Why Young Australians (Or Anyone) should consider studying Korean

It will probably surprise most that my journey with Korean actually started out when I was on exchange in China. My university major was Chinese and even my second elective language was not Korean (It was Indonesian). Heck even in high school I took Japanese as an elective course in year 8-9. During that whole period I barely had any knowledge of Korean culture, I had never met a Korean person and the only time I had heard the Korean language was by chance when I watched [My Sassy Girl] late night on SBS Australia.

While on a year exchange program in China I found that many of my Chinese language learning peers were Korean. My particular exchange city (Dalian) was practically full of Koreans - to the extent that at my particular Chinese language school the student body was 70% Korean. Many of my daily interactions, new friends, drinking partners and travel buddies were Korean and from these friendships grew my interest in the Korean language. After the exchange ended I returned to Australia to finish the final 6 months of my degree. 6 months after that I decided to travel to Korea for a gap year to see the friends who I had bonded with so closely in China. The only issue was that I had already invested 4 years and a university degree into learning Chinese with the idea I would be working in some capacity between Australia and China and I needed solid reasons to essential jump across the yellow sea and justify a gap year in Korea rather than returning to China. I did my research at the time and now still 5 years on many of those same reasons that vindicated my decision to visit Korea are applicable to other Australian (and non Australian) students studying Asian languages. 

Here are my reasons for pursuing Korean (Over Japanese and Chinese) which when combined helped me to make my decision. 


The economic opportunities

I expect have already lost some of you on this first point because China and Japan are respectively the top two export markets and two way trading partners for Australia. 

But here are the facts for the Korean-Australian economic relationship.

1. Korea is Australia’s third largest global export market, ahead of India and the US.

1. South Korea is also Australia’s fourth largest two-way trading partner.(Behind China, Japan and the USA)

The above points were a major factor in my decision to study Korean. I obviously knew about the economic relationship of China and Japan which influenced my initial decision to study Chinese. What I didn't realize and was surprised to learn was of the economic significance of Korea to Australia. If we compare the GDP and population to Japan and China then it is even more significant that these two middle powers could have cultivated such a large economic relationship - and we will continue to do so in many years to come.

Korea will remain a significant market for Australian resources. From sending Iron Ore to Korean Steel Mills (POSCO) to maintain the Korean Shipbuilding Industry (Largest in the world), to the new opportunities in LNG (Korea are the second largest importer of LNG while Australia will become the largest producer come 2018), Australian agricultural produce can be found in a wide variety of Korean produced food products (Check the back of your Ramen packet for 호주산), Australian meat is on the menu of every barbecue restaurant in Seoul, while Wine and Beer exports will continue to grow.

There is also growing investments and joint ventures between the two nations providing exciting job opportunities for Australians. - Projects like Samsung C&T and their involvement in the Roy Hill project in WA. Samsung Heavy Industries building floating LNG facilities for Australian gas projects; Korean Gas Corp and their involvement in two Australian multi-billion dollar LNG projects. POSCO's branch for engineering and construction are also involved in some projects and on the lookout for even more prospective mining JV's. Then there is the lesser known CJ (Entertainment and Food) which is also involved in direct investment in the Australian Agricultural industry to secure produce for it's wide range of perishable products.

Then of course there are the Korean consumer products - Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Hyundai Motors, Kia Motors, Daewoo Motors, Sanggyong Motors, Nexen/Gumho/Hankook tyres - all massive multinational companies that have been doing business in Australia for years.

South Korea also remains Australia’s third largest source of student Enrollments – There are roughly around 30,000 students / working holiday makers arriving from Korea every year. Which means plenty of job opportunities in the education industry particularly in international marketing and student enrollments with Australian universities, tafe or language institutes.

All of this is then enhanced with the recent Australia-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that will further strengthen the highly complementary trade and investment relationship.

Lack of competition (Language Students)

The above economic significance of Korea to Australia isn't as attractive without the fact there is a serious lack of competition for job opportunities in comparison to China and Japan. 

