Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Rykey]

My girlfriend and I (both American) want to teach in Korea next year, and we'd be bringing her 14-year-old daughter with us (big step, we know). From what we've researched so far, we think Changwon would suit us best.

I see a lot of tips geared toward younger singles and couples (O'Brien's, etc.), but nothing on people with kids. Does anyone know how we can try to network with any foreigners with kids (bonus points for people with teens) in Changwon/Masan/surrounding?

More specifically, we are trying to look into schooling for Daughter. Obviously a school for Koreans is out, and all the "foreign schools" look like they cost a fortune. That leaves only homeschooling as an option... correct? Anybody know where the families on the American naval base send their kids to school?

[nate1983]

Just curious why you're automatically excluding Korean schools. You are either worried about 1) The quality of education, or 2) The language/cultural barrier.

As for 1, while the methods may be a little different from the West, the system does end up producing a lot of well-educated, successful people.

As for 2, yes it could be a headache for a while, but I've had many, many friends who moved to a totally new (and in some cases, just as homogeneous, e.g. a couple Koreans who moved to Francophone Africa) culture in their early teens with zero to little knowledge of the language and succeeded in adapting just fine. I would have been so grateful if my parents had moved me abroad and given me that experience and chance to learn a new language at that age.

[shifter2009]

I know a bunch of people with younger kids here but no teens off the top of my head. Most send there kids to normal Korean schools at this point. I think there maybe a international school in Gimhae....

[Rykey]

[Colorado]

The American Naval Base at Jinhae has it's own elementary school. I believe they bus their middle and high school students to US military base schools in Daegu.