South of Seoul volunteers would like to welcome you to South Korea. Deciding to move to Korea to become an educator may bring both a mix of joy, excitement, fear, and sadness. Many of our volunteers moved to South Korea as educators and relate to the many unique implications of such a life choice.
As an educator in South Korea, you may work as an:
Since a variety of educators with different visas live in South Korea, some of the blogs included in this Educators’ Virtual Welcome packet may include information for different visa types such as F4, F5, E2, E1, etc.
Each educator experiences life in Korea from their own social/cultural lens. Such lenses may be based on their country of origin, health care needs, culture, race, Korean language ability, location, and so much more. This means that each educator may experience Korean life in different ways unique to them.
South of Seoul volunteers seek to provide information that can be easily emotionally accessed and viewed through a variety of social/cultural lenses. We do this in order to support the educator community with empathetic and equitable information.
South of Seoul volunteers compiled an Educator’s Virtual Welcome Packet to help with this transition. Such a virtual welcome packet for educators includes information regarding commonly asked questions or shared experiences:
South of Seoul volunteers compile lists of commonly asked questions from a cross-section of ex-pat-focused Facebook Groups and personal interviews. We then review the information available online and contact the appropriate government agencies to confirm, clarify, and verify the information. After researching the information, we create blogs that address the information needed in the educational community.
That said, South Korea uses an agile government model which means information may change quickly and with minimal notice. Always confirm and cross-reference information between sources.
Absolutely not. As previously mentioned, each educator brings their own social/cultural lens. Such lenses may impact such things as 1) the perception of information included in blog articles, 2) the meaning of interactions and experiences in daily life, and 3) perceptions of how information, interactions, and experience relate in life.
South of Seoul volunteers HIGHLY recommend reading each of these blog articles more than once over time. Such articles provide readers with a great deal of insight which it might take time to relate to.
For example, read the SOS blogs before arriving in Korea and then a month after arriving in Korea. Different information will become important during those times.
If you have ideas for blogs that need to be added to this list, feel free to let us know in the comments or message us at southofseoul@gmail.com.
Download the South of Seoul app! We have designed an app specifically for international residents living in South Korea with a focus on Pyeongtaek and the surrounding areas. After you read these blogs the app will take your life to the next level. Click on the Google Play or App Store icons.
Trust us, educators need the information in the following blogs.
By: Angie Alvis, South of Seoul volunteer Moving internationally, even moving back to your home country, takes a lot of preparation and planning; especially if you have pets. There is a lot of planning and paperwork involved with flying with pets, even if you are just flying back to your home country. Be sure to … Read more
Searching for grocery delivery in Korea? Here are some links and tips to help you get started. About Online Grocer Delivery Shopping online for groceries can be an incredibly convenient way to get the food you need while avoiding crowds. If you are willing to let go of the search for the perfect tomato and … Read more
Is navigating Korea stressful? Try using Naver Maps. Let me give you quick tutorial to help you get started. Additional South of Seoul Blogs Related to Map Apps South of Seoul volunteers recommend that you do as much research and reading on using maps in South Korea as possible. Learning to use South Korean map … Read more
Before you have an emergency, you need to know 119 which is emergency services in South Korea. About 119 One of THE most important numbers you need to know while living in South Korea is 119. This is THE number to call in emergencies. In a medical emergency, 119 may automatically detect a caller’s location on … Read more
One of our main goals at South of Seoul (SOS) is to empower our readers and users to explore Pyeongtaek on their own and share the things they love with others. This sounds easy, except that the language barrier and maps issues make this far harder than it should be. How in the world do … Read more
As the Muslim population in rural areas of South Korea continues to grow, information about – and access to – Halal has becoming a bigger issue. This has become very important to some of us at South of Seoul due to the fact we have watched friends struggle with this in the past and now … Read more
As we roll into March it’s time to begin a new school year and welcome lots of new teachers to the area. Pyeongtaek is big and spread out with lots of rural placements so teachers can often feel unconnected and lonely. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be. There is quite a bit going on … Read more
When you arrive in Korea there will be a thousand little surprises. Doesn’t matter how much you have prepared or how many blogs like this you have read. It’s ok and there is no judgement. You’ve spent many months building up this experience in your mind and when you arrive it’s going to get … Read more
Even though there are lots of educators teaching English in Pyeongtaek, it can feel a bit lonely when you first arrive since you will not be directly connected with other educators. Just know that you aren’t alone and you can reach out for help in groups like Pyeongtaek Living on Facebook. However, you shouldn’t have … Read more
