Why I Moved to Korea

Today I want to talk about why I chose to move to South Korea and why it was a great choice for me. I moved to Korea in September 2021 to teach English as a foreign language and lived there until September 2022 when I had to move home due to debilitating health issues. I am hoping to move back in the near future but this time not as a teacher.

During the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, I was working at Universal Orlando Resort and attending the University of Central Florida. I graduated in May of 2020 with an online ceremony and decided to take a year off and apply for a Master's program. I worked all throughout 2020 and the beginning of 2021 at Universal through the mask mandates, social distancing, and enhanced cleaning protocols. It was a new world for all of us, and our jobs got so much harder. Trying to enforce protective policies for a population that didn't care was exhausting. I saw how gross people could be and how little regard many had for simple rules. My plan was to stick it out until I went back to school.

But then I got rejected. At that point, my only plan B was to keep working at Universal, and I was already beyond burnt out. So I decided I needed a change. In March 2021 I quit my job, moved back home with my parents, and figured I could get a job near home and save some money while I figured out my next steps. I began to rethink my entire career path and focus on what job would let me get out into the world and do what I love, which is to travel.

Someone put the idea into my head that teaching abroad might be a good option for me. I thought, why not? I wanted to change my career path anyways, and I whole-heartedly believed that I could learn to be a great teacher. If I hated it, I didn't have to keep teaching, but if I loved it, I could teach anywhere in the world with a little experience.

When looking at countries, southern Europe was always a dream location to me, and Japan was my top choice in Asia. However, after doing some research I found that Korea is actually one of the easiest places to teach English with no experience. The main requirements are that you have any Bachelor's degree and are from a native English-speaking country. As I did more research, I learned so much about Korea and how many people have loved moving there. I spent my summer working on an online TEFL certificate, getting into KPOP, and learning everything I could to prepare myself for life in Korea. I taught myself Hangeul, which is the Korean written language, and began my job search and paperwork processes. By September 2021, I had a job, a VISA, and was on a plane headed for Incheon Airport.

I found it easier than I imagined to adapt to life in Korea. One thing I love about the country is the convenience of (almost) everything. Anything related to bureaucracy is going to be slow and tedious, and many systems are not accommodating to foreigners, but for me the good outweighs the bad. I had a studio apartment provided by my school, something I would not be able to afford in the U.S. So much was within walking distance that I rarely needed a car, and even then I could order a taxi easily and for a fair price. Public transportation is incredible, from the buses to the trains and subways. I could get on a bus from Ulsan to Busan, about an hour drive, for 10,000 won (currently $7.27 USD) round trip. I could fly across the country for roughly 80,000 won (currently $58.14 USD).

There was also the convenience of getting anything I needed delivered to my door. I ordered all of my furniture and constantly ordered take-out at all hours of the night. Koreans will stay out until sunrise, so there is always something open if you want a bite or want to go out drinking. Not to mention the ordering food and eating out was often not more expensive than eating in. I personally hate cooking and cleaning, so this was incredible for me.

On top of that, I really learned to love Korean culture and made some great friends. There is so much to see and do, and I barely scratched the surface in my year there. There is so much more I could say, good and bad, but I'll save that for future posts. I have so much to discuss about my time in Korea and my plans for the future, so I hope you will stick around to hear all of my stories.