Korean Job Discussion Forums

[egrog1717]

My application to the SMOE was just sent to Seoul via the recruiter... Wondering how long people had to wait on average to hear back from them...?

[egrog1717]

A friendly bump... Friday night and no email from the recruiter...
Will I be doomed to a hagwon?

[cruisemonkey]

I have no experience with SMOE. However, I do have a wealth of experience with (public school) K-eauracy.

Virtually everything is left to the last minute. The machine then swings into 'overdrive' when the 'superiors' can save face and blame their 'subordinates' for any failings. The concept of prophylaxis through planning does not occur in the K-mind. 'Western' logic does not apply.

You will be given an impossible time-line in which to complete the required steps to obtain an E-2 and be hounded to be in K-land yesterday.

I haven't yet figured out if this is genius on the K's part (to keep the waygook 'off balance'), or culturally systemic 'incompetence'. In either case, it seems to be a successful, adaptive strategy.

[Riddle]

I recently sent an application to Work and Play for SMOE. Haven't heard anything back from them either.. Oh well, I'm actually pretty happy at my hagwon and I'm just trying to leave some options open. Planning to start grad school in the Fall.

[egrog1717]

"I haven't yet figured out if this is genius on the K's part (to keep the waygook 'off balance'), or culturally systemic 'incompetence'. In either case, it seems to be a successful, adaptive strategy"

Lol... thanks

[ontheway]

Planning and the Korean mind:

Planning involves thinking about the future and the various possible events that might happen and what choices and actions you will take under the various possible scenarios.

Koreans believe that if you plan, talk about or even think about the "bad" possibilities that this will bring about a kind of bad luck. Bad things that you plan for, talk about or even think about are destined to happen, so the way to avoid such bad luck is to avoid thinking about all the bad possibilities.

So, if you have a teacher who is doing OK, you do not plan to replace that teacher when the contract is over. After all, you want the teacher to renew and stay. So, to contemplate the possiblity of the teacher leaving will inevitably result in the teacher leaving. The only way to avoid this is to NOT plan and not prepare for the future.

Likewise, even if you know that you will need a new teacher, you should NOT begin the process early, in anticipation of the many pitfalls that could delay the process of finding, interviewing, choosing a teacher and then completing all the paperwork in obtaining an E2 visa and getting the teacher here. If you plan for trouble by starting the process early then, according to the Korean mind, this guarantees that you will have trouble.

So, if you plan, you will have bad luck and the bad things you planned for will happen.

If you don't plan and don't think about bad things, then those bad things won't happen and you will have the best possible luck and everything will work out somehow.


If a Korean employer has to pay you tomorrow and they have no money today, they don't think about it today, because that will bring bad luck for tomorrow.

This also explains why Koreans say things like "don't worry, I'll pay you the rest tomorrow (or next week or later) and expect that you'll just accept it. They don't think about the future or tomorrow's problems and they are surprised that you think about such things.

[Sody]

[cruisemonkey]

[egrog1717]

Thanks Cruise, it puts things into better perspective

[TBirdMG]

It's all too true. At my first PS gig, I lived in a rural area some 10km from my school. We finished orientation in Seoul, and then I was met by my BOE supervisor, who took me to my apartment, let me freshen up, and we went to the school. My BOE supervisor introduced me to the Principal, VP, and co-teacher. It took all of 5 minutes, and then they all disappeared. I then went to dinner with the supervisor, and afterwards returned to my apartment to unpack. That was Friday evening.

The weekend passed quickly and I focused on familiarizing myself with the town, getting stared at and pointed at, and trying to work the water heater.

Monday morning came and went. I figured somebody would come for me at my apartment, but no. I had no way of getting to the school, didn't know what time school started for that matter, and my phone hadn't been connected yet. I had no telephone numbers for anyone, so it didn't matter anyway.

At lunchtime, a stranger shows up at my door, all huffy puffy, and motions for me to leave with him. So we hop in his jeep, and 15 minutes later arrive at the school. Turns out the guy was the school bookeeper on his lunch break. The Prin., VP, and co-teacher are all pissed that I missed my welcoming ceremony.

But nobody said anything! I stood there elbows on ribs, palms up and out, the poster boy of innocence, explaining that I don't have a car, don't know if there's a bus, ad don't have a school schedule.....They all just shake their heads at me in disapproval, and they usher me into an impromptu ceremony at lunch's end....

Then I am forced to go do 3 consecutive introductory lessons for the 1st year students, and then my co-teacher says, "We are finished for today. See you tomorrow."

Still no transportation plan, no schedule, no nothing. It was like the day never happened. I didn't even know how to get home from school....

In the end, it took 2 days for the VP to find me a daily ride with a teacher carpool. That in a rural school of 300 students. And it turns out the math teacher was my next door neighbor....

So don't expect even same day planning. It's always last minute. Or the minute after. The foreign teacher should have contingency plans for the lack of Korean planning, though. It'l make you...err....sparkle.

[cruisemonkey]

TBirdMG,

Reading your post brings back memories of my of my arrival in K-land for my first job.

I had forgotten about trying to figure out how to work the ondol/water heater. Virtually nothing was explained to me - foreigners are psychic - and I would have had nothing to eat (5 km from the nearest town) for the first 24 hrs. had I not (ironically) thrown some ramen noodles and chocolate bars in my suitcase before leaving home.