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Why Did I Decide To Come To South Korea?
As my 9th year here in South Korea started a few days ago, I tried to recall what made me want to come to this part of the world. It was not fate that brought me here. It was a conscious decision made after many nights of contemplation and prayers.
So, why did I travel to the Land of the Morning Calm?
The reason I decided to venture into ESL teaching here in South Korea was not that there were no teaching jobs available in the Philippines. As a matter of fact, I had to cut short my work in my country back in 2013 to come here. At that time, I was employed as Principal of a basic education institution. To earn extra, I also worked as a part-time college instructor and as an academic consultant in another school.
I had no problem finding jobs in the Philippines.
So, what made me decide to teach here?
Firstly, I suffered from severe “job burnout”. I got so tired of being a school administrator and a teacher at the same time. I desired to go back to full-time teaching.
I started doing supervisory works in 1994 at a technical-vocational institution. I resigned in 2002 then moved to another school, a Catholic tertiary institution, where I was offered a supervisory position – head of the Education program. From there I became a college dean in another school then principal in a basic education institution. From 1994 to early 2013 I was a school administrator and a teacher at the same time.
I really got tired of supervising people and doing administrative works. I felt sick about it. I felt sick with the politics involved in supervising and managing employees. My last two years as a school administrator were terrible and horrible, particularly the penultimate one. How I wish I could go into details.
I wanted to go back to just being a teacher. That’s the reason I applied for a teaching job in South Korea. I was hired. My getting hired also proved that the notion “that only native speakers of English could (and should) teach ESL in South Korea” is but a myth. The truth is some of them could not and should not teach.
It was that “job burnout” that got me seeking for a job opportunity overseas. Not that I wanted a greener pasture. I would be branded a hypocrite if I say I don’t need higher pay. But I was somewhat satisfied with the salary I was receiving at that time. It was good enough that I and my wife could save then, later on, buy a small parcel of land and had a house built. My family and I could even enjoy some of the luxuries in life, travel if we wanted.
Of course, I was (and more so now) happier and more satisfied with my monthly pay in this country when I came. Who wouldn’t be? It’s roughly 75% higher than what my Pakistani employers paid me in the Philippines and with me having to work 60% less in terms of hours. Do the math. That basic (K to 12) education school where I was Principal is owned by Pakistanis operating a vast network of schools (The City School) in Pakistan and some parts of Asia.
At that time I felt that I was at the crossroads of my career. I have to admit that there was some kind of dissatisfaction within me. Burnout torched my soul and I was really unhappy. There was something missing.
Then came the opportunity to teach here.
When I got settled, I finally figured out what was missing. Because I was so busy with my administrative functions and was teaching at the same time, I was not able to attend to my other passion…WRITING.
In the Philippines, being a school administrator and teacher at the same time require that you stay in the workplace, officially, for 8 hours a day. But most of the time, I would stay way beyond that, even if I wasn’t required to. It was just something that I felt I ought to do. Sometimes I would even go to my office on Saturdays and Sundays. With that hectic schedule, I could hardly find time to write poems, essays and stories… much less do research.
That’s what makes teaching in South Korea different (and a blessing) for me. It allowed me to have a lot of spare time which I could use to write. I was even able to write papers for presentations in international conferences and for publication in international journals. Something that, unfortunately, I couldn’t do in the Philippines. Back there I would be lucky if in a month I could write even just a single poem. Here, after 8 years, I have written a lot, as in hundreds of them. I had them published in my two websites (madligaya.com and chingligaya.wordpress.com). I even found time to pursue my interest in personal growth and development. And that worked more wonders for me.
ESL teaching is part of the career-path I paved for myself. I really trained and prepared for this. As early as 2009, I was already thinking of coming to this country to become an English teacher. I applied also to schools in the Middle East but it was my dream that I would be given the opportunity to do ESL teaching here. After my rejections by 2 universities in the Middle East, I didn’t lose hope of eventually landing a job as an English teacher overseas. True enough, in 2013, a university here in South Korea, believed that I have the necessary qualifications to teach English.
