Korean Job Discussion Forums

Zulethe · Joined: 04 Jul 2008

OK, well, this word used to mean a lot to me before entering this "profession." But I gotta tell ya, the word has lost all of its meaning.

This is not to bash what I or you do for a living, but let's be honest. Don't you just cringe slightly when you refer to yourself as a teacher?

I mean, my vision of a teacher is of my second grade teacher Mrs. Read helping with my multiplication as well as soothing me when I was angry, meeting my mom at PTAs, and handing out the all important report card.

When I see the two words together "English Teacher" I get a lump in my stomach. It's kinda like a euphemism for something else. I don't know what we should call it, but certainly not teacher.

ESL instructor? English facilitator? Anything but the word teacher. What I and you do is certainly nothing in the realm of what a teacher means to me.

NightSky · Joined: 19 Apr 2005

E_athlete · Joined: 09 Jun 2009 Location: Korea sparkling

i refer to myself as an Native English speaker at school. Calling myself an English teacher hurts the fragile ego of the other Korean teachers. I actually asked another teacher whether he thought that me being able to teach with a bachelors degree in Korea was absurd and he admitted that it upsets him. He said he had to compete with 13 other applicants to get his job yada yada yada.

Nevertheless on my contract it says I'm an English teacher. I am what the contract says I am.

VanIslander · Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 4:51 pm Post subject:

I am an English language teacher.

Others may be t-shirt clowns or gap year yahoos or book instructors or edutainers or w.h.y.

It all depends on your educational development, professional commitment and/or self-definition.

roadwork · Joined: 24 Nov 2008 Location: Goin' up the country

VanIslander · Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 4:59 pm Post subject:

climber159 · Joined: 02 Sep 2007

What about us "Chalkboard Monkeys" out there? Is that an appropriate title?

Those at public schools, I believe, hold the title of "Assistant Teacher." At least that's the case for GEPIK slaves.

There are many ways to define who you are and Koreans appear to allow their job to consume their lives thus making their job title an appropriate definition of their self. I strive to be slightly more multi-dimensional than that.

AliciaJC · Joined: 10 May 2009

teaching= teacher

kabrams · Joined: 15 Mar 2008 Location: your Dad's house

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

OnTheOtherSide · Joined: 29 Feb 2008

What about this gig makes it not real teaching?

It sure is different than typical K-12 classroom material. The job is very image oriented. And we're in a weirdo country. But it is definitly teaching.

When i'm in the classroom I do real teaching. I teach them pronunciation, definitions, grammer, etc. I don't know what you all are doing in there.

If my Kindargarten teacher, who basically supervised us while we played around is considered a "teacher", then we are too fo shizzle.

VanIslander · Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 6:17 pm Post subject:

OnTheOtherSide · Joined: 29 Feb 2008

VanIslander · Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2009 6:19 pm Post subject:

OnTheOtherSide · Joined: 29 Feb 2008