Projects
|
FAQ
|
Announcements
Focus only on your own growth.
GapYear is a time for growth and happiness.
Back to ListBack to List
These days many people go on language study abroad programs. We tend to think language trips are only for people in their twenties or university students, but if you look closer many people in their thirties and forties go as well. Each has their own reasons, but broadly the motivations are to improve job prospects, to live abroad for an extended period, because they feel they should have at least one second foreign language, to meet foreign friends, or simply because everyone around them has done it. Recently, more friends are going for immigration or overseas employment. An interesting phenomenon is that many go in their early twenties, but those who go in their early twenties often aren't the ones deciding to go themselves — it's their parents who recommend or encourage language study abroad. The reason is simple: from experience, friends who speak foreign languages seem to live better than those who don't; having lived abroad, they say speaking a foreign language helps with promotions and taking charge of one's life. While there's some truth to this, it's not true for everyone.
Which country suits me?
Choosing a country for a language program is really difficult. Even roughly you should go for at least six months, and if you budget about 2 million won per month including pocket money, that's about 12 million won, enough to replace most appliances in a household. Wealthier families may consider that the money would be spent regardless even if staying in Korea, so it isn't a burden, but in most cases people must be extremely cautious. I'll have to focus on English because it's unavoidable, but friends who want to learn Spanish, Chinese, or Japanese should read this too. My perspective is different from the usual ways of choosing a language-study country, so it will surely be helpful.
Countries people go to for learning English are broadly the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Philippines, Australia, and Malta. There are also places like India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and even Cyprus—a country many people don't know about—but I'll focus on the main ones.
Most people like to go for language study to a country they like or admire. Those who prioritize safety choose Canada; those who think life has one true best option go to the United States; those attracted to prestige and British pronunciation choose the UK. I wouldn't say choosing a country based on these criteria is wrong, but I don't think it's necessarily the best approach. It may sound like wordplay, but please hear me out.
The answer is personality.
(Depending on whether 1:1 classes are available: Canada, UK, USA, Australia vs Philippines, Malta, India, Malaysia)
This is an extremely important point, so please take it into account when planning. The division into Canada, the UK, the USA, Australia vs the Philippines, Malta, India, and Malaysia may at first glance look like a split between less popular and more popular English-speaking countries. But the real difference is whether they offer one-on-one (1:1) classes or not. If you can afford it, you can get 1:1 lessons even in the United States, but doing that for several months would cost an exorbitant amount. Why are 1:1 lessons important? From a young age we identify ourselves as introverts or extroverts; this trait is a crucial factor when choosing a language-study country. To give the conclusion first and then explain the reason...If you consider yourself introverted, or you learn a language by living and absorbing it rather than from books, I strongly recommend taking about three months of lessons in a country that offers 1:1 classes before moving on.If you instead believe you'll do well in a country you like, I oppose that for the following reasons.
Conclusion: language study abroad should be happy and enjoyable. Learning doesn't only happen at a language school. Typically most studying at a language institute is done until about 2–3 PM; sometimes classes end as early as noon. If you can make use of the time afterwards, you could even halve the duration of your program. In fact, since the 1950s many linguists and today's American foreign language education committees have estimated that Americans need 2,400–2,760 hours of instruction to reach a level where they can work as interpreters or lawyers in a foreign language. We don't need to become lawyers, but it's important to be exposed to and speak the target language a lot — everyone understands this intellectually and physically. Naturally, after classes end in the afternoon you should talk, hang out, and enjoy yourself with others. If you don't, your language-study period will take more than twice as long, and you'll likely become unhappy and start missing Korea, which might make you want to give up. That's why it should be enjoyable. If you are introverted and have no one to hang out with after class, or you find it hard to make friends, you'll have a tougher time and more hardships.Therefore, be sure to take classes in a country that offers 1:1 lessons before going to the country you ultimately want to study in.
