{"id":478337,"date":"2025-07-03T10:08:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T10:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/studyinternational.com\/?p=478337"},"modified":"2025-07-03T13:25:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T13:25:59","slug":"teaching-english-abroad-south-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/studyinternational.com\/news\/teaching-english-abroad-south-korea\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching English abroad in South Korea isn\u2019t for the faint of heart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Would you take a job you <\/span>really<\/span><\/i> didn’t want just to live in your dream country?<\/span><\/p>\n

Some will reject it outright or be reluctant. But Karrina Pancoast<\/span><\/a> jumped at the opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn’t want to teach,” says Pancoast. “But getting a work visa in South Korea was almost impossible. I was applying for psychology jobs, but none of the companies wanted to sponsor a foreigner.”<\/span><\/p>\n

What was so appealing about this East Asian country that Pancoast was willing to give up so much?<\/p>\n

Falling in love with Korea<\/span><\/h2>\n

Born and bred in the US, Pancoast initially joined Regent University<\/a> in Virginia to study Christian ministry in hopes of becoming a youth paster. <\/span><\/p>\n

After completing an internship at a church, she realised that church politics was not for her, leading her to drop out of the programme.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With a bit of soul-searching and pressure from her grandmother to return to school, she stumbled upon a subject that piqued her interest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was browsing around, but there was one programme that stood out to me \u2014 psychology,\u201d says Pancoast. \u201cIt looked like something I would be interested in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After thinking about it for a few months, Pancoast eventually signed up for an Associate of Arts in Psychology programme at Tulsa Community College<\/a>. She later followed it with a B<\/span>Sc in Psychology at the University of Utah<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Pancoast (left) and I during our trip to Arirang TV. Source: Karrina Pancoast<\/p><\/div>\n

In fact, that’s where Pancoast and I first met, at the University of Utah’s Asia Campus<\/a> in South Korea. She was a roommate of mine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While getting her BSc in Psychology was her accomplishment, a dream, it was one of the toughest years of her life \u2014 and I can attest to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was common to see her returning to the dorm, crying from how brutal her classes were. It went on for an entire semester, and it didn’t seem like it would ever stop.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But what I can say is that it\u2019s made her become the person she is today, minus all the ugly crying, of course.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A strong background in psychology has helped Pancoast become a dedicated ESL teacher — an impressive feat, given that she hadn’t pursued a degree in TESL<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"teaching

Pancoast and B.I., a South Korean rapper, singer, producer, and songwriter. Source: Karrina Pancoast<\/p><\/div>\n

The thing is, Pancoast’s goal had always been to return to South Korea to work in the psychology field, but when applying for jobs, she was unsuccessful, as getting a work visa was impossibly difficult.<\/p>\n

Still, she persisted. She liked living here too much. The food’s healthier, the healthcare system is top-notch<\/a>, and she can go anywhere without fearing for her safety.<\/p>\n

Things are cheaper too.<\/p>\n

“You can travel all over South Korea with public transport, but back in the US, you need to get a car, which was financially taxing,” Pancoast shares.<\/p>\n

Today, she’s based in Incheon, practically a stone’s throw from Seoul, and by all appearances, Karrina Pancoast should be living the K-drama dream.<\/p>\n

But, as often happens when reality slaps you in the face, things aren’t quite matching the picture in her head.<\/p>\n

\"teaching

Teaching English abroad in South Korea wasn\u2019t her first choice; however, it was the only way for her to return to the country. Source: Karrina Pancoast<\/p><\/div>\n

Not-so-Seoulful: The reality of teaching English abroad in South Korea<\/span><\/h2>\n

While it was easier for Pancoast to land an English teaching gig than to snag a psychology role, let’s be real, it isn’t exactly a walk in the park either.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to find a decent \ud559\uc6d0 (hagwon),” laments Pancoast. “So many teachers have such bad experiences teaching English abroad in South Korea.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A \ud559\uc6d0 (hagwon), also known as “cram school,” is a for-profit private after-school academy that is basically a second round of school for Korean students.<\/span><\/p>\n

These hagwons are so ingrained its school culture that parents drop serious cash. We’re talking about<\/span> US$689 (one million South Korean won) to US$2,068 (three million won)<\/span><\/a> per subject monthly.<\/span><\/p>\n

To date, there are approximately<\/span> 80,000<\/span><\/a> hagwons in South Korea, with more than<\/span> 24,000<\/span><\/a> in Seoul, the country’s capital, alone. About<\/span> 75%<\/span><\/a> of elementary and high school students attend these cram schools daily.<\/span><\/p>\n

But as big as the industry may be, it also holds an extremely negative reputation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Late-night classes<\/span><\/h3>\n

Students often attend hagwons after their regular school day and would sometimes be there until as late as 10 p.m. or even midnight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the decades, South Korean leaders have tried to implement regulations by setting curfews to ban them outright in the 1980s, according to<\/span> Time<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the need for schools is so high due to the intensity of the education system that they weren’t going anywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n