From ESL to Tech: 3 Teachers Who Made the Pivot

Real Stories from Expats Who Rebuilt Their Futures in Korea

If you're teaching ESL in Korea and wondering whether this is all there is — you're not alone.

Thousands of smart, motivated expats come to Korea hoping for adventure, but many end up stuck in the same cycle: low pay, limited career growth, and annual visa stress. But it doesn’t have to stay that way.

At Habsida, we’ve worked with dozens of teachers who have made the transition from ESL to careers in tech — even with zero technical background to start. Here are three of their stories.

Daniel: From Burned Out Hagwon Teacher to Junior Developer

Before: 4 years in Korea teaching elementary-level English, working nights and weekends at a hagwon. "I hit a wall — I couldn’t imagine doing another year of phonics worksheets."

Pivot: Daniel joined Habsida’s beginner web development program and started building small web apps within 3 months.

After: He now works remotely for a Seoul-based fintech startup as a junior front-end developer. “I still can’t believe I go to cafés with my laptop and that is my job now.”

“I didn’t think I could learn to code. Turns out teaching made me a great explainer — and that’s 90% of writing good code.”

Lisa: Curriculum Developer Turned UX Designer

Before: A university lecturer in Incheon, Lisa loved helping students but hated the contract instability. She also wanted to move back to the U.S. but didn’t want to start from scratch.

Pivot: With a background in structuring lessons, Lisa leaned into UX/UI design. She found the overlap between pedagogy and user flows surprisingly natural.

After: Lisa now works with an edtech company building onboarding experiences for new learners.

“The feedback loops I used in class are now part of my design process — it’s still teaching, just in a different format.”

Alex: Visa Anxiety to Data Analytics

Before: Alex was teaching business English and facing constant stress about his E2 visa renewal. He wanted a stable future but didn’t know where to begin.

Pivot: He started Habsida’s beginner data course, and leaned into his comfort with spreadsheets and tracking student scores.

After: Alex now works for a Korean recruiting firm, using data to match global talent with local startups.

“I went from worrying about my visa to having companies reach out to me. It was a mental 180.”

Why It Worked

These stories aren’t unicorns. What they share in common:

• A clear, structured pathway out of ESL
• A support system that understood their expat context
• Projects and portfolios that were career-relevant
• A belief that their teaching skills weren’t wasted, just ready to evolve
• Each mentor has first-hand experience with the expat journey and shares only relevant, real-world insights.

Feeling Stuck? Here’s What to Do Next

👉 Download the free 2025 ESL-to-Tech Career Guide

👉 Schedule a free intro call with Habsida’s coaching team

👉 Explore beginner-friendly tracks: Frontend, UX/UI, Data

Change doesn’t come from wishing. It starts when you make your first move — and we’ll walk with you every step of the way.