|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
D.D.
Joined: 29 May 2008
|
 Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 8:32 pm Post subject: put in notice today |
 |
|
I really have not been enjoying all the headgames at work so today I put in my notice.
I work in a public school and it's the same usual complaints such as being told to act like a Roman when in Rome.
The last straw today was the co-teacher directly challenging me right in front of the students. This has happened over and over again lately.
The other headgames have been being ignored by 3/4 of the english teachers with the silent treatment.
Feels good to be out of this place soon. I admire people that can handle it here as it is tough. At the same time I think staying here is nuts as it really is not a friendly place. Maybe its just rural Korea but it seams that the difficulties are endless in these public schools.
I have done my best to motivate and teach these students but the amount of sabotage from the other staff makes this job impossible. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
tob55
Joined: 29 Apr 2007
|
| Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 8:40 pm Post subject: Re: put in notice today |
|
|
| D.D. wrote: |
I really have not been enjoying all the headgames at work so today I put in my notice.
I work in a public school and it's the same usual complaints such as being told to act like a Roman when in Rome.
The last straw today was the co-teacher directly challenging me right in front of the students. This has happened over and over again lately.
The other headgames have been being ignored by 3/4 of the english teachers with the silent treatment.
Feels good to be out of this place soon. I admire people that can handle it here as it is tough. At the same time I think staying here is nuts as it really is not a friendly place. Maybe its just rural Korea but it seams that the difficulties are endless in these public schools.
I have done my best to motivate and teach these students but the amount of sabotage from the other staff makes this job impossible. |
How long have you been here?
You don't necessarily have to pretend to be Roman to like it or dislike it. There are just some things that no one likes, but people endure at varying degrees.
Not really headgames they are playing. The cultural difference can be daunting even for long term expats. Some things just never translate into the way people outside of Asian culture think. That doesn't make it bad or game playing, it is different. Sorry you had a tough time.
I personally don't think rural versus urban makes a lot of difference. It is just the way people perceive the differences. For example, I find rural quite appealing to me, but the thinking of rural people is quite different.
Lack of student motivation is something that most of us deal with on a regular basis. It can be hard to process, but over the years it can become a moot issue or concern. You just have to find ways that work, and unfortunately those who are new or relatively new to the teaching profession are not being given lot to work with over here.
At any rate, all the best to you in your future, whatever direction you choose to take.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
D.D.
Joined: 29 May 2008
|
| Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 9:36 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I am not new to teaching. I know working in places that don't want to change vs. working in receptive enviroments. If a co-teacher or two wants to undermine you the students sense this vibe. Students are like zombies in class here and little is done to motivate them. Korea is really a crap place-sorry but it's true in my reality. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
CA-NA-DA-ABC
Joined: 20 Jun 2006
|
| Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 10:08 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I'm just about to put in mine. Can someone answer my question? if you work for SMOE/GEPIK/EPIK and break your contract (and possibly even not give the required number of days of notice) would you have difficulties getting a job at the same education board (or even across different boards) down the road?
edited to add: I'm an F-series holder. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
thegadfly
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
|
| Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 10:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Mileage may vary, D. D.
In my experience, there is a lot I can do to motivate my students in my classes, and Korea has been a much better place to work than the US.
The problems are inherent in teaching -- political infighting and backbiting can exist in ANY social environment -- I had more than my bellyful in US public schools, so that isn't a "Korea" thing. Other teachers trying to undermine you is an ego thing, also not a Korea thing. Unmotivated or overtaxed students exist everywhere -- also not just Korea.
Being sabotaged at the workplace sucks, and part of the reason I am HERE is because *I* got sick of the same crap in the US that you complain about here... everywhere you go, it is the same song....
Go wherever and do whatever makes you happy, but I advocate painting things with a smaller brush, and using finer strokes.... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ChinaBoy
Joined: 17 Feb 2007
|
| Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 11:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
The edu-tainment industry has beat me down so much that I've just given up on actually trying to educate and just do what I'm told. Co-teacher wants to act like they know more than me? Ok, fine, then everyone will be wrong except me.
