“I’m Ready to Move to Korea”: Overseas Gen Z Drawn by Jobs Offering Housing and Health Insurance

Young Americans and South Africans Head to Korea and Asia
"Paying Off Debt, Saving, and Even Traveling"

An increasing number of young foreigners are seeking to teach English in Korea, drawn by relatively stable conditions such as support for housing and health insurance.

On August 30 (local time), the UK Guardian introduced cases of young people from countries such as the United States and South Africa who, struggling with job markets and economic difficulties in their home countries, have begun new lives as English teachers in Asian countries including Korea.

Bustling Incheon Airport. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Ariana Marie (25), who worked as an elementary school teacher in Florida, USA, struggled to manage her classroom just a year ago. Although it was her first job out of college, she quickly lost her passion for teaching as class sizes were large due to a shortage of teachers, and she had to live with her parents to save on high housing costs.

Marie recalled, "I was extremely burnt out at the time," adding, "Every class was overcrowded because there were not enough teachers."

Housing, airfare, and health insurance support..."In Korea, I feel respected"

At the time, the school she worked at suggested a transfer to another school, but she set her sights abroad. She later found a job teaching English in Korea and is now living in Daegu. Thanks to her salary and welfare benefits, she is able to save money and travel. The popularity of K-pop and K-dramas also positively influenced her decision to choose Korea. Above all, she explained that she rediscovered her sense of fulfillment as a teacher in Korea.

Marie stated, "I no longer need to struggle to manage students' behavioral issues, and both students and fellow teachers treat me with respect," adding, "Now I can fully concentrate on teaching."

Photo material for native speaker class. The Asia Business Daily DB

Marie found this job through an English language education program run by the Korean government, which places native English speakers with a college degree and TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification in public schools. According to the Guardian, Korea is expanding its educational spending, and through this program provides free housing and airfare, health insurance, and a monthly salary starting from $1,400 (about 1.91 million won).

One reason young people are looking for jobs abroad is the instability of employment in their home countries. In the United States, a college diploma no longer guarantees a stable job as it once did. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates has been higher than the overall unemployment rate.

Even after getting hired, it is not uncommon for wage growth to lag behind inflation. In the U.S. public sector, including teaching jobs, an increasing number of new employees are quitting due to low pay and high work stress.

Some young people are inspired by social media to become interested in, or actually move abroad for, English teaching. Some teachers overseas share their local experiences on TikTok and Instagram. Marie also posts about her travels and classroom experiences on Instagram.

The photo is unrelated to the specific content of the article. Unsplash

Korea, Japan, and Taiwan Compete for Foreign Teachers with Welfare Benefits

According to the TEFL Institute, which runs TEFL certification programs, the global English education market is projected to reach $95 billion (about 130 trillion won) this year. The number of related jobs exceeds 2 million.

The market is expected to grow to $181 billion (about 247 trillion won) by 2034, with the Asia-Pacific region forecast to experience the fastest growth. In reality, not only Korea but also Japan and Taiwan are expanding full-time English teacher hiring and leveraging various welfare benefits such as housing support to attract young foreign talent.

The Guardian reported, "With the downsizing of the U.S. federal Department of Education, public school teachers in the United States, the majority of whom are women, are showing greater interest in overseas job opportunities."

There are similar cases in South Africa as well. Zwiiwe Dlamini (28), who worked as an administrative assistant in Durban, quit her job after growing exhausted from repetitive office work. She said, "I was always preparing meetings and taking minutes behind a desk, working for CEOs, and it left me utterly drained."

With the youth unemployment rate in South Africa reaching nearly 70%, it was hard for her to find a better job. After six months of job hunting, Dlamini turned her attention overseas.

Dlamini, who applied to the same program as Marie, is now working as an English teacher in Incheon. Thanks to free housing and comparatively low living expenses, she is able to pay off debt, save for travel, and even prepare for graduate school. She said, "A year ago I never could have imagined this. Back then, I couldn't afford basic groceries and was piling up debt, but now I'm grateful to be able to pay off debt and enjoy life."

John Bentley, co-founder of the International TEFL Academy, which provides TEFL teacher training, said, "Faced with political and economic difficulties, Generation Z is increasingly turning to TEFL. Many initially set out intending to stay just one year, but the attractions of the country and the experience lead some to remain three to four years, or even much longer."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.