How to Deal with Culture Shock While Teaching in South Korea

You’re in the land of kimchi, k-pop, and super speedy WiFi, but the novelty of teaching English in South Korea is not quite as sparkly as all of the neon signs surrounding you. All of a sudden, the school schedules seem crude and you’d do anything to get your hands on a kale-mango smoothie with almond milk and an extra scoop of protein powder. Also, why is everyone asking you if you have eaten rice as a greeting?

Experiencing culture shock when moving to South Korea is normal. We’ll tell you how to combat it!

When the Land of the Morning Calm is anything but serene on the subway or hagwon patrons are complaining about grades, take a deep, great breath, let out a muffled scream, and accept that you are suffering a bout of culture shock 10,000 miles from home. It’ll pass faster than a KTX train, and you’ll be downing soju in Hongdae again in no time.

Until then, let the homesickness and cultural confusion wash over you, accept it, try to be understanding of the differences around you, enjoy the learning process, and cure the culture shock of moving to South Korea with these tips:

6 quick things to know about Korean culture

• Education is life. Stress is big on kids, even from kindergarten. School extends into extracurricular activities, English classes, homework….High value placed on education means that students come to class prepared and that you have a big responsibility in society.
• Talking about age is not rude. Like a shadow of Confucian’s caste system, positions in society are mostly determined by age. Therefore, it’s not uncommon to be asked your age to figure out how you fit in. Try not to take offense; think of it as a connector, rather than separator. On this note, senior teachers are holy and kiddos will look up to you and all of your wisdom.
• The K-pop beat don’t stop. K-pop will be the soundtrack to almost all of your activities in South Korea, so learn to love it (or at least block it out). If you need lesson plan ideas, try to incorporate some familiar music into your lesson to grab attention.
• Cover thy cleavage. As a general social fashion norm, it’s much more common and acceptable to see legs bare than the top half of the body. Shoulders and cleavage tend to be covered, so keep this is mind when picking out your teaching outfits…unless you want a lot of staring in the hallways.
• Social eating. Eating and drinking is a big social activity in South Korea; use this chance to meet others and connect better. There are some differences to dining back home (shared plates, call buttons at the restaurant, drawers for silverware, the taboo of lifting rice bowls or blowing noses, order of eating based on age, etc.), but it’s a great dose of culture, new spices, and opportunities to make lifelong friends.
• Appearances are apparent. As in many Asian cultures, appearances matter. In South Korea, this is called chaemyoun (roughly translating to “saving face” or having dignity) and is apparent in the number of latest phone models, fancy cars, and girls putting on make-up on every corner. People want to show their best, and social belonging holds a big importance in daily interactions.

How to deal with culture shock in South Korea as a teacher

Things might be tough at first, but eventually you’ll thank your lucky stars for bibimbap.

1. Make time for yourself

With the hustle-and-bustle of creating lessons plans in a new country, adapting to a new culture, figuring out the basic logistics (bus routes, ordering food, where to throw the toilet paper away in the bathroom), don’t get sucked into the Korean approach to education: completely overwhelming.

There will always be papers to grade and classroom activities to polish, so go ahead and fill your weekly agenda with several slots of relaxation. Teachers can only give energy that they have, so remember that it’s important to take time off, pamper yourself, read a book, watch a new Netflix series, and turn off the phone notifications for a while. Recharge those batteries!

2. Know your rights

In a place where the alphabet and legalities are foreign, it is good to gain a feeling of control by knowing exactly where you stand. Be aware that hagwons do not operate like public schools; find out your exact work expectations and learn to cater to the paying parents, rather than students.

Know that most of the English working visas (namely the E-2 visa) states that after-hour tutoring is illegal. Make sure that the famous pension deductions are recorded clearly on every paycheck. Research, read the small font, and ask others that have been in your position longer than you.

3. Bring Korean culture into the classroom, with a modern twist

Get out there and soak up the culture — you’ll find unexpected insight as a teacher!