Sometimes being professional makes you worry and get frustrated enough to quit. Go back to China, dude, that's what I'd do (and have done several times). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Kurtz
Joined: 05 Jan 2007
Location: ples bilong me
|
| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 12:51 am Post subject: |
|
|
Good on you for quitting and leaving as you are not happy, I wish many many many people would do the same!
Not good on you for saying basically rural Koreas sucks and is not a friendly place....like based on what?, one school you worked at!
I'm sure others can tell you they love rural Korea as they get an easier ride and often feel part of the community, but as I've noticed, you rarely hear from people having a good time here, as they are out enjoying themselves, and not using Dave's "Home for the Bored and Miserable"
Maybe if you worked here a number of years, and at a number of different schools, that would allow a judgement call of Korea's Public School System. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ESL Milk "Everyday
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
|
| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 1:27 am Post subject: |
|
|
^^I sometimes think that when most people say they hate Korea, they actually just hate their job... and the problem is that ESL is actually very much integral to the Korean experience for a lot of people.
On the other hand, I knew a guy who came here as a scientist working at a university, and he also said it was the worst country he had ever been to. I've also met students from China who hate the place, not to mention the former ESL teachers who, while usually not regretting their experience, were frustrated as hell during their time here. I think it has something to do with the basically impenetrable nature of the society... you almost always end up as an outcast, a curiosity, a sore thumb, a ghost, a silent watcher, or something else that most people could never ultimately enjoy being.
That said, if your life is stuck in the shadow of a job that you hate, you should probably do whatever you can to change things, and that sometimes involves leaving the country. Some jobs are crap but there are elements that make it bearable or even fun on occasion... but if every single aspect of your job sucks and it's interfering with your ability to enjoy your life, then you should definitely leave it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
D.D.
Joined: 29 May 2008
|
| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 1:34 am Post subject: |
|
|
| ESL Milk "Everyday wrote: |
^^I sometimes think that when most people say they hate Korea, they actually just hate their job... and the problem is that ESL is actually very much integral to the Korean experience for a lot of people.
On the other hand, I knew a guy who came here as a scientist working at a university, and he also said it was the worst country he had ever been to. I've also met students from China who hate the place, not to mention the former ESL teachers who, while usually not regretting their experience, were frustrated as hell during their time here. I think it has something to do with the basically impenetrable nature of the society... you almost always end up as an outcast, a curiosity, a sore thumb, a ghost, a silent watcher, or something else that most people could never ultimately enjoy being.
That said, if your life is stuck in the shadow of a job that you hate, you should probably do whatever you can to change things, and that sometimes involves leaving the country. Some jobs are crap but there are elements that make it bearable or even fun on occasion... but if every single aspect of your job sucks and it's interfering with your ability to enjoy your life, then you should definitely leave it. |
Thanks you summed up exactly how I feel here without making me feel like the bad guy. Some of us do have situations here that just add up to little fun and as you said we take on the social outcast role. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Tobias
Joined: 02 Jun 2008
|
| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 3:05 am Post subject: |
|
|
| ESL Milk "Everyday wrote: |
....
I think it has something to do with the basically impenetrable nature of the society... you almost always end up as an outcast, a curiosity, a sore thumb, a ghost, a silent watcher, or something else that most people could never ultimately enjoy being...
|
I've drawn this conclusion myself. No matter your creds, no matter your devotion, no matter how much you smile and try to obey, you will ultimately meet the fate of the outcast. However, this can be understood if you realize that Koreans treat each other just as badly as they treat white folks. A Korean typically believes everyone around him is a freak, including other Koreans. We whites tend to give people the benefit of the doubt and treat everyone, from school directors down to janitors, with utmost respect. Koreans frown on this, and treat us accordingly. In spite of this, I like Koreans. I find each Korean's saving of face, and the lengths he'll go to save it, fascinating. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ESL Milk "Everyday
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
|
| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 7:22 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Tobias wrote: |
| We whites tend to give people the benefit of the doubt and treat everyone, from school directors down to janitors, with utmost respect. |
Well, I don't know about this-- but I have to say that people here seem to approach friendships (and relationships) in a way that really throws me. At times it even seems like everyone is basically interchangeable personality-wise and all that really matters is social standing... like everything is defined according to a very rigid and limited set of boundaries, and anything outside of those boundaries is completely impossible, and they won't even consider for a second that it might not be. To tell the truth, I can't help but get the impression that the only reason that some of these marriages/friendships/etc. even happen is because the people involved believe that they should... not because there's any real connection or... well, any reality to them at all.
