Korean Job Discussion Forums

[fromtheuk]

This is for the poster on this forum who had worked at the same school for 6 years and was asked repeatedly to prove her qualifications......

1) I agree, that is very shabby to say the least, to work at the same place for 6 years and to be asked to prove your qualifications again and again, that is ridiculous.

2) Each to their own, if you're sick of it and out of self-respect don't want to work in Korea any longer, that's understandable.

3) I have been here for almost 5 months at a public school. I think there is some truth in those who say when Koreans ask you to do something, if you accept it they will pile even more stuff on you, because they know you are likely to do it.

For example, at my school, last year the native teacher actually spent time making the material/resources by herself for English class. My co-teacher recently said to me she thought I also ought to make some resources.

I politely, but firmly explained I was employed to teach English, not make the materials. I said I was not the previous native teacher, and if she wanted to make materials that was up to her. I said I was different to the previous native teacher, we already had enough materials to use, and I would not make any materials because that was not what I was employed to do.

My co-teacher never suggested that again.

My co-teacher also once advised me my special classes need to be exciting because the school is paying me 20,000 won an hour.

I asked her if that was her money or the school's, to which she replied the latter. I explained to her she wasn't paying me overtime for special class but the school was. I also stated, as I have done many times before, I will try my best to make class as exciting as I can.

My advice is, sometimes at work, colleagues try to test you out or simply attempt to manipulate you.

And in my experience, the best thing is to 'put the ball in their court' every time, in Korea this approach has meant I do what I am supposed to do e.g. teach Engish, but I don't engage in any boot licking, office politics, and my school doesn't try to ask anything extra of me, because they probably know by now it's not going to work.

As regards proving my qualifications, I simply emailed my uni, the registry dept. sent me an email which confirmed I graduated when I said I did. If nothing comes back to me in the near future, which states that I need further evidence of my qualifications, and if I'm asked to prove my qualifications again, I will email the registry dept. again, wait for their reply and forward that email onto my co-teacher.

I personally can live with doing that repeatedly, even though I wouldn't like it.

It's true lots of teachers have had the hassle of trying to prove their qualifications, but in your case it's happened repeatedly, which is pathetic.

I personally would never resign unless I felt as angry about this as you clearly did.

I hope you like your new job.

[spliff]

[pkang0202]

Ok, most of the time its the Education Department that hands down the Edict "VERIFY YOU NATIVE TEACHER'S CREDENTIALS".

The school is NOT going to tell the Education Department "F-YOU! We don't need to."

Its called "Sh*t don't roll uphill." The Education Department says jump and the school says how high??? Don't get pissed off at your school for the education department's bureaucratic redtape.

I'm getting sick tired of this "Wah wah wah I have to verify my credentials. Boo hoo I'm so inconvenienced and offended." Go cry me a river someplace else.

[icnelly]

[fromtheuk]

Spliff - As regards what you think I am, it's sad to see an 'interesting' teacher like you has to resort to insults because you didn't like the tone of my post.

The point I was making is for some people teaching is a job, nothing more, nothing less. And if the kids find it exciting, that's good and if they don't, then that's not my problem.

I'm not employed to be exciting but to teach English. When this point is made, some 'very professional exciting teachers' (probably like Spliff) feel their authority has been undermined (not that they have any) or they seem to feel they have the right to look down on people who think like this.

I would suggest they wake up and realize in the real world some people do jobs because they are simply that, just a job. And that doesn't mean they are any less professional than those teachers who think they are hot when they are not.

I also said in my OP Spliff'...I will try my best to make class as exciting as I can.' I'm glad you're not my co-teacher, I suppose you'd want blood as well as sweat and tears!

To be honest, the way some of the kids behave at school, they should be thankful I even show up, let alone prepare something snazzy!

Spliff - Wow! A probable reference to marijuana. How, very interesting.....oh dear........ahem ahem

[Demophobe]

[pest2]

what the hell is this thread about, anyway????

[soju pizza]

[garykasparov]

[mrsquirrel]

[SuperHero]

[fromtheuk]

You're right, making lesson plans involves making materials. But my co-teacher suggested I do something similar to the previous co-teacher.

And she literally made cupboards worth of materials for the school!

I'm not lazy but there's no way I'm doing that kind of beep!

[icicle]

[soju pizza]

No need to reinvent the wheel though, as long as he's making use of the resources that the previous teacher put together.

[Pak Yu Man]

No wonder you're so damn boring. Reading out of a book like a robot I bet.