The Psychology of a Successful Teacher in South Korea

This is an essay from one of our applicants, Daina.

I had asked for some suggestions on what is the psychology of someone who would be successful at teaching in South Korea.

Daina went beyond my expectations and wrote a great piece, so I wanted to share it here. I agree with the majority of what is said, and it would be useful for someone to use it to analyze their own personality in order to see if they would be a proper fit.

Enjoy!

Hi Jason,

I got a little carried away with this (my major was in psychology),
but I hope it's helpful.

There is a lot of reserach out there right now around trait
psychology, and what researchers have done is used factor analysis to
determine that there are basically 5 traits that apply to everyone,
but everyone differs in the degree of the trait they have (it works on
a continuum). What I've done here is explain these five traits and
where on the continuum a person should be to consider teaching English
in Korea

The first of these traits is openness to experience, and I think that
someone who is considering teaching english overseas would have to be
moderate to high in this trait. People low in this trait are very
conservative, resistent to change and have narrow interests. If a
person were not open to experiencing new things, then teaching english
overseas would definitely not be an option for them, since it would be
a dramatic change from what they do presently, and they may not be
willing to adapt to and appreciate the new culture. It has been
suggested that someone who is high in this trait is more likely to
succeed in university, as they are more open to the different ideas
taught.

The next of the traits is agreeableness which reflects individual
differences in concern with cooperation and social harmony. Agreeable
individuals value getting along with others and are considerate,
friendly, helpful, and willing to compromise their interests with
others. They generally have an optimistic view of human nature and
believe that people are basically honest, decent, and trustworthy.
Disagreeable people tend to put their own self-interest above getting
along with others. They're generally not concerned with others' well-
being and are therefore not likely to extend themselves for other
people. Sometimes their skepticism causes them to be suspicious,
unfriendly, and uncooperative. A little skepticism is a good thing,
as you can't always take things at face value, but too much can
interfere with your day-to-day life and can make you miserable. That
said, in my opinion, someone considering teaching in Korea would
likely have to be moderate to high in agreeableness. As I said
above, a person would have to be willing to adapt and appreciate the
new culture - you have to be able to compromise your own self
interests. Also, when meeting the people there, although they are
different, there has to be the belief that they are good people -
different doesn't mean bad.

The next trait is conscientiousness, which concerns the way in which
we control, regulate, and direct our impulses. Individuals high in
conscientiousness avoid trouble and achieve high levels of success
through purposeful planning and persistence, and they are reliable.
Pople low in conscientiousness are unreliable, and have a lack of
ambition and failure to stay within the lines. Needless to say, a
person considering teaching in Korea would have to be moderate to
high, as their jobs there require them to be reliable.

The next trait is neuroticism which refers to the tendency to
experience negative feelings such as anger, depression, and anxiety.
People who are high in this trait are emotionally reactive and respond
emotionally to events that would not affect most people, and their
reactions tend to be more intense than normal. They are likely to
interpret ordinary situations as threatening, and minor frustrations
as hopelessly difficult. Their negative emotional reactions tend to
persist for unusually long periods of time, which means they are often
in a bad mood. These problems in emotional regulation can diminish
the ability to think clearly, make decisions, and cope effectively
with stress. People low in this trait are less easily upset and are
less emotionally reactive. They tend to be calm, emotionally stable,
and free from persistent negative feelings. Obviously a person high
in this trait would not do well in Korea as any negative emotions they
felt would be prolonged and they would likely end up hating their
experience. Also, they would be less able to cope with the stress
they experience. I expect that there will be all kinds of stresses
and frustrations, but you should have the ability to get over it -
even find the humour in it, and move on.

The last of the traits is extraversion/introversion. Extroversion is
marked by pronounced engagement with the external world. Extroverts
enjoy being with people and are full of energy. They are action
oriented. In groups they like to talk, assert themselves, and draw
attention to themselves. They're the type of people that constantly
have to be "doing something." Introverts tend to be quiet, low-key,
and more disengaged from the social world. Their lack of social
involvement should not be interpreted as shyness or depression, the
introvert simply needs less stimulation than an extrovert. It's also
been suggested that extroverts get their energy from other people
whereas introverts get their energy from within themselves.
Furthermore, introverted people tend to be more in tune with their own
feelings and are better able to percieve the feeelings of others,
whereas the opposite is true of extraverted people. This is a
difficult one in terms of a person considering teaching in Korea. For
the first while at least, I would imagine that a person would
experience considerable social isolation, and the language barrier
would certainly exacerbate the isolation experienced, so a person
should be able to cope with it. If they get energy from within
themselves as an introverted person would, this shouldn't pose a big
problem.


I know you asked me to jot down a few ideas and I wrote you an essay, but I hope it was helpful.

Daina