“You’re young. You’re probably unattached. Now’s the perfect time…to take on a bit of a challenge
…to go on an adventure.”
– Alexander
If you were looking for inspiration to live, work, and/or study in South Korea, Friday’s “Korea-Canada Youth Mobility Opportunities” presentation at Carleton had a lot to offer!
Opening the event, the Ambassador of the Republic of South Korea, His Excellency Lim Woongsoon traced back the history of Canada-South Korea relations to the 1960’s emphasizing both historical and economic cooperation between the two countries.
He was followed by Deputy Director at Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Pemi Gill, who outlined recent and significant changes to the Canada–South Korea Youth Mobility Arrangement signed in May, 2023. Most notably, this new agreement:
- expands the eligibility age range for participants from 18–30 to 18–35
- adds two additional streams, “International Internship” and “Young Professionals”, in addition to the existing “Working Holiday” stream
- extends duration and the number of times, an individual can participate
* Carleton students, click here to learn more about the steps to apply through the Carleton MOU.
SLALS Director Michael Rodgers spoke next, sharing stories from his experiences as a new university graduate living and working in Asia, the doors it opened, and how it changed the trajectory of his life. His destination was Japan, but he spoke fondly of his many visits to South Korea both as an academic and as a tourist, and, in those early days, of taking the jet-ferry from Fukuoka to Busan to get his visa renewed.
But the rubber really hit the road with the presentation from Angie Lee, Foreign Language Education Support Coordinator with EPIK (English Program in Korea). Her presentation covered the specific ins and outs of the application process to teach with EPIK in South Korea and the various support opportunities the program provides.
“The application process is a lot but it’s manageable. Get a head start and stay organized.”
– Ana
This introduction to EPIK led nicely into the second half of the evening: participant testimonials.
Arguably, the most impactful portion of the event were these testimonials, conducted live over Zoom from South Korea, Toronto, and in person.
Over the course of the next hour, we met Ana Fullerton, a former Carleton student (Linguistics, CTESL, with a German Minor) now living and working as a teacher in South Korea, Lily Hu, a culinary consultant and passionate foodie who spent a working holiday discovering the foods of peninsula, and Alexander J. Hill, who participated in EPIK almost a decade ago before going on to graduate studies in Seoul and a career in the Canadian government.
Filled with photos, memories, and helpful tips, their presentations were invaluable and really gave shape to the possibilities this program makes possible.
“Seoul is a very walkable city so bring good walking shoes.”
– Lily
“There really is never a lack of snacks in the office, so don’t worry about that.”
– Ana
After the last speaker wrapped up, the audience of about 100 – students, parents, faculty, staff, and members of the general public – moved into the atrium to enjoy a selection of delicious Korean dishes including: kimbap, japchae, bulgogi, kimchi, and more.