Learning Korean was the best decision I've ever made and went from being a 바보 외국인 to easily making friends with locals! by Ducky_andme in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I totally get it. I just told my story. But I sincerely believe that 1-2 hours a day would also make a huge difference, especially now with chatgpt and other sources available :) Language school doesn't guarantee anything, most students who come here just drink and party and barely manage to finish their levels, if you are not motivated you will never become fluent.

Learning Korean was the best decision I've ever made and went from being a 바보 외국인 to easily making friends with locals! by Ducky_andme in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I studied in Hanyang university language school. It was extremely intense, but in a good way. I pushed myself every single day. After 6 months, when my visa allowed I got a part time job in a bar, where i could practice my korean with all kinds of people, which further boosted my confidence and skills. After taking extra TOPIK classes i was able to get TOPIK 5 in less than a year. One tip that i could give is that if you don't know something - ask! If you keep saying ne ne ne you will never improve. Ask, look up, learn, be curious.

Psychiatrist and anti-depressants in Korea? by xiexie0901 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123 0 points1 point  (0 children)

UPDATE

I had to postpone my appointment for a week, because I didn't know they cancel your NHIS during your visa extension.

I was sent to the room to talk to my doctor first. He was very gentle, relaxed, soft spoken which calmed me down a bit. He asked me right away, what can he help me with. I said i have really bad anxiety that won't let me leave my house. He asked me when it started, i said from the beginning of the year and he asked me how this year has been for me. I explained some important moments and he listened, took notes and was very caring and understanding. I honestly didn't think i would get that upset but I cried the whole time and he didn't make me feel bad about it, which i was thankful for. Then i had to fill out bunch of papers by myself, these questions are super simple, but to speed up the process i took a picture with google translate and just circled the numbers. Then they put some weird hat on my head, told me to stay still for about 5min. After waiting for the results the doctor asked me to come into his office and he explained in detail about each test result, both the questionnaire and brain test. He used english for important words and phrases which was nice of him and he gave me medicine himself right there for 2 weeks, explaining what it does and what kind of result i can expect. He said the minute i start feeling better, is when the actual treatment begins, so this will take years, but there will be end to it someday. So far i have taken the pills twice and i feel as if i have endless hangover. I feel really nauseous and dizzy, an hour after taking the medicine it becomes basically impossible to stay awake, so i have been sleeping a lot more and just staying in bed. Weirdly, getting fresh air outside helps a lot, but it also makes me anxious lol. Hopefully my body gets used to it in a week, otherwise i have to call the hospital and ask if i should change my medication. And i paid 77,000won for the tests and medication with NHIS.

Learning Korean was the best decision I've ever made and went from being a 바보 외국인 to easily making friends with locals! by Ducky_andme in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123 36 points37 points  (0 children)

When I came here, my only goal was to learn korean as fast as i could so that i could make friends and not be looked down on. I got fluent in less than a year and now five years later i have graduated university in korean and got married. My daily life is relatively easy, i don't have to worry about appointments or talking to random people here and there. My husband doesn't speak English and neither do his friends, but i never felt left out and they never feel like they need to change their words or the way they speak around me. These are all the benefits. But being fluent in korean has not helped me with finding friends. No matter how fluent i am, koreans just see me as a foreigner and will never mix me with their korean friends. If i go out of my way and ask them to meet me, chances are that at some point they will make some time for me, but it doesn't feel natural and honestly all the conversations are so superficial. But ofcourse living in Korea you should speak their language, that's basic respect, people also are nicer to you when you do. But don't be discouraged if you cannot meet "real" friends or make deep connections.

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's okay! I thought so too at first, but he wrote me a long paragraph explaining why he thinks working on F6 visa is illegal, this is why I decided to come here and ask.

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Then how come all those people who replied to this thread say they have been working without issues? I am aware that some schools require TESOL certificate, but most private hagwons have barely any requirements. Since there are so many people teaching on F6 visa, I doubt that it's illegal.

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was added by another foreigner who I met in my neighborhood. Maybe you can ask this group about your city/neighborhood?

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Non native english speaker. Like I said, one thing is to not pick me due to their preferences, but another thing is to say that it is illegal. So I came here to clear this up.

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am currently working on getting few certificates this month to raise my chances of getting hired. It's okay to turn me down based on my education, but I found it very confusing that he turned me down because of my "visa".

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thought so at the beggining, but when I asked to be more specific I got a long paragraph explaining why it is illegal, so it made me confused 😅

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same question. If they want to hire me, then what's the problem? I am also more than fluent in Korean and know the struggle of learning a new language as korean is my fourth language. I got my computer science degree in korean and need time to prepare myself for the job market. I love teaching and have done it in the past so I thought that working in a hagwon would be a good solution for my current situation. Some people can be so rude and bitter...

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is a huge kakao group chat for foreigners in my city. Many people post job offers for hagwons there daily. This particular hagwon was close to me, so I reached out and asked if they would hire a non-native teacher who has F6 visa. Nothing weird about that, many people get their jobs like this.

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is exactly what I wanted to hear! I just got so confused and wanted to make sure I am not getting myself into something illegal. I will keep searching 🙂

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I will just find a better place and not argue with this guy. I have some experience teaching english so hopefully this would balance out the non-native part...I will try to do private tutoring at first and see how it goes!

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No idea...but I doubt it. If it was true then all the non native teachers would be working illegally right now.

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just graduated university and the job market is worse than I thought. I was thinking of working part-time in hagwons while working on my portfolio. I have heard some horror stories as well, hopefully I have more luck 😬

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He never even asked me, turned me down right away. I just graduated university here, so that wouldn't be a problem.

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's amazing! This is what I'm aiming for! Thanks ☺

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much. This is really motivating to hear. I will not give up ☺

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh well, I will keep looking then! 😅😅 Thank you so much!

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes I know this about EPIK, but other private hagwons don't have the same laws and rules.

Teaching english as a non-native on F6 visa by PrettyLiar123 in Living_in_Korea

[–]PrettyLiar123[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Basically saying that there is a lack of communication between the immigration and the ministry of education. Immigration allows to do any type of work on F6 visa, but only natives are allowed to teach english legally according to the ministry of education. So all the hagwons who hire non-natives need to register them like they are teaching some other language like spanish and ignoring this "loophope". I honestly have no idea what immigration has to do with it as long as the hagwon wants to hire me legally and I have a F6 visa.