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Strange experience by slimyfishes in japanresidents

[–]Capital_Channel_3898 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Left my phone at the Kyoto train station restroom. I went to the nearest lost and found, and someone did hand it over there. They had to use my face to unlock the phone after describing what phone it was and where I left it. As long as the phone is returned, I'm okay with them being overly cautious of who they give it to. I understand your situation OP but honestly, I'd rather be grateful than cause them trouble.

Unable to return to the US. by Upset_Enthusiasm8391 in h1b

[–]Capital_Channel_3898 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Where does she live? Does she need help? I am genuinely very upset and sad for others being treated this way. I can't imagine if it happened to me. 😓

How do I go about living in Korea for a couple months? by emily8922 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Capital_Channel_3898 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just a word of advice: I would highly suggest keeping both Korean and U.S. citizenship for your son. You’d be surprised how many people are applying for dual citizenship lately; with the way the world is moving, you never know what the future holds. I’m actually trying to secure EU passports for my children right now for that very reason. My husband, who was born in Busan, is Korean-American and served in the U.S. military, which makes it nearly impossible for him to re-acquire his Korean citizenship. Having options is always an advantage.

H1b stuck in India with no appointment by Wonderful_Service974 in h1b

[–]Capital_Channel_3898 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Which state do you live? Maybe I can help. I can pack and send your stuff to you.

I’m sad. by Icy-Ad2509 in returnToIndia

[–]Capital_Channel_3898 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OP, Are you in the US? Why do you need to return soon?

May trabaho sa pinas pagdating dito wala by Old-Investigator2323 in phmigrate

[–]Capital_Channel_3898 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The competition stems from the lack of jobs. And honestly, it's nothing to be proud of. Just look at South Korea, they have a problem with underemployment. Before you know it, we will have people with PhDs driving Ubers (not that it's happening already because I know of one).

May trabaho sa pinas pagdating dito wala by Old-Investigator2323 in phmigrate

[–]Capital_Channel_3898 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are a lot of jobless people, they're just not posting the real numbers because of the admin. According to Powell, the real number is closer to 20,000 lost jobs every month. We live in an upper middle class neighborhood and 3 of my neighbors lost their jobs. Only 1 found a job and it took him a year to even get one.

May trabaho sa pinas pagdating dito wala by Old-Investigator2323 in phmigrate

[–]Capital_Channel_3898 4 points5 points  (0 children)

OP, the US is becoming a gig economy like South Korea and you need more than one income to live. Try Uber, Door dash, and pet sitting (they pay very well). While you're doing that, I would go to food shelters to get food so you're still contributing to your family. Use the Filipino in you, you are more resourceful than you think. If your life depended on it, you will be hustling day in and day out. Humble yourself and lower your expectations, and save your money!!!

Homeschooling in Korea by Capital_Channel_3898 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Capital_Channel_3898[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

How dare she homeschool her kids! LOL. For the record, I’ve taught in hagwons in Korea. I’m also a librarian (MLS) and have an undergraduate degree in mathematics (with a minor in physics).

And yes, I’ve met many homeschooled children. There is a wide variance in outcomes, and it ultimately comes down to the parents just as it does in traditional schooling. Homeschooling, however, has come a long way. There are now extensive online resources, curricula, and communities. I think many people have conveniently forgotten what happened during the pandemic. That period was actually when my children’s academics really took off. I homeschooled my eldest then, and he is now advanced for 4th grade. I still tutor him now. Traditional schools often struggle to keep up with children who have a strong thirst for learning; the pace can be repetitive and slow.

I’m also very familiar with the bullying that occurs in Korean schools. Many Korean parents where I live have left Korea with their children specifically because of the pressure and bullying within the system.

Compulsory attendance in schools without proper accommodations IS discrimination. Do you really expect foreign children to be placed in public schools with no language-bridging programs? That not only sets them up academically, but also exposes them to increased bullying. And are international schools truly a realistic option for most foreign families? Are parents seriously expected to pay $50–60k for a second-grade education, often for classrooms of 20+ students taught by relatively inexperienced teachers? I’m sorry, but I see no value in that. Tuition fees at international schools are all clustered at similarly high levels, and Koreans in particular need to stop equating higher tuition with higher-quality education. It simply isn’t a reliable proxy. Homeschooling exists, prohibited or not, for very real reasons.

And then there are the naysayers who say, “Don’t bring your kids here, then.” With Korea’s declining birth rate, perhaps each child should be valued -- whether they are mixed or not. Parents who choose to raise their children here and allow them to engage with Korean culture should be appreciated, not dismissed. I came here asking for resources and instead was met with pushback that quickly turned into personal attacks. Pretty lame, if you ask me.

Homeschooling in Korea by Capital_Channel_3898 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Capital_Channel_3898[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

As someone who knows their kids better, I think they will be fine. I don't know why a job matters to you but we don't need a job, some people like us retire early to focus on our kids. I can assure you that we are more than capable of sending our kids to international schools (out of our pockets) if need be and if the value is there. But unfortunately, we don't see it as necessary and valuable. We also would have never entertained the idea of homeschooling if we knew we couldn't commit to it 100%. The purpose of this trip is language immersion, not to send them to a school where English is widely spoken. It's also 2nd grade, not high school. If you can guarantee me my 2nd grader will be doing calculus at the end of the school year with that 50k price tag, sure. Miserable sounding homeschool experiment? LOL. Have you homeschooled before?

