Excellent video, well done Elizabeth for telling the truth about EFL in Korea. l am glad more people are speaking out about the reality of life and work in Korea. Not everyone has these experiences, okay, but for a number of people this is the reality of living and working in Korea. And you are right, more should be done to warn people in advance what teaching English in Korea actually entails.

F to all those fake Americans who claim themselves Koreans from Us. They try so hard to convince you how lucky you are to get a teaching job in Rok and tell you how thankful you should be blah blah blah. They know what theyre doing they also know well thats why they dont teach even tho they can thats why they decided to quit teachinv and became a recruiter, first, they take adv of being "American" probably cuz they have spent a couple yrs studying in the US, not really born or have lived their full life their which means they knew nth abt real human rights, what is wrong with ROK. With the close to Amercan accent and fake friendly talks, they are able to gain job seekrs trust. 2 they know their home country is HELL they wish they could get a job and stay in US but they knew they cant cuz they were on Visa the whole time they were in America. im trying to say these freak in fake Ameicans are evil who want to scam the real Americans to their hell country to be enslaved. Don trust one single Korean. The ones really spent whole life educated and grew up abroad can be exceptions. But still, there might be some US born Koreans been raised by Korean parents which may maybe influenced by the toxic culture so just be really careful. but yes, not only Koreans, also anybody any other race who appear in Korea, esp the ones who stay for a long time, u know they can also be traitors. watch out for anyone. dont trust nobody there.

the entire country is toxic. don't even work here not only the defamation law, the self-defense is a huge thing. another thing, Koreans incl the govt would do everything to cover up anything that potentially harms their rep. so expect the most ridiculous things to happen when u r in that hell cou try

Thank you for revealing the truth.

Is it just me or is this like the most American thing? The hubris of going to a foreign country, barely dipping ur feet in the culture, the practices, etc, coming home and making a video and YY channel how no one should go to Korea to teach enlgish bc of ur personal experience. People who are labeled "forever foreigners" experience this in the US all day everyday while being told they are not. She experiences it for a couple months and she involves the embassy, labor commission, lawyers, etc. That esculated quick. I dont doubt her experience but her demeanor might have made things worse. Ur boss inviting u for drinks isnt about u being pretty, its a common practice. A coworker text u work things when u are at home means they just want to communicate. Not being able to take sock days, vacations, that is not just foreigners, that is everyone. She started off talking about her level of education and even making this video in front of all her books comes off poorly. She even mention the spy camera in bathrooms thing which has nothing to do with her particular situation. Even if she had valid things to say, all of this muddles it. I have training in work transitions and even if u are the boss, you listen, learn, do what others do for at least 6 to 12 months, if not more. She is not only in a new workplace, she is in another country. She is talking about teaching methods and the manager not being educated like she is from the get-go. This person needs to stay home and stick to what she is familar with. As a Korean American, I can say that in many areas, these cultures are oil and water.

Describing the E-2 visa as "corrupt" is bonkers. Companies sponsoring workers to come to do a job that the native population cannot do - in this case, being a native English speaker - is standard practice for visa issuance in many, many countries around the world. If you want to stay in Korea with a visa you "own", you can apply for an F visa. But you seem to believe you should be able to rock up and work in Korea on your own terms -- that is not how immigration works

I taught English in S. Korea for a year. I had a decent time but a year was enough. I taught at public school in Incheon. I didn't go through EPIK but IMOE (Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education). But someone in my cohort did a midnight run. I can't deal with their culture and I wish people would stop going over there to teach English so Korea can fend for itself.

Complaining about western govts not warning their citizens against teaching in Korea reeks of a lack of accountability. Sure, let's create a nanny state because you are incapable of doing your own research before making massive life choices. Is it possible for anyone to be at fault for making a decision that turned out poorly for them, or is it always because of some big bad system that took advantage of them?

"Almost like slavery"... do you realize how much that tests your credibility right off the bat?