In 2009 before leaving for Korea I did some research into the Korea-Australia relationship. What I managed to find was a statistic that estimated the number of students enrolled in tertiary Korean courses at below 100 nationwide.... BELOW 100! Japanese is one of the most common languages taught at high school in Australia and Chinese courses are arguably the most popular of the Asian languages at University but Korean, however, at the time was really struggling to attract students. My university even shut down its Korean program after years of low enrollments such was the lack of interest.  

To sum it up - We have Australia's 4th Largest trading partner, 3rd largest export market and 3rd largest student enrollment market but only a paltry 100 odd Australian students investing time and money into learning the language and culture. This fact was the tipping point for me and it should be for so many others now enrolled in Asian studies.  The situation isn't unique to Australia either and a similar lack of Interest from American, Canadian, British and European students alike will play to the advantage of anyone deciding to study Korean.

I like to think that my decision to study Korean was the smartest bet in my life based on those above odds. Despite the rise in Korean culture awareness and rising popularity of Korean TV shows, music, food and electronics there still exists this very large gap in the market for Korean speaking, Korean culture understanding Australians. The Australian government has been aware of such shortcomings for some time now and the very generous Australia-Korea foundation (see below) is just one step they have taken to push more young Australians into learning Korean. 

Despite the popularity of Korean culture increasing there will always be the Chinese and Japanese markets attracting away the majority of the competition. I have been incredibly lucky since I started learning Korean but that luck was brought about by being opportunistic and I have no doubt that anyone deciding to study Korean will find bigger and better opportunities than their Japanese / Chinese language student counterparts.


Working Holiday Visa

Working holiday agreements for Australia exist with a few countries and while the agreement with Korea was developed to cash in on the booming Korean working holiday English market it still provides Australians with a unique visa opportunity with which to travel, study and work with relative freedom and minimal starting funds. In 2012 I was interviewed about my experience on the working holiday visa. At the time I was one of 23 Australians on the visa in Korea, while a staggering 15,000 Koreans were in Australia under the program. This figure probably best portrays to date the current imbalance in this significant relationship. The working holiday visa restrictions certainly have some issues Like banning formal English tutoring and the ridiculous Korean minimum wage but regardless; in a country where it is still hard to get working/long term visa's the H1 working holiday program is a unique opportunity. For more information on applying and attaining a H! visa to Korea please visit the Korean embassy website. 

The visa essentially provides Korean language learners with the opportunity to study Korean without the constraints of a student visa and allows them to learn Korean at non-university academies and or via tutoring which can prove cost effective for short term visitors  To date the visa program is still greatly under-utilized by Australians was another reason that led me to visit Korea on a gap year.


The Australia Korea Foundation

I love the AKF! (http://www.dfat.gov.au/akf/) basically because they gave me two, yes two! $5,000 scholarships to study Korean in Korea. I have no doubt I received these scholarships not because I was an outstanding candidate but because they had funds that they needed to expend combined with a lack of applicants. This was more true in 2009/10 but I have since recommended two friends to apply for a scholarship and both my friends were successful. Neither of them were outstanding students or candidates either but what's great about the AKF is they seem to genuinely recognize people who have the passion and desire to learn Korean and develop a unique Australia-Korea career. I applied the first time as an afterthought but without a doubt this scholarship and foundation gave me the opportunity that I don't think I would have been afforded in China or Japan (once again due to competition). If you are considering your future career and language options then a quick visit or even email to the AKF could help with your decision!

호주 한국라디오 인터뷰 (SBS Korean Radio Interview)

얼마전에 호주에서 전화로 했던 한국 라디오 인터뷰.