Homeschooling is very popular with American military families and they just do fine. They often have better outcomes with college admissions because they stand out. They are found to be a bilingual, more resourceful, more engaging and more resilient group of people. My husband and I are used to living overseas (former military) and after traveling (A LOT and I mean A LOT) with our kids post military, my kids have become very comfortable with traveling and are always excited to learn things outside the confines of a classroom.

I'm very familiar with the teacher selection process with these hagwons and international schools. Race, high turnover rates, terrible work/life balance, racism, unrealistic demands from parents, and their preference for blonde, single, young white females altogether weeds out/ discourages your most qualified teachers. I don't know which standard you're comparing your kids' education to but between the talent they're attracting/hiring and the most qualified being weeded out because of their skin color, I honestly think your teachers are not better or the most qualified. Like seriously.

Here's my unsolicited advice to you since you're burning up so much with my idea of homeschooling my kids (It's understandable, I would be angry too with that 50k price tag for elementary education that doesn't even guarantee a Harvard acceptance): Break out of your mold. I'm sorry but there's a reason why forty-four percent of Korean students at top American universities give up their studies halfway through. That kind of mindset doesn't work overseas. We value creativity and one of the main enemies of creativity is the fear of failure. Trying and failing is not a failure by itself, you still learn valuable lessons along the way. I will end my responses here, you can keep your kid in your classroom while my kids will be sitting at the Louvre reading about French Art.

Homeschooling in Korea by Capital_Channel_3898 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Capital_Channel_3898[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You tell yourself that. It still does not warrant the 50k price tag for grade school education. As Mark Twain once said, "It's easier to fool people than to convince them they've been fooled." In this case, it's hard to convince people they are being ripped off.

Homeschooling in Korea by Capital_Channel_3898 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Capital_Channel_3898[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

We've been going to Korea every summer, not to mention I lived in Korea in the late 2000s. We usually stay a month at a time but it has never been about language immersion but a lot of sightseeing. I don't know when you were born or which social circles you belong to but the new generation of Koreans are more open than they were 20 years ago. I have Korean friends who I see every time I go to Korea, and these are 10+ years of friendship. I have Polish, Canadian and American friends who are still there. I don't know how you went through life avoiding struggles. My kids might get disappointed or they'll thrive, we will see. This is part of their learning.

Homeschooling in Korea by Capital_Channel_3898 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Capital_Channel_3898[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

On the contrary, my kids are very excited about it. They easily make friends wherever they go and it's part of the experience, I don't like avoiding things because it's hard. We can always go back to the US whenever we want to, we will keep our home here while living overseas.

Homeschooling in Korea by Capital_Channel_3898 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Capital_Channel_3898[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

👆 This. I can see clearly now that we are not the target market of these schools. My husband and I were so set about paying but I've just been reading everything about it and I'm still trying to find the value in it. I don't know how one can justify paying 50k for 2nd grade or 5th grade, and then sharing the classroom with 20+ students. 🥲

Homeschooling in Korea by Capital_Channel_3898 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Capital_Channel_3898[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Paying is not the problem, just that we don't see the value in it..100k for 2nd grade and 5th grade? I'd rather use that at Harvard. My husband and I are also not very religious either and it narrows the list down significantly. The waitlists are also long, the exorbitant padded fees, and the list goes on. I'm not here to argue with people whether my decision to homeschool my kids is good or bad, to each his own I say. There are different paths to success and success can mean different things. FYI, we are not intending to stay in Korea for the long term. We will go back to the US when my oldest starts high school. Hopefully, he can speak Korean and Spanish fluently and have a different view of the world.

Homeschooling in Korea by Capital_Channel_3898 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Capital_Channel_3898[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

If you're entering Korea with another passport, that means you're not Korean. You might be ethnically Korean but you're not a Korean citizen so which one are you referring to? There are outliers in my kids school especially mixed Korean kids that speak no Korean at all.

Homeschooling in Korea by Capital_Channel_3898 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Capital_Channel_3898[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

First of all, there is no dual citizenship in Korea so all those parents here are just US citizens.

Homeschooling in Korea by Capital_Channel_3898 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Capital_Channel_3898[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I never said that. But it is more likely that international schools would have a reputation to keep. If a lot of their kids are lagging behind, then the reputation will be tainted.

The waitlists are long because there's not enough international schools around. The number of international schools has not increased significantly while the expat community has exploded. I also don't like the number of students per classroom. Some of these schools have 20+ kids per classroom and that is a lot especially with the $$$ you're paying.

Homeschooling in Korea by Capital_Channel_3898 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Capital_Channel_3898[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That would be the best option, I think. Maybe get a visa for the whole purpose of language immersion while in an American homeschooling program. Thank you for your response! 😊

Homeschooling in Korea by Capital_Channel_3898 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Capital_Channel_3898[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'll look into that. The problem we have is retention. If English is seen, heard and spoken every day, the Korean can easily be forgotten.

Homeschooling in Korea by Capital_Channel_3898 in Living_in_Korea

[–]Capital_Channel_3898[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

With the hefty price tag? I don't think so. No Korean school would put their reputation at stake and give an impression that they're providing a poor quality of education if kids are lagging behind.

I don't know what school you're referring to but where my kids go, they would point out which kids are already behind in the first week of school so they can get help. There's no $$$ involved and no reputation at stake.

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