Teacher Interview

By Siwan Park

Ryan Richardson

English teacher of Gen.G Global Academy

Ryan Richardson, an English teacher from Melbourne, Australia, has been living in Korea for seven years and four months. Before coming to Korea, he was pursuing a Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology, but he decided to take a break and experience something new. “I wanted to take a break from my Master’s course at university, so I decided to come to Korea to experience the culture,” he explained. What began as a short break turned into a long-term journey of teaching, learning, and personal growth.

As an English teacher, Mr. Richardson finds great joy in observing how students learn and think. “Observing how people adapt to information is one of my favorite academic interests,” he said. “I like to push my students to see how they adapt to information, and how they can use that information to critically analyze the topic.” His thoughtful and analytical approach to teaching reflects his deep curiosity about learning itself.

Over the years, Mr. Richardson has also developed impressive Korean language skills. “I learned Korean mostly from listening to students interact with others, hanging out with my Korean friends, and chatting with my wife at home,” he shared. However, he admits that the language still presents challenges. “Some of the sounds, particularly 오, 어, and 으, can be difficult to separate when listening,” he said with a smile. His goal is to continue improving his Korean and to learn more about the country’s history and culture.

Outside the classroom, Mr. Richardson enjoys video games, with a particular fondness for Final Fantasy X. “My favorite character is Wakka because I love sports, and he represents a ‘sports star’ in the game. He plays a sport called Blitzball, which is one of the most enjoyable sidegames I have ever experienced,” he said. Though he rarely plays games with students, his passion for storytelling and interactive experiences often finds its way into his teaching style.

Mr. Richardson also mentioned that he used to play semi-professional soccer in Australia.
“I played as a goalkeeper for a team called Richmond Football Club,” he said.

Looking ahead, Mr. Richardson hopes to keep learning and growing. “I want to become fluent in Korean and learn more about its history,” he said. When asked if he had a message for his students, he offered a simple but powerful piece of advice:

“The most important thing in life is your happiness. Never betray who you want to be.”