One of the most important things to know about Korean culture is that people take education very seriously and the method of teaching in South Korea is different from America and many other countries.

Understand how students are raised, what discipline issues there are (probably only tardiness due to over-packed schedules), which activities work, and what sparks kids' interest the most.

Take the stuff they are familiar with, then add a fun twist to make it your own. There are plenty of great ideas out there that will serve as a fun intermission to dry lectures and are quick to put together.

4. Take a field trip

Maybe you are working in busy Seoul and need some quiet time, or maybe you are working in a rural town and are craving for some nightlife. Whichever the case, a cheap and extensive train/bus network in South Korea lets you indulge in plenty of weekend trips to break the grind.

Your not-too-meagre salary and an impressive list of noteworthy places in South Korea means that there are plenty of chances for beach escapes, mountain retreats, natural wonders, and historical grounds to indulge in. Not only are these great educational opportunities for yourself, but it’s important to spice things up to keep the mind balanced.

5. Host a dinner party

Hopefully, your taste buds love the kimchi, as that is going to be a big part of your diet abroad. However, we all know about the incomparable joy of comfort food. Throw a dinner party (potluck style) with your fellow American colleagues to have a culinary bubble of mac n’ cheese, PB&Js, and chocolate chip cookies when the Asian spices surpass your tolerance level.

Though it’s good to dive head-first into the cultural immersion, it’s also nice to take a breather, chat in English at a regular pace, and fill your tummy with all the yummy. If you want to Korea it up a bit, put a bottle of soju on the table.

6. Find your own extracurricular activity

Find your niche in South Korea.

Whether you want to continue your salsa shines, piano scales, or football frenzies from back home, or you want to learn something new (boxing, taekwondo, calligraphy?), join a community of similar interests.

Not only does this let you make friends, meet people outside of school, and stimulate your mind and body, but it gets you out of the tourist/expat region and to the normal life of South Korea. Check out Facebook groups, Meetup posts, Couchsurfing events, or the local ads to see what is available around you and then indulge in something fun away from the teacher's desk.

7. Stay active

Teaching requires a lot of inside hours: creating lessons plans, standing in front of a classroom, grading papers, parent-teacher conferences. It’s good to wiggle a bit, and even better if it’s outside.

South Korea has all the seasons, and plenty of activities to get that adrenaline flowing a bit. Whether its scenic running routes, spectacular mountain hikes, or surf spots (Jeju Island!), trade the polished shoes for sneakers and mix up that stale energy with a couple of extra jumping jacks.

The country is open late, so gyms have open doors all night and the KPOP doesn’t stop to cheer you on as you run off all the culture shock in South Korea.

8. Call home

Even if you are surrounded with a hundred adoring elementary school kids and a circle of new BFFs, there is nothing as comforting as a long chat with Mom or Dad. The wonders that are Skype, WhatsApp, and FaceTime let us see and talk to our parental units/siblings/significant others/puppies any time we are feeling down.

Keeping up with friends and family back home closes the ocean gap, gives you someone to complain/gush to, and is a great remedy for bouts of homesickness. Plus, what doggo’s face doesn’t cheer us up instantly? Bye-bye, Culture Shock in Korea Blues!

Read more of our culture shock tips for traveling abroad!

Confront your culture shock in South Korea...and get back to teaching!

Culture shock in South Korea will ultimately be a learning experience!

Getting into the groove of removing shoes before entering houses, negotiating your own price on market items, not tipping, and using your middle finger to point might take a while, but all of the bumps along the way are part of the wonderful journey of traveling beyond political and mental boundaries. Culture shock in Korea is normal; even all of the top cats and teachers go through it. Accept it, tidy your desk drawer, and then dance it out in Itaewon.

Teaching English in South Korea is an A+ endeavor. You can’t expect to get every question correctly on the first round, but with a little bit of study, you’ll soon be acing every social exam with a breeze and a pro at singing karaoke in any language. Enjoy the ride and learn from the international teaching experience!

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