ITP - 142: I Moved My Kids to Korea to Be a School Counselor

JP: Welcome to another episode of the International Teacher Podcast. I am a co-host, Jacqueline from JP Mint Consulting, and I am here joined with Greg the App Guy. Hey Greg.

Greg: Hi, how you doing JP? I switched my name just for a little bit for our listeners because I did finally get my app not just to the testers, but now it's on the app store. So Sophie, after this you need to go to the app store and buy my new app. All the listeners need to go out and it’s a really cool one.

Greg: It’s called What Student? Right with a question mark. It’s a naming game, a name learner. So if you have a lot of students, even if you only have 20, and you want to learn their names or learn somebody else’s class names, you can actually get this app.

Greg: I did it because I have 650 students, so I have to remember. You can upload your own names, take photos, and then there’s games involved. It has logic in there so that you can do 20 different names, and every time you get the name correct, it takes it out of that pile and only puts them back in once in a while to keep you going.

Greg: But if you can’t get their names, it keeps them in there and you learn. So it’s pretty cool.

JP: This episode—

Sofi: That is awesome. I need that. I could really use that because I am the only counselor for the whole school and I am still, three years in, I’m still like, I know your name, but not quite. So that’s great.

Greg: Yeah? Well, hey.

JP: This episode sponsored by—

Greg: See, counselor specialist.

JP: My gosh, even better.

Greg: Go for it. It’s called What Student.

JP: All right, so listeners, this episode is sponsored by the app that is called What Student? What Student? What Student? And we do have a guest and we haven’t introduced her formally yet.

Greg: Sorry I hijacked that from you, Sophie. It’s called What Student. Yes, we do have a guest, but it’s all about my app right now anyway. Let me tell you more. No, just kidding. Go ahead JP.

Sofi: Thank you.

JP: So this is Sophie. Sophie is calling us in from Busan. We were talking about is it Busan or Busan. I like to say Busan. Some people say Busan. Busan, South Korea. Welcome. And we just learned she’s a counselor.

Greg: And that’s in Korea.

Sofi: Yes. Hello. Hello everyone. Hi. Thank you for having me. I’m really excited and nervous.

Greg: Yay.

JP: So Sophie, can you tell us how you got into this gig? It’s not common to come across counselors in international schools because there are usually one or two of you. So we feel extra special. We have a counselor in the house.

Sofi: Yeah. Well, I feel extra special to be a counselor at an international school. It is a labor of love and it is a career that I never knew existed even 10 years ago or five years ago. So it’s a really interesting story how I got into being a counselor at an international school.

Sofi: I was working as a teacher during COVID and the kids were just going through it, like we all were. They were having a hard time, and I found myself needing to step to the side and help the students regulate.

Sofi: Then I started mindfulness at the beginning of every class and incorporated mental health into my routine as a teacher.

Sofi: Then I decided I want to do this all the time and more than teaching. So I went back to school and got my counseling license and was working as a counselor in Los Angeles.

Sofi: We talk a lot about social media, but my algorithm was very much expats. I was constantly looking at people living in other countries. Then I began to think, how can I do this?

Sofi: One day I came across a post where people were talking about being a teacher in international schools. I wondered if counselors could do the same thing. I discovered that it was a job I could do as well. I found a resource to apply, and here we are.

Greg: Best kept secret in the world of education.

JP: Best kept secret in international education is also best kept secret in international counseling.

Greg: If I’m not mistaken, I think you’re in a really strong position because there are a lot of schools that need counselors and they’re not easy to come by. I think your career is going to keep getting more and more exciting.

Sofi: Wow.

Greg: The world is going to be your oyster if it’s not already.

Sofi: I just feel really lucky. Thank you for saying that. I feel really lucky. Sometimes I’m still pinching myself that I’m able to do what I genuinely love and in Korea of all places.

JP: Tell us about Korea. Tell us about Busan.

Greg: Tell us about Korea.

Sofi: Where do I begin? Korea is awesome. I moved here from Los Angeles. When I first moved to LA, I lived in Koreatown and I knew nothing about Korean culture. I’m originally from Miami, so I knew all about Latin American culture, but not much about Korea.

Greg: I didn’t know there was a Koreatown.

JP: Oh yeah, it’s huge.

Sofi: There is a huge Koreatown in Los Angeles. I would go to the local grocery store and be curious about the writing system, but that’s kind of as far as it went.

Sofi: Then when I began working at a school in Koreatown, 45 percent of my students were Korean. I wanted to be able to talk to them, especially those who had just moved to LA and didn’t speak much English.

Sofi: So I enrolled in the King Sejong Institute to learn Korean. When I would greet them in Korean, they were shocked and started coming into my office more. It helped build connections.

Sofi: It was kind of a natural progression. Me and Korea were meant to be.

JP: That must have been amazing for your school to receive your CV and see that you already had a Korean connection. Because we’re always telling people you don’t need to speak another language to work in international schools, but you had the opposite.

Sofi: Yeah, it was really helpful. Especially for my role in mental health, cultural awareness is really important. Understanding how the culture views mental health made a big difference.

Greg: I was going to say, as a classroom teacher, you don’t need the language, but as a counselor, it definitely gives you a step ahead.

Sofi: I think the universe just aligned. Every step of the way felt like I was doing the right thing. The curiosity about learning Korean and then moving to Korea just came together.

Greg: How long have you been there?

Sofi: This is my third year.

Greg: So when you first got off the plane in Korea, did it feel like Koreatown in LA or totally different?

