Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hugo_danner]

I've been teaching ESL for more than 10 years but never worked in a public school. I'm in an Elementary (and Middle School) in a podunk town north of Seoul. This is my first semester and here's what I've found:

The kids are generally very undisciplined as well as unmotivated. They run around and screaming and fighting inside, no one does anything to stop them. Just getting them to be quiet in class is sometimes a chore. Some of them are interested, but most don't care about studying, period(let alone English). Everything about this job screams "low priority!" Even the school bookkeeper has forgotten to pay me on time. I have to remind him.

Lots of spare time to develop material, I like to use PowerPoint to reinforce the piss poor book. I use it for displays as well and to model dialogues/surveys. We can use the books we want for the fairly dreadful After School Program. Some students are actually making progress and are interested. Everyone leaves me alone, but it also reinforces the "outsider" feeling I have. I've really become fond of some of the kids. Some of them are quite charming and nice.

Manditory summer camp is not my favorite thing, but the money helps. Overall, the pay is OK, but I'm seriously wondering if it's worth the headaches and all. Comments anyone?

[mehamrick]

I think this is really going to differ from school to school.. But my experience so far has been wonderful.. Much better than the hakwon experience. I am in an elementary school so that might help as well. Its not big city but not podunk country either (although my second school is) The kids are wonderful and for the most part willing and eager to learn. I love it so much I am going to stay another year.

Middle and High schools just sound like pure hormone hell..

[Smee]

The best part of my public school job has been the vacation. About 7 days last year at my hagwon, compared to over 9 weeks here. That's the biggest thing keeping me in the public school right now, although I've contemplated switching into a hagwon for more advanced students.

Aside from the vacation, I've been rather disappointed this year at my PS. I don't have the time to get all into it now. Some of my classes have gone well, but in general they've been quite hellish. I don't have the support of my coworkers, which means any chance of "coteaching" or getting them to help discipline students hasn't worked. As with most public schools, I don't see my students very often.

Because my area is phasing out native speakers, I am not very involved in the English program here. I don't teach any of the six English Club classes held during hte week (Korean teachers). I don't assist with English speaking or singing contests (homeroom teachers). I don't assist with making English posters or visual aides (homeroom teachers). And even when they asked me to proofread an English display for the first floor, they went ahead and posted the Konglish version instead of the one with my changes. And this is in a rural school with no English speakers beside myself, so you can imagine the results. Long rant, sorry, but the arrogance of many of the teachers here has made for an unpleasant term.

Anyway, as I mentioned before, it's given me a meta-awareness of how things are done. A little support would have been nice, and I think it would have made me a better teacher. I resigned to stay in the same area, basically because I wanted the opportunity to go home this summer (wouldn't really have that chance otherwise). By staying in Jeollanam-do I got more money and more vacation. I suspect I'll eventually go bakc to a hagwon, if I can find one that specializes in teaching advanced students or essay writing, and if I can find one with cmpetitive salary.

[xtchr]

[quote="Smee"]
Because my area is phasing out native speakers,

Really? Why is this?

[bosintang]

I've been asking myself this question, and I just decided the best thing to do is finish up the contract, move on, and let the experience speak for itself.

Some positives:
1) I think -- I hope -- if I can sell it, a public school will look better on my resume than hagwon work, and will help me get accepted for my Masters degree or lead into a decent job later on down the road.

2) It was sometimes challenging. Large classes, and like you said unmotivated and undisciplined students (in the routine sense, not the punishment sense), but I looked at it as a challenge.

3) It was a lot less stressful logistically than a hagwon. Paid on time, not being asked to do stupid things like pass out pamphlets or take part in whatever god-knows-what schemes hagwons like to dream up.

4) Lots of time for preparation, making new materials, etc.

5) My sentiments lie with the public education system.

Some negatives:
1) I didn't accomplish much. A public school job is truly a good job for someone who is lazy and has no ambition other than to be rewarded for just showing up. (Wait, I just described the entire EFL industry)

2) Even though it was less stressful than a hagwon, I also really don't matter as much either. They'll gladly replace me with any rinkydink warm English-speaking body without a second thought. I'm just paperwork.

3) I make less money than I would at a good hagwon and work (but not teach) more hours

4) It's drop dead boring after a few months. I have had to shake up my class routine, but it's not even the teaching -- I enjoy teaching and when I'm doiing it the day goes by fast -- it's the hours sitting in the office with Korean announcements droning overhead and lack of anyone fun to work with.

5) The dinners, the karaoke sessions, likewise, bore the hell out of me. Having fun in the Korean context seems so forced and tedious to me.

[Smee]

[quote="xtchr"]

[bosintang]

[quote="Smee"]

[manlyboy]

I've been at my school 3 years, and a lot of the 4th/5th/6th grade homeroom teachers are in agreement that the students coming through are getting harder and harder to control each year. There seems to be an unspoken consensus that "they're going to do it really tough in middle school so we should let them enjoy themselves while they still can". There are a minority of teachers here who instill a strong sense of discipline into the kids, but most homerooms I walk by look more like daycare centres than classrooms. Even after 3 years my jaw still drops at the things I see students get away with.