The average number of students assigned to one teacher per class is between 10 and 25; places that charge a bit more but have clear educational goals often keep it around 15. The reason becomes clear when you think in terms of time. The average class length is 45 minutes. The time one teacher can speak with one student is 3 minutes (45 minutes / 15 students = 3 minutes). If you have five classes a day, the time your teacher has to listen and correct your grammar and pronunciation is only about 15 minutes per day. Over 22 class days in a month (excluding weekends), that totals 330 minutes. In contrast, if you go to a place with 1:1 lessons for two hours a day, 45 minutes times two hours gives 90 minutes a day; multiplied by 22 days gives 1,980 minutes. Just comparing those numbers shows a roughly sixfold difference: 330 vs. 1,980. If 1:1 classes are four hours, it's a 12-fold difference; six hours is an 18-fold difference. Moreover, language schools also offer 1:4 or 1:10 classes. Fundamentally, the time a teacher spends correcting your grammar and pronunciation is at least an order of magnitude different. That's one reason I recommend 1:1 lessons for people who are introverted and find it hard to socialize after class. Unfortunately, many English-speaking countries where you can do long 1:1 sessions have security issues, and the only place where you can safely and affordably have about two hours of 1:1 lessons is Malta. The Philippines is very satisfactory in this regard, offering roughly four hours of 1:1 lessons per day in many programs, but since the president changed there have been increasing safety concerns from a foreigner's perspective. Locals may say it has become safer, but foreigners can feel apprehensive. People who have and haven't been to Malaysia and India will describe safety differently, but there are also genuine safety concerns. If you choose the Philippines, India, or Malaysia as your destination, you should consider national safety and also think about urban safety. When considering city safety, tourist or travel destinations may be safer compared to the country's overall safety level.
Whether extroverted or introverted, what we all need is a sense of solidarity and kindness. Some people already have a solid foundation in foreign languages and just need to build on it, but most people start on rocky ground and must construct their language skills from scratch. For Koreans, it can be very hard to consistently ask others to point out their weaknesses and mistakes. Because asking questions and expressing yourself is difficult for many Koreans, 1:1 lessons are very comfortable and beneficial. After about three months you'll gain confidence and reach a level where it's okay to be a bit forward; at that point, naturally talking and asking questions becomes a comfortable and reasonable choice for both introverts and extroverts.
* Note: I am not a guru of language study abroad. Over several years doing this work I have been more cautious and observant than others and monitored outcomes, thinking about how to achieve good results happily. After writing this I felt it might create the fixed idea that 1:1 classes are the only way, so I wrote this sentence to say that it may not be the only right answer. I am not a guru of language study abroad. |
How long should you go?
This is also a serious concern. Some say three months, others say six, nine, or twelve months, and when you search the internet you'll find so many differing opinions that if you ask friends or older acquaintances they'll casually say things like "Even 12 months won't make you improve" or "Just think of it as travel." For me it's a huge challenge and a difficult choice, and when they speak so lightly I end up recalling how much my English improved through elementary, middle, high school, and university — and conclude that I didn't improve much. That leads to self-doubt that even if I go this time I won't improve. But if you come to the conclusion that you must improve because you're investing this time, you inevitably start a comprehensive analysis.
The correct approach is to change every three months.
The right answer is to change your environment every three months. If you visit many language institutes you'll meet many long-term students—people who have studied in one place for a very long time. They are all uniformly listless and lethargic, and when you speak to them they say it wasn't like that when they first arrived. At first they were happy to see their English scores rise and were excited that their speaking opened up, but over time staying in one place made them tired. They couldn't tell if their language ability was improving, friends who had become close began to leave one by one, and making new friends seemed futile, which made them withdraw from socializing. Their motivation naturally fell, and because classmates had already been together for six or seven months boundaries and separations became pronounced, further sapping enthusiasm.
In reality, we think that our language growth will increase in a straight line like the red graph—the more time we invest, the more it will rise. In other words, we expect that the more time and effort we put in, the better our language skills will become. But in reality it is like the green graph on the right. While studying English, we imagine the red graph and have high expectations, and we experience frustration proportional to those expectations. The more moments of frustration we encounter, the more we feel physically that our language study has failed and that our English isn't improving. In fact, productivity author Scott Young says about this issue...It is necessary to frequently try to disrupt your habits and environment, and through such efforts you can grow more.
