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iggyb
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
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 Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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"Corean" culture, eh?...
...sowing dissension and fear among the round eyes...?...
There is nothing to be afraid of.
If you land in one of the really bad spots, there isn't much you can do about it. But, worst case, stick it out until you get enough money for the ticket home --- or --- go illegal: do private teaching (making much more money) and pay your way until you get the money to go home.
And these are the worst case examples that most people will never face...
If you aren't prepared to be in a different (Westernized) culture -- in a democratic, industrial, rich nation - with all the amenities that go with it --- you must not have been thinking of going overseas to begin with....
If you want to be a great teacher --- if being the best you can possibly be as a teacher --- if your baseline judgment is centered on how well you inspire and instruct your students ------------ you might bash your brains out against the brick wall...
...like maybe you do at times in an American high or middle school.....
If you are flexible and have some level of "endurance" with things that are different and a certain amount of wrongheadedness ---- you'll be OK.
The hours can be very long, but take the time to get out and see the sites -- and beyond the bars with other expats.
I spent the first year and a half teaching adults in a typical hakwon working slave hours in a city of 250,000 that had about 10 native speakers overall with only 1 other foreign teacher at my school. I spent the bulk of my time with adult students. I was fairly immersed in Korean culture day to day - and it was a good learning experience - mixed with good and bad ----- about what you'd expect going to a different country. Even "Corea".
Over time, I also landed in one of those worst situations. It was tense and difficult, but with some thought and effort, I moved on to another, better position...
The Korean ESL market can be rough. It can be fine.
Anyone with a brain and patience can navigate through it...
Some will find it isn't worth it.
Some will land right away in a good place and not understand what the other guys online are talking about.
Some will take some knocks and keep on going because they find things that make it worth it.
Being "scared" is useless, because it can't motivate you much to accomplish anything before you arrive:
You won't know what kind of situation you are in until you are in it for a few weeks or even a couple of months...
...Why fret much over things you have little control?
Just be prepared to think things through if you have to...
....trust me....It is much better today than it was ten years ago --- the sheer number of expats in country, the plethora of Internet availability and info sites and networking sites --- make a big difference...
If you can keep your head on your shoulders, you an make it through the worst the ESL industry has to throw at you ---
---- and that is only considering the worst cases --- which most will never see... |
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AgentM
Joined: 07 Jun 2009
Location: British Columbia, Canada
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| Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:36 pm Post subject: |
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| iggyb wrote: |
"Corean" culture, eh?...
...sowing dissension and fear among the round eyes...?...
There is nothing to be afraid of.
If you land in one of the really bad spots, there isn't much you can do about it. But, worst case, stick it out until you get enough money for the ticket home --- or --- go illegal: do private teaching (making much more money) and pay your way until you get the money to go home.
And these are the worst case examples that most people will never face...
If you aren't prepared to be in a different (Westernized) culture -- in a democratic, industrial, rich nation - with all the amenities that go with it --- you must not have been thinking of going overseas to begin with....
If you want to be a great teacher --- if being the best you can possibly be as a teacher --- if your baseline judgment is centered on how well you inspire and instruct your students ------------ you might bash your brains out against the brick wall...
...like maybe you do at times in an American high or middle school.....
If you are flexible and have some level of "endurance" with things that are different and a certain amount of wrongheadedness ---- you'll be OK.
The hours can be very long, but take the time to get out and see the sites -- and beyond the bars with other expats.
I spent the first year and a half teaching adults in a typical hakwon working slave hours in a city of 250,000 that had about 10 native speakers overall with only 1 other foreign teacher at my school. I spent the bulk of my time with adult students. I was fairly immersed in Korean culture day to day - and it was a good learning experience - mixed with good and bad ----- about what you'd expect going to a different country. Even "Corea".
Over time, I also landed in one of those worst situations. It was tense and difficult, but with some thought and effort, I moved on to another, better position...
The Korean ESL market can be rough. It can be fine.
Anyone with a brain and patience can navigate through it...
Some will find it isn't worth it.
Some will land right away in a good place and not understand what the other guys online are talking about.
Some will take some knocks and keep on going because they find things that make it worth it.
Being "scared" is useless, because it can't motivate you much to accomplish anything before you arrive:
You won't know what kind of situation you are in until you are in it for a few weeks or even a couple of months...
...Why fret much over things you have little control?
Just be prepared to think things through if you have to...
....trust me....It is much better today than it was ten years ago --- the sheer number of expats in country, the plethora of Internet availability and info sites and networking sites --- make a big difference...
If you can keep your head on your shoulders, you an make it through the worst the ESL industry has to throw at you ---
---- and that is only considering the worst cases --- which most will never see... |
Thanks for all the encouragement, us soon-to-be newbies could use it!  |
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jackson7
Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Location: Kim Jong Il's Future Fireball
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| Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm leaving Sunday FROM Korea after 3 years, and that's a lot more scary! Life in Korea is almost guaranteed for a foreigner, giving us jobs that let us save at least 1K USD per month while still living a very, very easy life. I've been saving about 30K USD per year for the past couple years, but am still falling short of my goals, so I've taken a job that lets me save 60K (but not in dear ol' K-ville, unfortunately). The livin' is easy in Korea, so don't worry about a thing. |
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okayden223
Joined: 05 Jun 2009
Location: Incheon
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| Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:07 pm Post subject: |
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| You were SAVING 30k a year and that was below your goal?! Somebody was teaching privates... |
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nfld_chingu
Joined: 29 Jun 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 8:35 pm Post subject: |
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Are we really going to be quarantined for 7 days? Can anyone provide a link for this?
