Korean Job Discussion Forums

[gav72]

I was offered a job in a public school in Jinju. Before that I was doing some crappy customer service job in Australia for 3 years. I was ready to go and did get the required visa but I backed out at the last minute.

The reason being is that with no teaching experience I would be so stumped I wouldn't know what to do. At first I was excited but then reality for some reason start doing my head in. Teaching elementary kids suddenly seemed like such a daunting thing.

I apologized profusely to the esl agent in the best way I could who was doing all the hard work getting me a place there. I feel even worse about letting the school down. My plan now is to maybe get more experience trying to teach here in Australia first.

My questions is would this wreck my chances again if I were to apply to teach in Korea when I gather enough confidence again.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

No - not at all. Just go through a different recruiter. Someone somewhere will want a warm Australian body with a degree.

[Draz]

It is daunting. You've just got to go in there and do it.

This mistake (? if it is a mistake) will not hurt your chances if you decide to do it after all in spite of yourself.

Teaching in Korea is probably easier than teaching in Australia.

[Michelle]

[Pwillig]

Have you ever studied a foreign language before? You wouldn not have been the first to come here with no experience. Granted, I was stressing heavily over my first two weeks of classes, when all I needed to do was keep it simple.

[nobbyken]

How about doing a 100-hour online esl/tefl certificate.
One with class experience or at least a technigue DVD will give confidence and show what is to be expected.
You should feel better after that and a little empowered to teach.

I hated English in my school-days, still not too warm to it!
I hate reading and speaking. Couple of years in the classroom cured that.
Start with elementary age.
Don't feel rushed into choosing a school to work, that is very important. Keep 2-way dialogue with recruiters.

[moosehead]

you know there's an old saying in America - the only thing to fear is fear itself -

I used to be SO afraid of public speaking - every time I had a class that required ANY kind of presentation in front of the others, I was always the very last one to get up there - my stomach would churl, I'd feel faint, it was really awful.

I guess it seemed strange when I said I was coming here to gain classroom experience - in the back of my mind maybe I thought so far away - it wouldn't be as hard - but it was - at least at first tho, I was in a hakwon where the classes and classrooms were small.

then at my first PS - oh wow - I was struck w/terror tho I covered it up as much as possible - the classroom was huge (really it was) and there were so many students!! I let my CT carry on for an entire month before I had the nerve to get up there and face the class - but once I did, that was it.

it's all past now - I have no problem in front of crowds, even large ones.

and over time, I've developed my own mantra - if the only reason that exists for me not to do something begins with "I'm afraid x, y, z" then I know, well, there is no other way - I HAVE to do it.

worked so far - c'mon over here - think of how much fun you'll have visiting Thailand on your break

[gav72]

Thanks for everyone giving me such great input. Yeah I think fear of doing something or changing a part of yourself to adapt, to anything really is what I need to do. Just bite the bullet as they say. Another reason is there is such negativity on this forum that it gets to you as well but thats something I shouldnt take as face value. Thanks once again for the advice.

[oldtactics]

I agree with everyone - I started 3 weeks ago and started teaching on my first day after EPIK orientation. It was mostly terrifying and I still sometimes get nervous before a class but there's really no better way to learn than to jump right in. The other teachers understand that you're new at this, and there will be Korean teachers at whatever school you go to who are brand new too and just as nervous.

Best of luck with whatever you decide to do!

[asams]

[Robot_Teacher]

You're telling us you're admitting to doing a crappy job in customer service? Just kidding. Sorry to hear you backed out of what is most likely a gravy train job and an opportunity to rise up out of that under rewarding job at home. One small step in your career; one giant leap for your life. Step 2. Try again.


Actually teaching elementary is the easiest of age groups to my understanding, but least intellectually stimulating.

The teacher job requires no teaching experience and allows you to achieve a stepping stone, albeit, a smaller than expected and hoped for one. In college they teach and inspire you to be a lot more than todays market wants of you so you climb stairs however which way upside down right side wrong side out you can. My hangups are talking too quickly or talking over their heads, being a bit lonesome, and missing home as well as the rest of the world I'm familiar with outside of Planet K. It's too easy to make 1001 minor mistakes, but they almost never result in the Koreans being offended like common on some crappy customer service job at home. They're being a bit unreasonable in corporate stores and offices.

KISS Keep It Simple and Stupid and you'll be fine. Unemployed rocket scientists need not apply.

[kabrams]

[Aelric]

This may be misconstrued as a negative comment, but I don't mean it as such.

Before I got here, the thought of teaching seemed like a joke. I was driven here by two things and neither was the appeal of teaching (more the desire to travel and the dismal job market in America). I completely expected to be called out as the fraud I was and get fired after a very short time. Finally, when the moment of truth arrived the night before my flight, I literally broke down is abject fear over the job as the thought of this being real and not just some vacation truely sank in.

Once I arrived and finally had my first class, I realized that my fear was a joke. It has turned out to be one of the easiest jobs I've ever had and at this point I activly searching for ways to make it more challenging (i.e. starting after school programs and such). I can't speak for any success rate, but bear in mind that success isn't necessarily expected of us (or wanted by some). Our place, unless we are lucky, is merely a political placeholder position, the equivalent of the maytag repair man. What I ended up find far more frightening was the sheer apathy towards my performance I encountered.

Now, others have different situations. I'm in public school in Busan, Hagwon hell could be a whole other story. But if you stay in the public sector, you can basically sleep through this job if you wanted. That said, I hope that isn't what you want.

Now, even in public school, the experience can be different. All these negative things happened last year. Since this new year has begun, my new head co-teacher has been kicking butt and taking names, a true idealist who is totally awesome. Thanks to that, my roll is far less textbook monkey and far more real teacher. And oddly enough, it feels easier to get up and go to work in the morning even thought the workload has just about doubled. I suppose it's job satisfaction, but I digress.

My point is this: the work is not hard and you have little to fear in the way of "am I a good teacher?" Good or bad, you probably won't be fired as long as you don't break any rules. Once you have about a day or two in front of the class, your stage fright gets shaken off and if you get lucky enough to be in a school that cares or learns to care while you are there, you can do good work too.

So don't doubt yourself. The job is hardly the hardest of the scariest thing about taking this plunge. And being Australian, you won't be TOO far from home, so hopefully a quick visit now and then will combat what I think IS the scariest part, homesickness.