By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
Many migrant wives struggle when settling here, but one of the more effective steps in smoothing their relocation is giving them the opportunity to make some contribution to the community, both the wives and ward officials said.
Roxanne Lorenzo, 35, from the Philippines, is enjoying life here more so now than in the past after she became an English instructor for her neighbors.
``I'm happy that my son is proud of his mother. He can now introduce his mother as an English teacher to his friends,'' Lorenzo said.
Lorenzo is a mother of two children, and has been living here for about 10 years. She suggested the government offer education not only to migrant wives to help them adjust to Korean society but also to Koreans to accept interracial or multicultural families as part of society. ``I think it is important for us to have a chance to contribute to society as a member.''
She was not a native English speaker but gained proficiency while working as a babysitter in Hong Kong before graduating from university. That helped her get a job as an English teacher at a cultural center in Jamsil, Songpa-gu, southern Seoul.
With interracial families increasing, the government has introduced various support programs for migrant spouses such as language classes and administrative services, seeing them as people who need care and support.
Now the Songpa Ward Office, where about 3,000 migrant wives reside, has launched a program to actively help them land jobs and contribute to the local community.
The ward office has been helping 12 migrant wives from the Philippines, China, Japan and Mongolia to become language instructors through teaching method classes.
The first successful ``graduates'' were Remedias Pancho Lee, 36, from the Philippines and Mika Yokoyama, 40, from Japan alongside Lorenzo.
Through this opportunity, Pancho can resume her profession as she used to teach English at an elementary school in the Philippines.
``As I can't speak Korean fluently and have a little son, I didn't even think about getting a job. But I'm so happy that I can teach again,'' she said.
According to the ward office, the language classes are very popular among residents such as housewives and young children in the district. Residents can enroll in a three-month course for just 15,000 won in tuition fees.
``It's just a beginning but we will expand the program to offer migrant wives a chance to get a job and for residents to take quality classes,'' a ward official said.
Yokoyama, who has been living in Korean for 12 years, said these days the government seems to offer better programs to assist multicultural families and their children at school.
But she said they still feel the lack of job opportunities while most multicultural families face financial hardship. They also said regulations and bureaucracy are still too pervasive.
``I was required to keep my passport at an immigration office for two months when I applied for Korean citizenship. And there was a lot of paper work to do. I think the government is doing a good job for people like us but they now need to come up with more practical support,'' she said.