Learning Korean: My Hobby Turned Into A Career

안녕하세요! 제 이름은 젤입니다. 저는 한국어를 배우는 필리핀 사람입니다.

I want to be a trilingual person speaking in my native language, international language and in the language I choose to love. Since I love Korean culture, I found Korean language interesting. When I was still in college, I did self-study Korean and after I graduated in 2012, I officially started studying Korean at Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines. Because I’m really enjoying learning Korean, I didn’t expect to become the top student in our class. So, I keep on learning. However, after several months, I became busy in my work so I have to stop taking classes. Unexpectedly, my friend in Korean class referred me to the company where she works for a Korean job position. At first, I was hesitant to apply for the position because I was not confident enough with my Korean skill but my family and that friend encouraged me so I tried. Thankfully, I passed the Korean exam with a high score so I got hired and enjoyed my work. I am learning Korean just for myself but I didn’t expect that my hobby turned into a career.

After getting hired, I started to study Korean again to improve my Korean proficiency to help me to do well at work. Sadly, I wasn’t able to continue to take classes again due to conflict schedule. After several years of working, I chose to take a break for my self-improvement both in personal and in career aspects. So, I took various classes and workshops. And before getting back to another Korean related job, I also have to get back to study Korean again because it’s been a long time since my last Korean class. I’ve decided to take a one-on-one class rather than a group class because I’m not sure if I can easily cope up with the last skill level I’ve been to. I think I really have to review a lot before getting started to the next skill level.

Then, I found AmazingTalker and a great Korean teacher. Because it’s a one-on-one class, I was able to focus more on my progress rather than to outshine in class. I was able to know better what I really have to improve more and where I excel. I was more comfortable in asking questions with my teacher and to know things without hesitation. My teacher helped me a lot in my struggles and pushed me to do better. He even helped me construct a very good self-introduction in a professional way in preparation for my Korean job interview. He is very patient and understanding and he makes the class interesting by sharing our thoughts and experiences while learning the language which I really appreciate. I really learned a lot and enjoyed the class. I will continue to happily study Korean.

열심히 계속 한국어를 공부하겠습니다. 정말 감사합니다! (ㅅ.ㅅ)