Sofi: I’m going to be honest, it did feel familiar. I actually visited Korea before moving. When I found out I got the job, I brought my mom and my kids so they could see it wasn’t a scary place.

JP: So you did a scouting trip after you accepted the job?

Sofi: Yes. I wanted my mom to feel comfortable and my kids not to be nervous about where we’d be living.

Greg: That’s interesting you did it after signing. Most people would want to see it before.

Sofi: I knew I would love it.

JP: I’ve never heard of anyone doing that. That’s such an original idea.

Greg: You must have had time between getting hired and moving.

Sofi: I did. I got hired around November, so I had time to plan the trip. It’s not always easy to just go like that, so I was lucky.

Greg: That’s one of the great things about international hiring. You often know months in advance.

Sofi: It was so nice. I hadn’t told everyone at work yet, so it was my little secret. I was just so happy knowing where I’d be the next year.

Greg: No pressure, right?

Sofi: Exactly. No pressure.

JP: So tell us about the trip.

Sofi: The trip was fantastic. I actually found my old planning document recently with all the places we went. Getting off the plane in Korea itself was very different from Koreatown. Everyone was Korean, and I had to actually use the Korean I had learned.

JP: You couldn’t default back to English.

Sofi: Exactly.

Greg: How old were your kids at the time?

Sofi: First and second grade.

JP: That’s still young to travel that far.

Sofi: It was manageable. And in Korea, people love children. There’s a very supportive environment for kids.

JP: That’s so true. There’s a real community feel.

Sofi: Yes. I’ve had so many experiences with neighbors stepping in to help. It really feels like a village.

Greg: Give us an example.

Sofi: My son got a new bike and was riding too fast on a pedestrian path. A man stopped him and told him to slow down. My son came upstairs and told me about it like he had been corrected by another parent.

Greg: That’s wild.

Sofi: Another time, a neighbor would just come into my apartment, take off her shoes, and sit down and chat.

JP: That’s amazing.

Sofi: It really is. And at the mall, if my kids weren’t listening, strangers would step in and tell them to behave.

Greg: That’s definitely not LA.

Sofi: No, in LA you’re protecting your kids from strangers. Here, it’s more like everyone helps.

JP: It takes a village.

Sofi: Exactly.

Greg: So Korea is great for families.

Sofi: Absolutely.

JP: And your kids are growing up bilingual and culturally aware.

Sofi: Yes, they’re learning Korean. They have a tutor and take classes. Their best friends are Korean, so they pick up language naturally.

Sofi: They’re not fluent, but they’re learning. They hear Korean all the time at their friends’ houses.

Greg: I just know kimchi and bulgogi.

Sofi: That’s all you need.

JP: Kimchi is an acquired taste.

Sofi: What did you think when you first tried it?

JP: I hated it at first. It took me years to like it, but once I found the right kind, I loved it.

Sofi: That’s hilarious.

JP: So let’s talk about your role specifically. What does a typical day look like for you as a counselor in an international school?

Sofi: Every day is different, which is something I love. I do a lot of one-on-one counseling sessions with students, and those can range from academic stress to social issues to more serious mental health concerns.

Sofi: I also work closely with teachers. If they notice something in the classroom, they’ll refer students to me. Then we collaborate on how to support that student.

Greg: So you’re kind of the bridge between students and teachers.

Sofi: Exactly. And also with parents. I meet with parents to talk about what their child is going through and how we can support them both at school and at home.

JP: That’s a big role.

Sofi: It is, but it’s also really rewarding. I get to see students grow emotionally and socially, not just academically.

Greg: What are some of the biggest challenges you see with students right now?

Sofi: A lot of it is anxiety. Academic pressure is huge, especially in cultures that value achievement highly. Social media also plays a big role in how students see themselves.

Sofi: And then there’s the transition piece. Many of our students are third culture kids. They’re moving between countries and identities, and that can be hard.

JP: That’s such an important point.

Sofi: Yeah, they’re constantly adapting, and sometimes they don’t fully feel like they belong anywhere.

Greg: That’s something classroom teachers don’t always see right away.

Sofi: Exactly. That’s why having counseling programs in schools is so important.

JP: What advice would you give to teachers who don’t have a counselor at their school?

Sofi: I would say start small. Incorporate check-ins with your students. Create a safe space where they feel comfortable talking.

Sofi: You don’t have to be a counselor, but you can be a supportive adult in their life. That makes a huge difference.

Greg: That’s good advice.

JP: And what about people who are interested in becoming counselors internationally?

Sofi: I would say go for it. There’s a real need for counselors in international schools.

Sofi: Get your certification, get experience, and don’t be afraid to apply. Even if you think you don’t have enough experience, just try.

Greg: Don’t eliminate yourself.

Sofi: Exactly.

JP: Do you have a police story for us?

Sofi: I don’t have a police story, but I do have a funny cultural story. When I first got here, I didn’t realize how important it was to separate recycling properly.

Sofi: One day, I threw something away incorrectly, and my neighbor came and politely showed me how to sort everything correctly.

JP: That’s a good lesson.

Sofi: It was. Now I’m very careful about recycling.

Greg: You’re fully integrated now.

Sofi: I’m trying.

JP: Final thoughts?

Sofi: Just that this experience has been life-changing. If you’re thinking about international education, whether as a teacher or counselor, just take the leap.

JP: Thank you so much for coming on the show.

Sofi: Thank you for having me.

Greg: Thanks for sharing your story.

JP: And thank you everyone for listening. We’ll see you next time.

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