Their racism and illegal indentured contracts almost killed me. I worked in both too, and my last year I just left and had emergency surgery as soon as I got off the plane in my country.

Next time choose China or the Russian Federation where you will be treated as a human being and with respect for the law.

I have been living abroad since 2011 now and I have researched working in Korea quite extensively. It's such a shame that you had such a negative experience and I find that the negative experiences usually come from Hagwons and not as much from EPIK who do seem to be more willing to help you. I do feel as though you are generalising a country and a people based upon one horrible experience in addition to other people's experiences without adding balance to the argument you are trying to make. Everything you have experienced is NOT an accurate portrayal of every school or company within education in Korea. One thing I have learned with living in a number of different countries is that to get along you have to go along. This is not unique to Korea or Asia but life in general. Adapt or leave basically. You are not going to walk into a job and be treated as you would expect straight away. Of course, there are basic things that you can expect like getting paid on time and not being expected to be able to communicate 24 hours a day. That is fair but Korea is not the only country that expects you to toe the line when you are working and living there. With any job you go into you have got to be able to put everything you know at the door and leave it there if you are going to get any enjoyment or learn anything from a new experience. I feel like you either went to Korea with the wrong mentality or you were just incredibly naive about what you were walking into. EPIK is probably a safer option for people moving to Korea who want to teach English and after that I would suggest they get themselves into an international school that has an American or European management team. At least with EPIK it is a government programme and you will have more respect for your rights than a Hagwon that is just a money making machine. While you don't have control over the place you are going to be placed that is made very clear before you even apply in the first place. If you apply for EPIK and then later decide not to do it because of that one particular factor then you have just wasted your time and everyone else's because you didn't do the research. As I have said to many a qualified teacher (not EFL or English in general) that you shouldn't do EPIK because you don't need to be working with a co-teacher. The programme is generally set up for young people or students who want to travel and this is the government's way of getting English taught to some level across the country. I can accept that the summer and winter camps is a bit of a pain but during the school holidays you have lots of time at your desk to get all of your planning done for pretty much the rest of the year and then you can enjoy Korea with more free time outside of work. There are positives in something if you look for them. Jumping through hoops in order to get a visa to work in another country is not unique to Korea. I would need a school in the US to sponsor me in order for me to apply for a specialist visa. Even though I qualify for a specialist visa, without that sponsor it's a no go. In Russia I needed documents apostilled and I need to take an HIV test in addition to submitting finger prints. So that's rather a moot point to make in order to try and deter somebody. Unless you are within the European Union with an EU passport then moving country is always going to have hurdles to jump over. What people need to realise is that effective and accurate research is the number one thing when it comes to moving to another country. Without doing your research properly you are going to end up in the exact position that you (the person in the video) have experienced. Understanding the culture is of particular importance and there is no excuse for not being able to have some understanding of the culture of the country you may be moving to for work. I spent a lot of time researching the EPIK programme with the idea of moving to Korea and teaching English (I have a CELTA) but ultimately I decided that it wasn't for me based upon the research and where I wanted to take my career. The culture I find interesting but I am a man so I end up being treated differently in Korea (which is not right or fair and women in Korea are trying to stand up against that now). Now I am a fully qualified primary school teacher and I am looking to take the leap with an international school in Seoul. Wanting to do something and doing it the right way is important. To anyone watching this video, take the points made into consideration but ultimately you have got to put in the work hours with your research before you can come to a valid and educated conclusion as to whether or not you want to move to Korea and teach. With the right mentality and preparation you will significantly reduce the likelihood of being put in this position.

mmmhhhhh!…an american judging an asian country social/ cultural/ schooling systems... that's hilarious... and most funny is that the same exact shits happening in 99% of countries on this disgraceful planet. what's the point!…

Wow, this woman apparently had a number of very bad experiences.

