Korean Job Discussion Forums

Eedoryeong · Joined: 10 Dec 2007 Location: Jeju

Hi

I'm writing for advice for a fellow teacher who just left my apartment quite upset.

Korean co-teacher at a public school photographed her waegookin ELI bent over in shorts doing morning exercises and published the photo in a schoolboard-wide circulated book, placing it in the spot where a face portrait has been submitted for every other public school teacher in the province.
EDIT: I was just told it goes out to parents as well.
Well it's funny but quite wrong. It could easily be mistaken for intent to humiliate. Also, every waegookin has their own half or one-page describing their experience at a public school and of course being submitted in perfect English. But Korean co-teacher submitted her own terrible English page in that place, without a clear distinction who is the author. Thus it appears the waegookin teacher's English is the level of a Korean first year learner.

Needless to say, the ELI is livid. I got online and looked to see if there's anything in the Labor Standards Act to speak to this kind of odd behavior but didn't find anything. The closest things were Chapter II Article 33 which describes the right to request from the Labour Relations Board a remedy for various wage discrepancies and then there's an et cetera added, and Chapter VII Article 77 describing prohibition of abuse, but it pertains to apprentices.

Besides killing the co-teacher, what can be done? Does the ELI have any leverage here? What would you do if this happened to you? Experienced expats, please weigh in.

nomad-ish · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:10 am Post subject:

i would get my VP, principal and a different co-teacher (or a korean friend) to translate and have a meeting with them. i would tell them that i will resign unless they have the offending co-teacher apologize directly to me and write a letter in korean (get it checked by a korean friend) that apologizes to me publicly and get it sent to everyone who got the original newsletter.

it would be nice to get the co-teacher fired, but i don't think that's possible.

anyways, just my advice. i'm sure other posters will have something better for you.

Bibbitybop · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

If nothing can be changed in the book, I'd take tons of embarrassing photos of the teacher and plaster them all over, hand out filers, etc. Or maybe the foreigner can sue for libel, libel laws are nuts here.

aarontendo · Joined: 08 Feb 2006 Location: Daegu-ish

Sounds funny all around to me. Though I suppose I'd be more upset if it were my ass in print

poet13 · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:15 am Post subject:

Don't believe nomad-ish. You have to kill the coteacher.

Either way, the situation is f-ed. I would go with Bibbitybop. One picture with a finger buried up the nose, blown up to poster size, and staked out opposite the school....

bassexpander · Joined: 13 Sep 2007 Location: Someplace you'd rather be.

I would start floating concerns about her (co-teacher's) English speaking ability.

Unposter · Joined: 04 Jun 2006

Tell them you were upset and embarrassed and that you want adequate compensation. You can consider:

Money
Something else you want
Being moved to another school

If they don't comply tell them that you will be writing a letter to whatever program you are on EPIC, etc... and you will talk to a lawyer about suing.

Worst cas: asl for a LOL and leave

Good luck

Boodleheimer · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:20 pm Post subject:

FUBAR · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: The Y.C.

Scan in the photo and show us the damage.

spliff · Joined: 19 Jan 2004 Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand

Yeah, it sounds like BS w/out any link or pic.

Mi Yum mi · Joined: 28 Jan 2008

You are not allowed to take someone's picture in Korea without their say so. If the teacher did not give them permission then she can charge/sue them. You even notice how the traffic cameras say they are there? That's why. She did not give them permission to take a pic of her ass. She did not give them permission to hand out a photo of her ass. If I was her I'd charge the school and that teacher with sexual harassment and slander.

Tell her to do so. Make a huge noise and make everyone lose face. If she makes enough noise this might get into a newspaper and maybe out "superiors" will stop treating their workers like shiat.

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea

Threaten to quit and sue. Slander laws here are actually much harsher than back home (stange, but it's true). It would take time to actually get money though, so I would just demand a public apology and humiliate that idiot.

The Hammer · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 11:17 pm Post subject:

There's no shame in it!

DongtanTony · Joined: 22 Feb 2008 Location: Bundang

Boodleheimer · Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 5:31 pm Post subject:

updates? has she left?