Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Living in South Korea


Living in South Korea?
I want to ask some questions about living in South Korea. I live in Europe and for several years I've been interested in East Asian culture so I think about living there in the future. I'm still in 8th grade of high school so there are still 4,5 years left. First of all, I want to ask about studying in Korea. I want to live there straight after I end classes in my high school.. but if I want to get a better job there, may I study in Europe? Maybe koreans prefer studying in Europe, not in Korea? And maybe it's way cheaper to study here? What are the tuition fees in SK? Is it possible to get a loan? I know I could study everything. But what is the possibility of getting a good job for a foreigner, even not from Asia, but from Europe? I'm good at almost everything, except maths, so I couldn't do any job with economics, etc..BUT I'm very good at arts, especially music - I can play a couple of music instruments and I sing well. Also I'm good at drawing, a bit at dancing. Also I'm good at humane studies like literature. Of course, I'd like to get a job in any of South Korean entertainment company, but I know it's not possible for an European, so I'm trying to banish it (still it's my main dream!) And no - I don't want to be an artist in Korea because I like korean music. It's my dream from a child. So what do usually foreigners work in South Korea? Also I think about translator's profession, but I don't know how good my korean will be after 4 years... I've been learning it for about half year, and I know only basics. I study languages quickly, so I hope I won't have any problems with it. Now I know only my native speech (it's obviously not useful in Asia), English and a bit Russian, basics of Korean (how to read or write hangul, greetings, simple sentences, etc) To talk about jobs, I really like biology/medicine/etc, but again - to work in this branch of studies - I think it's impossible for a foreigner, because I'd like to communicate with people, for example: I'd like to be a nurse or work with young kids as a psychologist. Also, how is the living there? Are payments of settlement expensive? So the only obstacle is that I'm not Asian, but European. What would you suggest me to do? Study in Europe and then live in South Korea, or straight go study there? Or not to live in SK at all? Also, please answer about studies, jobs' opportunities and quality of living there. Thank you! Regards, Patricia
Immigration - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
It is possible to enroll in a South Korean university, but there aren't many scholarhips, so you'll need to fund your own education and living expenses, anywhere from $10,000-$25,000 a year depending on where you live and study. You can make $30+ an hour teaching English lessons privately, but this is illegal. If you're caught, you're deported immediately. South Korean universities offer some English courses, but the selection is not great. Friends of mine spent two years learning Korean first at a university language center before enrolling in courses. Think carefully about your major. South Korea is a good place to study nursing but not psychology as East Asian approaches to the field differ greatly from Western Europe and North America.
2 :
First of all, I am surprised that someone who is in such a young age like you have already a big life plan for the future. And happy with that you are interested in living in South Korea :-) I'm a Korean who was born and grew up in Korea. Southkorea is a beautiful place to live and people are very friendly. There are not quite many forigners in countryside of Korea, so sometimes people might be looked scared of forigner But it isn't. They are just interested and shy to see forigner. Then when they are finally familiar with forigner, they become good neighbors and friends:-) So I really like my country,people and culture.:-) The Korea society (especially companies) tends to judge a person by educational background. So it's very important to graduate from good university. Most of famous universities are in Seoul. Of course their tuition is more expensive and more difficult to enter(there is entrance exam for university, depends on how much score you get, you can apply to universities.) Average tuition fees at private and public universities last year were 7.42 million won and 4.19 million won. It's gradually increasing. I don't know exactly about loan of university for forigner, but pretty sure you can get it. You said you are good at art and Music. Personally I think Korean universities more focus on theoretical study not practical work like art or music. So I want to suggest you to study in Eroup. Obvioulsy, many people who are working in Korean art or music industry have educated in aboard. Although it may not be necessary, it can be a plus to get a job :-) So it's better to study in university there. then after graduate, you can get a job in korea(while you study in university, recommend to study Korean too! ) Many forigners is teaching English in Korea. That's one of the easiest job to get for forigner. (If you are interested in teaching English , have a look) http://www.footprintsrecruiting.com/living-in-south-korea If you know more about something, you can see or enjoy more about that. So have enough time to get to know about Korea, then you will be able to decide the best answer :-) All what I said is just by my own opinion, so please keep a look for other advice. I hope my answer is helpful for you. Have a nice day