알수없는 유튜브 알고리즘에 의해 들어왔지만, 당신이 당신 커리어에 실패한 이유를 알게되었습니다. 영어 교사는 영어만 할수 있다면 할수 있는게 아닐겁니다. 당신이 어느나라에가든 언어를 교육하기 위해선 당신의 언어와 그 나라의 언어를 알고 있어야 효과적인 교육을 할 수 있을겁니다. 물론 당신은 한국어를 모르고 알필요없다고 생각하기에 이 글도 못읽겠지만요. XD

미안합니다. 한국이 그대에게 좋은 기억으로 남지 않아서 내 마음이 아픕니다. 😢 그대의 고향으로 오셨으니 부디 행복하고 건강하시길 바랍니다 💕 나의 바람이 있다면 한국의 나쁜 기억을 너무 마음에 두지 마시고 털어버리세요. 행복하시길 바랍니다. 🙏 🇰🇷

알아듣지도 못하는 것들이 여기까지 기어들어와서 한국어로 꾸역꾸역 댓글다는 거 개ㅈ같네 진짜

I have been in Korea 18 years. No matter how long you have been teaching in Korea as a foreigner you a seen as a beginner, a fresh off the boat starter. They don't respect you, and most of the effort you make in the classroom is thrown back in your face. Koreans are too nationalistic to really embrace the language. Corrupt practices and contract violations are common. It's really sad because there are positives about the country too.

So bitter😢

I think she's getting paid either by Chinese or Japs to spew bad things about Korea. Why don't ya go and try China. You'll love it there for sure.

원래 타국생활이 쉽지 않죠. 상처가 빨리 치유되었으면 합니다. 한편, 모든 한국인이 그렇지 않다는 것 또한 알아주셨으면 합니다. 당신과 인연이 있던 그 한국인이 객관적으로 좋지못한 사람일 수는 있겠죠. 그런데 대한민국 사람 모두가 당신에게 그런 행동을 했나요? 그건 분명히 아니라고 생각합니다. 이런 자극적인 제목과 채널명, 대한민국 국기에 'X'표시를 한 썸네일은 솔직히 굉장히 무례한 행동이라고 생각합니다. 당신의 이야기를 귀기울여 들으러 온 한국인으로서요. 누군가가 당신의 이야기를 들어주길 바란다면 자신이 먼저 남을 존중하세요.

I'm waiting for you to come back Korea after curing your mental damaged. We all Koreans understand you and love you all the time. ❤❤❤❤❤❤ 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

There are 2 kinds of korean. 1. Bad korean (mostly boss) 2. Good korean (mostly employee) Good korean is struggling fighting with bad korean.

Thinking of countless people living in US under much worse unfair prejudice without any protection of US authority.

We're still using the methods Imperial Japanese teaches english

There are also lots of English speakers who say like Don't teach English in Japan. I think it depends on each person and situation. I hope that you don't say it generaly.

Do NOT generalize.

유투브 제목을 너무 노골적으로 만들었네요. 한귝인으로서 당황스럽습니다. 다친 마음이 잘 치유되길 바랍니다.

You sound like a spoiled kid with white privilege. This is a red flag for future employees. You don't like Korea; leave and take your military bases in Korea with you too. These US military bases caused many conflicts with Korean neighbors.

한국에서 마음의 상처를 많이 받은 것 같으시네요 한국인으로서 죄송합니다. you seem to have injury in mind i'm so sorry as koraen.

