Korean Job Discussion Forums

[GoNorth]

ok - if you read the earlier post my friend got fired for Christmas (he and his family). Because the school "closed" - yet the are still open in the same location.

The basics is that
1. He transfered to a public school that has gone out of their way to help him and his family. Newbies - publics are more secure. Yes there are problems, but not to the extent of privates.
2. Labor - its a process. Almost 3 months. He and his lawyer will go thru. Because his firing was illegal. But the labor ministry is not usually a salvation.
3. Hats off to Suwon immigration. Yep they can be slow and busy. And you would prefer to get the nice lady. But they do their jobs and they really try to help.
4. You need friends and a nest egg. There is no way to make this process easy without money (you get so many fees and penalties) and connections. Your friends will help you thru this - cherish them.
5. You need a "good" TEFL cert. Like the one on top on Dave's Cafe. Not only will you make more money per year, but it gives you options. It opens doors and helps in your interviews. Plus you have the benefits to your actual teaching and prep. Their Korean President even reached out to him and my family to help him with job interviews, advice and consul. Thank you Nathan.
6. Make Korean friends. You will need them.
7. Don't hate Korea for bad Koreans. Every country has greedy, backstabbing, dishonest people - realize the culture - then don't hate - prepare and adjust.
8. Find a lawyer.
9. Life is a choice of what hoops to jump thru. Sometimes you have responsibilities that dictate your choices. Sometimes you're free to make a choice. Either way keep your eyes open, prepare, and be happy.
10. Someone change the law that allows schools to do this. They should not be able to close on paper, change ownership to a friend - just to break contracts. It is a dishonest and fraudulent business practice. I have no problem with background checks, drug tests, etc - give us a little protection. Not just, "I'm sorry."

[Roch]

Hi,

Thanks for the post.

Is Korean culture to blame for the disproportionately high number of liars and thieves in country?

Thanks again.

R

[GoNorth]

cunning is a hard concept for western values. It will clash hard on most western moral meters. But even to my korean friends - there are limits. Some poeple choose to go past them with no regard. That is a personal choice. It is a different culture, but that doesn't make it bad. Look at the actions of the person.

[Rumple]

[overq64]

I am tired of the rhetoric about Koreans...

I am done with Korea. I have my issues with the way English teaching is exploited in Korea (and it is little different in other countries and there is nowhere without at least some of the same problems).

But - though it needs to make a massive leap forward - it is not the culture of the country that is responsible for people getting cheated.

I never met a seriously dishonest Korean. I always got the money I was promised and on time. Without fail.

But - I didn't work for the smaller businesses. That is asking for trouble. It's so easy to set up a local Hogwan that all kinds of dodgy people get involved. There are plenty of warnings about such smaller places on here and people work for them because they choose to, they have no choice or they are just caught out because they are young or foolish.

We all know how much the visa system plays into the hands of unscrupulous school owners, how much it needs to change and why it probably never will.

This is to do with the culture - for sure.

I have a love/hate relationship with Korea. The students deserve so much better - especially the adults. Many people on here complain about teaching adults, but I had very few problems. It is highly skilled work and you do need to know what you're doing. Kids are an easier prospect for many but teaching kids well needs another set of skills. In fact there are different skills needed for Very Young Learners, young learners, juniors and young adults. Add to this the true post university age learner and you have 5 different jobs!

It is a challenging and demanding job teaching English. It's also rewarding though. I saved useful amounts of money in Korea and also learned a lot about teaching mono-lingual classes. I also enjoyed about 60% of my time in the classroom. And only about 10% was seriously unpleasant. I often felt exploited and used by my employers. I never felt they fully appreciated my abilities or commitment. But that is the nature of work. Koreans are not alone in this.

Korea is a boring and uncomfortable place to be for any length of time. And work schedules will preclude you getting much use out of your free time. Foreign English teachers have a low position in Korean society - indeed we are not in it at all. This means it's hard to build lasting friendships or relationships.

This problem is exacerbated by Korean culture. I try to treat everyone I meet as an equal! The concept of equality seems anathema to Koreans. It's hard to empathise with how insulted Koreans feel by us treating younger people and women as the equals of older people and men! I know they can't help it but it's something we have a responsibility to counter by example. I told my adult Korean students to leave Korean culture outside the classroom! Those who couldn't or wouldn't stayed away.

The OP's comment about needing some money to give you freedom is so true. If you have the option to leave a bad job - it makes them treat you better! After a year in Korea you should have enough money to get you over any sudden setbacks. Unless you are a fool or paying off large debts etc.

I can't say I was very happy in Korea. But - it served a purpose and I'm glad of the experience. I have some happy memories and I know I made a positive impact on the students I taught.

[joewaller]

Go North,

I'm glad it worked out for you...

[GoNorth]

Just talked to my friend - he is laughing his *** off. Today he is packing to move - he had informed his landlord, he would settle up bills today. He has a great landlord and thru his mess the landlord has understood. He was on a daily rent until he moved. So the standard - water, electric (slightly high), and rent. He was there 9 days over his release. The school had informed the landlord that it was the teachers responsibility to cover rent from December. So he gets a huge bill. The landlord had already given the key money back (ouch). After very fun negotiation he just paid for what he had originally agreed to. Remember to stand strong. People wonder why we have runners - he has done everything by the book and he is the one having to deal with or pay for every problem - even though the school fired him illegally. Now they want him to pay rent during his contract - gotta make you laugh.

[wylies99]

[crusher_of_heads]

[gangpae]

overq64 said:

I never met a seriously dishonest Korean.

Are you on drugs?

[Real Reality]

[overq64]

I was in Korea for over 3 years. In that time I was never cheated out of money or anything to do with my contract.

Never.

I know many people claim to have different experiences and I never worked for any small or disreputable employers.

There was some lying about minor things to save face. This is frustrating but something you get used to.

I stand by my statement that I never met a seriously dishonest Korean. Maybe I should rephrase it as "I never met a Korean who was seriously dishonest with me."

I heard a lot of hearsay of course....

[ryouga013]

[bellum99]

I have never met an honest Korean...when push comes to shove they are all cheats. There are just degrees of dishonesty. Some will try small things and some will try big things but they all will try.