American Expat Explorer Talks About Korea's One-Year Rule For English Teachers!

[@francoismarc3]

I was thinking about why native English teachers usually finish their contracts here in Korea instead of ditching during the middle of the contract. What do you all think?

[@justicegenesis6726]

Korea is like heaven for foreigners.

[@szvqorwnpstahskypfwmp9821]

Hi, Francois!! Another great video!! I am just like you!! My life in Korea is very comfortable and convenient in so many ways that it is hard to live elsewhere now. I have also traveled to many countries and time and time again, I realized Korea is a very comfortable and convenient country to live in. As you said, Korea is also very efficient and has a great infrastructure that is hard to find elsewhere. I have been going back and forth between the U.S. and Korea for many years and both countries have pros and cons but Korea seems to have a little more pros for me, and it is none other than public safety. For me, it has always been my number one priority. It's the main reason why I live in Korea. Everyone is different and has different circumstances, needs, wants, etc. But I always believed public safety should be at the top of the list for everyone!! I have been living here for almost twenty years and I have never once felt dangerous and threatened and had my stuff stolen. It is a really safe country!! Believe me!! But of course, Korea has its own problems like many other countries. It is not a perfect country, to be honest! Lastly, can you tell me your height and weight, Francois? You have a very nice body for your age and I was just curious. Thank you!! Peace brother!!

[@dummygirl1201]

Yeah, safety is definitely one of the top reasons to live in Seoul. I don't really wanna deal with pickpockets in Western Europe. And I didn't realize how much low key anxiety I get from the possibility of getting mugged, raped, and killed at home til vacaying in Seoul and not having to deal with even theft and being able to leave your stuff at your table at a restaurant to go to the bathroom 😮

[@boostthebeauty3487]

I’m excited and can’t wait to come out to Korea! Thanks for your videos

[@francoismarc3]

Hey, brotha, thanks so much for watching! I think you need to start a KZbin channel! Seems like you have lots of experiences to share! I'm glad we have some experiences in common:) Always appreciate your support!!!:)

[@szvqorwnpstahskypfwmp9821]

@@francoismarc3 Thanks brother and keep up the great work.

[@merrybay-x1p]

이렇게 얘기해주시는 영상 넘 좋아요. 저의 최애 유튜브. 영상 자주 올려주셔서 행복하네요. 감사합니다. 환절기 건강도 유의하세요.

[@francoismarc3]

Thank you so very much for your support!!! I will do my best to not catch cold!! Thank you again!!!:)

[@TheWanderingKid]

I love listening to your life stories, Francois! The homesickness for one who has moved, the adjustments, it’s not for everybody Interesting video bro 👍🏻

[@francoismarc3]

I always appreciate your support for the channel!! I'll have to catch up on your latest video soon!!!

[@HarrisonYoo]

You are the public safety strong man of Korea! Please keep being a nice citizen, Atlanta man! Lol

[@francoismarc3]

@HarrisonYoo lol thanks so much hahahah

[@슈크림아이-v1r]

영어리스닝 영상으로 너무 좋아요. 영상 감사합니다. 인상도 딱 학부모님들이 좋아하는 인상에다 목소리톤까지ㅋㅋ 진짜 학습영상으로 너무 좋아요 ㅋㅋ

[@francoismarc3]

Thank you so much for watching! I'll try to use simple English that is easy for everyone to understand since many people watch these videos for language learning. Thank you so much for supporting me!:)

[@roontoo]

first of all, I wanna say that your videos are lovely. It's mesmerizing to listen to you in a good way, good job with that! as for the question - how it feels to be a foreigner in a different country, I can share that we moved in 2022 from one country to Turkey. We spent a year there, but for a slavic person it was quite hard to cope with the ultimately different islamic culture. Plus the economy - TRY (local currency) falling, the prices going up an up, it was hard to stay for another year. We were lucky to have an opportunity to move to another country - Serbia. People here have a very similar language to ours and practically the same mentality. We prolonged our stay successfully for another year. We now even have a residence&work permit for 3 more years. Serbia feels like a place you don't want to leave (just like you do with Korea). Your arguments and ideas are applicable not only to native-speaker teachers abroad, but to many immigrants actually, so you got a good point.