Delusional, comparing any work where you have the choice to leave to slavery is insane and would only be mentioned my entitled malenials

내 눈에도 좋은 부분 나쁜 부분이 보임 그리고 대부분 한국인은 굉장히 갇힌 사고를 하는 경우가 높음, 다른 국가들에 비해서, 왜냐면 교류라는 것이 불가능한 지정학적 이유가 크고 언어적으로도 그렇기 때문 그렇기 때문에 대부분의 외국인들이 말하는 불만은 이것임 대부분의 국가들과 달리 한국은 굉장히 꽉 막혀있다는 것을 알 수있다는 거임 그게 단 한 국가의 사람이 말하는 게 아님 서방 국가 심지어 아시아 국가들 조차도 이러한 점에 불편하다고 토로함 한가지 예를 들자면 한국문화에는 개인이라는 관점을 굉장히 무시하는 문화임 여러가지의 관점이 한국 문화에서의 기준에서 벗어나는 순간 쓰레기로 본다는 거임 다양성이란 것을 굉장히 경외시하고 그게 생활에 까지 퍼져있음 웃긴 것이 그 일본조차도 개인 사생활에 대해서 굉장히 자유롭다는 것임 무엇을 하든 무엇을 좋아하든 그것에 대해 지적하는 순간 지적하는 사람이 이상한 사람이 되는 게 일본임 반대로 한국은 "그걸 왜 해?, 돈이 돼?, 쓸데없이 시간 쓴다, 왜 물어보는데?" 등 남의 사생활에 지적하며 자신은 지적당하기 싫어함, 즉 한국인들이 가지는 보편적인 시각에서 벗어나는 것을 하는 순간, 이런한 말들이 한국에서 명분을 얻는 다는 것임 심지어 한국은 사적인 자리에서 조차 공적인 자리에서의 보여줘야하는 도덕성, 사회에서 표방하는 기준 안에서만 생각하고 살기를 바람 그러니 세상을 다각도로 보는 능력이 부족하고, 자신의 생각을 정연하게 표현하는 법을 모름 알잘딱깔센이 대표적인 예시임 말을 안해도 알아서 "잘" 하라는 굉장히 주먹구구식인 방식으로 남들에게 요구를 하는데 일에 메뉴얼을 하나 없는 무책임한 말이 한국에 대표적인 문화임 솔직히 한국인이고 굉장히 눈치를 보는 사람이면 저 말이 편할 것임 그래서 대부분의 한국인들이 눈치를 보고 눈치를 주는 거임, 서로 편하자고, 하지만 한국을 제외한 다른 국가에서 공적인 공간에서는 메뉴얼없는 주먹구구식, 개인의 공간을 경외시함과 마찬가지로 사적인 공간에서까지 알잘딱깔센을 외치는 문화는 외국인에게 공감을 받을 수 없음 한국에서 돈 벌고 싶으니 너가 한국을 배워야 한다라는 말은 현재 한국의 상황을 더 악화시키는 말일 뿐임 왜냐면 한국은 저 사람들이 필요해질 순간이 늘어나기 때문 그리고 한 가지 더, 해외가서 한국인들끼리만 노는 그룹이 상당히 많다고함 이미 위에 쓴 한국의 문화는 어디에도 존중받기 힘든 문화인게 여실히 들어남 그니까 비정상까지는 아니어도 선호되지 않는 문화고 싫어할만 함 마치 한국인이 중국인을 보듯이

I'm Asian American and I rather teach in south east Asia. Never care for Korea

I would be so shameful if I ever get to learn english from people like you, lday!

Everywhere you go, there are both good and bad people. Overgeneralizing may make others see you as one of the bad ones too. Seek out good people and good friends, and ask for their help. Being overly negative won’t help you find a good solution. Many foreigners are satisfied and happy with their work. Meet with them. I hope you manage well.