긴장되서 좀 어색하게 말했어 ㅋ ㅜㅜ 알자나 외국어 아무리 잘한다해도 전화로 외국어 해야한다면 망해 ㅋㅋ





얼마 전 호주인 마이클 코겐 씨는 한국의 직장문화를 예리하게 비판한 글 () 을 미국의 대표적인 블로그 뉴스인 허핑턴포스트 한국판에 개재했는데요. 칼퇴라는 말부터 버립시다라는 이 글은 한국 SNS를 뜨겁게 달구며, 외국인의 시선으로 보는 한국 직장 생활에 대한 내용이 크게 오르내렸습니다. 현재 퍼스를 기반으로 한국-호주 컨설팅 비지니스를 하고 있는 코겐씨는 지난 2009년 한호재단 장학금으로 한국에 가게 된 것을 계기로 약 5년 여동안 한국에서 직장 생활을 경험했는데요. 코겐 씨의 한국 직장 생활에 대해서 이야기 나눠봅니다

나는 한국기업의 신입사원으로 들어가자마자 1년안으로 퇴사할 것을 첫 한달 안에 직감했었다.

나는 한국기업의 신입사원으로 들어가자마자 1년안으로 퇴사할 것을 첫 한달 안에 직감했었다. 심한 말이라고 생각할 수 있지만 대기업 신입 “합숙교육”을 겪어본 사림이라면 공감할 수 있을 것 같다.

“합숙교육”은 신입사원들을 회사의 일원으로 교육시키기 위한 프로그램을 말한다.

지나치게 묘사하면 기이한 종교 수양과 비슷하다. 다만 종교 아니라 한 기업문화을 믿으라고 설득한다. 기업의 핵심가치와 업무방식, 상사들이 기대하는 기준과 직업윤리 등을 주입시킨다. 합숙교육은 주로 채용된 첫 달에 받게 되며, 기간은 2~4주 정도다. 마지막 주는 사무실에 복귀해 실제 업무 관련 활동 (OJT)을 수행한다.

외국인으로서 그 합숙교육은 사실 나에게 소중한 경험이였다. 한국에서 대기업에 취직하는 외국인들은 보통 사원급은 아니다. 주로 과장급 이상 선호하기 때문에 한국신입생들이랑 신입교육까지 같이 듣는 외국인 직원은 쉽게 찾아 볼수 없다. 교육 덕분에 한국어 실력이 많이 늘었고, 많은 한국인 동료들과 친해지고 같이 어울리며 깊은 유대감을 형성할 수 있었다. 그리고 한국 문화에 대해 한단계 더 배웠던 기회가 되었다.

좋은 취지에도 불구하고 이 합숙교육 프로그램은 회사 신입생들의 사기과 열정을 소원하게 만들뿐만 아니라 1년안에 퇴사라는 문턱에 발을 들여놓는 꼴이 되었다.

첫 몇 주 동안 연수생들은 그룹별(나의 그룹은 15명으로 구성되어 있었다)로 나뉘어 보통 경기도에 위치하는 연수원으로 향한다. 나의 합숙교육 스케쥴의 경우 일과는 아침 6시 기상, 30분간 운동, 샤워 후 아침식사였고, 수업은 7시 30분에 시작이였는데 첫 20- 30분동안 선전 캠페인 같은 영상을 보여주었다. 일반수업은 오후까지 이어졌고, 점심식사 후 수업은 7시까지 계속되기도 했다. 저녁식사 후엔 대학교에서 수없이 많이 했던 과정인 “그룹프로젝트”를 진행하고 밤 늦게까지 다들 “일”을 했다. 그리고 본사로 돌아가자마자 근무시간9시~5시 라는 것은 없다는 걸 깨달았다. 결국은 신입사원들에게 회사에서의 첫걸음은 아침6부터 새벽2시 까지 “보통”이라는 조직문화 를 가르치고 있었던 셈이다. 한국 회사 근무시절 회사 동료들이 나에게 했던 말이 있다. “마이클아 이거 군대같다”.

수업은 뭘 위한 것인지 모를 것들로 채워져 있었다. 대부분의 시간을 의미없는 인성테스트를 하고 , 스마트하지않은 ‘스마트 워킹’ 테크닉을 배우며 초등학교에서 배웠던 아이디어 지도까지 그리는데 시간을 보냈다. 이 교육은 2주간의 14일 연속으로 진행됐으며, 밖으로 나가는 건 허용되지 않았고 술도 금지였다. 평균 나이27세부터 31세정도의 신입사원들을 애기들처럼 취급하는것에 대해 불만이였다.

