Korean Job Discussion Forums

[piggy]

Hello,

I'm fairly new to this. I've read almost all of the forums by now, and I've seen no mention of Irish people. I've read about how Americans/Canadians are favoured above the English and Australians, but what about the Irish?

I have a very neutral accent. Most people can't believe I'm from Ireland. Think I sound more British really!

Also on a side note, I'm looking for information on Geoje Island? Think I want to go there. It's not listed in the FAQs. Could it be that it's under it's province's name? What province is it in if so.

Thanks

[gaelforce]

Oh, there are more than a few of us about but, depending on your location , it's possible to go for quite a while without running into someone from home. I didn't run into many Irish during my first months but, then again, I was avoiding Hollywoods (allegedly? popular haunt for Irish ex-pats in Itaewon).

Seoul has its own Gaelic football team and there's even an Irish society, though I believe it's actually run by an American fella. They organise a big St. Patrick's Day festival every year and some other occasions scattered across the calendar. Here's their website (which hasn't been updated in a while) :
http://www.seoulshamrock.co.kr/Index_eng.htm

It's true that a lot of employers favor Americans and Canadians due to their neutral accent but there are still plenty of jobs availible. As long as you don't have a thick accent you shoudn't have any major difficulties. I take it from your coments that you aren't presently in Korea?


As for your Gooje question, here's the tourist website: http://english.geoje.go.kr/

Adh mor ort!

[piggy]

Go raibh mile!

I'm not too bothered about meeting Irish people when I'm over there. I was just curious as i've read soo much on so many websites at this stage and hadn't seen a mention of an Irish person.

And no, I'm not in Korea, still in Maynooth working on a degree. I went teaching English in India for the summer and I want to do more now!

[Yu_Bum_suk]

If you're interviewing a neutral accent that's very clear will help. When I was interviewing I got a lot of compliments on how clear and easy to understand I was (I have basically a CBC accent) and that really helped. Yes, some places favour North Americans. If you've lived in North America you could just say you have an American accent and few Koreans will be able to tell the difference. For some reason some Koreans think that having learned a second language is an advantage, so make sure to mention that you know two (or more if that's the case) languages and have spent a lot of time in language study.

[eamo]

Northern Irish myself.

There seems to be a fair bit more Irish here than 5 years ago when I first arrived. I'm one of those people whose accent changes wherever they go so I have a Mid-Atlantic accent now due to working mostly with North Americans. Still a bit of the Belfast harshness when I knock back a few but most people, Korean or otherwise, have no trouble understanding me.

In fact, at my last job they wanted a teacher to record a listening test onto CD-R. They had two Americans at the school but one had a very New York accent and one had a very southern accent so the director picked me to do it. Just shows. Accents are everywhere.

I think anyone who feels they have a strong accent should just come over. Speak clearly and a little more slowly. Short sentences and minimum slang.