Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cdninkorea]

One Friday at lunch the director of extra-curricular activities, which my program falls under, asks me if I wouldn't mind meeting the principal of the school for lunch the following Monday to help him practice English. I say this is no problem.

So that Monday I show up, and we eat lunch. I let her choose where we were to sit in the cafeteria, and she picked the worst possible place in the room: the table right next to where the students line up to get served, so the whole time I was bumped into as the students shoved and pushed each other (playfully; they weren't fighting) in line, and got the obligatory chorus of "hello"s. Not only was eating difficult with all this, but trying to communicate with this man, who speaks about as much English as I do Korean, was even more difficult.

Tuesday morning I was at my morning job (yes, legal), so I didn't get to school until the last ten minutes of lunch. Upon walking into the cafeteria I saw my principal looking very distressed; it turns out he had been waiting for me and had not eaten. The director who asked me to meet him in the first place was upset too- why had I not been there on time? I explained no one told me about Tuesday, only Monday, and as I have another job, I usually can't make it by noon. She insists she asked me to meet the principal from Monday, while I'm quite certain she said on Monday.

Anyway, I met with the principal later, and, through a translator, explained that I can't meet him for lunch most days, and that if he's really serious about learning English, I'd be happy to teach him, but that it has to be with textbooks, away from the hundreds of noisy children, and for overtime pay.

This kind of thing happen to anyone else?

[Roch]

[soju pizza]

I've noticed a recent trend in posting where public school teachers are having their lunch hours either taken away or somehow unreasonably controlled by administration.

[The_Conservative]

[CasperTheFriendlyGhost]

Why would you even put yourself in that position in the first place? Let the language leech get a teacher. or, like normal people, he could try to initiate a conversation with you the best he can when it's a convienent moment.

[Bibbitybop]

Do your best to work with him minimally and at your leisure. If you want, or if it cuts into your free time, ask him for overtime pay for each hour you meet with him. You are at a public school, aren't you? (sorry if I assume incorrectly) Overtime pay should be easy for them to do. 20,000 an hour is probably standard for you.

[ChopChaeJoe]

Why should a public school foot the bill for this guy's private lessons?