Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jurassic82]

I want to know if any of you have been in a similar situation that I am in now. At my school we have just finished the fall term. I arrived last July and to make a long story short I was plagued by many of the problems that newbies encounter (no training, last minuteness, bad textbooks...) At my school there is one other foriegn teacher who will be quiting at the end of January. My boss has been having a hard time trying to find a replacement. Anyways at my school enrollment has dropped in half for this next winter camp. We have about 70 students with Three Korean teachers and one other foreign teacher. My boss yesterday took me into her office and had a long talk with me. She basically told me that I was doing a poor job with the writing classes saying that I didn't assign enough homework. Along with that she complained that I didn't do enough to make sure the kids did their homework and for some reason the parents were angry with me and wanted someone else to teach them. For the class we were given speaking books not writing books so it wa rather hard to put together a class. She also yelled at me for not disciplining the kids in the class and how many times the class was in chaos. The truth is that I often had her or the secretary come into the class to talk to the kids but what would usually happen is that they would have a short laugh and then nothing would be solved. Other times the kids would complain about me and the director would often take their side. She basically put a lot of the blame on me that enrollment had dropped and not on the fact that she has done a poor job. She told me that if things didn't change that I would be let go. It sounds like a lot of BS considering the other teacher is leaving and they can't find a replacement. I am under the assumption that she is just trying to pressure me to work harder by scaring me. To be honest I have had enough and want out but I also want what is promised to me at the end of my contract (Severence and airfare). I would appreciate any advice you guys would have or stories about similar sitautions.

[ED209]

Do you really want to hang on till july just for severance and airfare?
It's been said before, getting fired is the best thing that could happen.
Don't let her criticisms get to you. Her ship is sinking and she's trying to get it in order, the korean way( Blaming everyone else)

[wylies99]

OP- I've heard EXACTLY the same crapola speeches from stupid/lousy directors since I first set foot in Korea- and so have many others.


She's full of it.

Getting fired will free you to find a teaching job at a better school.

[spyro25]

enrollment generally has very little to do with you. if the parents dont like the boss, think they are paying too much, or another 'brand' hagwon has opened up nearby then these are the usual reasons for a student changing. its a typical korean wongjangs practice to put all the blame on the native speaker. if she/he was doing their job correctly and putting money into marketing their hagwon properly then your enrollment numbers would be on the rise.

let him/her know this, then leave when they fire you, making sure to get your severence and LOR in the process, or just don't give a **** about what they say and finish your contract, and get your severence then.

the fate of the school is NOT your responsibility - if it was, then you might as well be the owner.

never take your work home with you.

[Adventurer]

I would not hang around for the severance unless this is your last year in Korea. It sounds like an abusive environment. Save up enough money for the airfare and ask for a release. Does your contract say you can give a 45 day notice. Tell her, when you have the cash, that you understand she is not happy, and you are not either, and you want her to find a replacement and get a release letter saying you can leave at so and so time. Did your boss advertise her hagwon? Probably not. Korean parents often don't care about the speaking component because they cannot really see speaking; they can only see writing. Furthermore, Korea, as you know, is still too geared to passing a TOEIC exam to get into a company. Whether you really know how to use the English you supposedly know is another matter all together. I wouldn't want to be there for six months and feel like an indentured servant. Save the money, and if you have it already ask for a release letter since she doesn't find you good enough.

[spyro25]

put ear plugs in whenever your director is around. she'll get the point quickly enough. she HAS to pay you that severence and airfare, and there really isnt much chance at all she will fire you (it looks much worse to the parents in that case)

[qcat79]

i just got out of a very similar situation. the boss loves to blame the native speakers without any regard of any other factors. i was let go from a job a while back because i was too harsh on the students (apparently). so i thought i would go into the new job and be a little softer. NO. the new director didn't like it. she said i needed to be tougher. then i was too tough. it's always something and you end up being the scapegoat. why? because you're the vulnerable one in the foreign country. it's a really A-hole way to do things, but that's how they work it over here. it used to be that the parents of today's kids would get slapped when they acted out of line in class. it seems that today's parents don't like that method and now there's chaos in many of the classrooms and the teachers have no power. i really did believe before i came over here that the students would be better than american children. WRONG!! at least not in the hagwons. i can't say for the public schools though.

good luck

[spliff]

Write the names down of all the students who didn't do their homework and give it to your boss after each class, and let her sort it out...not your responsibility! Frankly, writing classes are BS unless the students are serious which 85% of them...are NOT!

