Although he chose to move to Korea because it offered English teachers a high salary, Philip Brett says it has opened up a world of opportunity to him that he would never have had at home.
The 32-year-old from Galway, who now works as a teacher in the Korean public school system, studied interior architecture at Cork Institute of Technology and graduated in 2006 just as the property bubble started to deflate. He spent a year working in retail and assessing his options before leaving the country for the first time.
Where did you go when you first left Ireland?
In early 2008 I went to London where I spent 18 months working in bars and retail. I tried to come back to Galway in late 2009 before realising nothing had changed. I completed a TEFL course and took the first job that was offered to me in China. After six months teaching in a private school I went home for my brother’s wedding. Then I bounced around between the dole and temporary retail positions for 18 months before successfully applying to the English Program in Korea (EPIK), which is sponsored by the Korean Ministry of Education, heading off on my own in February 2012.
Why did you choose Korea? Was it difficult to get a visa?
Initially I chose Korea because it offered a high salary and it looked like a good place to save some money for a year before travelling around southeast Asia. That first year brought a lot of changes, which included making a great group of friends and getting used to living comfortably on a decent wage with a rent-free apartment to myself. The standard of living and the welcoming nature of the locals won me over, and I've just completed my fifth year here.
Where are you working now?
After two years teaching high school and another two-and-a-half teaching elementary school in Ulsan, I’ve moved to Jeju Island. It’s the go-to travel destination for many Korean people, with the Seoul-Jeju flight path the busiest in the world. (It handled 11.1 million passengers in 2015). The teaching experience is quite different from Ulsan however. I’m currently splitting my week between two elementary schools, and spending nine hours a week commuting. Both schools in Ulsan were within a 10-minute walk from my apartment. The students’ English levels are far more varied here, and classes require a lot more planning than before. That’s to be expected given Ulsan is a very wealthy city, with many families paying huge sums for private lessons outside of public school hours.
Do you think you would have had the same opportunities if you had stayed in Ireland?
No chance. I would never be a teacher in Ireland. I remember what Irish students are like. While Korean students are still kids who will act up, there's always a line that won't be crossed. While it's beginning to falter, the Confucian trinity of King, Teacher and Father still holds that all should be equally respected.
How does teaching EFL in Korea compare to other locations?
While the salary is high compared to other countries, it’s worth bearing in mind that the salary hasn’t changed since 2002, while the cost of living is constantly rising. The contract is for a 40-hour week, but with a maximum of 22 hours of teaching time. That leaves a lot of free time at your desk. One of the sticking points that takes some getting used to is that while vacation time is two months, your contract stipulates only 18 days’ vacation. That means you are required to come to an empty school and sit at your desk with no work to do for a few weeks of the year. Flexibility and patience are the most important skills for dealing with how the system works here.
Are there opportunities for other Irish teachers? Would you recommend Korea?
There’s a strong Irish network. The ambassador and deputy head from the embassy are doing great work here, and the connection between Ireland and Korea is growing. That said, the country has had some economic issues in the last few years, and the number of native teachers employed has been dropping rapidly. Given the lowering numbers of jobs available, and the growing interest in Korea as a result of popular culture, employers can be a lot more selective now than a number of years ago. Private schools are also taking advantage by adding a lot more teaching time into the standard 40 hours, which can be exhausting.
Opportunities to progress out of public schools or private academies and into university positions have been cut drastically, and will frequently come down to who you know. Teachers are also on a visa that stipulates you can have only one job. Any income outside of that, such as private lessons or media work, can result in the cancellation of your visa. Given the current impeachment trial of the president and continuing economic issues, the future isn’t exactly clear right now. Korea is wonderful, but for first-time teachers it may be more beneficial to find a more stable environment.
What is your life there like outside of work?
Coming from a city as culturally vibrant as Galway, it was a big change to find myself in Ulsan. I struggled to find much to do outside of going to see the expat cover bands that would pop up in foreigner-friendly bars. I was often told that unless you lived in Seoul, the only options are shopping and drinking. I started an online magazine with my friend Josh Hanlin, initially as a way to discover more of what was happening around us. Angle Magazine is now a bilingual arts and culture site which covers audio, visual and literary art created in the southern half of the country. I've taken advantage of the many free hours that come with my job to follow whatever mad plans pop into my head. I found myself creating videos, podcasts and interviews. I organised translations and managed an ever-expanding team of volunteers.
I’ve also organised art exhibitions, poetry events, monthly music shows, a charity Christmas album and an annual festival of art, music, dance, poetry and theatre, to name a few. It’s all a little surreal when I stop and think about the list of things to happen in the last three years. I was lucky to find myself in a place where I had financial security, free time, and a burst of ideas that grew out of necessity. I’m also aware that I never would have done any of this if I’d stayed in Ireland. Mostly because there are so many people doing wonderful things there already, I would never have had the boredom necessary to kickstart the initial idea.
What are your plans for the short and long term?
I’m hoping to move to Busan at the end of the summer. On top of that, I’m working towards a resident’s visa, which would allow me to have more than one form of income. This would free me up to teach part-time, and try to develop the magazine as a legitimate business, or any other ideas that spring to mind along the way.
Anything else you have noticed at home?
Teaching English as a foreign language can be a lot of fun, but there are also some side-effects. For example, last year I was home for Christmas for the first time since 2010. My first day walking around Galway was a shock to the system as I could understand everything, and no longer had a filter to shut it all out. It was my first experience of reverse culture shock, which wasn’t something I heard much about before I left.