To summarize, you are given a period of three months. You will grow quickly and will be pleased with your growth and effort. But after about three months, familiarity and comfort with the institution where you live will cause you to forget the tension and effort, and you will encounter moments of dissatisfaction with the slow growth of your English. That is the time to act. Even if you are in the same country, it is the moment to change institutions, and even to change the country or the way you learn the language. In that sense, the Korean gap year programs that organize and recommend language-study programs in three-month units can be seen as considering the learner's enjoyment and guidance.
Throughout elementary, middle, high school, and university, we naturally learn what kind of curve language learning follows. There are several stages, and teachers and those around us keep saying that only relentless effort and consistency during each stagnant phase will improve our English. But looking from another angle, does that mean people who cannot maintain consistency will fail at languages and foreign languages? If so, conversely, can't we enjoy that consistency or get through it more easily?
It may be something everyone knows, but Scott Young says that receiving consistent encouragement, praise, and positive feedback during such stagnant periods is important. If I am studying English conversation on my own, it's very difficult for others to evaluate my English for no reason and then cheer and praise me accordingly. I believe this problem can also be solved by changing institutions every three months. Every language school gives new students a placement test and assigns classes accordingly. Also, language schools are systematized to pay more attention to new students initially, so no matter which class you're placed in, the initial interest and encouragement new students receive can help make the period when you must keep working feel more positive and enjoyable. Along with meeting a new city, teachers, and friends, it's a convenient way to learn not only the words and idioms you used before but also the diversity of the language. Also, you can break free from the boring routine of school-home-school-home caused by being too familiar with one city.
People have different levels of English, and each person wants a different level for themselves. So, to draw a rough conclusion:Plan for at least six months and enroll in two language programs.If after six months your progress is slow, you can apply for another language program for about three months. Conversely, if you learn quickly, continue using English through more enjoyable activities rather than language school. As will be discussed later, if through other activities you identify areas you're lacking in, then returning to language study and focusing on those weaknesses will be more efficient.
Which institution should you choose?
Which institution should you choose? The obvious answer is to choose an institution that teaches well. It's a very easy question and answer, but since most of us are going on language study abroad for the first time and haven't visited many institutions or countries, it becomes a difficult problem. In that sense, I sometimes question why I'm writing this. Perhaps it would be faster to find a reliable good agency than to read all of this. In Jongno 3-ga you'll find many academies that can help you get good foreign language test scores. Interestingly, most students don't attend only one academy; they go to Academy A for 2 months, Academy B for 2 months, Academy C for 2 months, moving until they find the right fit. Looking back, it's true that their test scores improve during that process, and the academy at the time their score rises becomes the best in their mind. The fact that language education is its own academic field shows how difficult it is to learn a language. So finding the teaching method that suits you is inevitably hard. You should check and prepare many things about classes, but the most reliable criterion is to remember the conditions when you studied best and choose that method—this reduces mistakes and is the most positive choice. I'll give an example to help explain.
The time when my grades improved the most was in the first year of middle school. I liked how kind the science teacher was. Other friends said they took the class roughly, but I liked the teacher's caring nature to the point of seeming careless, and my mother happened to take a year's leave and cooked well, so I felt warmth at home and could focus only on studying. As my grades rose, goals naturally formed, and a rival appeared who was in that goal. I naturally became familiar with that rival and eventually became friends. My grades continued to rise.
From this we can knowConditions for choosing a language-study institutionare as follows.
- Rather than a large, famous place, it's better to choose a place that is caring and where you can feel solidarity. (Teachers' competence is important, but also look for those who have worked there a long time or show a caring attitude.)
- Furthermore, a smaller institution may be better. (However, it could be a bad institution, so check whether it has been around for a long time.)
- For homestays, it's better to include meals. (Prefer hosts who focus on homestaying rather than those who are frequently out working.)
