full time language institutes like Sogang, Ganada and Yonsei and I don't think I can afford them. I'm in my last year of university, and when I graduate I will only have a little bit of money left. An option is getting a full time job in Korea but my goal of studying Korean is more important to me.

I was wondering if anyone has just self-studied Korean and got to a good level? Maybe, the equivalent of having graduated Sogang level 6. If so, what was your study plan like? For those who are taking the intensive autodidactic route, what is your study plan?

As far as resources, right now I have a Korean girlfriend I see on weekends. I also have a computer and a couple books to study from. For the future (next year) I was hoping just to fly to Korea and rent an apartment in Incheon or Seoul and immerse myself in the language while self-studying.

Chambertin · Joined: 07 Jun 2009 Location: Gunsan

B A R

Seriously if you have a Korean girlfreind and are asking "how to study" you clearly dont care. You have a teacher, dictionary, and all other things wrapped up into one package.

The only excuse is if she isnt natural Korean but a second or third generation who dosent want to speak Korean.

samd · Joined: 03 Jan 2007

smjstevens · Joined: 04 Jul 2009

Though a little underhanded, there are torrents available for the Korean Rosetta Stone software. It works well, and is entirely independent. If you're serious about really understanding the language, you have to make sure to self-correct as you go. The hardest part is the self discipline of making yourself repeat lessons that you didn't understand well enough.

Good luck! Very Happy

Hyeon Een · Joined: 24 Jun 2005

If you want to learn the language well, AND can come to Korea you can immerse yourself. This is not a luxury that us English teachers have. We work in an environment where we spend our days speaking in English to students, and surrounded by co-workers who either speak English well or are trying to improve their English.

If you come here to learn the language you should do the following:

(1) Move to a "Hasuk jib" (하숙집) with Japanese and Chinese who are also trying to learn the language; you'll get a lot of practice. One with a lot of Koreans is also good, unless they're desperately trying to learn English. Sometimes non-English speaking foreigners are BETTER than Koreans, because they're trying to learn Korean, not English.

A "goshiwon" (고시원) might also be a good bet, but might be less personal than a hasukjib, which tend to be smaller.

(2) Join some clubs. Join a Taekwando class or a cooking class or something which surrounds you with Koreans. Being able to actually practice with people who don't care about English and instead are trying to learn some other skill is very useful.

(3) Join some free Korean classes. Seoul Global center has some free Korean classes. Most neighbourhoods in Seoul have free Korean classes (usually aimed at foreign-brides, but they'll let you in)

(4) Study. This is the hardest part for most people. Most people can't study well alone; hence they take classes. If you follow the other three steps though studying will be much easier and more rewarding than for the average guy working as an English teacher.

If you do the above you can probaly get by fairly cheaply and learn a lot of the language.

Bear in mind that the language is quite hard to learn, and progress will be somewhat slow. If you really want to get to a University level 6 then taking organized classes should probably be something you plan for in the future.

Unless you're a genius it's going to take a couple of years, at least, to get to an advanced level.

Lynns · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Location: Korea

Even if you mostly self-study, you can also jump-start your progress by signing up for short-term classes. If your motivation or progress stalls, you can attend a hagwon for about $350 for a full time course for a month (even less for part-time evening or weekend classes). Just another option if it's hard to stay on track with self-study for an extended time, but without the time and money commitment of one of the intensive university courses.

cdninkorea · Joined: 27 Jan 2006 Location: Seoul

I think Mithridates would be the guy to talk to. He self-studied himself to fluency; he's able to translate books and can eavesdrop on conversations. My memory is hazy, but immersion was a major part of how he learned.

I don't see him here anymore, but you can probably find him on his site, Galbijim.com.

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

Abraham House can set you up with study partners and such. There is a small 50,000 won book fee. Listen to the interview here -- it's about 3 stories down:

http://www.themidnightrunner.com

skeeterses · Joined: 25 Oct 2007

Bryan, my first piece of advice is to find a Korean church to attend on Sundays. Let the minister there know that you're learning Korean. If you have a regular job, eating at a Korean restaurant where the waitresses speak Korean with you will also help give you opportunities to practice Korean.

The second thing to do is to get a decent set of Korean grammar books and a book on Survival Korean to help get you up to speaking the language. And remember, there is tons of literature in the Korean language on the web whether its the Korean Bible or the free comics you can find on naver. Take full advantage of those resources.

Finally, have patience. Getting fluent will take longer than it would for Spanish but I think Korean is a worthwhile language to learn. Even if you don't find a high paying job in Korea, being able to impress your friends and family by speaking Korean is a great thing in itself.

Bryan · Joined: 29 Oct 2007

roadwork · Joined: 24 Nov 2008 Location: Goin' up the country

To add to the OP's post, what about recommending books for self study.
For me, I use the Sogang University textbook level 2A, Korean Grammar for Internation Learners (a high level book for both Korean language and the English grammar explanations) and Word by Word (is that right?) English-Korean picture dictionary - Fantastic for vocabulary.

I remember something about someone recommending "500 Korean Verbs" and saying it was a necessity. Anyone use that book?

skeeterses · Joined: 25 Oct 2007

Listening is always the hardest part and I can't say there's any easy answer. The YTN news site provides online videos with their news articles and the website http://www.holybible.or.kr has the audio with the Bible. It will help you understand the formal Korean, the jondaemal. Understanding conversations between Koreans though will require a lot more work.

mc_jc · Joined: 13 Aug 2009 Location: C4B- Cp Red Cloud, Area-I

I used to listen on my students as they translated my lessons to their classmates and I picked up my vocabulary. Then once I learned to read Korea, going to see a movie with Korean subtitles helped alot (the biggest challenge was watching Chinese and Japanese movies and trying to read the subtitles).

Right now, I have to make do with Rosetta Stone, which I get for free through Skillport.

jsk · Joined: 31 Oct 2008

I highly recommend two books in a series:

Korean Made Easy For Beginners
Korean Made Easy For Everyday Life
by Seung-eun Oh

It's tempting to blow through the books because they look rather simple. But taking the time to memorize each phrase and vocabulary is much more helpful for me. My problem is recall, not recognition (I can comprehend about half of spoken Korean).

Also another helpful and free website mentioned on this site is Seoul National University's online study guide. The drills are useful:

http://language.snu.ac.kr/english/pages/SD00023_00.jsp

mimis · Joined: 24 May 2009

And when you get here...