[@francoismarc3]

Hey, thanks so much for the compliment:) Maybe I should check out Serbia! I'm glad you found a place outside of your home country where you can feel at peace like my feelings towards Korea:) I'm also happy my words translate for other people, not just English teachers here in Korea. Appreciate you watching and taking the time express your feelings on this topic.:)

[@znavarros]

My first year in Korea was the best year of my life..thats why I stayed....and the decision to move to Korea turned out to be the best decision I've ever made in my life.....miss you homeboy...I though I was gonna get a shoutout for a second in this vid hahah

[@francoismarc3]

Your shout-out is coming in the next one. This one was more about when I first arrived hahaha. I agree. This has by far been the best decision of my life. I have so many professional options to explore these days and have made a lot of wonderful friends along the way. I guess I can count you as one of them...I guess hahaha

[@dummygirl1201]

What made it the best?

[@znavarros]

@@dummygirl1201 met so many people and was able to travel the world....staying home never would have given me the opportunity to meet the ppl I've met, experience the things I've experienced or go to the places I've been.....

[@hydropascal]

Well, I couldn't comment on that issue because I don't have any friends or acquaintances who are native speaker teachers. But I am very familiar with the riverside roads where you are walking in the video for bike riding from time to time. Anyang river which is connected with Dorimcheon is my favorite one for bike riding. So I was glad to see the areas in your video.😊

[@francoismarc3]

Any comment from you is always welcome!! It doesn't need to be about the topic:) I always go to that river with my Korean mom. We ride bikes there and have talking time:) So many memories for me at Anyang River and Dorimcheon:)

[@hydropascal]

@@francoismarc3 Wow, good to hear that you enjoy riding a bike along two rivers too.😁

[@jejudo3000]

Korea is the best mate!

[@francoismarc3]

I love it here!!!:)

[@Progress-qb8oc]

These days, a phone auto translation to Korean function goes well for communication, and the widespread western style foods in Korea. some recent high humid and hot weather in summer is problem though... and...the policy on drugs is strict in Korea. some western people got troubles on this issue.

[@francoismarc3]

Woah, thanks for this wealth of information! This is a rich comment!")

[@철-p9z]

한국의 역사는 사찰들에서 쉽게 느낄수 있어요 그래서 한국의 사찰을 방문하면서 느끼는 역사적 진실이나 자연환경 건축물의 조화등을 주제로 영상을 만드시면 좋아 할 것 같아요 그리고 활동적이신 분 같은데요 서울 말고 다양한 지역을 여행하시고 미국인의 시각에서 분석한 영상도 좋아할 것 같네요 여겅 유튜버는 미용 영상이 인기를 얻듯이 남성은 하이킹이나 스포츠 이벤트등 활동적이거나 각 지역의 음식등이나 역사적 진실을 알려주는 영상이 인기가 있습니다 부산 인근에 근무하신다면 가끔 커피라도 같이 마시면서 의견을 나누고 싶네요

[@francoismarc3]

Hey, thanks so much for the advice on content! It's a really good idea! If I in Busan and there is time, I will try to reach out to you. Thank you so much!!!:)

[@SunnySage122]

The infamous Seoul metro arrival music for the incoming train!! If you know, you know 😊 Great vid and great question! I feel having a sense of purpose and mindful intention about WHY one is living in Korea supports the motivation to stay. If a teacher did opt to leave and cut their contract short, I wonder if it had anything to do with the job environment. Was it unsupportive? Also, a question for you. I notice you use expat in your video titles. Could you share why prefer to use the term “expat” in reference to yourself as opposed to “immigrant”? How do you personally define the two terms? Thanks!