I did not become an English teacher overnight or by accident. I did not teach because there are no other jobs available. I chose to be a teacher.
I am a licensed English teacher in the Philippines. I passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers 2003. I was required by the RVM sisters to take it (and I am thankful that they did.) Then in 2010, notwithstanding my busy schedule, I enrolled in a certification class in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).
My second (and last) reason for deciding to try teaching here (South Korea) has nothing to do with my career. At that time I was journeying to midlife. Midlife crisis is a real thing. It isn’t a myth. There were some personal demons that I had to slay. It’s too personal to share. Let me just say that I am not proud of those decisions I made during those times. Suffice it to say that I needed space. I needed that entire space between the Philippines and South Korea to really get my bearings back… to bring back sanity to my existence. Let me just concude this paragraph with this… Romans 8:28.
Then my efforts paid off and my prayers answered. I was hired by a South Korean university in 2013.
God is really good. I got what I wanted… just teach and no more supervisory works. That gave me a lot of time to write. I was also able to squeeze myself out of that personal crisis and take the road to self-improvement more seriously. I wouldn’t have not done so had I opted to just stay in that principal’s office in the Philippines.
My journey as a teacher continues. This is my 33rd year as a teacher – 24 years in the Philippines and on to my 9th year here in South Korea.
As Seth Godin said, “Do what you love and love what you do.”
What I do that I love is writing and what I love that I do is teaching.
To God be the Glory!
On To My Seventh Year in South Korea
(A Personal Essay)
This year (2019) marks my seventh year here in South Korea. I am forever grateful to God for this opportunity, to Gyeoungju University where I taught in 2013, and to Hanseo University where I have been teaching since 2014.
When I decided to accept a job offer from a university here in South Korean way back in 2013, I was ready mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually – and of course professionally. I majored in English and I am licensed teacher. I didn’t come here not knowing what to expect and what to do.
I calculated the benefits I and my family would get from my being employed here (in South Korea) and weighed them against the challenges and sacrifices I need to face and make. There’s no measuring scale to determine if getting all those benefits was worth all the difficulties and hardships I could be contending with and the fact that I would be away from the warm embrace of my wife and son.
Some of my friends and loved ones considered my move as risky personally and professionally. I had a flourishing career as a school administrator and I might start from scratch again should my working in South Korea not turn out well.
I was aware of such risks but I know how to play my cards well. What I consider as my strongest suits are my strong faith in myself and in God. I fully know what I am capable of doing and I know how amazing is God’s grace. I never doubted my abilities, more so His grace.
What made my resolve to work here strong (aside from the personal reasons I mentioned in an essay where I explained why I decided to work in this country) was when I read the contract sent to me after passing the interview. It indicated a working period that is approximately 60% less than what is required in the Philippines yet the pay is (approximately) 300% higher than my pay at that time. More than the salary though was the difference in the number of hours that I would be required to render work – 12 hours of teaching and 4 hours of office. I could use the extra 24 hours (on top of the weekend) to pursue my other interest – writing.
But the downside was – I was not used to being away from my loved ones. I was not used to not seeing my wife and my son for a very long period of time. I also couldn’t cook and I hated doing the laundry and cleaning the house.
I was also told that homesickness and boredom could kill me.
But the die has been cast. My resignation as principal of that school at that time was irrevocable and so was my decision to pursue a teaching career overseas. Even the tears of my wife could not drown my resolve to accept the job offer of Gyeongju university.
And here I am… on to my seventh year as an ESL teacher here in South Korea. There’s no trace of regrets whatsoever for the decision that I made in 2013 to come over. I can say that I have gained tremendous personal and professional growth since that time. True enough I was able to use the spare time to write not only stories, poems, and essays but research works as well. I had the studies I conducted presented in international conferences and published in “indexed” journals.
Now I am maintaining two websites – Hardpen’s Portfolio and Mukahang Poet – where I publish my works in both English and Filipino. Had I not worked here, I doubt if I could have written those studies I completed and created and maintained my two websites.
I also learned to cook and I have no choice but do my own laundry and house cleaning.