그룹프로젝트도 진지하게 진행했지만 솔직히 말하자면 연습뿐이였죠. 신입사원들이 서로 친해지고 또한 서로 간의 팀워크 기술도 늘리는 것이 목표이였지만, 잠이 부족해 집중도가 흐트러져있는 데다가 다른 신입직원들은 상사들 눈치로 인해 끊임없이 잘해야 한다는 생각에 엄청난 스트레스를 받았었다. 그러지 못하면 어렵게 구한 일자리가 날아갈 수도 있다는 걱정 때문이였다.

합숙교육중 한 교시에서는 작년에 신입 프로그램 참석자들과 이야기를 나눌수 있는 자리가 있었다. 그때 8명정도 치맥(치킨+맥주)을 가지고 연수원으로 왔었다. 8명밖에 없어서 나는 농담조로 “그만둔 사람이 벌써 몇명이냐”고 물었다. 그렇지만 한 선배가 진지하게 답장을 해주었다. “절반정도 그만둘것이다”.

내가 이런 프로세스에 대해 이렇게도 비판적인 이유는 저런 교육목표는 간단하게 달성할수있기 때문이다. 모든 신입교육 프로그램의 중심목표는 신입사원들 간의 유대감이 생기는 것이다. 지금 생각해보면 같이 교육에 참여했던 동료들과 아직도 친하며, 유대감이 생겼다는 면에서 교육이 성공했다고는 말할수있다. 그렇지만 깊은 유대감을 형성할 수있었던 이유중 하나는 매일밤 새벽 2-3시쯤 다들 자기전에 모여서 합숙교육과 회사에 대한 욕을 했었기 때문이다. 얼마나 피곤한지, 훈련이 얼마나 지긋지긋한지에 대해 수다 떤 덕분에 다들 공감을 하고 이로서 더 친해졌다는 사실이다.

기업의 용도는 신입직원들에게 긍정적인 가치를 주입시키는 것이지만, 실제로 그들이 하는 행동은 처음부터 그와는 정반대된다. 오히려 나에게 주입시키는 메시지는 “회사를 사생활보다 우선시해라”, “이정도 열심히 못하면 고용안정성 없다”, “회사가 직원들에게 약속을 지키지 않을것이다”.

실제로는 1년에 30-35%정도 회사를 그만두었는데 이런 정서는 많은 한국 젊은이들 사이에 만연해졌고, 기업 입장에서도 점점 큰 이슈가 되고 있다. 한국경영자총협회(KEF)가 전국에 있는 기업 405곳을 대상으로 실시한 6월 설문조사에 따르면 신규직원의 25.2%가 1년 내에 퇴사한다고 한다. 2010년 연구의 15.7%보다 증가한 수치다.

한국의 취업준비생들이 직장을 구하기 위해 들이는 시간과 돈을 생각한다면 어마어마한 손실이다. 또한 기업들이 지출하는 투자 및 신입사원 채용비용의 부담도 큰편이다. 그 중 합숙교육에 드는 비용의 지출도 무시못할 것이다.

이런 와중에도 한국 기업들은 합숙교육을 통해 신입직원들에게 실망과 앞뒤가 맞지않은 말들로 혼란에 빠뜨리고 있다. 이런 점들은 '어떻게 하면 그들의 재능을 낭비할 수 있는지'를 보여주고 있는 듯 하다.

Korean Company Rookie Training Bootcamps Wasting Time, Money and Talent.

I knew I was going to leave my Korean company job within a year after the first month of work. This sounds extreme but completely acceptable if you have experienced the rarely talked about boot camp style training new graduate workers in Korea are faced with when entering a typical Korean conglomerate. Known as hapsook kyoyook (합숙교육) or 합숙훌련 it refers to what is essentially a boot camp style training program to induct new graduates into a company. To describe it in the extreme would be to liken it to some sort of religious retreat or cult but instead of a religion I was being sold a company culture - it's core values, it's way of working, it's expected standards and it's ethics.

