외국인 인턴들, 한국 직장 문화에 충격
2014-02-02 15:11
외국인에게 한국의 위계적인 사내문화에 적응하는 것은 힘든 일일 것이다. 서울시립미술관에서 인턴으로 일하고 있는 중국인 유 정씨와 스위스인 마리 타라키씨는 독특한 한국의 사내문화 적응에 어려움을 겪고 있다고 말했다.
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| 서울시립미술관 본사에서 외국인 학생 인턴으로 근무중인 유정(왼쪽)과 타라키 마리(코리아헤럴드 박해묵 기자) |
“한국의 사내문화에 적응하기가 참 어려워요. 선배들과 후배들 사이에는 엄격한 위계질서가 잡혀있기 때문에 상사분들을 올바르게 대하는 것이 정말 중요한 것 같아요”라고 그는 최근 코리아헤럴드와의 인터뷰에서 말했다.
유씨와 타라키씨는 서울시에서 주최하고 있는 ‘글로벌 인턴십 프로그램’에 참가하게 되었고 현재 서울시립미술관 본부에서 근무중이다. 서울시는 서울소재 대학(원)에 재학중인 다양한 외국인 유학생들을 선발, 서울시청 및 산하기관에 배치하여 공무원들과 7주 간 일할 수 있는 기회를 제공하고 있다.
유씨와 타라키씨는 모두 한국어를 능숙하게 구사하지만 한국 사내문화를 경험하고, 자신들의 외국어 능력을 서울시에 기여하고자 이 프로그램에 참여하게 되었다고 말했다.
그러나 이 둘 인턴은 실제 한국 조직에 들어가서 일하는 것은 생각보다 힘든 일이었다고 말했다.
한국의 기업 문화는 위계질서가 상당히 강하고 수직적인 편이다. 나이와 직급이 올라갈수록 사내에서 부여되는 권한도 함께 상승한다. 직급은 곧 권위를 상징하기에 일반적으로 상사를 대할 때 적합한 호칭을 주의 있게 사용하는 것은 매우 중요하다고 할 수 있다. 그렇지 못할 경우 간혹 무례하다는 오해를 살 수 있기 때문이다.
현재 연세대학교 국어국문학 대학원 과정을 밟고 있는 유씨는 상사들과 선배들을 올바르게 대하고 호명하는 것에 있어서 늘 고민이 된다고 했다. “누가 어떤 직급 및 위치에 계신 것인지 잘 모르기 때문에 혼돈을 피할 겸 모두 다 ‘선생님’이라고 부르고 있어요”라고 덧붙였다.
유씨에게는 인사하는 일 마저 늘 어려운 일상이다. “하루에도 몇 번씩이나 상사 및 직원 분들을 마주하기 때문에 인사하는 것도 어렵고 매번 인사 드려야 할지, 또 어떻게 인사해야 할지 헷갈려요” 라고 유씨는 말했다.
하지만 졸업 후 한국에서 취업하고 싶어하는 유씨에게 이런 과정도 도움이 되고 있다. “인턴제도를 통해 미리 한국 직장에서 일해보는 것은 좋은 훈련인 것 같아요”라고 유씨는 말했다. 유씨는 중국에서 학부생으로써 한국어를 전공하였고 한국어 및 한국 문화에 대해 더 배우고 싶어서 2년 전 한국으로 오게 되었다.
타라키씨도 위계적인 한국의 기업문화에서 불필요한 오해를 사지 않도록 노력을 기울이고 있다. 그녀가 인턴으로써 겪는 가장 어려운 점은 실수로라도 무례하게 말하거나 행동하지 않도록 늘 노력하는 것이다. 현재 한국인 어머니와 스위스인 아버지 밑에서 태어난 타라키 씨는 대학생이 되면서 처음으로 한국에서 살게 되었고 졸업 후 한국에서 취업할 준비를 하고 있다.
유럽에서 자란 타라키씨에게 또 하나의 어려움은 한국의 집단문화에 적응하는 것이었다. 많은 것들을 다같이 하려는 공동체 의식이 강한 한국문화에 대해 타라키씨는 “점심시간에도 늘 모두와 함께 하는데 가끔은 혼자 조용하게 있고 싶을 때도 있었다”라고 심정을 밝혔다.
인턴들이 외국인인 만큼 다소 헷갈릴 수 잇는 한국어 표현이 초래하는 우스운 일들도 가끔 있었다고 한다. “일 하고 있는데 뒤에 앉으신 ‘선생님’께서 저를 부르셔서, ‘유정씨, 잠깐만요’라고 하시길래 전 잠깐 있으라 말씀하시는 줄 알고 제가 하고 있던 작업을 잠깐 멈추고 기다렸죠. 몇 초 후 다시 ‘유정씨 잠깐만요’ 하셔서 돌아봤더니 저한테 잠시 그쪽으로 오라고 손짓을 하시고 계셨어요. 그때부터 전 ‘잠깐만요’ 가 잠시 이리 와달라는 뜻도 있다는 것을 알게 되었어요”라고 유씨는 웃으며 말했다.
