Korean Lessons in Oxford

Korean is one of the oldest living languages in the world—its ancestor, Proto-Koreanic, appeared as early as 300 BC—so it should come as no surprise that so many people speak the language today. With an estimated 80 million people who speak Korean all over the world, the language can be heard in almost every country and major city on the planet. For instance, Oxford has a large concentration of Korean speakers, attracted by the city’s high quality of life and prestigious university, Oxford University, which itself has long-standing ties to Korea, having welcomed its first Korean student in the 18^th century. Today, the 2021 census records identify more than 1,500 Koreans living in the city. So, if you would like to learn more about this fascinating culture, take advantage of new job opportunities available to bilingual speakers and even undertake higher education in Korean, contact us at Language Trainers. We specialise in designing tailor-made foreign language courses, so you can study at your convenience and achieve your learning goals as efficiently as possible.

Why Study Korean in Oxford

Learn Korean for Work: South Korea is the fifth-largest export economy in the world and one of the UK’s most important business partners. As a result, more and more local companies, such as StarNow and Advanced Resource Managers, are looking to expand into overseas markets. This means they need to hire bilingual employees who can communicate with their Korean-speaking clients abroad. Sign up for a Korean course and give your CV the competitive edge it needs to succeed when applying for a job at one of these companies!

Learn Korean for Studies: If are not actively job seeking but would like to study Korean at the University of Oxford instead, you will be pleased to learn you have several options. For starters, Korean may be studied at undergraduate level as a second language by students reading either Chinese or Japanese as their primary subject. Meanwhile, at graduate level, students can enrol in the dedicated MSt in Korean Studies. However, prospective students must know Korean to an intermediate level or higher. So, if you need to improve your Korean or pass an accredited exam to demonstrate your current level, contact us today and we will help you prepare for this exciting programme at one of the world’s most coveted and celebrated universities.

Learn Korean for Social: Whether you want to learn Korean for work or study, is the best way to improve outside of lessons is to make new friends with whom you can practise your new Korean skills. One such place where you can do this easily is with the Language Exchange in Oxford, a group where you can find language exchange partners in the city to practise and improve your Korean. The group plans various activities and games to help break the ice with your new learning partner and make the exchanges as fun and care-free as possible. And if all that conversation leaves you hungry, why not take your new friends to one of the many themed restaurants around the city? Such places include Jeong’s Dosirak on St Clements Street or The Bamboo on Market Street, where you can taste bulgogi and kimchi. Learn Korean with us at Language Trainers and you will be able to read and understand their Korean menus without having to take a look at the English translation! Also, the Oxford University Korea Society, a non-profit organisation open to non-students, was founded to promote friendly cultural exchange between Korea and the city of Oxford. Every Friday, they hold Society Drinks in a themed bar to enable members to have conversations in Korean while meeting new people. Better still, you don’t have to be a member of the organisation to attend! You can also join the Oxford Korean Culture Day, held on October 14 2023 in Fitzhugh Auditorium on Walton Street, where you can enjoy multiple events such as traditional games and K-Pop performances.

Where to Learn Korean in and around Oxford

Are you ready to get started? We personalise and adapt our Korean courses to suit your learning style and preferences. Just contact us and we will send one of our native-speaking instructors to your home, office or a public place of your choosing. For example, some great places to study Korean in the city are the Oxford Public Library on Pontiac Street, Art Café at 14 New Road or The Grand Café at 84 High Street.  

And if you are not living in downtown Oxford but in a surrounding area and want to take a language course with us, then get in touch still. We can provide you with a Korean instructor in Abingdon, Didcot, Faringdon, Aylesbury, Bicester and Carterton, among many other locations.

Find out more about our language programmes! Let’s go, 가자 (ga ja)! And if you are not an absolute beginner to the language, you can take our free online Level Test. With this information, we can gauge your current ability and then design an appropriate course for you!