Teach from the Seoul

By MIKE BARRETT


Hundreds of young Kiwis are turning away from the traditional OE and heading to South Korea for a fast-track way to ditch their student debt.

Working as English teachers, New Zealanders with degrees can earn up to $70 an hour.

Phil Wilson, from Te Anau, finished his studies in 2000 with a $36,000 student debt. Now living and working in Seoul, he says he can lead a "comfortable lifestyle" and still wipe out his debt.

"Teaching in South Korea has given me an opportunity to pay back my loan at a speed which would have been impossible in New Zealand," he says.

"It would have taken me 10 years of living a monk's lifestyle to pay back my loan in New Zealand. By working in Korea for 18 months I have pretty much paid it off."

About 1500 New Zealanders now teach in South Korea. The English language has become big business, the Asian slowdown hasn't hit the market for English teachers, and thousands of English academies provide an abundance of work.

From specialist kindergartens for children as young as 3, through to workshops specialising in business English, South Koreans are fanatical about learning the language.

The business-driven nature of society means that competent English speakers have increased chances of a successful career.

Korean English academies are called "Hakwons".

The average teaching job in one will net a foreign teacher about 2 million Korean won ($3500) a month, for no more than 30 hours a week. The school will also pay for housing.

Many teachers supplement their main teaching income by taking private classes in their free time.

Despite being illegal under standard visa regulations, private classes are lucrative and abundant, with many teachers earning from $40-$70 an hour.

The first day teaching was a baptism of fire for Renee Lyons who, like many New Zealanders teaching in Korea, had no previous experience.

"It's a completely crazy situation when you have a class of Korean kids for the first time and many of them haven't seen a foreigner outside of television."

But most teachers pick up the reins pretty quickly, and Lyons says the hardest part of teaching was trying to keep the work interesting.

Culture shock goes beyond the classroom though, with the differences between the two countries immense. Urban areas are crowded, with 35 per cent of Korea's 48 million people living in Seoul and its satellite cities (according to the Lonely Planet).

Living conditions are cramped, personal space is limited, pollution is intense, and if you see grass there's not much chance you'll be allowed to walk on it.

Then there are the four distinct seasons: extreme heat, humidity and smog in summer, and the biting cold and drab grey and brown winter can make cities like Seoul challenging places to live.

In between, there's the yellow dust season in spring and the monsoon in early summer - Kiwi teachers can find themselves longing for the moderate climate of home.

But life in Korea provides New Zealand teachers with a wealth of new experiences.

Many seize opportunities they wouldn't have at home thanks to the popularity of Western culture.

New Zealand teachers can be found playing live music at the innumerable bars and restaurants while others Kiwis have taken up acting.

Patrick Shirkey, of Tauranga, plays a regular DJ spot at a local club, something he says would be much more difficult to achieve at home.

"There are plenty of Korean clubs which are into Western music, and having a foreign DJ is a good way to attract curious Korean clubbers."

Contract disputes and communication problems from living and working in a different culture can provide a downside to life in Korea. The word from the wise is to select schools extremely carefully before signing the contract.

There are many stories of teachers having to do "midnight runs" from the institute they work at to get out of a contract.

But most teachers say they are happy to be there.

The political tension between South Korea and North Korea does not seem to greatly concern most. They are aware of current events but say their families at home are more worried than they are.

Heather Garven at the New Zealand Embassy says the "situation is ongoing and has been for some time (into its 51st year). But on a day-to-day basis, everyday life is not greatly affected".

But the embassy's website warns New Zealanders to be familiar with the emergency instructions as the "situation could at any time deteriorate quickly and with little notice".

NZ Embassy

Korea.net

English Spectrum

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