이런 사소한 실수를 제외하면 두 외국인 인턴들은 주어진 업무를 능숙하게 해나가고 있었다. 그들은 서울시립미술관의 4군데 지점들을 직접 다니면서 현 전시회들에 대해 자료 조사 및 분석을 하고 다양한 해외 소셜 미디어 매체를 통하여 외국인들에게 미술관 소식을 알리고 있다.
유씨는 중국의 인기 소셜 미디어 웹사이트 시나 웨이보에 첫 서울시립미술관 중국어 공식 페이지를 개설하고, 웨이보 페이지와 웨이보에 연결된 개인 블로그를 통하여 미술관의 각 전시에 대한 자세한 설명 및 개인적인 소감을 공유하는 일을 하고 있다.
타라키씨 또한 세계적으로 유명한 블로그 제공 시스템인 워드프레스의 개인 블로그를 통해 유씨와 비슷하게 미술관 소개 및 관련 정보 공유를 하고 있다. 영어와 이탈리아어에 모두 능통한 타라키씨는 이탈리아어와 영어로 게시물을 작성하고 있다.
유씨는 “이런 작은 노력들로 인하여 중국과 한국이 서로를 좀 더 잘 이해하고 양국의 거리감이 조금이나마 좁혀질 수 있다면 현재 인턴으로써 하는 일들이 충분히 가치 있는 일이라고 생각해요”라고 말했다.
(코리아헤럴드 손지영 인턴기자 jiyoung.sohn@heraldcorp.com)
<관련 영문 기사>
Foreign interns face Korean office culture shock
Seoul Museum of Art foreign student interns say hierarchy is top sticking point
For foreigners joining the Korean workforce for the first time, addressing seniors and coworkers properly can be a major challenge. That is how Liu Jing, 24, from China and Mary Tarakey, 24, from Switzerland felt when they started interning at the Seoul Museum of Art headquarters in Seoul.
“It was really difficult to adjust to this kind of working atmosphere. There is a strict hierarchy between seonbaes (seniors) and hubaes (juniors), so you have to make sure to adjust properly to those who are above your position,” said Tarakey, a senior undergraduate student at Hanyang University. “It is very difficult for me.”
The two are working as interns at the museum under the Seoul Global Internship Program, sponsored by the Seoul Metropolitan Government since 2008. Through the program, foreign students enrolled in a Korean university experience working at public institutions alongside Korean civil servants for seven weeks.
Liu and Tarakey applied for the program because they wanted to experience Korean working culture and contribute their skills and talents where needed. Both speak Korean fluently. Liu is a native Chinese speaker, while Tarakey speaks Italian as her mother tongue and also can speak English as well.
“Something I still struggle with is figuring out what to call my seniors. Since I don’t know everyone’s titles or positions, I would just refer to everyone as ‘teacher’ in hopes of showing respect towards anyone and everyone,” said Liu, a graduate student majoring in Korean language and literature at Yonsei University.
In Korea, hierarchy is the defining basis of relationships, particularly in the workplace where one’s emotional authority rises with position and age. Therefore, addressing someone by his or her job title or position is important because title indicates status. If seniors are not addressed by juniors in a way that fits his or her position, the senior may feel offended or unjustly inferior.
“The most difficult part of the internship is always making sure that I am not rude. … It can be quite a burden,” added Tarakey, who is searching for jobs in Korea. Born to a Korean mother and Swiss father, she grew up in Switzerland until she entered Hanyang University.
“Even greeting people is difficult because we meet them several times a day and don’t know whether to bow or greet them every time or not,” Liu said. “I think the internship is good training for a future job here.” Liu majored in Korean during her undergraduate studies in China before coming to Seoul two years ago to further study the Korean language and culture. She hopes to work here upon graduation.
For Tarakey, the collectivist nature of Korean culture has been another difficulty at work: “Always having to be with all the coworkers during lunchtime was hard. I noticed that Koreans like to create groups and do things together, but sometimes I just want to go to a quiet place and be all by myself.”
There were also small humorous instances of miscommunication. “A ‘teacher’ who sat behind me called me over saying, ‘hold on’ in Korea. So I simply stopped working and waited. After a few seconds, she called me again and said, ‘Liu Jing-ssi (Ms. Liu Jing), hold on.’ I turned around and saw that she was motioning for me to come over. That’s when I realized ‘hold on’ also meant ‘come over,’” Liu said.
Nonetheless, the interns said they have been successfully carrying out their assigned duties. Their work includes searching and gathering information about SEMA and different exhibits at its four branches, and sharing that information with non-Koreans via social media platforms.
