Korean Job Discussion Forums

[WavFunc]

It was really interesting.

I thought I had a regular day today and all of a sudden I was told to go to class and set up early because a government official who had something to do with English education in my area was visiting all the local schools with foreign teachers in them. He was checking the quality and competency of foreign English teachers and the visits were not announced because if they were everyone would pull get their crap together like in an open class and it wouldn't be an accurate demonstration. I wasn't supposed to be told in advance but I was... a whole 20 minutes in advance.

I didn't really care. I'm leaving Korea to teach in Japan next year (unbeknownst to my school) and I'm putting in just enough effort to carry myself until January or so when I put in my sixty days notice.

Anyway, the class went really well. The students were good because they were being watched and because they are my best class. I taught like I normally do with a little bit of added "umphf" to impress.

After the class was over the official told me it was the best class he had seen so far and he has seen quite a few foreigners teach in the past couple of days. It made me feel a little bad because he offered me a job teaching at the closest International School starting before my contract finished and my co-workers all said I should do it. The job starts in April.

I already have my mind made up on Japan and I'm angry that the only real recognition I ever get in my three years of teaching here comes at a time when I'm making concrete plans to leave the country and teach somewhere else!

On top of congratulating me he vented about the other foreign teachers he saw in the past while. The run down:

One foreign teacher gave his students twenty minutes of free time. Another showed a 30 minute long video. One foreign teacher didn't have a lesson plan and the class was really awkward. These were just the ones that were worth talking about. He said that on average, the class he witnessed was very disappointing.

The funny thing is that I'm guilty of all these things but I do them EXTREMELY rarely, like during exam weeks or right before a long vacation after exams are finished. Maybe he caught them on a bad day but part of me knows that it probably isn't true.

I haven't been on these boards long and I complain about Korea a lot for very good reasons. This is one of those rare Korea: 1 and Foreigners: 0 moments.

Its sad to know that English teachers on their part aren't doing very much to advance the profession. Its good to know that I'm actually doing well because up until now I have had no feedback in any form, whatsoever.

[oskinny1]

I am curious if the admisitrator bothered to talk with the other teachers. I am not saying there aren't bad ones out there, of course there are going to be lazy and unprepared teachers. What do they expect hiring fresh out of uni wet behind the ears with zero experience and zero training?

Maybe if he did talk to some of the teachers he would find out that the foreign teacher has 0 respect or support from their school. Possibly that co-teachers ignore them and treat them like crap. Students won't listen and the teacher has just given up. Or maybe the teacher just sucks.

I am just trying to figure out what the offical expects from untrained employees.

As for you getting a nice offer just before you leave, that sucks as it has happened to me as well. At that point you just have to tell them that some positive feedback is appriciated once in awhile.

[gillod]

[lookingforworkinasia]

Just out of curiosity, did you ask him why all teachers (Koreans and Foreign alike) aren't evaluated using this method? I would love it if a supervisor wandered into some of my classes without warning. I think it would really cause my CT's to shape up...and at least stay awake through class.

[mysterious700]

I answered this to a previous posting, but use this for teaching and it'll get you through....

"Go to an English Bookstore or a large bookstore in Seoul with an English section. You can buy a picture dictionary and maybe some flash cards too, if you're doing elementary. Use the dictionary to come up with ideas and then teach the students some vocabulary words from these. Later ask questions and get them to answer you. You can also use wikipedia or google imagese for some pictures on these topics and ask the students some questions about it. Towards the end, the students can practice speaking to each other. Fairly easy. Just make sure the coteacher actually disciplines and controls the students. New teachers and substitutes tend to be the worst for this."

As for 20 minutes of free time when someone is watching your class, did the bonehead not have any common sense?

[Ramen]

[blackjack]

The other day I was told I was going to have the principal and some guests from the education board drop by for my first class. So I prepared a slightly modified lesson plan which would show off what that class was good at and standard lessons for everyone else (you can't have a standard class when you have a bunch of others in the class anyway).

The principal and co showed up for my second class, which is my most out of control, hardest to teach class (one of the students threw something at the principal). To make matters worse they decided to bring along a film crew and kept wanting sound bites (or what ever you call it). Plus they wanted me to redo my classroom intro a few times. After 20 mins a pissed off principal gave up and asked what was my best class. they came back for 5a and everything went smoothly thank god.

I just hope I don't end up on araing TV

[andrewchon]

K-teachers at my school do the same; show them movies, free time, no lesson plans, the lot.
Surprise inspection catches those who are unlucky to be caught.
Surprise inspection is not in the Deeming Principles.

[ashland]

[Konglishman]

[blackjack]

[Joe666]

oskinny1 wrote:

[Jeonmunka]

How can he be linked to an 'international school' if he is an official checking 'foreign teachers' in public schools?
Sounds more like one of those Korean owned foreign language schools which are bs right from the start, and this official is pals with a semi-corrupt dude who runs one of them.

[earthbound14]

I don't know...you get what you hire. If your requirements are a pulse and a degree of some kind then I don't really think you will see to many teachers placed in class rooms.

On top of that, you take a bunch of young folks who really know nothing of teaching, know nothing of Korea, provide them with a wage and long term benefits that are likely only enough to tide them over until they take off for parts unknown, or until the weekend in Hongdae arrives then I don't expect many real teachers to be flooding into this relatively drab land of concrete and neon.

If you don't train people before putting them in front of students or provide them with incentives to learn, feedback, or educational options and all you offer is a reference that is about as valuable as used toilet paper for future jobs back in the real world, then I don't expect much improvement to be occuring.

Matters get worse when schools treat western employees like Korean ones and neglect the fact that they are young and likely away from home for the first time. They get even worse when wide spread abuse of power and mis treatment at the hands of employers is well known.

Korea has reaped what they sowed.

You want real teachers...pay them, encourage them and protect them. Then they will come.

I for one realised within a month or so that Korea was not the place for teachers and the only reason I chose to put effort into my classes was for my own self respect. Being part of the education system back home meant something, here I put up with it because I want to be here. I love my students and my life in Korea, but I get no great feeling from being a teacher here.

If that's all you're relying on to motivate teachers then things aren't bound to be all rosy in the land of English Ed in the dear old land of the Han.

Korea really seems to attract folks who like to get drunk and smoke cheap cigarettes more than it does teachers.

[calicoe]

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