I figured that if I was going to start posting about Korea, I should probably explain why I moved here myself.
I decided back in 2019 (great time for it, I know). I was working in the UK at the NHS for Cancer Services which meant I was dealing with the worst part of peoples lives every day and it honestly took an emotional toll on me. I had also dealt with breakups, family deaths and then a dash of unwarranted sexual harassment just meant that I wanted to get out of that line of work. If anyone that I worked with sees this, that was the final push to get me out of that job because as much as I loved it, the office finding it funny and displaying a ‘boys will be boys’ attitude about it really upset me and I didn’t want to be there anymore.
At that time, I was also dating again after the breakup of my first significant relationship (1 year and I don’t know what I was thinking with him – if he sees this too then that’s awkward but I didn’t like you, sorry). One of the dates I went on was with someone who told me about his time teaching in Korea and then he went back to England and trained as a teacher. I thought maybe I could do that. Not the Korea part, but teaching? So I applied for experience days at local schools and booked time off work and had started my application for university!
Then the UK went into lockdown. The schools closed. University went online and the hospital sent us all to work from home. I had been doing my TEFL certification courses online and didn’t want to do a full degree online so I didn’t apply. Then it looked like we would never be going back to work. So I started thinking more seriously about applying for Korea.
By December, I had a job offer and had almost completed the visa process so I would be going to Korea on the 14th December, spending all of Christmas at home in quarantine and then starting a new job in Incheon in the new year. That didn’t happen because of a new strain of coronavirus so Korea shut down visas to the UK and I had to wait and wait and wait for SIX MONTHS. At that point I had already quit my job and they had hired a replacement, I ended up working as a temp supporting my old team but just waiting around to hear from the embassy.
Eventually, I had to redo all my documents and restart the visa process but the school still wanted me. I moved to Korea and landed there in July and started at the school 8 months after I was meant to but did meet one of my best friends there.
The school…that’s a story for another time and what I’ll say definitely isn’t defamatory. I’m not getting sued. Honestly not that bad. I say that with hindsight.
If you’re considering teaching in South Korea, send me a message or leave a comment if you have any questions! I want to post more about this so if there’s anything you want to know, definitely reach out and I’ll try help!
Books For Becca 