Oddly enough as a foreigner in Korea being part of such a program is still one of my most valuable experiences. Most foreign employees in Korean companies are recruited at the manager or above level - for obvious reasons in that they can provide useful experience and know-how to the office. So as you can imagine for a Korean company to hire a foreigner and place them into the Korean 'rookie' system and training is something very uncommon. It was admittedly an interesting experience but it also succeeded in alienating the young workers and set me on a path of leaving the company before I had even really "joined" it.

A common timetable of these boot camps usually occur in the first month of being hired and typically last from anywhere between 2 to 4 weeks. This also includes a final week back at the office for on the job training related activities. During those 2-3 weeks young workers as a group (my particular experience was 15 of us) are taken to an off-site development center. Another unique part of Korean corporate culture is the operation and ownership of what are essentially school camp type facilities with shared bedrooms and a mess hall located in a secluded area of Korea typically outside of Seoul. Here we were to stay during early December for 2 weeks - just out in time for Christmas thankfully. We spent 14 days straight - that is we were not allowed off site the entire time, weekends were no longer ours nor was the night. Forget 9-5 this was 6am-2am. For two weeks that doesn't sound too bad but instantly many Korean companies are setting up their young workers for disappointment, confusing them with mixed messages and losing potential talent.

After being lured to large companies under the premise that they understand and accommodate to workers needs the first message these large companies are erroneously sending to their impressionable newbies is that our own time will not be respected - rather it is now company time. Sacrificing personal time of nights and weekends is a sacrifice we must make if we wish to succeed. On top of this the daily schedules were horrendous - 6am wake ups for 30 minute exercise sessions. shower and then breakfast at 7. Classes then begin at 7:30 and run until 12 when there is again a 30-45 minute break for lunch. Then more classes until 7 when it's finally dinner! Now when I say classes I am not referring to anything of academic use - these classes are full of what is essentially time fillers. Using guides to see what kind of personality we have; learning techniques for "smart working" which are concepts that we have all learnt at university or my personal favourite learning how to create idea-maps (Didn't we learn how to brainstorm in primary school?).

After dinner it is then onto group projects which have no real value or meaning other than to train us to work together (something that we have also done already in university for 4 years). During such time understandably sleep deprived rookies are feeling stressed to produce a good final product - We all know deep down that the actual content of the project is not of use to the company but we were unable to relax because there was a perceived and also very real pressure from the training supervisors to produce a high quality of work otherwise our newly found jobs could be at risk. Companies are instantly alienating their future leaders by placing passive aggressive pressure on young workers to produce the goods or lose their jobs.

I am so critical of this process not just because for 2-3 weeks I only got 3-4 hours of sleep a night but because the obvious aims of such a program can and should be achieved without the nasty side effects. These programs like any workshops generally have the over-arching goal to help employees bond. In this particular case the group bonded fantastically and despite leaving the company I am friends with many of them today - however the reason we all bonded was because every night we all gathered after we had finished our work for the day (usually after midnight) to sit around and have a chat which we would have loved to have done with a beer but unfortunately alcohol was off limits as well. The topic of conversation? How we were so tired and hated the training - which naturally would lead anyone to eventually disliking the company and its system. From the get-go a company wishing to instill its core values of efficiency, respect, happiness and the such into young workers is instead doing the exact opposite and showing them how to be unproductive workers (waste the day, work all night); distilling the message that the company comes before their own personal life and giving them no confidence in their job security instantly breaking any trust between company and worker.

The nail in the coffin was when the previous rookie group now one year older joined us for one evening to talk about their experiences at the company. An exercise designed to show us the potential was ill advised. Around 8 workers showed up and I asked jokingly "How many have left already" to which I got a very honest answer "About half will leave". In hindsight he was wrong; around 35% of the original group have left that company but it's a common sentiment for many young Koreans and a growing problem for Korean companies. According to a June survey by the Korea Employers Federation of 405 companies nationwide, 25.2 percent of new hires left their first job within a year of employment, compared to 15.7 percent in the organization’s 2010 study.

This is a staggering figure considering the time and money invested by young workers into getting a job. It also presents a major cost for companies with lost investment and high recruitment costs. No doubt the aforementioned bootcamps are one of those significant costs but in my exprience it was a rather over-inflated, expensive exercise that did nothing to onboard workers rather it treated them like children.