Liu launched SEMA’s first official page in Chinese on Sina Weibo, a popular Chinese social networking site. She also runs a personal blog linked to the Weibo page that shares details about SEMA, current exhibitions as well as her personal reflections.
“I was managing a personal blog that introduces Korea and Korean culture to Chinese friends and visitors, even before I started my internship at SEMA,” Liu said. “Still, it was difficult to start an ‘official’ Weibo webpage for the museum from scratch.”
Tarakey publicizes similar information about SEMA via her blog on Wordpress, one of the world’s most popular blogging systems in use today. Her posts are written in both English and Italian.
“For now, we don’t get much traffic on our websites since they are new and not many people know about it,” said Liu. “However, if we could make a small contribution in lessening the gap between China and Korea and helping the two nations understand each other better, I think it is meaningful.”
By Sohn Ji-young, Intern reporter (jiyoung.sohn@heraldcorp.com)
Foreign interns face Korean office culture shock
Seoul Museum of Art foreign student interns say hierarchy is top sticking point
For foreigners joining the Korean workforce for the first time, addressing seniors and coworkers properly can be a major challenge. That is how Liu Jing, 24, from China and Mary Tarakey, 24, from Switzerland felt when they started interning at the Seoul Museum of Art headquarters in Seoul.
“It was really difficult to adjust to this kind of working atmosphere. There is a strict hierarchy between seonbaes (seniors) and hubaes (juniors), so you have to make sure to adjust properly to those who are above your position,” said Tarakey, a senior undergraduate student at Hanyang University. “It is very difficult for me.”
The two are working as interns at the museum under the Seoul Global Internship Program, sponsored by the Seoul Metropolitan Government since 2008. Through the program, foreign students enrolled in a Korean university experience working at public institutions alongside Korean civil servants for seven weeks.
Liu and Tarakey applied for the program because they wanted to experience Korean working culture and contribute their skills and talents where needed. Both speak Korean fluently. Liu is a native Chinese speaker, while Tarakey speaks Italian as her mother tongue and also can speak English as well.
“Something I still struggle with is figuring out what to call my seniors. Since I don’t know everyone’s titles or positions, I would just refer to everyone as ‘teacher’ in hopes of showing respect towards anyone and everyone,” said Liu, a graduate student majoring in Korean language and literature at Yonsei University.
In Korea, hierarchy is the defining basis of relationships, particularly in the workplace where one’s emotional authority rises with position and age. Therefore, addressing someone by his or her job title or position is important because title indicates status. If seniors are not addressed by juniors in a way that fits his or her position, the senior may feel offended or unjustly inferior.
“The most difficult part of the internship is always making sure that I am not rude. … It can be quite a burden,” added Tarakey, who is searching for jobs in Korea. Born to a Korean mother and Swiss father, she grew up in Switzerland until she entered Hanyang University.
“Even greeting people is difficult because we meet them several times a day and don’t know whether to bow or greet them every time or not,” Liu said. “I think the internship is good training for a future job here.” Liu majored in Korean during her undergraduate studies in China before coming to Seoul two years ago to further study the Korean language and culture. She hopes to work here upon graduation.
For Tarakey, the collectivist nature of Korean culture has been another difficulty at work: “Always having to be with all the coworkers during lunchtime was hard. I noticed that Koreans like to create groups and do things together, but sometimes I just want to go to a quiet place and be all by myself.”
There were also small humorous instances of miscommunication. “A ‘teacher’ who sat behind me called me over saying, ‘hold on’ in Korea. So I simply stopped working and waited. After a few seconds, she called me again and said, ‘Liu Jing-ssi (Ms. Liu Jing), hold on.’ I turned around and saw that she was motioning for me to come over. That’s when I realized ‘hold on’ also meant ‘come over,’” Liu said.
Nonetheless, the interns said they have been successfully carrying out their assigned duties. Their work includes searching and gathering information about SEMA and different exhibits at its four branches, and sharing that information with non-Koreans via social media platforms.
Liu launched SEMA’s first official page in Chinese on Sina Weibo, a popular Chinese social networking site. She also runs a personal blog linked to the Weibo page that shares details about SEMA, current exhibitions as well as her personal reflections.
“I was managing a personal blog that introduces Korea and Korean culture to Chinese friends and visitors, even before I started my internship at SEMA,” Liu said. “Still, it was difficult to start an ‘official’ Weibo webpage for the museum from scratch.”
Tarakey publicizes similar information about SEMA via her blog on Wordpress, one of the world’s most popular blogging systems in use today. Her posts are written in both English and Italian.
“For now, we don’t get much traffic on our websites since they are new and not many people know about it,” said Liu. “However, if we could make a small contribution in lessening the gap between China and Korea and helping the two nations understand each other better, I think it is meaningful.”
By Sohn Ji-young, Intern reporter (jiyoung.sohn@heraldcorp.com)