What about homesickness and boredom?
I am too busy with my work and my writings that I could not find time to be bored. And when I am not working or writing, I either go to the gym or hike in the mountain or watch movies and NBA games.
And why would I feel homesick when upon waking up in the morning I would call my wife, either through Facebook messenger or Skype, and we talk all day and night when I am not busy working and during weekends. Even if we have nothing more to talk about we don’t end the video chat. That way I could see her and my son moving around our home while I also do what I ought to be doing. I could hear them talking, my dogs barking, and our neighbors’ roosters crowing and hens clucking. Hearing all the sounds in our neighborhood that I got accustomed to make me feel as if I’m home.
Consider this – we have approximately a total of 5 months off between the two semesters. That allows me to visit my family in the Philippines after every 4 months and two weeks and stay with them for at least 40 days. I just have to make sure that I would be able to attend the spring and fall commencement exercises. We’re paid for 12 months in a year which means that even during semestral breaks we receive salaries. That’s a huge blessing.
For those considering ESL teaching in countries like South Korea, Japan, and China, you wouldn’t regret should you try. Just make sure that you really are qualified to teach. It is a disservice to the teaching profession should you assume that because you could speak English you could teach it even if you are not trained to be a teacher.
Why I Came To South Korea
(A Personal Essay)
I decided to try ESL teaching here in South Korea not because there were no good jobs available in the Philippines. As a matter of fact, I had to cut short my employment back home in 2013 to come here. That time I was employed as Principal of a basic education (K to 12) institution. To earn extra, I also worked as a part-time instructor in a college and academic consultant in another school .
I had no trouble finding jobs in the Philippines. I carefully crafted a career path and built a strong supporting structure that would ensure I won’t run out of options and ascertain a stable future for me and my family.
So, what made me decide to teach here?
Firstly, I suffered from a severe “job burnout”. I got so tired being a school administrator and a teacher at the same time. There was no sense of fulfillment anymore. I wanted to go back to full-time teaching and try to discover what I was missing. Yes, there was something missing.
I started doing supervisory works in 1994 in a technical-vocational institution. I resigned in 2002 then moved to another school, a Catholic tertiary institution, where I was offered a supervisory position – head of the Education program. Thinking that I could pursue a career in the public school system, I applied (and was accepted) as College Dean in a local college. It did not turn out the way I wanted. The working environment and the organizational climate was not what I envisioned it was. It was then that I began to feel the “burnout.” From there I transferred to that basic education institution where I became a principal. It did not help that at that time the said school had to renew its FAPE (Fund for Assistance to Private Education) accreditation. Those were the days when I almost had to sleep in my office to finish all the required paper work for the re-accreditation.
I really got tired supervising people and performing administrative works. I felt sick about it. I wanted to go back to just being a teacher and find out what I was missing – something else that I should be doing. That’s the reason I applied for a teaching job in South Korea.
After passing through the proverbial eye of the needle, I was hired.
It was that “job burnout” that got me seeking for a job opportunity overseas. It’s not just because the pasture is greener. I would be branded a hypocrite if I say I don’t need a higher pay. But I was really satisfied with the salary I was receiving at that time. It was good enough that it enabled me to buy a small parcel of land and had a house built.
Of course I am happier and more satisfied with my monthly pay in this country. Who wouldn’t be. It’s roughly 75% higher than what my Pakistani employers paid me in the Philippines and with me having to work almost 60% less in terms of hours. That basic education school where I was a Principal then is owned by Pakistanis operating a vast network of schools (The City School) in Pakistan and some parts of Asia.
At that time I felt that I was at the crossroads of my career. I have to admit that there was some kind of dissatisfaction within me. That job burnout (and the search for that something I was missing) torched my soul and it was making me unhappy.
Then came the opportunity to teach here.
When I got settled, I finally figured out what was missing. I found out that with my being so busy with my administrative functions and my concurrent consulting and teaching duties, I was not able to attend to my other passion – WRITING.