[bosintang]

[manlyboy]

[normalcyispasse]

I'm in a (private) elementary school. I worked in an academy for 15 months prior to this.

I am paid better and have more vacation at the elementary school, but every day I regret leaving my academy. I hate the elementary school not for the teaching, but for the godawful administration.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Oh, and I feel that my PS experience has been extremely worth while. I'm all signed up for a third year and the thought of relocating never even crossed my mind.

[Smee]

bosintang: I really have no idea. The plans have changed on an almost monthly basis since I've come here. I've seen statistics that project the number of foreigners Jeollanam-do plans to hire in the next five years, and the amount is set to double each year. (Not sure if that happened this year or not). They're also, according to the statistics, planning to greatly increase the number of foreigners in these English Towns. In small counties, I guess I understand their reasoning . . . there usually aren't enough classes to warrant keeping a foreigner at one school, and in many cases it's impractical to move him/her to tiny schools all over the county. But in the bigger cities like Mokpo or Suncheon or Yeosu, I just don't see any practical way to replace NS classes with English Towns (even though all three of these cities do have English Towns). There's beena lot of resistance to the Town, especially by principals and teachers. I'd suspect there'd be even more in a big city, where time with a foreigner is considered more valuable. Anyway, today's my last day . . . on to a middle school next month. Big paragraph.


There are times when I *gasp* really miss leaving the academy. At the time I considered most of my bosses to be real dumb-asses, and I found some of my coworkers irritating. It bothered me that we NSs were being marginalized and isolated, even in an English school. To this day some of those things bother me, and if I ran into my old boss on thestreet I probably wouldn't smile from ear to ear . . . but the problems I felt were, I realize now, endemic to education in Korea. I (and the homeroom teachers) go through all kinds of BS at this school, so it's really no different. I really miss my students, I miss the type of lessons I taught, and I sometimes miss my old apartment, haha.

But the vacation this year . . . I have to swallow my pride.

[rockstarsmooth]

this is my first term in a public school (high school), and it's definitely not everything i was expecting, both in positive and negative ways.
positive stuff:
i have coteachers, but they don't coteach. i plan the lessons, i teach the lessons. i have free reign. my coteachers are there to wield the stick and very occasionally translate if i ask them to.

i don't get asked to do extra classes. my schedule is set, there aren't any surprises.

i have some quite high level english speakers in my classes, lots of returnees, which is great because i can actually have conversations with some of my students. it's nice to be able to relate to them beyond the superficial pidgin english that is where many of my students are.

i get paid on time, i get paid fairly, there are never any mystery deductions.

there are lots of random school holidays. sometimes i get to go home early or not come in at all. i like those days.

negative stuff:
i am alone. i share an office with 3 other women and it's like i'm invisible. i get talked about quite a bit, but very rarely am i spoken to. if i am spoken to, it's to translate something, correct something, or speak on behalf of all waegs. this is something that infuriates me on a daily basis, and i work really hard to not let it get to me. this is the first job i've had in korea where i'm treated like such an outsider. the fact that they now use my name instead of just "waygook" when they talk about me is a minor victory. this also extends to my not being told about things like cancelled classes, rearranged schedules, or school events.

many of my students are apathetic. i can't blame them, they work their asses off far more than i do, and they don't even get grades for my class. i can see why they're unmotivated, but that doesn't make it any easier for me to get 40 teenagers engaged in what we're doing.

my coteachers, for the most part, have no concept of discipline. sometimes i have to go off on my class, especially one group in particular, and it would be nice to have some backup. except for one, all of my coteachers are women, and they are far too gentle on the students who misbehave. gentle, as in they do nothing.

one coteacher is a sadistic motherfucker. he is amazing with his bamboo stick. he is capable of taking a kid out from a metre away. and he does. he hits them for the slightest infraction, socks rolled down, legs crossed, knees touching the desk, unruly hair. there are tears at least once a class with him, but they all suck it up. when he's not hitting the boys, he cuddles them. he strokes their ears, runs his fingers through their hair, caresses them. i have seen him play with a boy's hair, get the kid relaxed, and then either yank it viciously until the boy cries, or smack him upside the head. i teach 2 classes a week with this guy and while they are definitely my most well-behaved classes, they are also my most wooden, as they are afraid to speak. there is an air of fear in the room when he walks in.

i have waaaay too much free time. i spend far too many hours doing sfa at my desk. i'm not allowed to leave the school during the day unless it's lunchtime. a parent may want to speak to me about their child. a teacher may need help with a grammar point. so i sit here, and nap, surf, read, chat, text...

my principal and vice-prinicpal are old-school sticklers for the rules. rules cannot be bent or broken. tomorrow is the first day of vacation and all teachers much join the mountain climbing/temple visit trip. sounds cool, but if for some reason i don't want to go, then i have to sit at my desk all day. we can't just have a day off. when summer started, all of the teachers were told that short sleeves were no longer allowed, suits only. i have also been told that i am too fashionable and must be a little more sedate. um, yeah. apparently professional and stylish are mutually exclusive terms.

whew. what a rant.
i have definitely determined that my next teaching job will be my last, unless this one absolutely drains me. i do know that i will not work in the public system again. adults only, uni or hogwan.
almost halfway through!
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