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Korean Job Discussion Forums "The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
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sunlit
Joined: 14 Apr 2003 Location: Ilsan
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Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 3:17 pm Post subject: Kunsan/ Gunsan- Duke Academy owned by a Paul Ko/Go. |
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aso known as World Prep.
in the year+ that this place has been open, 3 foreign teachers have run, 2 korean teachers have quit after only a few months there. the one teacher that actually finished a contract was put through the ringer before being allowed to leave, and to this day, they're still talking alot of trash about him.
the main reason that this school is impossible to work at is the "director". he's petty, clueless, lazy, stubborn and completely unaware of what his role should be. he offers little to no help to his foreign staff ( me alone), ( not even providing information on how to get to the school on the first day). there is no discipline, horribly written books and a teacher's guide written mainly in korean. he and his wife will try to use the "caring christian" facade, don't believe any of their lies, they will totally disregard the contract stipulations and have no qualms about picking a fight and tossing a person out in the night.
my first week, the only other teacher did a midnight run. for a month i taught all the kids (~100). the director took his sweet time looking for a replacement teacher and was totally unconcerned about my exhaustion. i gave my 2 months notice ( as required in the contract, but was told to leave in a month). the next day the director deducts my plane ticket, gas electric and phone from my check ( none of the bills had even arrived yet and my last check was supposed to be in a month) and starts hassling me about signing everything right away. i called a cousin to come and help dcipher all this, while i was waiting for him, the director followed me from room to room telling me i'm a bad person, that i teach too much in korean, that my diploma is fake AND brought in the korean teachers to humiliate me as he went on and on, finally i just blew up and told him what i actually thought about him. i told him he should actually learn english before trying to teach it and that i taught in korean because the kids' level of english was horribly low (another hagwon director also told this to an ex student's mother). then i said that i am obviously a better judge of english competency than the he. I was manipulated and fired the night before a new teacher was due to come in for work. don't bother with this mess of a hagwon.
Last edited by sunlit on Tue Sep 30, 2003 3:23 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Mashimaro
Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Location: location, location
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Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2003 6:17 pm Post subject: |
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I don't know about the institute you are talking about, but I personally wouldn't want to live in Gunsan. It may have 100,000 or 200,000 people, but by korean standards its verrrrry small. I'm in Daejon and at 1.5 million people it still doesn't have as much entertainment & conveniences as I'd like.
Just a tip.. |
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andrew
Joined: 30 Jan 2003
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2003 9:01 am Post subject: |
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*****
Last edited by andrew on Fri Jul 21, 2006 8:07 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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captain kirk
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2003 9:11 am Post subject: |
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kunsan is a port city, and down south, with the further you get from seoul the further you are out in the 'boonies' aspect coming into play. that's if you want to live in this day and age and be readily understood for your differences as a foreigner. but if you want to learn about the heart of korea, confucianism, that's 'inescapable' down south. it's rural all around. port city, south, rural. it has a funky old korea architecture about it, like it has been there a while. nearby is a u.s. airbase, with f-16's flying out of it. near that base, which has been reduced in size in the last decades, i took my motorbike through the funkiest old g.i. brothel town which was like a ghost town of carnival sideshow type little bars and alongside of this was a residence area of little shack cottages for the ladies that once served in the bars. it was just like a wildwest ghost town/carnival arcade, with just a few people remaining. only toured through kunsan once. but it has the tough port town feel, the rural atmosphere, and the south of korea 'set in its ways' 'don't see many foreigners' mood about it. i don't imagine the once bustling air base with its 'entertainment' town offbase have set a positive trend for assessment of foreigners given conservative 'old korea' there'bouts. lived and worked in an even smaller place south of there two years which had strong in-built confucian long-held ideas about what's what which seemed not about to budge much. so you'll have to quickly figure out what's what among the ancient codes of conduct, which is a distinct and rigid course of mysterious 'obstacles' to the uninitiated. a considerable amount of restrictions based on preconceptions about 'foreigners'. for example dating korean women is signalled immediately by simply being seen WITH them, so any self-respecting woman just won't, since 'the town has ears'. saw some cool stuff, though. like a confucian school which was hundreds of years old, choson era. kind of like the momma of all hagwons looking totally ancient in weathered wood with a big old tree on its grounds you could see for miles. deep, righteous, retained TRADITION. unfazed, still remains, entrenched. down there were the old port cities on shipping routes from china, now just villages, but signs of old forts and the ancient trees to go with it. haunting down south. l |
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sunlit
Joined: 14 Apr 2003 Location: Ilsan
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2003 12:18 pm Post subject: Thanks! |
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Thank you all for your insight, especially Capt. Kirk, it was a very enlightening post. you shoulf write for fodor's |
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Broccoli
Joined: 28 Jul 2003 Location: Right foot in Limbo, left foot sliding somewhere darker.
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Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2003 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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Does anyone know whether the same goes for Hapcheon? There's a nify sounding opportunity there. I find myself torn between being in Seoul and finding a really rural position and really getting a heavy dose of the culture. I'm also attracted to the rural opportunities because of the cleaner air and because I assume that there will be more natural beauty in the sticks. Is that so? Does a smaller population mean that there's more opportunity to experience nature? |
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ajuma
Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Location: Anywere but Seoul!!
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2003 10:37 am Post subject: |
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Broccoli, teaching in a small town can be great! EVERYONE knows you...and what you do...and who you do it with... But if you can deal with that, I recommend a small town over Seoul. Seoul is good for those who want their experience to be as much like "home" as possible. Small towns...good for those with an adventurous soul! |
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Broccoli
Joined: 28 Jul 2003 Location: Right foot in Limbo, left foot sliding somewhere darker.
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2003 3:22 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks! I'll look more closely at the Hapcheon opportunity.
One thing I'm having trouble with is trying to figure out just how big various communities are. The guideline suggested above that you remove a zero from the population to get a sense of the size is pretty helpful.
Could someone suggest what is the easiest way to find the population of a town before contacting the school or recruiter who advertised the job? |
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TJ
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2003 11:16 pm Post subject: Kunsan |
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Many interesting replies, but no one has asked a most important question ................ Sunlit, how old are you ?
If you are a younger person then Kunsan may not be the best place for you. However, if you are one of the older generation, then Kunsan is worth a try. Not that Kunsan has many attractions BUT warm hearted, kind and generous people live all over Korea, not just in Seoul. I'm sure you will even find some of these in Kunsan
Even if you don't particularly like Kunsan, it's location makes it a good base for exploring the whole of the south west of Korea. So, don't write Kunsan off.
Incidentally, I don't live in Kunsan but I have a friend who does. |
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Broccoli
Joined: 28 Jul 2003 Location: Right foot in Limbo, left foot sliding somewhere darker.
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