- Considering rivalry and sociability differently, it's better to have at least some compatriots rather than none at all. (Conversely, if the proportion of compatriots is too high, that can have an effect, so consider that.)
That roughly summarizes it. Of course, since this is an example, there may be missing criteria when choosing, but if you identify the period in your life when you were able to focus best on studying and analyze the conditions of that time, and then tell those requirements and elements clearly to an agency, the agency will connect you with the best possible language-study institution. Most agencies know institutions in detail (though some do not). They know far more information than you might think: how satisfied students are, in which seasons there might occasionally be water outages or power outages, how cold it is, which institutions have a better atmosphere, and how study methods differ by institution. But if the person seeking help doesn't know or ask about these things, the agency won't be able to go deeply. In one real case, a friend I consulted for hated very cold weather. In her case, you shouldn't recommend Canada or the UK in winter. But if you sent her to Canada or the UK just because most students were satisfied there, she would have had much difficulty in improving her studies. Even after I explained her situation, she insisted she wanted to go to Canada. If she insisted on Canada, I would have had to recommend relatively milder places like Victoria or Vancouver. Of course, she went to Malta and only went to Canada in the summer as she wanted, but in matters like this it's important to meet a trustworthy or knowledgeable consultant.
Where will you sleep and live?
(Homestay vs share house vs apartment, etc.)
After deciding the country, institution, and how long to go, you'll naturally face the question of where to live. As we'll discuss later, except for some exceptions,the conclusion is that 'the majority live in a homestay for two months or more'.You will encounter this. What you should pay attention to here is two months. Earlier I clearly said to go for three months, so why two? You might wonder if I mean you should live there only two months, and even if you plan to stay six months, if you only do two months, where will you live for the remaining four? To summarize: some people say they won't do homestay, shared housing, or an apartment, but most should choose one of these. The reason is that when you arrive in a new country it takes time to adapt—short as one week, long as three weeks. If during that period you also have to find a place to live, buy furniture, buy kitchenware, cook, do laundry, and otherwise restart your life on your own, you'll spend far too much time just adjusting. Trying to study language training before you’ve adapted is difficult. To exaggerate slightly: on lonely nights you might find yourself unexpectedly in tears, sobbing more and more sadly. It’s wiser to attend classes and spend time with friends during that period. If you adapt within 1–3 weeks, by around the fourth week you’ll have more breathing room. Then you can decide: if the homestay mom is a good fit, extend the homestay; if you prefer more freedom, move into a studio or apartment; or if you want to live more socially with friends, start a share house. If improving your English quickly is your only priority, I recommend staying in the homestay. It may be a bit more expensive, but it solves meals, laundry, and cleaning, and spending that time socializing and learning is more productive. If the homestay doesn’t suit you, change it quickly. One more thing: I strongly advise against living in a share house made up only of Koreans. In a distant foreign place, lonely young people living together will naturally prefer speaking Korean, entertainment, and gossip over English or studying.
Summary
- Most people will choose a 2-month homestay (don’t bravely sign up for just one month; it’s tough)
- Use the first month to adapt (start worrying about what’s next from the second month)
- If your sole focus is English, stay in the homestay (if it doesn’t fit, change homestays; don’t focus on cost—reduce chores and use more English)
- If you value freedom, prefer an apartment or studio
- If you want to live using more English with friends, join a share house (but avoid ones made up only of Koreans)
How should you live?