It also throws me how often I hear people refer to themselves in the third person, like each and every Korean in Korea speaks for every other Korean in Korea, and every single little positive thing that they do is 'because they're Korean'. Sometimes I actually get the impression that they think that anyone who is not Korean is actually incapable of being considerate, or selfless, or responsible or family-oriented-- like they're the only people in the world who care about anything, and nobody else could possibly understand how that feels. I'm sure that some of these people are convinced that each and every negative aspect of their society is due to outside influence, whereas every positive aspect is 'because they're Korean'.
The only people I've connected with here are a few outsiders, but even that was really sketchy, and felt fake. If it wasn't for the travel (to other countries) the laughably random weirdness of this place, and the fact that I would be leaving someday, the past year could have easily been the emptiest of my entire life. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
D.D.
Joined: 29 May 2008
|
| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 2:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Yes these people are shoulding all over themselves.
Nothing is done from the individual it is all about getting ahead and conformity. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
rollo
Joined: 10 May 2006
Location: China
|
| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 2:36 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Glad to read this D.D. You have written before about your misery at this job and in Korea. The anger turns into hate and it eats you up! I have been through it. Life is too short. the sense of relief you get when you make the move and the perspective you gain is amazing. good luck! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
michaelambling
Joined: 31 Dec 2008
Location: Paradise
|
| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 6:01 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| ESL Milk "Everyday wrote: |
| Tobias wrote: |
| We whites tend to give people the benefit of the doubt and treat everyone, from school directors down to janitors, with utmost respect. |
Well, I don't know about this-- but I have to say that people here seem to approach friendships (and relationships) in a way that really throws me. At times it even seems like everyone is basically interchangeable personality-wise and all that really matters is social standing... like everything is defined according to a very rigid and limited set of boundaries, and anything outside of those boundaries is completely impossible, and they won't even consider for a second that it might not be. To tell the truth, I can't help but get the impression that the only reason that some of these marriages/friendships/etc. even happen is because the people involved believe that they should... not because there's any real connection or... well, any reality to them at all.
It also throws me how often I hear people refer to themselves in the third person, like each and every Korean in Korea speaks for every other Korean in Korea, and every single little positive thing that they do is 'because they're Korean'. Sometimes I actually get the impression that they think that anyone who is not Korean is actually incapable of being considerate, or selfless, or responsible or family-oriented-- like they're the only people in the world who care about anything, and nobody else could possibly understand how that feels. I'm sure that some of these people are convinced that each and every negative aspect of their society is due to outside influence, whereas every positive aspect is 'because they're Korean'.
The only people I've connected with here are a few outsiders, but even that was really sketchy, and felt fake. If it wasn't for the travel (to other countries) the laughably random weirdness of this place, and the fact that I would be leaving someday, the past year could have easily been the emptiest of my entire life. |
...wow. Best post of the year. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
D.D.
Joined: 29 May 2008
|
| Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 6:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Day 1 after giving in notice.
Told today in the teachers office that I must apologize to all the teachers in my school for showing emotions yesterday.
After 3 months of abuse against me I finally told the lady to leave me alone.
They are so passive aggressive then point the finger at the person for getting upset after all of their low blows.
I said get stuffed and I admit there are two sides of this but I am not apologizing for standing up for myself.
The heard mentality is alive and it's them vs. the foreigner.
Fighting koreans is like fighting some little nerd who insults demeans and jabs then calls his lawyer for you getting angry and talking back. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