8 Tips and Advice for Learning Korean

I recently spoke with a good friend who only a few months ago started learning Korean in Seoul. We keep in touch regularly about his progress and his life in Seoul - inevitably I am jealous of his experience as my first year in Korea (as was my first year in China) a very significant and memorable experience for me. He was feeling frustrated that his Korean hadn't been improving the way he had liked and ask me for some hints - so with that I have written a small list of the key philosophies that I believe are important when learning Korean and to an extent any language.  

1. Learning Korean (or any language) is not a race.
So often as language students we erroneously get caught up on the time we have been learning a particular language. You might be watching Korean TV one day only to see a young foreigner busting out Korean like he is Sam Hammington but then under his name badge it says he has only been in Korea for 6 months - "how is this possible?"; "He must have learnt Korean before coming"; or you meet someone who is only in level 2 at your Korean language school while you are in level 4 but somehow they have better comprehension and speaking skills than you did? - Viewing your language progress in a sense of time is destructive to your learning process. I have always found it weird there are those that put so much concern into their language test scores and level progression at schools like Yonsei.

What is great about Language learning is that it is unique - their is no pass or fail; or deadlines to meet. The end result someday for everybody is the same - the ability to speak the language. It's true some will pick it up quicker but by giving yourself a time frame to learn a language is to place unfair expectations on yourself - which if you fail to meet will only deter your enthusiasm to continue learning the language or worse lead you to question your ability to learn a language at a "mature" age. You won't learn Korean in a year, 2 years or even 3 years. I am going on nearly 5 years now and there is a lot I still have yet to learn. I make pronunciation and grammar mistakes regularly and there is probably 60% of vocabulary that I still have yet to learn. Learn at your own pace without the restrictions of time frames and tests.


2. Don't compare yourself to other Korean language learners
Similar to the point made above - comparing your Korean skills to another Korean language learner is more destructive than it is helpful. Some might argue that it motivates them to study more but from my perspective the worst thing you can do is compare your Korean level to another learner, it will only lead to a loss in confidence, possible jealousy and a pointless rivalry. Think of it this way; As an English speaker how often  do you go around and compare your English ability to other native speakers? You don't because nobody gives a fuck as long as we can communicate.

The problem is however that while in Korea whether you like it or not people around you will forever be comparing your Korean to others. They will speak about some foreigner they saw on TV who spoke Korean better than you and even worse is better looking than you too! (Thanks for the confidence boost 친구!) They will compare you to their other foreign friend who speaks fluently or the other foreign worker in the department who joined the company after you. There is a plethora of situations in which you will inevitably be compared to another foreigner learning Korean - the trick being is to not buy into it. Korean society is as we all know is hyper competitive in many facets and particularly in social status. Ignore the haters; ignore the comparisons and learn Korean the way you want to at your own pace - there is nothing to be gained by comparing your own abilities to another foreigner because we all have our individual strengths and weaknesses, cultural background, educational background and other circumstances which make our language journey unique. Embrace other Korean language learners rather than view them as competition - those that think that way have unfortunately bought into one of the less attractive parts of Korean culture.

Sam Hammington a Foreign celebrity in Korea

3. Don't buy textbooks
Yonsei, Sogang, SNU, Kyeonghee - or any textbook in Kyobo books, if (like me) you have seen all of these books  then you will realize one thing - they are basically the same and are all very ineffective. I understand that some people prefer textbooks for studying but even still you are wasting your money on "official" textbooks when the internet and Korean language bloggers have provided a endless amount of information in a more natural and easy to understand terminology. Obviously as part of a language program it is impossible to avoid buying the textbook but for personal study I would give them a miss. Unless you are learning Korean from the linguist perspective and endeavor to either teach Korean or translate at the highest level then there really is no need to buy a Korean language textbook. As I stated there are so many good Korean blogs written by people just like us learning Korean who can explain it in a more natural tone and for FREE! Here is just one blog I like - http://kkurotchenko.blogspot.com.au/2010/09/korean-idioms-and-korean-proverb.html  an awesome list of Korean proverbs with good explanations and English examples.

