Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Curiousity]

I�ve been monitoring the job boards and looking into university positions over the past couple of weeks.

One thing that I�ve noticed is that a lot of the private universities are tied to one brand of Protestantism or another. They aren�t exactly low-key about it either. I�m familiar with Jesuit run institutions of higher learning, and they were nothing like these places. In my case, less than 40% of the student body was actually Catholic, and I was in the majority.

If you have worked at one of these institutions, please share your experience. I�m particularly interested in issues or annoyances, especially if you were working there and NOT religious. The last thing I�d want is to be hounded by colleagues, students, or the administration. Some of these places look like they�re run by the same whackos I�ve had harass me at the subway station. Some, however, seem to have fairly decent employment packages.

[Some of the Mothers Said]

Hi.
I spent a year working in one of the Uni's you are talking about. I made it very clear at the interview that I was a "God free" person, and they replied they had no problems with this, as long as I didn't talk about it. I didn't, and had an interesting year.
Two other teachers from a different denomination were fired at the Uni for doing too much preaching and not enough teaching, and we had two teachers quietly dismissed due them having affairs with the Freshman..
Funny, but at the end of my contract, my boss asked me to re-sign for the reason (and she said it) that I had NO religion, and could be counted on to just do the job asked. She also mentioned one of the previous teachers was also God free, and had made a very good impression.
Sometimes students would ask me about my beliefs, and I would reply that I'm here to help them learn English. I was never forced to pray, or participate in the God bothering sessions, although I did often attend mass simply because they had an awesome little choir, and I found the songs relaxing.
I left because I got married, and had to move house. I'm still in contact with some of my students; and my former boss contacts me every now and then to see if I can work for the Uni again.
As someone who doesn't care for religion and God's, I found it to be an interesting experience. It didn't change the way I think at all, but it gave me an insight into how people with religion really act. They didn't seem a lot different from any one else.

[Curiousity]

[emilylovesyou]

I'm not at a University or college, but my high school is a Christian high school. I was asked if I was Christian during the interview (I'm not, but I was informed by someone else working here I should say yes so I did), and every Thursday there is a service. More like "Let's sing together and once in awhile read something from the Bible." Each morning we sing a hymn and have a reading over the loudspeaker.

I consider myself agnostic, but the school's religious affiliation doesn't bother me. It's definitely everywhere I go at school, but if I don't pray before eating, or if I don't sit and sing along or read the passage nobody bothers me. It might be because I don't speak Korean very well though haha.

Anyway I don't mind that the school is Christian, it's not shoved down my throat, I can peacefully ignore things that go on around me since I can barely understand it, and my co-workers are very nice to me. I've gotten one Christian question, "Do you pray before meals?" "No." "oh, ok. Most Koreans do." "Oh well, I'm not too religious. But there are other Americans, more religious, who do." "Ah, ok then." End of conversation.

[merrilee]

I worked at a Christian university where I was expected to attend church every Sunday. Each Monday morning my boss would ask me if I had gone to church the previous day. If I had gone out of town instead of having gone to church, she was always very, very displeased.

On the Sundays that I stayed in town, I usually went to the church that was literally 2 minutes from my apartment, but that wasn't good enough for my boss. She wanted me to go to a specific church where she knew the pastor who could weekly report to her whether or not I had attended.

The one time I actually attended the church she wanted me to go to, she brought me candy on Monday morning. Very strange.

[Curiousity]

[Some of the Mothers Said]

Hay.
Thanks for the kind words. Yeah, my former boss told me that she found most of her teachers from the congregation, or through friend's of the congregation. So, I assume that's how the hard liners would find their teaching staff. However, the problems my former boss had with some of the "Christian Professors" forced her to advertise more broadly, and this is where she found the person I mentioned in the previous text, and later, myself.
It's so strange. I have worked here for almost a decade, and almost every place I've worked in has been a religious school of some sort, and every interview I tell them the same thing, and every time I have no problems.
Perhaps it's my country up bringing? My old man once said 'Sometimes you just have to let things be, even if Jack and Jill up the hill turn out to be brother and sister.'

[bassexpander]

[Curiousity]

[merrilee]

[Some of the Mothers Said]

Yeah, bassexpander you make a good point.
I should make it clear that in my year of working at the Uni, three teachers were fired. Two were fired because they were Preaching in class, and another because he had an affair with a Freshman. The fourth person in question actually ran away with one of his students leaving behind his Philipino wife. This had happened the year before I came, but was still major news amongst the teachers and students.
I'm not so good with the details as to if they were Christians or not due to the fact that I don't spend time with the people I work with out side of work. My boss told me they were all Christians, so I just assumed they were/are? But who knows really. I'm so naive when it comes to God stuff that I wouldn't be able to know what a good Christian and a bad Christian is. I guess I'm stuck with just watching what people do, and if there nice , well, that's just great.
Just a final note for Curiousity. I was having a think on the subway home, (which is uncommon, so thanks) and I reckon if you apply for jobs which may have a Christian name like, "Blah Blah Catholic University", and don't speciffically ask for a Catholic teacher, just apply, and at the interview, if they ask about your religion, just be straight. If you see a job ad, and it asks directly for someone with certain beliefs, maybe stay clear.
Have a great weekend guys

[makemischief]

Even Yonsei (A Christian Uni- but I was surprised given its academic reputation) asks for a "statement of religious belief" in their application.

[hogwonguy1979]

[cobright]

This is a fail safe answer to any mention of religion. Fail safe because for 99% of North Americans it is a 100% honest answer.

"I was raised in a Christian household and learned alot from this upbringing. Lately I have been seriously questioning the kind of religious person I want to be. Certainly not a crisis of faith, but I'm taking some time by myself to fully appreciate what role faith will play in my life."

Almost completely content-free.