Living and working as a teacher in Seoul

Pacific Geographies

article

Gerd Vetter¹ 

[1] Sustainable Development / Global Learning Unit, Ministry of Schools and Vocational Training Hamburger Straße 31

关键词: Seoul;    Megacity;    Republic of Korea;    (German) School Service Abroad;    sustainable development;    Hangang;    Songdo;   

DOI  :  10.23791/572427

来源: Arbeitsgemeinschaft fuer Pazifische Studien e.V.

【 摘 要 】

This commentary addresses some of the cross-cultural issues of teaching abroad in the Republicof Korea (South Korea). Germans can apply directly to teach at ‘German schools abroad’, which areprivate schools around the world, or can sign up with the Central Agency for Schools Abroad (ZfA).The ZfA provides assistance and professional quality management. The German schools abroad areoften a hub for German speaking communities, easing entry into new cultural contexts and institutions.I discuss teaching in such a school in the megacity of Seoul. Advantages are lifestyles, ease of traveland personal safety. Leisure and sports activities are good, especially at the River Hangang. Traffic andmulti-lane highways traverse the city, affecting the riverside. South Korea has a mixed record in terms ofsustainability, with a strong reliance on fossil fuels, although southwest of Seoul is the world’s largest tidalpower plant, and waste separation is very strict. Seoul suffers periodically from bad air quality, for whichChina is partially blamed. Songdo is an exemplary smart city near Seoul, but construction required thedraining of valuable tidal flats. The close proximity to North Korea is omnipresent.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC-ND