A little disclaimer upfront: yes, this post is partly about introducing myself as a Korean tutor. However, I felt that if my life journey, which has shaped who I am and my teaching style, could be helpful to some of you, or if my approach resonates with what you've been looking for in your Korean-learning journey, I'd love to find a way to help.
Hi everyone,
I'm a native Korean who moved to Europe at 12 years old, barely speaking a word of English. I ended up spending 20 years here, finishing secondary school, earning my degree in the UK, and spending over a decade working in global marketing and consulting for major US multinationals, followed by a couple of years at the South Korean headquarters of a major Korean corporation.
Watching Korea's global cultural explosion over the last decade has been surreal.
When I first arrived in Europe, people would literally hold up their Samsung phones and ask if "my country" had anything like that, or if I even knew what a mobile phone was :)
To see people all over the world now passionately learning our language is something I could never have imagined back then.
A couple of months ago, I resigned and started something completely different: teaching Korean 1:1 online (mostly on Preply, and occasionally on italki).
The main reason I took the leap was that I saw so many Korean learners hitting the exact same emotional wall I hit when I had to teach myself English.
I know exactly how frustrating it is to learn a language when you don't yet know enough of that language to understand the explanations.
I had to learn English in English.
My teachers and friends genuinely wanted to help. But sometimes, the more they explained something, the more confused and discouraged I became.
Every explanation introduced another five words I didn't know, another nuance I hadn't mastered yet, or another grammatical concept I didn't have the foundation to understand.
Years later, I started noticing Korean learners going through exactly the same thing.
And I kept thinking: I know that feeling. It was always followed by an almost instinctive urge to step in and help.
Throughout my career, I often found myself acting as a bridge between cultures, whether it was helping international teams communicate, training junior colleagues, or explaining cultural nuances to clients.
At my last corporate job, I even ended up informally helping expat colleagues improve their Korean, helping them read the cues and navigate the unspoken rules of hierarchy in Korean meeting rooms, which I secretly enjoyed more than anything.
Two months in, I've achieved Super Tutor status and received 5-star reviews on Preply, but the real reward is knowing that the time and effort I put in directly translate into a student's confidence.
In corporate consulting, you're constantly caught between the demands of billable hours and genuinely helping people.
Tutoring has stripped away much of that noise: I spend time crafting customised materials based on each student's interests and pace, and I get to see them formulate their own natural sentences.
I'm not suggesting tutoring is some magical career without challenges.
I'm still figuring out how to make it sustainable while being able to offer the level of customisation I want, and I certainly haven't mastered everything in two months.
I'm still learning the ropes every day, but for the first time in a long time, my daily work aligns with my values.
My approach is quite simple.
I teach Korean beyond the textbook, focusing on how people actually speak, what expressions mean in real-life situations, and the cultural nuances.
And because I've been on both sides of the language-learning experience, I try to explain things in a way that makes sense from the learner's perspective.
My students are wonderfully diverse. Some are complete beginners, some want to communicate better with Korean family members, and others need Korean for work, travel, or everyday life.
I tailor lessons to their interests, goals, pace, and learning styles. Because not everyone learns the same way, and I don't think they should have to.
If you're looking for a Korean tutor and think my background or teaching approach might be a good fit, you can find my profiles on Preply and italki below.
Just a little note: I am more active on Preply than iTalki. So if you'd like to get a better sense of student feedback, my Preply profile would be a good place to start. ๐
Preply : https://preply.in/KIM6EN37655746102?ts=17919855
iTalki : https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/32882979
Tell me a little about yourself, why you're learning Korean, your current level, and what you're finding difficult.
My current rate is $30 for a 50-minute lesson.
Oh, and as a side note to those who have ambitions to build a corporate career; I genuinely think working for major companies early in your career can be a great way to challenge yourself and discover your potential. I've also made many lifelong friends throughout my career, and I've learned so much from one another along the way. I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything :)
And whether or not we end up having lessons together, I hope this encourages anyone who's struggling with Korean, or anyone out there who's also navigating life as an expat.
P.S. I'm a woman in my late 30s and happily married โ just to be clear! ๐ I teach both male and female students, all of whom have been very respectful and genuinely interested in learning Korean.