[@francoismarc3]

Infamous indeed! Lol. Thanks for giving your answer to the question:) I guess I expat and immigrant can be used interchangeably, but expat is a short word and fits well in the title lol . Also, I think people at large have a negative view if the word 'immigrant'. I think this comes from constant digestion of media without researching what works mean, so expat is better to attract viewers since it seems to have a positive connotation:) That's about it lol. Always appreciate your support!:)

[@jerrycho9869]

i used to teach english. hated it/kinda liked it. but i walked out on the job when i was given a full schedule when this pr*ck had none. can't say why others have left or stayed but it's fun to hear their stories. there was this one guy from the midwest that could only eat omurice for every meal. that must suck!

[@francoismarc3]

Looooooooool, for every meal?! What?! Yoooo, that's crazy funny lol. And did you like teaching more than hating it?

[@jerrycho9869]

@@francoismarc3 oh i didn't even see this comment. yes that's what he said. i'm not a teacher. not in my blood i guess.

[@jerrycho9869]

@@francoismarc3 yeah i can't imagine eating the same same meal all the time. i don't even feed my dog the same thing a few times in a row. do you have any favorites? i can't eat (here) anything but korean food because it does not taste the same and is just overpriced.

[@francoismarc3]

I was thinking about why native English speaking teachers always finish their contracts here in Korea. I've never seen teachers leave early. Why is this?!

[@ГульданаГапарали]

I think it depends on person, someone can get easily adapted to new culture, but mostly people hold the opinion that "East or West, home is best". Thank you for sharing your experience❤ You are lucky, Francois 😊

[@francoismarc3]

I agree. Each person is different, so their individual cases are different as well:) Always appreciate your valued comments ♡♡♡

[@BrianCatalano]

I know it's not remotely the same thing, but living in Los Angeles, a town of migrants where everyone is from somewhere else... I notice there's a "wall" that people hit after a year or two that looks like homesickness but it's probably a multi-dimensional issue. Yet, what I've noticed if people make it passed year two, they usually stay. I wonder if there's a timeframe like that for immigrants which probably depends on how dramatically different the language and culture is from where they came from...

[@francoismarc3]

Woah...that's a good statement. I don't know if I'm smart enough to add my two cents, but I can try:) What I noticed in France was that the Americans on the program with me who had wanderlust, typically fared better than those without. Even me, though I love to travel, France was my first country and also, my first time to be truly away from home. After the intial culture shock wore off, about three weeks after arriving, I had a second wave that hit me pretty hard. I think it's because I couldn't speak the language well and didn't have any friends yet. But once I made friends and learned the language, I was good to go. It took me about five months to get to that point. Still, there were those who learned the language well but still wanted to return to the States after our first year. I guess it's case by case? That's a very interesting topic to explore. I need a big brain like yours to explore it more thoroughly!!!:)

[@Mr_S.C.P_2086]

first HELL YEA🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅

[@francoismarc3]

Lol you made it!

[@Mr_S.C.P_2086]

mongila or korea?

[@francoismarc3]

I think both places are amazing!!:)

[@Mr_S.C.P_2086]

@@francoismarc3 YEAAAAAA

[@NinaPB]

I think one thing not mentioned in comments is how toxic the hagwon industry can be. Many who’ve done a midnight run did so because of terrible work conditions, unacceptable housing, low pay and unsustainable hours, etc. I’m fortunate that none of this was an issue for me, so I just renewed.

[@francoismarc3]

Woah, actually, I don't have much experience with teachers who work in Hagwons, so I didn't know the condition was so severe. Do these midnight runs happen often??

[@NinaPB]

@@francoismarc3 I don’t have the numbers, but in my training class of 4 in Nov ‘23, one did a run a few months ago. 😬

[@jinmo2821]

@NinaPB I think you are not quite telling the truth. If such conditions exist they are contract violations by the hagwons, and if they are not remedied one has the right to walk out of the contact openly without any consequnces whatsoever. One can even sue the hagwon if he/she chooses to. There's no need to play drama queen doing the "midnight run."

[@francoismarc3]

@@NinaPB I see. Thanks for sharing!!