Korean Job Discussion Forums

[eman]

Hey, I am an original Korean born in Korea who came to America as a youth and was thinking of going back to visit as an English teacher!

I was talking to an elder Korean friend the other day about this and he discouraged me from doing that because he said I was Asian and they were looking for "foreign looking" teachers! Btw, I've lived here for decades and have had plenty of practice speaking English.

So what does that mean? Does that make Koreans prejudiced against "Koreans" when in comes to teaching English in Korea?

Ridiculous!


(You MAY expect me to defend my homeland since i am originally from there) but please consider my argument.

To me, people from America calling Koreans racist is like a Catholic priest judging its parishners because they are not religious enough. Or like Jesus not wanting to eat with the sinners... Not that I am equating Koreans with sinners, now !

Please consider you've had it good here in America, the birthplace of civil rights movement, where people can get fired for even "thinking" a racist thought, and millionaires like Kramer has to apologize for some "heat of the moment" off-the-wall racist remarks. And you get these types of messages hammered into your brains every day- in the media, school, church, etc.

And you have the African American Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish, and even one for the terrorists!


I grew up here in America, and I am "NOT" racist. And most
if not "ALL" Asians i see in America (for sure, the second generations) are anything but racist, becaue they too had the benefit of this type of cultural education. So it's not a racial thing or particular to any nation! And to think that racism is itself racial seems a bit racial to me!


So it seems a bit hypocritical of you all to me, and kind of prideful even, of you guys to be comming down hard on Asians in general or Koreans, who btw just got out of an internal civil war only some 30-40 years ago and been basically busy trying to make a living and make it as a society. And more power to them!


I think America and Americans "should" perhaps be held to a higher standard where it comes to things like this. And I mean Americans, not Whites or Blacks, but Americans with all the colors in between!

(Of course, i don't excusing racism of any sort anywhere, but do cut them a break.)

Moreover, most of these accusations are definitely one-sided, and you are getting only one side of the story. You are not getting the story from the Koreans' side. Perhaps these so called teachers, whoever are complaining so vehemently were and are jerks and have racist eyes, seeing all Asians as racist to begin with.

Can I remind you it was Americans and Europeans who started the cultural stereotype of slanted eyed Asians as being evil? This is not true, it is mere stereotype deliberately started for personal and historical reasons.


So give them a few more years... Perhaps in a few years they will be teaching you a thing or more regarding racism and justice and fair play...

[mehamrick]

Does this confuse the hell out of anybody else?

Is he angry at Koreans or Americans?

[laogaiguk]

[Chicoloco]

I'm guessing that with a username like "E" man, he might have just popped a few before coming up with that load of drivel.

[inverse_narcissus]

Bloody hell. It's like he started off with a question and then launched into a rant about racism, the crazy mofo.

To answer your original question, OP, I've seen at least 2 Korean-American teachers (oops, one was Korean-Australian) who both teach ESL here in Korea. They do get some funny looks sometimes (on account of looking Korean but speaking English) but they live ok, to the best of my knowledge. The only thing I'll say is that your Korean had better be pretty up to scratch - as a Korean native, it'll be expected of you (among the locals) to be able to speak well.

[spliff]

[mj roach]

There are jobs listed for Korean American only; Is that equally "racist"?

[hubba bubba]

It's awesome when people who haven't been in Korea "for decades" try to tell me what it's like to live here.

[willneverteachagain]

MOST SCHOOLS WITH NOT HIRE U BECAUSE U LOOK ASIAN

[Saxiif]

Here's hoping they start discriminating against people who are incapable of writing coherently.

[Pak Yu Man]

I have a question. I walk into the maternity ward. Sit down next to my wife, hold her hand and another Korean husband gives me an evil look.

In the past I've walked downtown in different cities. Korean men would see us and walk up to us and tell me I can't hold my wife's hand. Koreans for Koreans. Yet they marry outside their race???

Racism? I've seen it. I've dealt with it.

So what exactly are you saying OP. Koreans are racist? They aren't? Yanks are racist??? Or they're not?

[English_Ocean]

[CasperTheFriendlyGhost]

[Fresh Prince]

[poet13]

"One of those types of arguments that you give up reading after the 1st paragraph and scroll down to check out the flames... "

Yeah, I too got as far as "ridiculous".