Initial & Overall
It’s awkward to label it strictly as the “initial” period, but as mentioned above, if you’re studying abroad in three-month blocks, what follows can be somewhat optional. First, don’t be afraid. Just as anyone can ride a bus alone, airplanes are made for countless people to board and disembark. Even if you’ve never flown before, with a little research you can do it. When you arrive in a new country, the plane will stop, and you’ll naturally follow the crowd off the aircraft. You’ll meet an official or two who ask a few questions, collect your luggage, and head toward the exit like everyone else. As in dramas and movies, someone holding a sign with your name or the name of your organization may be there; when you approach, they’ll call your name. It will feel a bit awkward and tiring, but after that moment they’ll tell you they’ve prepared a car and ask you to come along. You’ll get into the car, hold your heavy head, and look around—feeling a mix of excitement and fear at how different things are from home. After about 30–40 minutes (airports are often some distance from the city center) you’ll stare out the window in a daze while the person who picked you up asks questions that go in one ear and out the other; as the tension eases, you’ll arrive at your accommodation. You’ll be tired but shown your room and introduced to the house rules. After hastily washing up and going to bed, most people sleep far longer than usual and only get up well after normal sleeping hours. When you go out, you’ll find some food in the fridge or living room that you can eat; you’ll snack on it, take a walk near the house, then fall back asleep, and this is how your language training begins. You’ll have Google and a map from the homestay mom, and when you find the language school your orientation will start, you’ll take a placement test, and after walking around the neighborhood with new classmates, your third day will be over. The trip home will feel heavy from jet lag, lingering fatigue, and lingering tension, but you’ll feel a little steadier. At home, the homestay mom will greet you with “Did you get back okay?” and you’ll answer a bit stiffly. After returning to your bed and passing through a slight emptiness, you’ll have overcome the hardest part of the language training.
The next day you’ll feel a little more energy, notice the scenes on your way to school, and the friends who felt awkward yesterday will begin to seem more familiar. Someone who joked with you will start to feel like a friend you’ve known for a while. Over the next two weeks you’ll steadily regain energy, your friends will become more carefree, and you too will shed the habits of being overly self-conscious in Korea—becoming more playful with friends. The new student life that begins there makes people in their late teens, mid-twenties, or late thirties all act a bit immature together. Those classmates who once hesitated to invite you for a walk or coffee will, before you know it, become travel companions; you’ll stay up chatting all night, exchange compliments about what’s good in your home countries, and answer tough questions about your country—sometimes reacting emotionally and sometimes finding objectivity as you explain. The moments when language fails you will become the parts you study the next day. As you get closer, you’ll spend idle walking time together and time cooking and eating together, and eventually you’ll start talking about your dreams, your past, and how you want to live in the future. The shock of realizing there are other ways of thinking and living beyond what you knew as a Korean will make you want to redesign your life. That curiosity and the shock you received will follow you home and into your bedtime routine, becoming part of your life; that time is peaceful and simple, and those small peaceful moments accumulate until one day you feel happiness.
Making friends
As mentioned earlier, language training typically involves about seven hours of classes per day, and how you spend the remaining seven hours makes a big difference. Even if improving English isn’t your main goal, to make the most of those seven hours—whether by observing local life or socializing with other international students—you need to become close to someone. At our company’s orientation, the second method we recommend for getting close to people is: “YES.”
Say "Yes"
Because many of us have spent our teens to thirties already knowing what kinds of people we like and don’t like, we tend to filter and choose who to befriend even when abroad. Choosing friends isn’t necessarily wrong, but when people from different languages, nationalities, and cultures meet, quickly judging and ruling people out without giving it time is a missed opportunity. Also, because you feel you must work hard while abroad and feel awkward or tense, you often refuse invitations more readily. In Korea there’s a culture of asking two or three times, so after an initial refusal there might still be another chance. In other cultures those repeated asks can seem rude, so people often don’t ask again.Except for truly absurd or dangerous things, try saying Yes.If you do, you’ll find close people around you and your experiences will broaden into areas and directions you never expected. Whether it’s a walk, a beer, or help with shopping, say Yes instead of automatically refusing out of habit.
Someone who obviously has free time
I once lived with a French person and a Taiwanese person. The three of us were all homebodies. The Taiwanese friend was a game developer and rarely left the room, and the French friend clearly had lots of free time, so we naturally became close and spent time sharing all kinds of stories about France and Korea. After a while, the areas where you move around will expand, and you’ll naturally notice, whether elderly people or teenagers, those who always sit in the same place and look like they have nothing to do.Go talk to them first! Just introduce yourself! And honestly tell them why you started the conversation.Then.You’ll be able to learn about the world they live in that you didn’t know. (However, be careful: in some places like libraries or schools there are local men who flirt with East Asian women, so take necessary precautions.)
