Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Butterfly]

Some guys really really took care of me when I arrived in Korea, showed me around, took me to restaurants, invited me out, helped me make other friends. If I have the chance, I always do the same for newbies, then maybe they'll do the same, and then we'll all take care of each other a bit more than we do.

[kangnamdragon]

There is another side. Sometimes veterans go out of their way to help, but are unappreciated.

[rapier]

actually I've been fairly helpful to the new guy after all...he seems quite a calm sort of guy, so its been ok.. However i'm not going to advise he take on the boss or we join forces to fight the management over some schedule change or whatever...so everything seems cool..I'm not that bad after all...

[kangnamdragon]

i knew you were a nice guy...

[lactaid]

Personally, as a newbie i can't imagine putting up with me if i was a complete idiot or helpless (i hope i'm not). What i would appreciate is some honest advice that i would sleep on and consider myself for my specific situation. I mean what makes a newbie think that just because you're in a different country you should believe everything someone, anyone (i.e. a co-woker or hakwon owner) says? Maybe I just don't trust too many koreans (or people for that matter) straight away...

[kangnamdragon]

I find a lot of newbies are so overwhelmed by seeing so many Koreans, that they will trust the first white face they see.........unfortunately maybe

[W.T.Carl]

Yes, I have gone out of my way to help newbies or ANY other teacher in need. Hey people, we are all in this thing together. If we don't, WHO WILL?

[Butterfly]

[rapier]

[steroidmaximus]

[itaewonguy]

well If the foreigners were cool , I would tell them everything I can about this place, the director and his/attitude, I would give advice on what to do and what you shouldn't do..
I would help out as much as I can..
Im not afraid to lose my job!! there are so many hakwons out there its a joke.. so I really dont understand why you guys stay in the same place for like 2 -3 years and on the same wage! man, they want you another year, you raise it 100.000 or 2. come on!!!...
sometimes I wonder why some foreigners put up with all this crap.

[sparkx]

I hate to say it, but boards like this contribute to that attitude. Even though Dave's provides invaluable information about living in Korea, there is also an excess of the "grow a spine" & "don't take any s h i t when you get here" rhetoric.

Last year we had a girl start at our school who had never ventured beyond the borders of her Eastern Canadian province yet immediately had a chip on her shoulder (sorry but why are all the freaks here from Eastern Canada??).

On her first day, after being treated to a nice meal and driven to her apartment, which was right across the hall from me, the girl completely lost it on our korean assistant manager (who was truly one of the nicest people i've met) when she found out her gas wasn't installed. She just kept yelling over and over again, "no gas no teach...no gas no teach" as the korean dude was trying emphatically to explain that it would be installed first thing the next day. I soon found out that all of the girls "advice" came from Dave's and even though she had never even been to Korea Town in Canada, she had every right to vocally express her opinions, according to her.

I do however, like to lead by example and give encouragement to those, who I feel have a similar mindset as me. I always tell these people to be positive and block out the bullsh*t people throw their way 'cause god knows there are a million and one whiners who will just unload their negativity if given the chance.

Most newbies just adopt the attitude of their environment to fit it -- if they are met with a strong, friendly, positive attitude, many will let the small things slide and become fun to work with. Others, like the aforementioned girl, are a complete write-off and usually are the first to pepper the newbies with their sh*t and tarnish their perspective....god i'm glad im out of the industry.

[Juggertha]

hehe, funny you say that about easterners (edited for canadian unities sake).

Ah.. honestly, i try to help but i dont want to crowd them too much. I give adive when asked and invite for the occasion journey out but for the most part i think alot of the joy of being here is finding some things for yourself.

As for the girl who gets her advice from here... hehe. I'm sure she'll be back here complaining about being fired/shafted/mistreated. Honestly, i'd recomend to anyone coming over; be friendly, open minded and as prepared as possible. And remember...

when in Korea.. do as the Koreans do!

[rapier]

I'm tired of being expected to associate with whining newbies who bring me down.. i keep a fairly friendly yet reasonably distant pace from them. They're often lazy, think its all about them, can't teach to save their lives, and out for a free ride. No wonder Korean teachers often dislike them. The longer I spend in Korea, the more I see their side.

[VanIslander]

I spent my first year here as far away as possible from fellow foreigners out of fear of finding the maladjusted whining of malcontents contagious. My self-imposed distance was shaped by the first three encounters I had with other foreigners, each involving negativity toward Koreans in some shape or form.

Now I've enough of a base of great experiences in Korea, and a developed sense of my place within the order of things, to be able to handle the pessimism of half-empty cup people.

But what I'm finding is that many of the critical foreigners are actually nice people letting off steam according to their personality, especially the newbies, whereas some of the most positive-minded foreigners can seem a bit freaky.

All newbies need our support, though some of them are clearly not cut out for Korea and will be gone before long. I assume now that all attitude is just a form of release, a means of coping.

Let's help newbies.