Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Phant0m]

I am a gyopo and can speak some Korean, as well as English, of course. Anyway, I was instructed not to speak any Korean while in school, and I can see some of the logic behind that. However, I'm thinking that outside of school, I will be expected to speak and understand Korean since I look Korean. Normally, I don't think this would be a problem with anyone, but I will be teaching in a rural community, so I'm also assuming that it's a small, if not tight-knit, community and I'm afraid that if one person outside of school finds out that I understand and can speak Korean, the whole community will also know about it soon afterwords, which will cause me to be in trouble with the school.

It would be ridiculous to think that I couldn't "learn to speak any Korean" even after a year, so when do you think it would be ok for me to start understanding Korean, at least outside of school? Any gyopos out there asked this similar request?

[Ginormousaurus]

[jkelly80]

[Cornfed]

I don't get this. Isn't the whole reason for hiring a gyopo rather than a whitey that they can often speak Korean? Are not whiteys encouraged to learn to speak Korean?

[Ginormousaurus]

Yeah, I realize that. But as long as he/she isn't speaking Korean in the classroom, there is no reason for the school to be upset. And even if they were, what could they possibly do? Demand he/she not speak Korean outside of work?

[mrgiles]

no, i disagree. i understand what he's talking about. when i got to my public school, the principal seemed pleased and suprised that i could speak korean, but then he immediately asked me not to speak korean at school, as "everyone should learn english." i agreed, and i never speak korean in class, but even in school i find this hard to keep up. i want to be able to talk to the majority of teachers, who can't even speak english. so right now my m.o. is to feign no knowledge of korean whenever there's a student or the principal around, and speak korean in the lunchroom or when we go out for dinner etc. it's a bit ridiculous, but that's the way it goes. even when i see ex-students around the hood, i pretend i can't speak korean just out of habit. there's a fun game where some of the brighter kids have a suspicion that i can speak their lingo, and try to catch me out.

[Ginormousaurus]

My school has asked me not to speak Korean to the kids, and if the parents are there for some special event, I'm to speak English with them as well. If I have an issue with a student, I'm free to discuss it in Korean with the parents. I think that's a reasonable request. If I were asked to not engage the locals in their native tongue, I would flat out refuse (in Korean)

Anyway, I's say don't sweat it OP. Your job is only a job. Have fun with your life while in Korea.

[jkelly80]

Not being a gyopo myself I can't confirm this, but I've heard that once your school knows you're a Korean-speaking gyopo, your work load doubles.

[skeeterses]

Maybe Korea has a secret police watching over us teachers to report us in case we are ever caught speaking Korean.

[JustJohn]

I'd speak korean in the school unless they specifically said don't speak it to the students, then do as you're asked.


If you really insist on hiding it from your school I'd say wait a couple months before you show that you are catching part of conversations and a good 4-6 months before show a general understanding of conversations. That would be safest. Of course you can push it up a lot faster and just say that you're studying all the time, but they'll catch on if they never see you studying and know you're going out on weekends and such.


And again, I have no clue why you would do that if you're just going to let them know that you speak it eventually...

[Kiarell]

what the hell?

Is this normal? Where I am none of us ESL guys have been asked to do that. We even bust out some Korean in class, but only if we're pissed off. Remembering martial arts and dropping into that tone of voice works wonders. The little bastards look both shitless and shocked that a waygook is capable of learning their language. I even use it if there are students who have no capacity for knowing the words "Repeat after me" "say" "copy me" or five million gestures.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Is this a puplic school? Set a rule that you speak only English in the classroom but don't even try to bother with such nonsense outside class. If not you're just setting yourself up for all sorts of ridiculous scenarios. Amongst other things it will be a free pass for the students to say the rudest things to and about you in Korean.

On the down side, if the students think you can understand something in Korean they'll probably say it in Korean, but that's going to happen whether you're a fully bilingual gyopo or a whitey who can't understand much more than 'odeegaeyo?'.

[Ya-ta Boy]