[Adventurer]

[jajdude]

Koreans blame foreigners for everything.

If you wanna bail do it, no notice, god no, you will lose money, the boss will steal from you and it's a pain. Distorted as it sounds the boss really believes it's your fault things are not going better for her. Not an ounce of self-criticism has ever entered her dim awareness of how poorly she has performed.

[Bukowski]

In all fairness from what you said, isn't possible that you just aren't a very good "teacher"?

I'm not about kicking a guy when he is down, but you started off by:

1) saying you didn't receive any training
2) blaming the text books
3) admitting you had no control over your students
4) admitting that your students complained about you
5) acknowleding that you haven't been checking the homework properly

Though there are sure to be other issues, like the parents not liking you, the bottom line is enrollment is way down. You most certainly play a major part in that equation (denying that is a complete abdication of your influence in the classroom). Those that say otherwise are just being ignorant, kind, or both.

If you were well-liked by your students, you wouldn't be having discipline problems and your kids wouldn't be talking trash about you to your boss. If you had teaching experience, you wouldn't have needed training and you could have adapted the material in the book

If shortly after your arrival, the school had been rocking, enrollment had increased, and parents were lining up outside the hagwon door to enter their kids, wouldn't you take some credit?

Likewise, since shortly after your arrival, things have gone poorly, don't you think it is reasonable to do seem self-reflecting and hold yourself accountable for your inexperienced choices in the classroom?

In the beginning, your boss was decent enough to hire you and give you a chance. The other day, she was fair enough to call you in for a meeting and explain the obvious to you. Now, what are you going to do?

You can listen to the inept and bitter on this forum in an attempt deceive yourself (it's definitely the easier road to take in life...but there is no truth to be found down that path), or you can show a bit of pride and do your best to turn things around.

This is all your call. Whatever you decide, please don't become like so many before you that blame the "other" for their predicament.

If you just want to runaway and get a fresh start, have the courage and decency to be honest with your boss about it. However, remember that you can't run away from yourself. If you do get another position, you may encounter the same problems again (hence the existence in the belief that Korean bosses are "bad" by those that continue to deny their culpability to their own mess).

Good luck.

AC

[wylies99]

[wylies99]

[Son Deureo!]

Bukowski does have a point in that the OP pointed out some of his own weaknesses as a teacher, and that there is nothing wrong with a little self-reflection and trying to do better. We should all be doing the best we can for our students.

It's also a serious mistake to turn to the boss or Korean staff for help with discipline except as an absolute last resort. It tells your students that they don't really need to listen to you, and it broadcasts to your Korean coworkers that you can't control your classroom. As you've also learned the hard way, Korean staff usually won't actually back you up, either. You'll be much better off setting your own rules and enforcing them yourself.

OP, I seriously doubt that you're responsible for the nosedive in your school's enrollment. Students come and go constantly, and we're just one factor in the equation. Vacation plans, competition from other schools, and kids needing to study things other than English can all lead kids to drop out of their English hogwon. The boss knows this, but thinks that trying to blame you will motivate you to work harder, even though all it's doing is pissing you off.

I don't blame you for this one bit, but you'd better get used to this sort of BS if you plan to keep teaching in Korea. If enrollment were up and the parents were singing your praises on a daily basis the boss would still be telling you how much you suck because they really think that will make you want to try even harder.

If all the boss is doing is telling you that you're a crappy teacher, it's honestly not worth quitting over. Your next boss will also find reasons to tell you how much you suck. The only way to avoid it is to stop working in Korea.

In the meantime, my best advice to you is to follow Son Deureo!'s patented four step plan for surviving the contradictory and counterproductive advice from Korean bosses:

1) Nod
2) Smile
3) Say "I'll do my best!"
4) Ignore everything the boss just told you and keep doing the best you can for your students.

[jajdude]

"In the beginning, your boss was decent enough to hire you and give you a chance."


"My boss has been having a hard time trying to find a replacement."