Korean Job Discussion Forums

[iggyb]

Do the high schools have computer labs like we do in the States: kinda like a PC Bang in the school for individual classes to sign up for...???...

[alphakennyone]

As a fellow new SMOEr, I'm really curious what you plan to do if you're put in an elementary school? Do you care if they have a computer lab or not?

[iggyb]

My training and experience is in secondary education and I wouldn't accept an elementary school job.

[alphakennyone]

So you're going to fly back home if you don't get what you want?

[iggyb]

No, I'll switch to a hakwon job as a plan A or come up with a plan c or d.

I've taught in Korea before and have in-law family there.

In my interview recently with SMOE, the woman noted that my 1st preference was for a teacher-training univ but said there were no positions and asked about high school.

Which gave me the chance to emphasize that my MA is in teaching HS and my experience teaching ESL in the US is in high school and that is what I know.

From the questions and the conversation, it seemed the likelihood is that they were putting me into a high school.

Here specific question was something like, "As you know, high school classes in Korea can have many students and I was wondering how you would manage that?"

I noted I'd asked about class size on an Internet message forum and heard that Korean high schools have about 30 students per class and she said "Yes. 32-38."

She didn't mention at all what I thought about teaching elementary or middle school.

And, since she asked pretty much the type of questions someone would in her position, I do think she would have made sure to ask me how I'd handle teaching elementary school kids if they had in mind putting me in one.

...Of course I could be in for a major shock --- I still don't know if they are going to offer me a contract much less put me in a high school...

...but I'm a pessimist by nature and judging by the questions and conversation, I feel pretty good about my prospects.

[iggyb]

I'd also still like to know what Korean public schools are like in terms of computer labs....???

[teachergirltoo]

I will tell you my school's situation. I teach high school. I have a lab with 40 computers. 10 work, and are basically held together with glue and plastic bands because I have to be like McGuyver to keep them working, as we don't have a technician. The rest are constantly being destroyed by other teachers and students going in the room in the evening. We have constant circular conversations at the school about this. Sixteen motherboards were stolen. The school didn't want to prosecute the two students who did this because "if word got out the school would look bad". Everyday I go in and mice are stolen or destroyed. I go to the administrators and I get "are you sure Teacher D, how could this happen? Students don't do this type of thing". It is extremely irritating to be disregarded, so now every morning, when I go into the lab I check all the equipment. I then put any destroyed keyboards, mice, monitors or whatever into a box and take it downstairs and sit it on his desk and tell him that is the damage from the previous night and I need it replaced today. Eyes popped. Somehow the visuals are working. He can now see what I am saying. He explained the other day that Korean teachers don't care about items unless they belong to them DIRECTLY. So if they are borrowing someone else's classroom and something gets broken it is no big deal. From now on I will not teach a computer based course due to this. I have told them this. Next week, they got money from GEPIK to install a new computer lab for 70 million won. Beautiful stuff. I asked them, "so what security measures will be in place so that it is not wrecked within one week?" "Oh Teacher D, we can't lock the door or put a camera in because it won't look good. What will people think if we do that?" I just shake my head and walk away. After the last few years of this, I would not choose to teach in a computer lab at a PS in Korea again. I teach at one of the more prestigious HSs with apparently bright students and more money to fix things than other schools, so I can't imagine what it would be like at a regular one with no money to fix everything.

[iggyb]

Thanks for the detailed reply. The last part about the status of the school was good to know too and something I was thinking as I read it.

Are you in Seoul or just the province? and if in the province is it a more urban or suburban area?

I wasn't putting much hope in computer labs but was curious as a secondary item.

At the US high school where I taught, they also had theft issues. It's best described as a suburban, working class area. About 850-1000 students.

They gave up using an alarm system because the police began charging a steep fee for false alarms. They hired a nightwatchman but that went due to budget cuts. They have security cameras, but stuff still "walks off" - including fairly expensive items.

Computer labs were also only somewhat useful due to demand: The library had about 20 I would use with my ESL classes for Internet research.

The school had 2 wireless carts with maybe 20 notebooks in each, but they were in such high demand, they could be hard to get a hold of.

The two big computer labs were always used for computer-oriented courses.

It would be nice if Seoul schools had computer labs to match how wired Korean society is. Even with 30 students, if they had good labs, I could do some more student-centered stuff, but like I said, I'm not counting on it.

[Teelo]

tl;dr


Do you want somewhere at the school to go play some world of warcraft when they think you're working?

[dean_burrito]

This semester they installed six student computers in my classroom. I'd say that's an adequate amount for group work.
By the end of the semester one computer has been stolen, one is in two pieces, and one has a password protection set up on it that no one will admit to installing. My high school isn't quite like the other schools though, at least I hope. If it is though you should definitely take an elementary position as they aren't quite big enough to pose a real threat.

[iggyb]

On the US high school I worked at - with the computer labs, I forgot to include this part:

The sign-up sheet for the two mobile, wireless labs was in the library.

At the start of the semester, or even days before, a few teachers would go in an pencil in their class(es) for 1 or 2 or more days for every week in the semester.

You'd have to check back each week to see if they had erased some of the claimed days or more often go and ask them if they were really going to use the lab on such-n-such day -- and often they weren't.

Or maybe check in the library before your class started to see if the lab was still there and then ask if you could have it since the horder didn't come to get it...