Korean Job Discussion Forums

[VanIslander]

Are you happy overall or is the workplace and its problems getting to you?

[crosbystillsstash]

I'm very happy with my job. I'm self employed and doing well. I do have to do some ass kissing to parents who want Min Seok to memorize the entire glossary of a text book in five weeks. But they pay well even if they don't think the same way as I do.

[Xuanzang]

No job is perfect but mine is decent enough. Little things annoy me but nothing that I need to rant on Dave`s about.

[marlow]

I'm public school, and I've had enough. This is my last year.

It's not a normal school, it's a special purpose school, and I'm underpaid and under appreciated. I'm more qualified than some of my Korean colleagues, yet I don't have their deal. Time to go to Canada and think about a career.

[fromtheuk]

I'm happy overall, but I think I will change school next year.

I cannot stand my co-teacher and colleagues. If I go somewhere new every year, by the time I'm sick of the place I can go elsewhere.

I suppose I'll feel like I've had more of an experience too.

I plan to do this until I retire. Of course, my plans may change.

[Seoul'n'Corea]

I generally enjoy my students and my co-workers.
There have been some small things like communication that get fowled up and drive me nuts ( one time I got irate over VERY poor schedualing), often because our english dpt head has trouble with communcating in the language and tells rather than listens.
that's like 99.995% of Korea here
School staff is pretty top notch.


Will be reapplying next year.

We will see what happens next year.

[Perceptioncheck]

I work in a public school and some things are really getting to me.

I work elementary in a rural area and most of the teachers English is pretty abysmal which means I constantly feel isolated. They are lovely, kind people and I'm sure they don't mean any harm by talking about me blatently in front of me but somedays it really gets my goat. And I never know what's going on; today half of the school - including my co-teacher - has dissapeared. I mean, where the hell did they go?

Don't even get me started on the teaching. I like the kids but at the end of the day my job is an exercize in futility. At best, I've made them more comfortable around foreigners. Oh well, two and a half hours until the end of the day and the freedom of the weekend. Hurrah!

[Draz]

Today is my last day at work so I voted unemployed. But I couldn't say if I am happy about it or not. What's up with this discrimination against layabouts!

[Kurtz]

I work in a public school and things have got to me.

I don't speak a word to one co-teacher as I'm so pissed off with her unprofessional attitude to teaching, she just picks random parts from the text book like the listen and repeat parts and the chants then leaves me to pick up the pieces the following week, as well as not explaining anything to the kids (elementary) during class and practising dance routines and studying English with headphones on during teaching time, her and the other co-teacher only speak Korean in front of me during lunch time etc., but they are both leaving YIPEEE so I'll re-sign and try again next year after a 4 week home break.

[Faunaki]

My workplace is fine and so is the job despite this I have found working in public schools in Korea to be demeaning. I wouldn't suggest it to anyone. I find the job mostly learning how to best control and entertain students rather than teach them.

[curlyhoward]

I was a teacher in my home country. I have traveled around and taught in several countries. I have worked in a couple of hogwons in Korea. I've been very happy with my hogwon job for a long while now. Actually, I've enjoyed all of my teaching positions except one, a Korean public school.

I worked in a Korean public school for one year. I wouldn't work in another public school in Korea if they paid me 3 million a month. I know there are some good public schools out there. But, the school I was at was shi).

[Colorado]

Public school and happy for the most part. Low stress, no co-teachers breathing down my neck and administrators who leave me alone to do my own thing, good rapport with my fairly well-behaved students (it's all relative), good school lunches, lots of free time. There are things I don't like here but I've found that to be true of any job and any place. Getting ready to sign for my fourth year with the same school and praying for the currency to bounce back.

[Draz]

I remember when I was complaining about my school six months ago, everyone else was still insisting public schools were god's gift to teaching in Korea. Suddenly, we have 3/4 public school teachers saying it's "getting to them".

Is it just the time of year?

[T-J]

Interesting poll. Still need some more responses to get a clearer picture. Not many people post to say what a wonderful experience they are having, so it is good to see those numbers.

[jvalmer]

Work in public school. My two gigs so far, the main school has always been great. It's always the circulating school, they don't tell me anything. I come in, to my 2nd school, one day and the teacher is telling me about some dinner they had the night before (when I was at my main school). Thanks for not telling me about it.

This happens very often, some guys birthday where everyone, except me was invited, or some teachers outing. My main school tells me about everything, not my circulating school. My first year it drove me nuts, now I'm like... FU for not telling me. Wish I could just stay at one school for the whole week, so I could participate fully instead of missing things.