KEY POINTS:
Parents of Korean students often fail to think outside the square in education, and this sets them back in their career options in New Zealand, say the organisers of a Korean youth meeting.
A report released a fortnight ago by the Asia New Zealand Foundation found a growing number of New Zealand-born Asians between 20 and 34 were going overseas to find better work opportunities, returning only later in life to raise their families.
But young Korean professionals - 17 of them - say a talk they will give to Korean secondary school students and their parents tomorrow night will convince them that there is a future for them here.
The speakers - ranging from a music therapist, flight attendant, journalist, interior designer and an assistant to a member of Parliament - said they were "living proof", and tomorrow's meeting would show the students and parents that career opportunities were plentiful and varied in New Zealand.
Organiser Joon Yi, a constituency agent for National MP Pansy Wong, said: "We recognise that we have to be the role models for the future generation of Koreans and do our part in helping to stop New Zealand's brain drain."
He said the speakers would also become a contact point and mentors for students who were keen to find out more about the different professions.
Called "Awakening Youths Project: Korean careers evening", it will be on at the Westlake Boys High School at Forrest Hill on the North Shore tomorrow evening.
"Korean parents tend not to see beyond becoming a doctor or lawyer as a career path for their children, but this session will be an eye opener for them to see that there are different paths to success in New Zealand," said Mr Yi, a graduate in computer science and law.
Music therapist Hee-Chan Choi, 24, said she would speak about how her job, which involves working with disabled children, brings "satisfaction that money can't buy".
She said: "Parents have to change their mindset when they come to New Zealand, because the environment is different and jobs on offer are different."
But another speaker, interior designer Grace Lee, 25, said the main motivating factor for most Korean parents when choosing a career for their children was about whether they could make money in the profession.