In the Philippines, being a school administrator and a teacher at the same time require that you stay in the workplace, officially, for 8 hours a day. But most of the time, I would stay way beyond that, even if I wasn’t required to. It was just something that felt I ought to do. Sometimes I would even go to my office on Saturdays. With that hectic schedule, I could hardly find time to do what really makes me alive – writing poems, essays and stories.
That’s what makes teaching in South Korea different for me. It afforded me a lot of spare time which I could use to write. It gave me an opportunity to create (and maintain my own websites.) I was even able to write papers for presentations in international conferences and for publication in international journals. Something that, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do in the Philippines. Back then, I would be lucky if in a month I could write even just a single poem.
ESL teaching is part of the career-path I paved for myself. I really trained and prepared for this. I am a licensed English teacher in my country. As early as 2009, I was already thinking of coming to this country to teach. I also applied in universities in the Middle East but I was really hoping that it’s here (South Korea) where I would be given the opportunity to do ESL teaching.
My second (and last) reason for deciding to try teaching here (South Korea) has nothing to do with my career. At that time I was journeying to midlife. There were some personal demons that I ought to slay. It’s too personal to share. Suffice it to say that I needed space. I needed that entire space between the Philippines and South Korea to really get my bearings back.
Then my efforts paid off and my prayers answered. I was hired by a South Korean university in 2013.
God is really good. (Yes, I believe in the existence of God!) I got what I wanted – just teach and no more supervisory works. That gave me a lot of time to write. I was also able to squeeze myself out of a personal crisis. I wouldn’t have not done so had I opted to just stay in that air-conditioned principal’s office.
I am forever grateful to universities (like Hanseo University and Gyeoungju University) who believe that not only native speakers of English could (and should) teach the language – that qualified non-native English speakers could also excel in ESL teaching.
South Korea has become my second home and I would love to stay here to teach (and write) for as long as possible… if given the opportunity.
Limang Taon Na…Limang Taon Pa Sana
Mahigit limang taon na pala ako dito sa South Korea. Salamat sa Dakilang Maykapal sa pagkakataong ito. Mahaba-habang panahon na rin akong nagtatrabaho dito bilang guro sa isang unibersidad. Sana’y kaloobin ng Panginoon na manatili ako dito ng mas matagal pa.
Napakagandang oportunidad para sa akin na makapagturo dito. Hindi lamang dahil sa sahod. Alam na ng lahat na mas mataas ang kinikita ng mga “professionals” na nabigyan ng pagkakataon na sa ibang bansa makapagtrabaho. Dito kasi, bukod sa pagtuturo ay nakakapagsulat ako. Napakahalagang bahagi ng buhay ko ang pagsusulat – isang bagay na napakahirap gawin sa Pilipinas dahil maghapon ang trabaho. Kung school administrator ka pa, katulad ko noon, ay kakainin ng trabaho mo pati ang gabi. Kung may accreditation eh pihadong nanakawin nito maging ang madaling araw mo. Minsan (o kadalasan?), maging Sabado’t Linggo eh may mga gagawin pa rin. Kaya sa Pilipinas hindi ako nabigyan ng oras ang hilig ko sa pagsusulat.
Dito sa South Korea eh magtuturo lang ako ng walong (8) 2-hour subjects sa loob ng isang linggo at naglalagi sa office ko ng dagdag na tatlong (3) oras para sa student consultation at paperwork. Ang bawat 2-hour subject pa eh kaylangang ituro lang ng 100 minutes. Apat na araw lang ang pasok ko, dalawa doon eh half-day pa.
Kaya napakadami ng oras ko para makapagsulat. Sa dami nga ng bakanteng oras eh may panahon pa akong makapag-basa at pag-aralan ang mga gusto kong matutuhan. Dito nga eh natuto akong gumawa ng sarili kong website kung saan lahat ng mga katha ko eh doon ko ipina-publish.