What to do on weekends?
Bottom line: whether you party hard on Friday night or Saturday night, go out and have fun.That’s the rule. Cities like London, Vancouver, LA, New York, Cebu, and Malta are common language-study destinations, so there are well-known places to visit. In other words, there are about 8–12 one- or two-day itineraries to follow; ask locals, friends you meet, or Koreans who arrived earlier and they’ll tell you where they’ve been and where they’re going. Some groups formed at the school are great at planning weekly outings. Don’t ask questions—join them. Unless you’re having an extremely tiring week, seeing a lot and talking a lot is the fastest way to improve your language skills, and the more friends you make, the more conversation partners you’ll have after class. To add a bit more: reputable schools often offer weekly or monthly cultural outings and activities in a picnic-style format. If the school isn’t just trying to make money, these group experiences are usually cheaper than doing them alone, so I recommend participating.
How much money should you spend?
After paying for your language school, flight, and accommodation, you’ll naturally worry about how much you’ll spend per month and how much emergency cash to bring. Simply put: you’ll likely spend about the same as in Korea. A decade or more ago Korea’s prices weren’t that high, so you might have expected to need more money abroad, but Korea’s cost of living has risen since then. Therefore...Unless you’re going to New York, if you live reasonably frugally you’ll spend about the same amount as in Korea.You might then wonder about places like the Philippines, India, Malta, or Malaysia, where prices are relatively lower. Because you won’t eat, sleep, and shop like locals, you’ll end up consuming at a higher standard in those countries. For example, if a Filipino can have a meal for 500 won, you probably won’t eat that way and might end up ordering a 7,000-won steak instead. The same situation happens in India, Malta, and Malaysia. On the other hand, that higher level of consumption there can lead to varied experiences, and if you plan to make your second country one with higher prices, expect to spend a bit more in the first month than usual. If you plan activities like an Aurora tour in Canada, a trip to Paris from London, or getting a scuba diving certification in the Philippines—these are separate hobby or travel expenses and you should budget extra for them rather than counting them as pocket money.
What should you do after your language study abroad ends?
When the nine- or six-month language program you aimed for ends, you will be busy going to shopping centers one by one to buy gifts for your family. Your luggage will become a bundle, and when your bag is filled with your father's and mother's medicines and the must-buy essentials they insisted on, various thoughts will naturally arise. Will I still be able to speak English well in another country? If I return to Korea and take a test right away, what kind of score will I get? And so on. But aside from these questions, I think enjoying life abroad a little more is also an option, and I would like to recommend a few things.
Travel
Among international students, those who like to travel or are adventurous choose trips that cross or traverse the country. Four people are fine, three are fine, and going alone is fine too. Groups usually rent a car to travel, while those traveling alone use public transportation. I recommend it. I think you will gain confidence that your English works in the world and at the same time discover areas where you need improvement.
Volunteering
Volunteering in our country is often overly pious and very demanding. To put it somewhat bluntly, it tends to focus on labor or obligation. But in most countries, volunteer activities are enjoyed as an option and a leisure activity rather than as competition. For example, there are many volunteer opportunities where you work if you want and rest if you want, and it's not strange or likely to be misunderstood if some people work while others chat. Furthermore, I hope you enjoy volunteering while gaining diverse experiences and learning the practical, workplace language of people from different countries.
Working Holiday
Personally, I find working holidays very difficult. If your language skills aren't strong, working with others and doing the job well, plus handling household chores and the responsibilities of an independent person while abroad, can feel hard. If you have studied the language enough and feel confident, I recommend working or doing part-time jobs for about three to four months—not for too long—to try to recoup the money you spent on your language program.
Returning to Korea
Whether you went for language study or for some other purpose, I hope you'll at least take a speaking test after you return. You may be disappointed, or you may be surprised by a score higher than you expected, but after all the effort and hardship you went through, this might be the time when you can use a foreign language most comfortably. Don't be too hard on yourself—register for the test and try it at least once on a weekend.