나는 한국인입니다. 한국에서 일하는 많은 외국인들을 오랜시간 관찰하며 국적, 인종, 종교를 떠나 대부분 A, B로 나누어 집니다. A 그룹은 한국이 자신의 출신 국가 문화와 다름을 빠르게 인정하고 한국어 공부, 한국 문화에 대한 공부를 깊은 수준으로 합니다. 또한 그들은 기회가 된다면 한국인 친구를 사귀려고 노력하고 긍정적인 성격을 가진 경우가 B 그룹보다 더 많았습니다. B 그룹은 이와는 전혀 다른데 몇년 머물며 쉽게 돈을 버는 것에만 그 목적이 있습니다. 그것이 잘못이라고 생각하지는 않지만 이 그룹의 대부분은 아시아에 편견이 많으며 서양과 다른 문화에 대해서 끊임없이 불만, 불평을 하고는 합니다. 한국 문화에 대한 기본적인 존중이 없으며 한국어 습득에도 전혀 관심이 없어요. 한국인 커뮤니티와도 어울리려고 노력하지 않습니다. 백인이니 당연히 난 대우를 받아야 한다고 생각하는 오만한 사람들도 많이 경험했습니다. 세계 어느 국가를 가더라도 한국처럼 쉽게 외국인들이 영어 강사를 할 수 있도록 자격 요건이 낮은 국가는 없습니다. 물론 당신이 좋은 사람임에도 나쁜 직장, 사람들을 만나 불쾌한 경험을 했을 수도 있습니다. 제가 말하고 싶은 요점은 일부 사례, 경험을 기반으로 한국은 모든게 이렇다고 정의를 내리고 일반화 해서는 안된다는 겁니다. '학원', '영어 학원'은 전부 개인이 소유에요. 그렇기 때문에 경우에 따라서 부당하거나 매우 불쾌한 경험을 할 수 있습니다. 새로 채널을 파서 증오를 할만큼 상처를 많이 받았다면 당신에게 위로를 보냅니다. 문제가 있을 경우 근로기준법을 살펴보고 한국의 노동청에 신고해야 합니다. 나는 당신에게 무례하게 싶은 의도는 없어요. 단지 나는 내 경험으로 한국에 학원 강사로 일하러 오는 외국인들 중 부정적인 성향의 사람들을 많이 봤습니다. 그들은 그들만의 커뮤니티를 만들고 한국은 이게 나빠, 저게 나빠, 모든게 나쁘다면서 하루종일 한국을 폄하하고 전혀 존중하지 않습니다. 장담하건대 B 그룹의 외국인 선생님들은 자신의 출신 국가로 돌아간다고 하더라도 패배자 취급을 받거나 좋은 직장에서 일을 할 것이라고 생각하지 않습니다. 다른 국가에서는 그곳의 문화와 법, 기준을 따르는 것이 상식입니다. 나는 돈이나 벌고 몇년 일하다가 갈건데 내가 왜 그 국가에서 그들의 언어와 문화를 배워야 하지?와 같은 자세로는 어디를 가도 실패할 겁니다. 이것은 국가, 인종, 종교와는 관계가 없으며 당신이 미국, 영국, 독일, 한국, 일본 어디서 일을 하든지 최대한 철저하게 해당 국가의 문화를 철저하게 이해해야 합니다.

미국도 학교 교사들 대우나 연봉이 낮은걸로 알고 있는데 그건 한국만이 아닌데 안타깝네요. 본인 나라에서 높은 연봉받고 높은 월세와 물가를 감당하시며 사시는게 좋겠네요. 한국어도 못하면서 고연봉을 바라는건 좀 아니다.

I'm really sorry for your opinion based on your experiences which became mentally traumatic. As a person who attended schools in Korea and relied on lots of native teachers during about nine years - elementary 3rd to high 2nd (excluding several years in non-English-only kindergarten), I slowly thought my attitude toward native teachers might be egocentric. I really liked English classes with them, but simultaneously, this preference of me might place them under illegal contracts... Actually, these kind of contracts are still prevalent (especially in small firms), because of cultural lag... I know that English education system in Korea is kind of... "off the manual", so there are many problems besides illegal contracts, visa, and more things you mentioned. I'm so afraid that the whole system can't be fixed entirely in short time, but I really wish that our generation could fix these multiple tangled problems, which might be solved by reseting and re-modeling the entire Korean education system. P.S. I don't want you to have a nightmare every day which depicts your horrifying experiences in Korea. If your mental disturbance caused by this continues and effects you in a negative way, I recommend you to go to psychiatry. Please, stay healthy.