4. Don't just focus on the language! Balance it with culture
Probably the biggest issue with Korean English language learners and certainly an issue for some of the more mature Korean language learners is the focus on the language without the culture. You need to understand Korean culture - the food, the music, the dances, the literature, the TV shows, the movies (and sort of enjoy it as well). Keeping in touch with the cultural aspects will inevitably provide you with topics of conversation, keep you up to date with changes in Korean trends, teach you jokes and phrases you never knew, provide context for some many conversations! It gives you something in common with which to bond and make Korean connections which are ultimately the best source to developing your Korean language to the next level.

5. Watch Entertainment Programs not Dramas; Read Online News not Newspapers
A specific tip for those currently learning Korean. While watching, listening and/or reading anything in Korean is beneficial there are certainly more suitable forms of Korean media to help you develop your skills. A lot of people enjoy watching Korean Dramas for language learning and even with English subtitles they are useful to your study however I would recommend you ditch the dramas and focus more on entertainment programs and/or chat shows like Running Man, 1박2일, 무한도전, 안녕하세요, 마녀사냥 etc. The reason being that dramas with their convoluted plot lines (Every Korean drama is ridiculous in it's plot) and over acted scenes often have difficult to understand dialogue and don't always mimic how the average Korean approaches a conversation. This is the same for news programs - when Koreans write a script they inevitably employ much more high level vocabulary. Entertainment and talk shows however (although scripted) are much more useful to observe how everyday Koreans interact and converse. Better yet it introduces many common phrases and slang words as well as providing Korean subtitles while watching! Even if you can't understand every single word, the key points are often placed in subtitles so that you can keep up with the context. The same goes for looking at a newspaper over reading an online news outlet or blogger. Formal newspapers are unnecessarily complicated in their vocab while an online source will employ a much more standard approach to typing and help you to learn how to properly structure your own written Korean documents (like email).


6. You will hit the Language wall multiple times
Studying 6 months and don't feel like you are improving? Moved from level 2 to level 4 but somehow you speak at what appears to be the same level you were at 3 months ago? Don't stress. I know it is frustrating as hell but you will hit the imaginary language wall multiple times in your life (I assume we all do but some might contest otherwise). It certainly doesn't help when those around you will sometimes make comments such as "Your Korean level seems worse, you should study more" (Thanks again for the confidence boost you douche!). I do not honestly have a solution to avoid hitting the wall just that while you may feel your level is not improving or that you are getting worse you are probably in reality completely wrong. Perception is just that - it's certainly not concrete evidence to suggest you are somehow "losing" your language ability. #Keepthefaith I'm sure you are doing fine. Persist and in a few months you will feel as though your Korean has greatly improved.

7. Don't focus too much on the 'Rules' - Communication is the goal
When you begin Korean you are hit with a barrage of grammatical structures and rules which is overwhelming and hard to soak in all at once. During this stage of your study I believe it's important not to get to focused and bogged down with the "correct" way to speak. Yes - eventually you will need to study all the appropriate grammar structures but in the beginning it can inhibit you from experimenting and trying! The goal of any language is communication and when you start letting correct grammar intervene into your conversations you will lose confidence, hesitate more when speaking and ultimately practice less. Even your Korean teachers will agree - the goal of level 1-2 is to just practice and speak as much as possible. The other facets will fall into line over time.

8. Throw yourself in the deep end every once and a while.
Particularly useful when you have hit the above mentioned wall - sometimes you just have to put yourself in a situation where its Korean or die! Good examples are sitting down with a friends/partners parents and having a conversation (talking with a friends dad while have a few shots of soju does wonders); attending a class completely in Korean whether that be academic or physical activity; joining a Korean sporting team (Taekwondo is a favourite for many who are trying to improve) heck even challenging yourself to engage more with convenience store attendants and taxi drivers couldn't hurt!

Well that's my list. Apologies to those searching for some kind of cheat method or language "hack" to learn faster. Language learning is difficult but the rewards and subsequent opportunities are worth the commitment.