Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ratslash]

han's english academy near hwagok station. don't work here.
just been sacked. the reason? "i'm looking for a more kind teacher for my academy". click here for another han's academy story:
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=10024

she is a very strange person. i wish that i would have got her to define "more kind teacher" but i decided to not listen to any of her tripe and hung up the phone on her.

"more kind teacher"? hmmmm, oh, i know! the kind of teacher that lets the kids run the academy. the kind of teacher that lets kids speak korean over the top of what they are saying. the kind of teacher who doesn't discipline the kids when he or she is hit.

anyway, not to worry. plenty more work out there.

take care.

[ulsanchris]

ratlash can you provide some details on why your director wants you to be kinder teacher. Most hogwon directors don't like firing foriegners due to the expense.
Trying to instil some disipline hardly seems like a cause for dismissal. BTW your link didn't work.

[Austin]

Ratlash,

Take a step back. Instead of being so defensive about what she said and reacting with accusations that she is "strange." Try accepting what she told you, nothing more, nothing less. After all, it is her business and livelihood that she is trying to protect, and she obviously feels like she can do better than you.

Why would you condemn a person for wanting better for their kids and their business?

I am sure you might be reeling a bit from the news, but do not let this opportunity to reflect on your teaching pass you by (you are a better person than that).

Is being strict or taking yourself seriously really necessary when trying to create and maintain profitable classes for any Hagwon? If your kids had liked you, do you think you would have ever received such a call from your employer?

For what it is worth, it sounds like your employer knew you all to well. After all, had she thought you would have listened and followed her advice, she might have simply asked you to change. The fact that she just cut you free without an opportunity, indicates that she knew you would not listen to her.

Does it upset you that she was right (you hung up the phone on her without listening to what she had to say)?

Try improving how you relate to your students and on creating a better atmosphere for learning. The students running all over you speaks to your need to improve your classroom management techniques.

Good luck.

[philipjames]

Austin, what the *beep* planet are you living on? Profit or no profit, teacher's have the right to enforce order and discipline in the classroom. It's not the teacher's job to be kind. It's the teacher's job to educate and create an orderly environment that enables learning to take place.

Never have I heard such nonsense from an English teacher in Korea. Wise up.

[ulsanchris]

before anyone makes any more accusations either way i think it would be better to find out more information on what happened. SO Ratlash what did go down. Have you had other problems with your director?

[bjonothan]

After reading what he had posted before......It is probably a blessing in disguise. It sounds like she is only interested in money and not how things are going in the classes there. Try and get your release letter and put it down to a learning experience. Anyone suggesting that you did the wrong thing is WRONG!!!!!!!

[ratslash]

hey peeps. lets try and not turn this into another all about austin post. your thoughts have been taken board austin.

"Is being strict or taking yourself seriously really necessary when trying to create and maintain profitable classes for any Hagwon?"

i think it is necessary austin, yes. when i want to do a proper job and take the lessons seriously, and i can't do that because the students are talking korean over me, throwing erasers at each other and other such things, i feel the teacher needs to be strict or the students learn nothing.

nothing else has happened apart from that first incident that i mentioned with the young student which that link should take you to but apparently it doesn't. remember she made that kid apologise for hitting me, so she must have known that she, and the child, were in the wrong. she has been buying me lunch, snacks, getting me coffee on my breaks. not exactly the actions of someone who despises me.

maybe the students don't like me, but again that is no reason to sack me. i teach successfully at another school. no complaint about my teaching skill or class management there. i know i'm no super teacher, but i think that i do a good job, no-one has ever told me differently. and remember, she has never said that i was a bad teacher or had bad class management. just that she wanted a kinder teacher. i admit, hanging up on her was not the best action i could have taken, but i was not in the mood to listen to anymore of her tripe.

kind teacher or good teacher? i think i am both. she didn't think i was one of those so she sacked me.

[/i]

[sid]

Most likely explanation is she's a Man U fan and just got fed up with your constant talk of Diouf's improved form and how Kewell has brought balance to the team.

[Austin]

Philipjames,

I hate to break it to you, but a hagwon is all about profit. It is a business, and the "promise" of an education is merely the bate to get them in the door. Your job is to maintain the students you have and attract new students to your hagwon.

[Mosley]

Quotation: "[Korean]Kids are not evil."

Apparently, this poster live in the Korea that's in the ALTERNATE universe....

[Vollrath]

Wow I never thought Austin would make an agreeable point here, but lo and behold! Hogwans ARE all about profit, and they are also not about education, but the PERCEPTION of education. You know, you hit the nail right on the head. In fact, since my school was finally bought out by someone who actually has business sense, life has improved considerably.

In class, I do nothing except play games, talk to the kids, wrestle with them, and just generally ignore any semblance of "educating" since this is not the goal. Rather, the goal is to learn conversational english (well, and to make sure they're happy), right? So forget "teaching" and just talk to them. I've only been here a year now, but never have I heard the term "teacher" used so loosely. Teacher this, and teacher that. Riiiiiiight! I'm a glorified babysitter (at least where I work) and I'm fine with that. As long as they pay me. And all the kids love my school because they LIKE me. I'm their friend. Granted, they're all rich kids who have generally good manners to begin with, and I know there are kids in this game who can be quite rude and what not, but remember, this is just my two cents: forget being a teacher. Just get the kids to like you and then the school will like you. Teach them how to roll cigarettes if they're really that badass but do it in English. Please note that last comment was an exaggeration and not intended to be a launching point of anti-Vollrath emails and comments.

I sympathize with you (whoever started this post) for having a hellish classroom, but every time I've had potential terrors in my classes, whom I NEVER thought I'd win over, they've all turned out to be okay because I just don't do anything except have fun. Money makin' money money makin' dude. That's what it's REALLY all about.

[Arthur Fonzerelli]

good luck finding another gig...there aren't many out there right now...

[Austin]

Philip James,

I take it you have no response?

[some waygug-in]

Not everyone is well suited to be a kindy teacher. I for one, am not. I am not going to try and pretend to "know" the answers. I just want to say that I wish you good luck, and there are better places to work.

Maybe you should think about trying an adult school.

That is, if you don't run into some kind of problem with immigration or the labour board. Quite likely, you may have to leave Korea until the term of your contract is expired.

It's unfortunate. Sorry to hear of your situation.

Good luck