Korean Job Discussion Forums

[itaewonguy]

I just heard from a friend that a co teacher of his who is gay was fired last week because one of the female Korean co teachers knew he was gay from nights out drinking etc.. And then later told another co teacher who then told the boss, and the boss fired him!
When he asked the boss why he is being fired! The boss just said
IM sorry your attitude is wrong for our school! We have had complaints from mothers about you...

Funny thing is 2 weeks ago he was giving a raise for his good teaching
And hard efforts as the Korean boss put it...
So when he mentioned this is his boss who actually really liked him
Said im sorry I will give you a release letter don�t worry.


Word around the teacher�s room from the Koreans is... that the boss said
He fired him because she was afraid if the mothers found out their was a gay teacher teaching their children it might get on the news and create bad press!

IM LIKE WHAT!!?! Jeeesssuuusss!!!
Being gay is not being a pedophile last I heard it�s not illegal to be gay!

Sick of this crap...
No black teachers!
No Asian teachers!
Female only!
North Americans only!
White female only!!
blar blar blar
Where does it end!!??

Ohh and now no gay teachers!
He worked there for 1 and half years by the way!
What did we learn from this!
Don�t tell Koreans anything!
And don�t take them out drinking with you!
Most of them are narcs!

[haute 4 teacher]

sorry. no more drunk posts from me.

[Zyzyfer]

[lastat06513]

IG is no troll, by all means and he has given alot of VERY useful info and advice in the past to make him very credible and I find no reason to think this is any different, especially with the atmosphere of hysteria surrounding FTs these days, I think there might be truth to this post


if people are too blind to see it: as they say, Ignorance means bliss

[Papa Smurf]

[soviet_man]

My view would be that if you were dismissed because of sexual orientation, then there could possibly be a legal basis for over-turning such a decision.

http://www.humanrights.go.kr/eng/index.jsp
Phone the helpline.

http://www.seoullaw.or.kr/eng/index.htm
The Seoul Bar Assoc may be able to refer him to some sort of legal aid service. (I know a few Russian migrant workers who have used them in workplace disputes).[/url]

[happeningthang]

There was a gay guy I knew who was working in small town Gangwon, reportedly the most conservative of provinces.

It became an issue when town gossip meant competing hagwon directors got to find out, and called parents of this guy's students in an effort to steal them.

Suprisingly, once all the parents were informed they all sided with the gay teacher and left their kids in his school.

I think IG's case is more about the director's concern about losing students - one guy's ill informed business concern. I don't see how this could possibly be newsworthy. I've never seen anything about gays in the Korean press - good, bad or otherwise.

By the way I'm working in a largeish hagwon company in Seoul that has;

Black guys
Hordes of Kyopos
Mostly guys
A good blend of Brits, Aussies in amongst the N.Americans


IG might not be trolling, but he is venting and shouldn't be taken too seriously, except for the point about not telling your secrets to people at work. Good advice anywhere, really.

[Hollywoodaction]

I think your friend look into suing for wrongful dismissal because I read that the Korean government did not pass a new law that would have protected people from being discriminated against for their sexual orientation.

Your friend should get in touch with the labor board.

[Insidejohnmalkovich]

I would have fired him too. Mostly because homosexuals tend to take the side of the feminists, communists and vegetarians at the schools.

[SuperFly]

Agreed, IG has never been a troll. And we like the way he writes, it comes from the heart. His rants are real...

One thing though, he knows..we all know...that gays have always had to hide in the closet while at work in Korea. His mistake was going out at night with his Korean co-teachers/workers. They're the ones to blame, they went back and made a report to the boss. It's like you can't trust em.

[xingyiman]

How many things so we all gripe and moan about here on the boards that we know will never be changed? Despite the fact that there are lots of Korean guys whose door swings both ways, Korea is on the surface, not a gay friendly environment. Sue if you must but like a waygook trying to defend himself against an assault charge, what do you think the outcome will be?
I think the concensus here is that many things need to change in Korea regarding attitudes and such but I seriously doubt that acceptance of homosexuals is going to be high on the list of priorities for quite some time. Gays in this country live in a tough environment and I think that the individuals best policy would probably be "don't ask dont tell" if they want to remain working here with minimal difficulties. Maybe the guy was puching for acceptance or something and it came back to bite him in the arse. People have enough problems here with discrimination and such without adding fuel to the fire. It's kind of like the smoking marajuana issue. Most people agree that the Koreans attitude is archaic and overreactionary but this is still Korea.
Like IG guy we all have the right to vent when things irritate us but at the end of the day it is we ourselves who are responsible for our own well being here. On issues such as this I think that its far better to leave it in the closet at least until you're back home.

[dimitri31]

the hagwon business is messy. faking grades, lying to parents, directors making themselves and their schools look good....and sure why, one may ask....it's a business and all about making money and keeping students.


unfortunate that being gay has so many stigmas. This is where someone gay has to be careful. Is it really that important to reveal something that can potentially make you lose your job, like in this case?

Sure, who wants to have to be less than honest, feel like they have to hide something, or be inauthentic, but the cold, hard reality of the situation is that being gay is not "OK" for a lot of people, especially in conservative Korea.

I've seen Korean co-teachers who say they want to be your friend, but in all actuality, some just want to have some other gossip to talk about "around the water cooler." True friendship comes from a mutual trust and is something that is formed over a long time and many shared experiences. How long will you really be in Korea?

Sure, go out with the co-workers, talk about yourself, your life, family, etc., but becareful with what you say. Some things are just better left unsaid.

[moosehead]

with all the K guys carrying their girlfriend's purses around

with all the K men drinking with their buds till all hours and definitely too wasted to go home and make love w/a woman

with all the hugging and touching going on w/K school boys

most likely he didn't want some foreign gay guy competing with the territory

probably the director always knew the T was gay and was ok w/it until others found out - I think gayness here is a don't tell don't admit kind of fantasy - but once you acknowledge it you're history

strange culture K is....

[JongnoGuru]

[RobbJK9]

I really hope your friend's coworker decides to leave and never come back. I wish I were the kind of person who could make even a simple stand against the kind of injustice that says that it's easier for someone to get a job because of how they were born or the choices they make with their lifestyle.

How can it be changed, though? The director is right in thinking that some parents will have a problem with a gay man teaching their students. Firing him is just a business decision, and the vast majority of hagwon directors only care about making money. Ultimately, it's not the schools that need changed, it's the entire public attitude toward foreigners, blacks, gays, etc. But I guess, to some degree, it's the same everywhere...we're just in a shitty situation the whole world over.

I just hate the fact that it's easier for me to get a job here since I'm North American and white, but I don't have the courage to leave.