A reader writes in:

Hi Chris,

I am considering moving to Korea; however, I’d be traveling with my 3 year old.
Do you think this is something feasible with a child. Would you happen to know any American teachers in similar situations.

I saw a posting from www.asia-teachers.org on my school’s career development site.
I am currently unemployed; I’m not able to find full-time employment in my field-user experience research. My last project was 6 months ago.

I don’t mean to bombard you with my specifics, just giving you enough back story to understand my motivation in looking to move overseas. I do enjoy teaching. I’m starting a part-time gig to teach ESL at a local school to get experience while I make arrangements.

I do appreciate your time & thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

[Z.F.]

Hi Z.F.,

Coming to Korea with a family is tough, whether one is married or single. I wrote about this topic last year, but it’s time to revisit it.

The news I have for you is mostly not good. Since the vast majority of foreign English teachers come without a family, the locals have much less experience understanding your need to get off at a certain time, finding a daycare or babysitter, and the like. For all the talk about how Korea’s birthrate is low, the country has yet to make it easy for their own mothers to get back to work. I can’t believe it would be any easier for a foreign mother. While I don’t want to dissuade you from coming to Korea if that’s your goal, there are a few important questions that need answering:

What will your three-year-old do while you’re at work? I’ve never heard of a school that allowed a teacher to bring in their child(ren).

Who will watch your child while you’re at work? This is probably the most difficult one to answer, and probably the biggest problem to overcome. Some Korean mothers might be open to taking a kid in during the daytime, but finding one you can communicate with would be the main issue. Most foreigners would be busy working, although perhaps a nanny would be accessible. A Google search reveals a couple sites that people can hire nannies / au pair from – newaupair.com and http://www.aupair.com/ were the first two that looked accessible.

If Korea becomes a home, where will they go to school? Even though Korean schools are seeing more non-100% Korean kids, they’re far from being treated equally. An international school focused on other foreign kids will probably be out of your reach financially (but research for yourself, obviously!). Some schools for young’uns are listed on the excellent Korea4Expats website,

The ESL field is a huge one – that you’ve already found a job in it will be good experience for whatever comes next. I submit you’d be better served getting that experience and staying in your home country. When your child is a little older, you might find it a bit easier to move to another country with them. If you decide to come to Korea, I’d bet you’d find a number of other foreign moms (likely spouses of US military personnel) to arrange play dates with.

Readers, any thoughts? Are you a mother and a teacher?

 

© Chris Backe – 2011

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