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZquaYnl-npebadEsi=SoyDHhNmDk0pXtmq

한국이 일하기 좋은 나라는 아닙니다 왠지 죄송하네요

한국의 직장 문화는 많이 개선 되긴 했어도, 아직까지 한국 MZ세대들에게도 힘든게 한국직장문화입니다. 매운 한국 직장문화를 경험하신듯한데, 한국인들도 작은 회사등에 취업하면 비슷한 일을 겪습니다. 한국의 직장 상사들은 선을 넘는 간섭과 회식 참여 강요등을 요구하죠. 아직 한 10-20년은 지나야 이런 직장 문화는 바뀔듯 합니다. Korean workplace culture has improved a lot, but it remains challenging even for the MZ generation in Korea. It seems like you've experienced the harsh aspects of Korean workplace culture. Many Koreans also face similar situations when they join smaller companies as like 학원 hakwon. Korean bosses often demand intrusive involvement and enforce participation in after-work gatherings. It will probably take another 10 to 20 years for this kind of workplace culture to change.

한국은 아직 나아가야할 것들이 산더미입니다. 한국의 20세기 역사를 둘러봐주시고, 아직 우리는 노력중에 있다는걸 알아주셨으면해요. 한국은 특히나 교육분야에서 심할정도로 잔인하고 치열합니다. 관련 종사자로 있으면 그것을 목도하게 되며 숨막히는 기분을 느꼈을거에요. 교육자로서, 고통받는 아이들을 보는것이 쉽지는 않을테죠. 하지만 우리는 언제나 그랬듯 앞으로 나아갈 것이며 방법을 찾아서 나아질 것 입니다.

Well, they are not favor of rainbow😂😂😂

You just can't adapt to Korean society. What efforts have you made to adapt to Korea? Every country has its own standards. If you expect Korea to follow your standards, you are not ready to live abroad. If you are not prepared to work hard and diligently, it will be difficult to live in Korea. You should work at least as hard as other Koreans and expect to be compensated. Go back to your country and live comfortably.

Korea is not a good place to earn a living. It's a good place to SPEND what you earned in the US.

So sorry it happened to you. I feel terrible as a Korean. Hope things will get better here someday

Yeah don’t come to Asia to teach ) work in ur own country

I've been in Korea for about 18 years now! I realized very early on I got lucky. However, my work experience in the US was also not great. I never had a really good job. Mainly because I didn't get the kind of degree that leads to a job. I sometimes worked three jobs and usually had two jobs. Most of my pay went to the rent and sometimes I couldn't quite afford to pay for car repairs with the old used cars I had to own to go to work. I never had health insurance except when I was in the military. In the US I survived. But in Korea, I felt liberated from the harshest realities because my job now covered rent ( free ) and health care ( reasonably priced. ) I paid off 50% of my student loans in one year and the other 50% in 5 years. I can understand that if you are mistreated, you would be making a "dont teach in s korea video." I would have done the same. But the maker of this video is also very lucky to have a good history of work experience in the USA. She is qualified to go back home and get a good job and live in health and security. I really do not have that option. A lot of Koreans graduate from university and live with their parents for 5-10 years trying to get a good job. Life is good for the ones with good jobs. But there is an element of the rat race in Korea. People are overly competitive. This is also true in the US, but in the US it's easier to escape the rat race nowadays.

Your experience doesn’t dictate the whole world

With all due respect, while there are some good points, there is also so much wrong with your take. Just to mention one: it is not only foreigners, but all employees here are subject to yearly health screenings. I understand that this might be difficult to understand from a United Sates perspective, but it doesn't mean that it is wrong or that it violates your rights in any way. The rights and duties you have change from country to country, and you'd better do your research before hand. That said, I fully agree that many hakwon (private/cram schools) do not pay enough, and in general there is not enough screening on the quality of the English language teaching workforce.