Hindi swerte ang naghatid sa akin sa bansang ito. Hindi ako naniniwala sa swerte. Nagsunog ako ng kilay at naglaan ng panahon para dito. Gumastos ako’t nagsakripisyo. Pinaghandaan ko ito’t ipininalangin ng taimtim. Ang maging ESL teacher at makapagturo sa ibang bansa ay bahagi ng “career path” na inilatag ko para sa aking sarili maraming taon na ang nakakaraan.
Nasa crossroads ako noong taong 2011. Kung totoo ngang may mid-life crisis ay iyon na marahil ang pinagdaanan ko noon. Naramdaman kong may mga drastic changes akong dapat gawin sa buhay at sa aking propesyon. Napakarami kong tanong noon at alam kong ang kasagutan eh wala sa Pilipinas. Dalawang taon pa ang lumipas bago sa wakas eh napunta ako dito sa South Korea.
Marami akong inaplayang universities sa ibang bansa noong 2011 hanggang 2012. Kadalasang native speakers of English na mga guro ang hinahanap nila. Pero alam ko ring may ilang Pilipino na nagtuturo ng English sa ibang bansa kaya hindi ako sumuko sa paghahanap. At sa wakas, matapos akong mabigo sa 2 personal interviews para sa 2 universities sa Middle East, sa pangatlong pagkakataon, isang university sa South Korea ang nagbukas ng pintuan at ako’y pinatuloy.
Heto nga’t naka-limang taon na ako. Nagtuturo ako hindi lamang ng English. E-1 visa holder ako kaya pwede rin akong magturo ng content subjects. Sa kasalukuyan ay pinagtuturo din ako ng university namin sa Graduate School nito. Hindi lamang mga Koreano ang tinuturuan ko, maging mga foreigners man. May mga PhD at MBA students ako na galing sa mga bansa sa Africa as iba’t-ibang sulok ng Asia.
Dalawang beses akong nakakauwi ng Pilipinas sa isang taon – tuwing winter at summer break dito sa South Korea. Bayad kaming mga professors na nagtuturo sa mga universities sa bansang ito sa buong isang taon kaya kahit bakasyon eh tuloy ang sweldo namin.
Sa isang taon eh katumbas ng tatlong buwan na nasa Pilipinas ako kapiling ng mga mahal ko sa buhay. At kapag nandito naman ako eh mula umaga hanggang ako’y gising na nakabukas lang ang aking Skype kapag wala akong pasok. Parang nasa bahay din lang ako dahil nakikita ko ang ginagawa ng mga mahal ko sa buhay. Naririnig ko hindi lamang ang kanilang mga boses kundi pati ang mga kantang pinapakinggan nila, ang tahol ng mga aso namin, at maging ang tilaok at putak ng mga manok doon. Kaya hindi ako tinatalaban ng homesick. Hindi rin ako dinadalaw ng inip dahil sa lakas ng internet connection eh napakadaming pelikula ang pwedeng ma-download at napakadaming educational and motivational videos na pwedeng panoorin sa YouTube. Dagdag pa na alam ko kung paano hanapin sa Internet ang mga live na palabas ng paborito kong NBA. At kung ayaw ko naman manood eh may sariling gym ang university na pwede kong puntahan at mga hiking trails sa mga bundok na pwedeng lakaran. May hideway ako sa isang bundok dito kung saan ako minsan nagbababad para magbasa, magsulat, uminom ng beer mag-isa, at matulog.
Pangalawang tahanan ko na ang South Korea. Kapag kinaloob nga ng Panginoon ay gusto kong maka-limang taon o higit pa na makapagturo dito. Totoo ngang “Land of the Morning Calm” ang bansang ito. Dito ay kumalma ang katauhan ko. Natutuhan kong maging mahinahon, maghinay-hinay. Dito ay natuto akong mag-isip ng maayos bago gumawa ng desisyon. Nagkaroon ng mas malinaw na direksyon ang aking buhay dito.
Dito, dahil nga sa nakakahalubilo ko ang mga taong iba’t-iba ang wika at kulay ng balat ay natutuhan ko ang mas malalim na kahulugan ng respeto sa kapwa-tao.
Dito sa South Korea ay mas nakilala ko ang aking sarili. Higit sa lahat, natutuhan ko kung paano manalangin ng mas taimtim.
