Experiences to Share
There has never been a more popular time for foreigners to live in or invest in Korea. While the number of foreigners declined during the pandemic due to global travel restrictions, immigration has been soaring in the last year. The number of foreign nationals residing in Korea for more than three months rose to a record high of close to 2.26 million as of Nov. 1, 2022, up 5.8 percent compared with the previous year according to government data released earlier this month.
That followed October's data showing that foreign direct investment (FDI) during the first three quarters of 2023 hit an all-time high, reaching US$23.95 billion.
Amid the influx of people arriving in Korea for business reasons, international students emerged as a key driver of foreign population growth - significantly outpacing other categories by jumping nearly 21 percent from a year earlier.
In the case of families, business and education can naturally be combined factors. While parents might pursue career opportunities in Korea, they can only do so confidently if their children can also access schools that match their educational goals.
Among Korea’s international schools seeking to meet this need is Dulwich College Seoul (DCSL). Its 700 students range in age from 3 to 18 and come from over 46 countries. We spoke to five parents of DCSL students who recently moved to Korea to find out more about their motivations and experiences so far. What emerged was a compelling case in favor of Korea fostering strong and diverse international education options.
Q: What brought your family to Korea?
Bahi Okupa-Hines: I’m a lawyer and the chance arose to work for a large retailer with operations in Korea. My husband and I are both American - we came from a small town in Arkansas although we had traveled widely. I also lived in the U.K. and Nigeria during the first 15 years of my life and had always wanted to have an expat experience with my family. Without knowing anything about Korea, we agreed to move here two years ago.
Laura Angelica Torres: My husband and I are originally from Colombia, but we left 26 years ago. We settled for several years in Luxembourg, where our three kids were born. When my husband was approached to work in Korea, we saw an opportunity not only for him to pursue an interesting job but also for our children to grow and for the whole family to have a different experience. We arrived more than a year ago - this is our first time in Asia and we are glad we embarked on this adventure!
Mayumi Sakamoto: My husband is the country manager for a pharmaceutical company. He was already familiar with Korea having worked here before, and we came here as a family due to his work in April of this year.
Sophie Cran: I grew up in Kenya, but my husband and I are both from England. The opportunity to move to Korea in April of this year came through his work as a geotechnical engineer for a Danish company in the renewable energy field. Even though we did not know what to expect, we leapt at the chance because we didn’t know if we would get this opportunity again. We were also thinking about our children, their development, and how they could really benefit from being somewhere very different.
Sunny Moon: We moved to Korea two years ago to spend more time with our family in Korea. When COVID hit, our priorities changed and naturally, family came first. We also saw it as a great opportunity for my 8-year-old son to learn the Korean language and culture. I currently own an art studio in Seoul while serving as the co-chair of the parent community at DCSL.
Q: What were your priorities when selecting a school for your child/children?
Bahi Okupa-Hines: With a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old, I did a lot of research on schools and talked to people who lived here and had children. We wanted a smaller school where our children could be well known by their teachers and peers, and a welcoming community that enables foreigners and locals to come together regularly. Our children had to be able to access somewhere at their young age where they could continue to improve their English reading and writing skills. We did look at a school where English wasn’t the main language, but that wasn’t going to work for us. We also considered other international schools, but they were too large or not diverse enough.
Laura Angelica Torres: Selecting the right school for our family in Korea was a paramount decision. It was not an option for us to move to Korea without my husband, so we needed to focus on the education of our three children, aged 8, 10, and 11. We wanted to prioritize their global perspective, so an International Baccalaureate (IB) school was a non-negotiable criterion to ensure a robust foundation for their future university choices. Additionally, opting for a smaller-sized school, akin to the one they attended in Luxembourg, became crucial to ease the transition to Asia for our children. There were not many schools in Korea that matched our criteria, and spaces were limited. Thankfully, we got our children into DCSL. Without this right educational fit, our family's relocation to Korea would have been nearly impossible.
Mayumi Sakamoto: My husband is Irish and we lived in my home country of Japan previously. Given our background, we were looking for an international school in Korea for our two daughters aged 9 and 10. We found DCSL to value diversity and offer a good intimate atmosphere. We really appreciated, and still appreciate, the way the school focuses on experience and teaching kids how to learn or how to question rather than just feeding them information, as well as its willingness to teach aspects of local culture. That said, it would be really limiting for parents if they could only choose among Korean schools and we could not have come to Korea without an option like DCSL being available.
Sophie Cran: We have three children who are aged 4, 6, and 8. We really didn’t want to go anywhere else but DCSL although we did consider other options, including homeschooling - which I did actually have to do with two of our children while we waited for spaces to become available. We liked that DCSL is community-oriented, not too big, has great facilities, and is a British, non-faith school.
Sunny Moon: Sending my son to an international school was inevitable given my history of studying and graduating from an international school myself. Having studied at Oxford University for graduate school, this also motivated me to choose DCSL. I am happy to have made the decision as DCSL offers a competitive curriculum with a diverse range of educational opportunities along with teachers and staff who are so dedicated and supportive in enriching the lives of our children. A local Korean school in comparison would have been a cultural shock. And certainly, the presence and growth of international schools in Korea is absolutely necessary for families like ours.
Q: What can you share from your experience that might be good to know for other families considering moving to Korea?
Bahi Okupa-Hines: In my job, I sometimes speak to people who are trying to decide if they should make the move or not, and I say absolutely do it. It’s a great experience for the family. For many expat families, I know that our children are the priority and I recommend researching the options available.
Laura Angelica Torres: Upon our arrival in Seoul a year ago, we received warnings about the limited availability of spaces in international schools. Nevertheless, despite the less-than-ideal timing due to the approaching summer holidays, we decided to forge ahead with our applications without hesitation. The process turned out to be a comprehensive journey, involving the gathering of all necessary documents and preparation for tests and interviews. My advice is, even if a school initially suggests a lack of available spaces, don't be discouraged. Applying demonstrates your commitment, and in our case, persistence paid off. In terms of our Korea experience more generally, the warmth and kindness we've encountered from the people here have significantly contributed to our positive experience. In fact, the locals have become role models for our children, inspiring them to embrace and emulate the generosity and kindness that characterizes Korean culture.
Mayumi Sakamoto: We have found Korea to be very convenient and very efficient. It is also much more foreigner-friendly than over a decade ago when my husband last worked here. People are more willing to engage – more so than in Japan. There are also so many pockets of interesting neighborhoods. If you’re coming to Korea, you need to sign up for a school as soon as possible because international schools have long waitlists. We know of two other families who couldn’t find spaces. Our daughters now love the international school experience in Seoul so much because they look around and see lots of children with a similarly mixed family background and feel they’re the same. Even if we move to another country in the future, we need to find a similar environment to DCSL.
Sophie Cran: While we didn’t know what to expect, we have found Korea to be safe and efficient with good healthcare. Those things were all appealing for our family, and I would also mention the friendliness of the Korean people, their kindness, and hospitality. The transport system has also been incredible for us because we chose to be without a car to reduce our carbon footprint. We were blown away by how good it is on the buses and subway. We may stay longer than the two or three years we anticipate because we are feeling really fulfilled here in Seoul and it’s proving to be a great experience for all of us.
Sunny Moon: I would just highlight how helpful it has been having an international school option like DSCL. It is a huge plus for families like my own. We have still faced language and cultural barriers in Korea having lived away for so long, but DCSL provided a warm and welcoming space. Without a strong institution like this school, it would be hard to navigate and build a community around yourself.