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Real Reality
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:57 pm Post subject: Failure to Make Tenure Drives Instructor to Suicide |
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Failure to Make Tenure Drives Instructor to Suicide
Chosun Ilbo (March 7, 2008)
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200803/200803070019.html
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A part-time instructor in her 40s killed herself out of disappointment about her failure to get a job as a college professor....
.... she realized that something other than academic accomplishment and lecture experience determines who gets tenure....
After graduating from Seoul National University of Education, Han worked as an elementary school teacher and obtained a doctoral degree in English education from the University of Texas-Austin in 2003. After she returned to Korea, Han worked as a part-time instructor at several colleges, landing the job at K in 2006 on a one-year contract basis.
In the suicide note, Han said the school took advantage of her status and forced her to sign a contract that benefits only the school. In the last semester, the calculation of mandatory classes that instructors have to teach during one semester was changed from 12 hours per week to 12 points per week, where two hours constitute one point, but the school refused to pay extra wages....
The Korean university said it had paid her extra wages later. |
Korea Has World's Highest Suicide Rate
Chosun Ilbo (April 23, 2007)
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200704/200704230029.html
Poll: Have you been paid late in Korea?
Never - I must be lucky! 32% [ 48 ]
Once or twice - no big deal, minor annoyance...21% [ 31 ]
Several times - hate it! 20% [ 30 ]
Several times - but I understand the culture, doesn't bother me....4%[ 7 ]
Many times - sigh...16% [ 24 ]
WTF! I've never been paid on time! ARGH!!!!! 4% [ 7 ]
Total Votes : 147
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=18732
last retrieved on August 16, 2007
(The original post appears to have been deleted)
Foreign scholars merit equal status
The foreign professor -- colleague or hired hand?
John B. Kotch, JoongAng Ilbo (June 14, 2002)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=1904927
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| ... foreign professors number only a handful compared to the legions of Korean professors at foreign universities, but they do most of the heavy lifting in terms of course loads, devoting themselves almost exclusively to teaching. Nevertheless, they tend to be treated as hired hands, without academic standing, and lacking the possibility of career advancement or tenure. They must submit to yearly contracts (compensated at a rate only 60 percent of their Korean peers) while walled off from the permanent Korean faculty who benefit from travel, research funding, sabbaticals, etc. Moreover, when hundreds of Korean scholars enjoy such perks at American and other foreign universities, something is obviously amiss.... |
Last edited by Real Reality on Fri Mar 07, 2008 5:02 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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bassexpander
Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Location: Someplace you'd rather be.
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| Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 5:00 pm Post subject: |
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Graduate of SNU and a USA school?
I think we can pretty much assume that she didn't pay enough money for the tenured position.
You have to buy these positions in Korea. It's a well-known fact. |
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PRagic
Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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| Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Just when I think that I'm getting really sick of my job, someone posts something that makes me think I don't have it so bad. Thanks. |
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ED209
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 6:06 pm Post subject: Re: Failure to Make Tenure Drives Instructor to Suicide |
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The Korean university said it had paid her extra wages later. |
After she committed suicide? |
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kimchi_pizza
Joined: 24 Jul 2006
Location: "Get back on the bus! Here it comes!"
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| Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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That's a cry'n shame. This may be an example of being over qualified in a male dominated society. Her qualifications may have embarrassed some senior male professors and their qualifications and so she was kept on the sideline digging the trenches for the officers.
And to have her 14-year-old find her....damn....
The lesson from this? Keep your head down, low key and don't out-shine the locals specially those in a senior position or you may find yourself ostracized in this profession. |
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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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| Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:45 pm Post subject: |
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| bassexpander wrote: |
Graduate of SNU and a USA school?
I think we can pretty much assume that she didn't pay enough money for the tenured position.
You have to buy these positions in Korea. It's a well-known fact. |
The only problem is you don't always know who to give the money too, not too forget that tenure tracks are difficult per se.
But yes, I do believe that Korean Academic world is as corrupt as the business and government world. I had a couple of experience that reek of such. |
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jay-shi
Joined: 09 May 2004
Location: On tour
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| Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:52 pm Post subject: |
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| bassexpander wrote: |
| You have to buy these positions in Korea. It's a well-known fact. |
I am not sure it's a well known fact among us waygooks. Amongst Koreans it is.
My ex-girlfriend's previous boyfriend was physics Ph.D who wasn't from a wealthy family. His prof called him and my ex into talk and asked her if she had family money. She didn't at the time (both her parents died within 4 years of each other an she's got a large chunk of cash flow these days), So that was the unfortunate end of that dream for that boy, he ended up becoming a Buddhist monk. |
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