Spring Break
Grads head east, teach English in South Korea
Patrick Timmis
Issue date: 11/5/09 Section: Focus
Jon Frank, a '08 Hillsdale College graduate, teaches English. Unlike some English teachers, however, Frank's students do not primarily speak English.
Frank lives and works in the South Korean city of Suwon, not far from the nation's capital of Seoul.
"People are very friendly," he said. "I've heard stories about non-Koreans having problems but I have never run into it myself."
Gavin Phelps, a '09 graduate, will soon follow Frank to South Korea.
"You have to go where the jobs are," he said.
Frank and other English teachers like him offer a prized skill to the Koreans. Some Koreans send their children to the U.S. as exchange students to learn the language. They believe it gives their children an advantage, said John Somerville, associate professor of English. Somerville grew up in South Korea, where his father was a missionary and later a professor.
"Korea, like China and Japan, traditionally has a very high regard for learning," he said. "So scholars are traditionally very highly esteemed in that culture."
Frank said South Korean cities are not significantly different from our own. Metropolitan Korean culture is fairly modern and even Western, Frank said. However, this doesn't mean there is no sense of alienation.
"Korea is still a bit culturally closed," he said. "For instance, anyone who looks non-Korean is automatically considered 'waegukin,' or a foreigner. Even Korean kids with darker skin than 'normal' will get teased about it."
While Korean culture is still largely family-centric, Frank said it is also work-oriented. The South Korean day starts late. Few of Frank's students get up before 8 a.m., and few businesses in Suwon open before 10 a.m.
However, this doesn't mean the days are short. Frank said a 10-hour workday is not unusual for Koreans.
Metropolitan Korea also buzzes with nightlife, Frank said. Almost everyone drinks, and those who don't are viewed as slightly odd.
Frank acquired the job by contacting an independent recruiter.
"Apparently I got lucky," Frank said. "Sometimes this will end you up in a less-than-ideal situation but mine was fine."
Such "less than-than-ideal situations" include working long hours. Despite this, teachers earn enough for a comfortable, middle-class life.
Neither Frank nor Phelps sees their work as permanent. Each views it as an intermediate stage between earning their bachelor's degree and their future studies or careers.
Frank lives and works in the South Korean city of Suwon, not far from the nation's capital of Seoul.
"People are very friendly," he said. "I've heard stories about non-Koreans having problems but I have never run into it myself."
Gavin Phelps, a '09 graduate, will soon follow Frank to South Korea.
"You have to go where the jobs are," he said.
Frank and other English teachers like him offer a prized skill to the Koreans. Some Koreans send their children to the U.S. as exchange students to learn the language. They believe it gives their children an advantage, said John Somerville, associate professor of English. Somerville grew up in South Korea, where his father was a missionary and later a professor.
"Korea, like China and Japan, traditionally has a very high regard for learning," he said. "So scholars are traditionally very highly esteemed in that culture."
Frank said South Korean cities are not significantly different from our own. Metropolitan Korean culture is fairly modern and even Western, Frank said. However, this doesn't mean there is no sense of alienation.
"Korea is still a bit culturally closed," he said. "For instance, anyone who looks non-Korean is automatically considered 'waegukin,' or a foreigner. Even Korean kids with darker skin than 'normal' will get teased about it."
While Korean culture is still largely family-centric, Frank said it is also work-oriented. The South Korean day starts late. Few of Frank's students get up before 8 a.m., and few businesses in Suwon open before 10 a.m.
However, this doesn't mean the days are short. Frank said a 10-hour workday is not unusual for Koreans.
Metropolitan Korea also buzzes with nightlife, Frank said. Almost everyone drinks, and those who don't are viewed as slightly odd.
Frank acquired the job by contacting an independent recruiter.
"Apparently I got lucky," Frank said. "Sometimes this will end you up in a less-than-ideal situation but mine was fine."
Such "less than-than-ideal situations" include working long hours. Despite this, teachers earn enough for a comfortable, middle-class life.
Neither Frank nor Phelps sees their work as permanent. Each views it as an intermediate stage between earning their bachelor's degree and their future studies or careers.
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