Teaching in South Korea
(My Journey as a Teacher – 4)
I decided to try ESL teaching here in South Korea not because there were no teaching jobs available in the Philippines for me then. As a matter of fact, I had to cut short my employment back home in 2013 to come here. That time I was employed as Principal of a basic education institution. To earn extra, I also worked as a part-time instructor in a college and academic consultant in another school .
I had no problem finding jobs in the Philippines.
So, what made me decide to teach here?
Firstly, I suffered from a severe “job burnout”. I got so tired being a school administrator and a teacher at the same time. There was no sense of fulfillment. I desired to go back to full-time teaching and try to discover what I was missing.
I started doing supervisory works in 1994 in a technical-vocational institution. I resigned in 2002 then moved to another school, a Catholic tertiary institution, where I was offered a supervisory position – head of the Education program. From there I became a college dean in another school then principal in a basic education institution. From 1994 to early 2013 I was a school administrator and a teacher at the same time.
I really got tired supervising people and doing administrative works. I felt sick about it. I wanted to go back to just being a teacher. That’s the reason I applied for a teaching job in South Korea. Luckily, I was hired.
It was that “job burnout” that got me seeking for a job opportunity overseas. Not that I wanted a greener pasture. I would be branded a hypocrite if I say I don’t need a higher pay. But I was really satisfied with the salary I was receiving at that time. It was good enough that it enabled me to buy a small parcel of land and had a house built.
Of course I am happier and more satisfied with my monthly pay in this country. Who wouldn’t be. It’s roughly 75% higher than what my Pakistani employers paid me in the Philippines and with me having to work 60% less in terms of hours. That basic (K to 12) education school where I was Principal is owned by Pakistanis operating a vast network of schools (The City School) in Pakistan and some parts of Asia.
At that time I felt that I was at the crossroads of my career. I have to admit that there was some kind of dissatisfaction within me. Burnout torched my soul and I was really unhappy.
Then came the opportunity to teach here.
When I got settled, I figured out what was missing. Because I was so busy with my administrative functions and was teaching at the same time, I was not able to attend to my other passion…WRITING.
In the Philippines, being a school administrator and teacher at the same time require that you stay in the workplace, officially, for 8 hours a day. But most of the time, I would stay way beyond that, even if I wasn’t required to. It was just something that felt I ought to do. Sometimes I would even go to my office on Saturdays. With that hectic schedule, I could hardly find time to write poems, essays and stories… much less do research.
That’s what makes teaching in South Korea different for me. It afforded me a lot of spare time which I could use to write. I was even able to write papers for presentations in international conferences and for publication in international journals. Something that, unfortunately, I couldn’t do in the Philippines. Back then I would be lucky if in a month I could write even just a poem.
ESL teaching is part of the career-path I paved for myself. I really trained and prepared for this. As early as 2009, I was already thinking of coming to this country to become an English teacher. I applied also in schools in the Middle East but it was my hope that I would be given the opportunity to do ESL teaching here.
I did not become an English teacher overnight. I am a licensed English teacher in the Philippines. I passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers 2003. Then in 2010, notwithstanding my busy schedule, I enrolled for a certification class in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).
My second (and last) reason for deciding to try teaching here (South Korea) has nothing to do with my career. At that time I was journeying to midlife. There were some personal demons that I OUGHT to slay. It’s too personal to share. Suffice it to say that I needed space. I needed that entire space between the Philippines and South Korea to really get my bearings back.
Then my efforts paid off and my prayers answered. I was hired by a South Korean university in 2013.
God is really good. I got what I wanted… just teach and no more supervisory works. That gave a lot of time to write. I was also able to squeeze myself out of a personal crisis. I wouldn’t have not done so had I opted to just stay in that principal’s office.
My journey as a teacher continues. I don’t know for how long it would last.
As I said in another essay, “Nobody knows if where I am teaching now is the final leg of my journey…my final destination. I’d love to if given the chance.”
M.A.D. LIGAYA
M.A.D. L I G A Y A 