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Ahhh, Korea! My home for going on a year now. If you have no idea what living in an foreign country, teaching English and experiencing a new culture is like then this is the post for you.

I’m going to be introducing Korea by sharing my perspective and experiences with you, the potential future English teacher, so that you  get a sense of what it will be like if you decide to come over here.

Let’s kick it off with something fun. The following video is something of a summary of my time here. It shows some of the highlights of Korea – cherry blossoms, temples, palaces, outdoor activities and big city party life!

So here it is! Watch it now to get a glimpse into life as an English teacher in Korea:

Introducing Korea

Of course it’s hard to envision and create content that really captures an experience and this video only scratches the surface of the people, places and food one can experience when in Korea. I do think it does a good job of at least giving you a sense of what living here is like, in my humblebrag opinion.

Natural Beauty

I had to kick off the video with one of the best parts of Korea – it can be a beautiful place. I say “can be” because often at first glance it’s concrete-block looking buildings and barren-looking landscapes (in winter) can throw you off. This is how I first saw Korea when I arrived in the tail end of the season.

However, as the weather changes you get the full range of colors and beauty with the different times of year. Spring is beautiful with the cherry blossoms blooming and lush green everywhere you look. Ponds surrounded by cherry blossoms are dotted all over the country. Autumn’s brings the gold and red colors to the leaves and just now, as I post this, we’re getting the first snow of the year. It’s magical.

There are also mountains everywhere, both close to and even WITHIN the cities, as the country is 70% mountainous. You’ll quickly find that hiking is big deal here.

Temples

Then of course there are the temples. There are 20 000 temples in Korea, a large percentage of which are Buddhist. You’ll find them all over the country. I recently found out there is a small one a short hike up the mountain behind one of the schools I teach at.

Here is a video a filmed at Jikjisa temple, offering you tips for finding a private academy job: Three Tips For Finding A Hagwon Job 

Palaces

These aren’t the kind of palaces you see in Disney movies and actually look fairly similar to temples to an untrained eye. Nevertheless, they’re awesome and actual kings lived there – hands down one of the coolest things you can see in Korea.

They’re not quite as commons as temples so you’ll likely want to head to Seoul to check some of the more famous ones, such as Gyeongbokgung which you saw in the video.

Outdoor Activities

Hiking and snowboarding are popular here and you’ll see Koreans kitted out and headed off for a day of hiking on any given weekend.

You’ll find there are plenty of outdoor activities such as ziplining and canopy top adventures.

There are also some great beaches in Korea which was something I wasn’t expecting. You can find small little towns with amazing beaches or even head to a big city like Busan and go to Gwangali beach, which you can see in the video.

The People

Koreans are extremely kind, generous and peaceful people. I haven’t had a single bit of hostility directed at me in my entire time here which I think is says something about the way of life here.

Sometimes it may take a little while for Koreans to open up to you but once they do you’ll be treated like family.

There is a resounding sense of everyone in the country being “family”, which is so different to the West’s glorification of individualism.

Living among Koreans as a foreigner is not without it’s difficulties, especially overcoming the language and cultural barriers, but my experience of the Korean people is overwhelming positive.

Nightlife

The nightlife in Korea is awesome, although somewhat limited to bigger cities. The nice thing is the public transport around Korea is fantastic and cheap so you can easily travel to your closest big city within an hour or so from even the more rural places.

You can check out this video here where I break down the nightlife scene in Korea in detail: Korean Nightlife

You really need to check out the clubs in Gangnam, too. They’re mind blowing!

Baseball is also a big deal here and a lot of fun. You can watch this video to see what that’s like: Korean Baseball

International Events

There are plenty of festivals and concerts happening in Korea, ESPECIALLY k-pop events.

I also went to the Busan International film festival which was a lot of fun. You can check out the video here: Busan International Film Festival

So hopefully this post and video highlighted some of the cool aspects of Korea for you. I’ve loved my time here and it’s such an accessible and easy to live in country, despite the language and cultural differences.

If you’re interested in finding out more about teaching here as a means to live in and experience Korea feel free to check out this video which shows a day in the life teaching English in Korea.

If you know it’s something you want to do and would like some advice on how to get started, check out the Ninja Teacher Community – a group that guides you through the entire process from start to landing on Korea soil ready to begin your new job.

If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me. Have a great day and I’ll talk to you soon 🙂

Life in Korea