Teaching English abroad in South Korea isn’t for the faint of heart

Would you take a job you really didn’t want just to live in your dream country?

Some will reject it outright or be reluctant. But Karrina Pancoast jumped at the opportunity.

“I 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.”

What was so appealing about this East Asian country that Pancoast was willing to give up so much?

Falling in love with Korea

Born and bred in the US, Pancoast initially joined Regent University in Virginia to study Christian ministry in hopes of becoming a youth paster.

After completing an internship at a church, she realised that church politics was not for her, leading her to drop out of the programme. 

With a bit of soul-searching and pressure from her grandmother to return to school, she stumbled upon a subject that piqued her interest. 

“I was browsing around, but there was one programme that stood out to me — psychology,” says Pancoast. “It looked like something I would be interested in.”

After thinking about it for a few months, Pancoast eventually signed up for an Associate of Arts in Psychology programme at Tulsa Community College. She later followed it with a BSc in Psychology at the University of Utah.

Pancoast (left) and I during our trip to Arirang TV. Source: Karrina Pancoast

In fact, that’s where Pancoast and I first met, at the University of Utah’s Asia Campus in South Korea. She was a roommate of mine. 

While getting her BSc in Psychology was her accomplishment, a dream, it was one of the toughest years of her life — and I can attest to it.

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. 

But what I can say is that it’s made her become the person she is today, minus all the ugly crying, of course. 

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.

Pancoast and B.I., a South Korean rapper, singer, producer, and songwriter. Source: Karrina Pancoast

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.

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

Things are cheaper too.

“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.

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.

But, as often happens when reality slaps you in the face, things aren’t quite matching the picture in her head.

Teaching English abroad in South Korea wasn’t her first choice; however, it was the only way for her to return to the country. Source: Karrina Pancoast

Not-so-Seoulful: The reality of teaching English abroad in South Korea

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.

“It’s hard to find a decent 학원 (hagwon),” laments Pancoast. “So many teachers have such bad experiences teaching English abroad in South Korea.”

A 학원 (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.

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

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

But as big as the industry may be, it also holds an extremely negative reputation.

Late-night classes

Students often attend hagwons after their regular school day and would sometimes be there until as late as 10 p.m. or even midnight. 

Over the decades, South Korean leaders have tried to implement regulations by setting curfews to ban them outright in the 1980s, according to Time. 

However, the need for schools is so high due to the intensity of the education system that they weren’t going anywhere.

Shady practices

Despite its popularity among Korean parents, many hagwons are known for not playing by the rules, and Pancoast was one of the many victims of it.

“Private hagwons will do everything so they can cut corners. They won’t file their taxes and extort money from their teachers by putting some charges on them. That happened at my first hagwon,” she says.

“While they provided housing, the apartment was mouldy, and it wasn’t the best environment to live in.”

Some teachers even struggle to get their basic rights.

A teacher in Busan is a testament to this. “Many are getting fewer leave days than they should, and the schools decide when to take leaves without consulting the teachers and not paying the teachers for their paid leaves,” he said during a rally in front of the Busan Regional Office of the Ministry of Employment and Labour, the Asia News Network reports.

And that’s just scratching the surface.

Discrimination and physical abuse against foreign teachers

Pancoast might have had it rough, but even she admits that some teachers have it way worse.

In 2018, foreign English teachers in Icheon were invited to a “mandatory seminar” only to be told to “not molest students,” according to the Korea Times.

That came about because foreign teachers are stereotyped as predators.

And as if that isn’t bad enough, there are reports of ESL teachers being physically abused as well.

“I once had an interview with a hagwon that seemed totally normal,” Pancoast shares. “But I did a little digging and found out that one of the foreign teachers had been assaulted by the head of the hagwon.”

Experiencing racism is common too, especially for teachers of colour.

One black American teacher told Korea JoongAng Daily, “I remember when my boss said she didn’t want me and another dark-skinned teacher sharing a class because it would be too uncomfortable.”

Pancoast visiting Arirang TV, a South Korean international broadcasting station, as part of a cultural immersion programme at the University of Utah Asia Campus. Source: Karrina Pancoast

Teaching English abroad in South Korea is undoubtedly not for the faint of heart. But Pancoast says that instead of panicking, you just need to be prepared. 

Her first advice is to do your research and ask the right questions during your interview with the hagwon. 

“If you ask them the right questions, it will be easier to know if they follow the South Korean labour laws,” shares Pancoast. 

The second advice is to check the South Korean hagwon blacklist, which as the name implies, is a list of hagwons known for their bad practices.

Thanks to that list, she landed a job with a hagwon that takes good care of its employees.

Pancoast (left), along with friends (Nicole Chin, middle, and Kim Jian, right) she met while attending the University of Utah Asia Campus. Source: Karrina Pancoast

Dedication, empathy, and understanding

Working with elementary and middle school students isn’t easy, especially when they all come with their own little quirks. 

But for Pancoast, she’s dedicated to building a safe environment for her students. 

“Mental health is still very much a taboo in South Korea,” says Pancoast. “I have students in my class with autism and ADHD, but you can’t mention it to their parents. The parents don’t want to get their children tested or diagnosed either.” 

So, she adapts her teaching to fit her students’ needs. 

Some days, her students would walk into class sad or crying because of a fight with a parent or for having a rough day. They trust her enough to open up, and she ensures they feel safe and supported in her classroom.

Besides, she gets it too; it can be hard to learn a foreign language.

“I’m learning Korean myself, so I understand what my students are going through,” she says. “They know that I’m learning Korean, so we always laugh about how difficult it is to learn the grammar of both languages.” 

Seeing how empathy is vital in her current role, her journey has seemingly come full circle.

“The idea of teaching English abroad didn’t sound appealing to me as I wanted to work in the psychology field, but after I became an ESL teacher, I guess I started to realise how psychology is important when teaching,” shares Pancoast.

“I told myself I would only be a teacher for a year to put my foot in the door, but here I am three years later, still an ESL teacher, and I love what I’m doing.”