Korean Job Discussion Forums

[weebil]

i don't really like kids. i tolerate them when they're around, but i hope i never have any myself. i guess i'm wondering how much you have to like kids (kindergarten / elementary age) in order to be a good teacher. my main motivation for doing ESL is that i want to travel and gain some "experience" (or something). is teaching work a bad idea for someone like me? how much do you actually like your job or the kids you teach? does ESL really require a lot of energy input?

also, is there anything to do in wonju?

[I'm no Picasso]

[I'm no Picasso]

Oh, and as for energy input, tons and tons. I work at an all boys middle school. If I was meek or quiet in the classroom, I think I'd get mowed over or completely ignored. The older boys require less energy, but with the younger ones, I've found you've got to keep moving to keep their attention.

[andrewchon]

It may sound strange but it's a matter of children liking you, not you liking children. A teacher may love the children dearly but if they don't like the teacher they won't do anything.
Some reasons for Korean children not liking teachers:

Smell bad
Fat
Ugly
Boring
Noisy class
Too much teachee and no game playee
You like some kid that he/she don't like
no candy

They may like teachers YOU find totally repulsive: e.g. an alcoholic who comes to class drunk, speak gibberish and cry for half an hour.

You say you tolerate them if they are around, find out whether they like you or not. If they like you not a lot of energy is required. You can train them to do just about anything. If they don't like you, no amount of energy, tried and trusted games, pictures, videos, candies will get them to do anything.

[poet13]

I used to be. I am not now. Ever since I said I wasn't renewing, my school has loaded up as much make work BS as they possibly can. Even teaching teacher for 4 hours a day 2 weeks from now. Teachers? They are the worst students imaginable. I'm done here in 85 days and totally delighted.

[Demophobe]

[mlh]

my situation is a little different. i teach at an english village and aside from camps the maximum amount of time a group of kids stays here is 3 days. so i don't really get to know them and as a result don't really care.

when i taught in honduras i taught middle school and high school and while the middle schoolers were little hellions i did really enjoy the high schoolers and i felt really invested in my job. i also wasn't teaching english, i was teaching world history, geography, and literature which i found much more enjoyable.

i don't really like children except ones i get to know. i find at english village some groups of well behaved kids aren't bad and the poorly behaved students i hate, but it never lasts more than 3 days. i will say though i turn off the niceness and smile once school is out or during break time. if a group has been particularly bad and a troublemaker tries to talk to me during my lunch break or after classes are out i just say its break time leave me alone.

but i don't have to be invested because a 2 day visit to an english village is pointless. especially when they're in 3rd grade and speak no english and have no idea what you're saying. so i just accept that i'm an expensive babysitter/taperecorder and wait for school to be over. 16 weeks to go (not that i'm counting or anything)!

[iggyb]

I'd say don't do it.

If you want to teach to travel, try adult education. Those jobs are harder to come by because there are fewer schools that cater to just that group, but if you don't like kids pretty much, I think you'd find the typical Korean hakwon non-adult school difficult to - as Koreans say - endure.

I had had in mind being a teacher - college professor - a long time before going to Korea just to get some international experience, and in Korea, I really didn't want to teach elementary school-aged students - though I did not "dislike" kids. I liked them well-enough but didn't fancy teaching a room full of them.

When I did accept a position in a typical hakwon teaching kids --- I was surprised:

It was enjoyable in class. You could have fun with the kids better than with adults, and you could actually teach the children.

I found Korean adults pretty set in their ways as far as learning strategies --- they basically wanted to avoid anything remotely similar to the ESL instruction they had received for so many years in Korean schools under Korean teachers.

Basically, all they wanted was "free talk free talk free talk free talk" --

They thought just be "free talking" with a native speaker, they'd magically learn the language, and many were usually too self-conscious to do much speaking in class, so it was really just free listening.

So, for me, teaching adults was a great way to learn about Korean society but wasn't really teaching.

Teaching children was teaching and could be fun ---

--- but you did have to want to do it...

You can get by with going through the motions with adults, but with kids, they take more attention and effort.

They can be a grind, and if you don't have the motivation to step-up your energy level and concentration on what your having them do -- it can war you down fairly quickly...

....at least that's how I see it...

[wakingup]

[cubanlord]

[Julius]

[maryjanes]

If you just want to live in different places, experience life and cultures etc. then ESL may not be the ideal thing for you. It is hard work and it does take patience and a will to make a difference (in my view). Of course, you can do it and not give a flying f... but that will soon wear you down and won't make for a happy experience.

If you're really keen on Asia, then maybe look at other opportunities to see the country, eg medium- or long-term volunteering programmes. These exist all over the world too.

Having taught ESL in Europe and now in Korea, and having done volunteer programmes in various countries, teaching has to be considered a vocation and not a cheapie way to travel.

mj

[VanIslander]

all in

[Demophobe]

[weebil]