By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
What do you imagine when you think of an English lecturer earning billions of won a year?
Considering the lucrative yet highly competitive English education market here, you may speculate the lecturer has a brilliant school background, majored in English or at least lived in an English-speaking country for a long time, and is very busy.
Earning more than one billion won ($666,000) annually in total from both teaching and other related work, Yoo Su-youn is a representative lecturer at the nation's largest English education chain YBM Si-sa.
She is very busy. Beginning her first class at 7 a.m., most days she continues working until midnight. She is one of a few lecturers who hire a schedule manager.
Defying prior expectations, however, Yoo graduated from a B-list provincial university and majoring in a non-English discipline. She lived overseas for only a couple of years to earn masters degree in business administration at Aston University in the United Kingdom.
``Many say my background is unique yet inferior to other lecturers,'' Yoo said. ``Ironically, however, my disadvantage-filled resume brought me success in this field.''
The 36-year-old lecturer said, ``I could be in the spotlight since I'm a rare female instructor in a male-dominant English education industry. And I could draw attention due to my inferior academic background.''
``To overcome these, I sleep less and study harder to provide what other instructors cannot give to my students,'' she said.
She stressed success lies in attitude, not in a well-equipped resume.
``It's an undeniable fact that in Korea education background is considered to be crucial. So I've seen so many students falling in despair while seeking jobs due to their inferior school background, compared with graduates of top universities,'' Yoo said. ``But what I want to tell them is if they were undervalued by companies due to their inferior backgrounds, that they should actively seek what embraces them and acknowledge their talent and potential.
That's the way to survive for those with inferior conditions here. But still many just blame companies for discriminating against them without seeking new ways.''
After earning her masters degree in business, she considered working at a Korean conglomerate but turned to the English education industry after analyzing herself.
``Then, I was at the age 30. My background was poor. Furthermore, with a glass ceiling, my success in an ordinary company seemed hardly achievable. That's why I tapped into English education that assesses an individual solely by their own capability.''
Describing herself as an aggressive and meticulous person, the Ulsan University professor said, ``I seamlessly try to make today the best day of my life. And I strongly believe today's efforts will serve as a stepping stone for me to achieve what I have never dreamed about,''