Korean Job Discussion Forums

[fromtheuk]

There are many good reasons to work in Korea. Nice weather in summer, a high standard of living, not too expensive, not much physical violence/crime etc.

I have enjoyed bits of my work experience here.

Koreans outside of work have been very helpful and I respect them for it.

However............

If you are going to work at a public school, be aware you may have to teach with a Korean teacher, they are called your co-teacher.

Some of them are okay, but some of them are nasty, unwelcoming, jealous cockroaches. If you are the kind of person who cannot pretend to like people you dislike, this is one major reason not to work in the public school system.

They are semi-jokingly called 'handlers' on this forum, because of the way in which they treat native teachers.

The other reason not to work in Korean public schools is your work colleagues may well eventually treat you with open disrespect, ridicule and rudeness. After your initial novelty value wears off, they may well start to treat you with disrespect.

I appreciate there are many native teachers who have had good work experiences in various public schools. Be aware the 2 reasons I've cited are things which some native teachers here have experienced.

I hope this is a balanced post. I have worked in Korea for 2 years, I'm planning to leave soon.

[verseinu]

How are these negative sentiments towards esl teachers affected by the esl teachers attitudes and behaviours?

What if you genuinely try to treat them with respect and care?

[fromtheuk]

Why do you assume I don't treat my colleagues with respect?

If something bad happens, it may be natural to think somebody was responsible for it in some way. I can honestly say I am civil with everybody. Rudeness at work seems to take place quite often in the public school system.

Delve into this forum and you'll read about natives being laughed at and made fun of in a blatant, nasty manner, for no good reason. The reason may be just because they happen to be foreign.

Also bear in mind there are other posters on this forum who have experienced the same 'world class' treatment.

Some natives have found when they treat their colleagues with extra respect they get even worse treatment. Ask their colleagues why.

[verseinu]

[CA-NA-DA-ABC]

[greasypeanut]

^^^^ HAHAHA i was thinking the same exact thing. korean summers ARE THE WORST, and this is coming from someone who used to live through >100 degree summers

[D.D.]

They group pressure everyone into following as set code of being. After they notice that you are different and not going to conform they start treating you like crap to pressure you into joining the group mentality. They do this to themselves as well. Many Koreans notice this and hate it but still are too scared to stand out from the crowd. Many Koreans really hate change just as much as some redneck does in the states. We are hated by the backward thinking ones and they tend to be the ones that are running the show. There is some good schools out there with open minded staff, but it is not the norm. I also notice notice that the most conservative thinking teachers get promoted quicker so it is common to have principles that can't speak a word of English and are internationally challenged to say the least.

Great job for someone who just wants to be the monkey in the corner with a fake smile painted on but a horrible job for someone who cares about quality education.

[Slowmotion]

The positives outweigh the negatives.

[blackjack]

[asmith]

So far I haven't had many problems.

It's been pleasant enough.

[timetotravel]

Im wrapping up two years here at a pub school as well.
Although for the most part I have enjoyed it, and really am not treated poorly by anyone in the school, I did have some issues.
When I was really sick and missed a good chunk of school all the teachers were cold and rude to me. I understand the sick culture yes, but it really was a group thing....one person said how the foreign teacher was sick too much blah blah and the rest jumped on board. Pretty frustrating.
I think there is some truth to what the OP said!

Definitely more positives though and while at times I have been ready to throw in the towel, Im glad I stuck it out

[D.D.]

[Slowmotion]

Well if it keeps happening to that person and not so much to other people then it's probably his/her fault.

For example, a guy always asks girls out and gets turned down, while another guy asks girls and rarely gets turned down. The first guy is always getting turned down for a reason, whatever it may be.

[iggyb]

[D.D.]

I find in most industries if you are the type of person that cares and tries to serve you will have conflict with the selfish people. For instance if you are a Dr. and put the patients priorities at the top you will have problems with other Dr's. This is because they are takers and have developed systems to put the Dr's needs at the top.

I find here I am trying to represent the students needs and the system here is really about the teachers. This is a hard thing to put in words but I notice the teachers here are tending to set up systems that make them look good rather than ones that work. It's really about the teachers here and not the students. So when I present ideas to serve the students I meet resistance from the mob.

Real estate, lawyers and other professions are famous for the business looking after their own needs rather than the clients and teaching is not free from this problem.