I wasn't told anything about a quarantine by my employer, and I am leaving next week to go to Daegu. |
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fraukoch
Joined: 25 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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| iggyb wrote: |
"Corean" culture, eh?...
...sowing dissension and fear among the round eyes...?...
There is nothing to be afraid of.
If you land in one of the really bad spots, there isn't much you can do about it. But, worst case, stick it out until you get enough money for the ticket home --- or --- go illegal: do private teaching (making much more money) and pay your way until you get the money to go home.
And these are the worst case examples that most people will never face...
If you aren't prepared to be in a different (Westernized) culture -- in a democratic, industrial, rich nation - with all the amenities that go with it --- you must not have been thinking of going overseas to begin with....
If you want to be a great teacher --- if being the best you can possibly be as a teacher --- if your baseline judgment is centered on how well you inspire and instruct your students ------------ you might bash your brains out against the brick wall...
...like maybe you do at times in an American high or middle school.....
If you are flexible and have some level of "endurance" with things that are different and a certain amount of wrongheadedness ---- you'll be OK.
The hours can be very long, but take the time to get out and see the sites -- and beyond the bars with other expats.
I spent the first year and a half teaching adults in a typical hakwon working slave hours in a city of 250,000 that had about 10 native speakers overall with only 1 other foreign teacher at my school. I spent the bulk of my time with adult students. I was fairly immersed in Korean culture day to day - and it was a good learning experience - mixed with good and bad ----- about what you'd expect going to a different country. Even "Corea".
Over time, I also landed in one of those worst situations. It was tense and difficult, but with some thought and effort, I moved on to another, better position...
The Korean ESL market can be rough. It can be fine.
Anyone with a brain and patience can navigate through it...
Some will find it isn't worth it.
Some will land right away in a good place and not understand what the other guys online are talking about.
Some will take some knocks and keep on going because they find things that make it worth it.
Being "scared" is useless, because it can't motivate you much to accomplish anything before you arrive:
You won't know what kind of situation you are in until you are in it for a few weeks or even a couple of months...
...Why fret much over things you have little control?
Just be prepared to think things through if you have to...
....trust me....It is much better today than it was ten years ago --- the sheer number of expats in country, the plethora of Internet availability and info sites and networking sites --- make a big difference...
If you can keep your head on your shoulders, you an make it through the worst the ESL industry has to throw at you ---
---- and that is only considering the worst cases --- which most will never see... |
Is this an attempt at poetry? |
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fraukoch
Joined: 25 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 8:44 pm Post subject: |
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| nfld_chingu wrote: |
Are we really going to be quarantined for 7 days? Can anyone provide a link for this?
I wasn't told anything about a quarantine by my employer, and I am leaving next week to go to Daegu. |
It's all a matter of surprise and whim. |
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Kikomom
Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: them thar hills--Penna, USA--Zippy is my kid, the teacher in ROK. You can call me Kiko
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| Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 9:30 pm Post subject: |
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Has anyone heard of anyone being quarantined since the first batch of CDI's? Anyone coming back from vacation? No one here has posted anything that I've read about lately, but I don't read it all. Zippy's in Guam this week, I'll let you know if he makes it back in the classroom on Monday.
The biggest threat, imho, is if someone is sick on your flight. They'll check you for fever at Customs. Then...??? |
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jackson7
Joined: 01 Aug 2006
Location: Kim Jong Il's Future Fireball
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| Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2009 11:51 pm Post subject: |
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| okayden223 wrote: |
| You were SAVING 30k a year and that was below your goal?! Somebody was teaching privates... |
I was, but only very recreationally. When you're at a uni making 3.3-3.7 depending on extra classes, and still coming in under 25 hours per week, it's not difficult to save 30K if you've paid your debts off during the first year or so. The past couple years I've been teaching a few adults only because we've built a good relationship and I enjoy the conversations. Lessons can be some of the best relationships and experiences you'll have in Korea, albeit illegal. |
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tomoyopop
Joined: 10 Jul 2009
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 8:17 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm leaving tomorrow too. ^^ Hope you have a safe flight! |
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son of coco
Joined: 14 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 11:28 pm Post subject: |
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| Kikomom wrote: |
| If you get quarantined anywhere, it'll be to your flat. Hopefully your school will bring you food and you might be able to pick up wifi in your building if you bring a laptop. You'll even get to go out and explore your neighborhood some, they just don't want you around kids--especially the ones in their school. |
A mate of mine was quarantined for the week recently, but in his case it simply meant he couldn't go to school. He could go anywhere else.  |
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longlivetheclash
Joined: 08 Aug 2009
Location: Bundang/Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:20 pm Post subject: Don't be scared. |
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| Korea is a very different place. However, if you open your mind and anticipate culture differences, you should be fine. Good luck to you. |
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PresleyTCat
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:39 pm Post subject: I hear you OP |
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I'm still chosing a job and am scared poopless. I've met a ton of people who taught in Korea, though, and they all have had mostly positive things to say. You'll be fine.
See you on the other side.  |
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halfmanhalfbiscuit
Joined: 13 Oct 2007
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:46 pm Post subject: |
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| The only thing to be really worried about is the relentless blandness of the place-food, booze, PS teaching, entertainment, availability of books/vids/exhibitions etc. |
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DrugstoreCowgirl
Joined: 08 May 2009
Location: Daegu-where the streets have no name
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| Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Coming to Korea was the scariest thing I've ever done, but once you get into a routine it's not so bad. The best advice I could give is to bring a lot of things from home to decorate your apartment with. Also, travel on the weekends so you don't go crazy being stuck in your town all the time. |
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