Korean Job Discussion Forums

[OculisOrbis]

****UPDATE*****
Sorry, it's in korean. I was under the impression she was writing an article for the English edition, but, sadly, that wasn't the case - although it's nice to see something positive regarding FT's published for korean readers.

http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/schooling/390473.html

Brian makes note on his blog:

http://briandeutsch.blogspot.com/2009/11/hankyoreh-looks-at-challenges-nsets.html
****UPDATE****

I'm posting this for a student so that she can get better sample to write her article. Please take some time and do this survey if you can spare it. You can PM me your responses and I'll forward them to her or you can send them to the email below. Thanks.

Hello, we're the student reporters from the 'Hankyoreh' newspaper. We're planning to write a feature article for our newspaper's education section '함께하는 교육'. The subject of it is "Korean schools and students through foreign teachers' eyes". As one of the foreign teachers in Korea, please write about honestly what you have been felt while teaching and living in Korea. We're going to write an article about the cultural diversity and tolerance based on your statement. The article will be published on our newspaper on 30th Nov.

If you have any questions, you can easily contact us through e-mail or cell phone. Our email address is ([email protected]), and our phone number is (010-8909-4671). Thank you very much for participating in our survey....

(1) Students' attitude in your classes

1. Are you satisfied with your students' behavier and attitude in your class? If you are or not, please write the reasons also.

2. What kind of students you like the most? (ex. A student who concentrates on your class, A student who is really positive)

①

②

③

3. On the contrary, what kind of student you dislike the most?

①

②

③

4. Can you remember your first class in Korea? Please describe it. Besides, please tell us what the most difficult problem was.

5. If that problem was solved, please tell us what you did to do so.

6. Did you get any help with your difficulties? If so, please tell us in detail what kind of help your school gave you. If you think your school is lack of such consideration, please write about it also.

7. Working as a foreign teacher in Korea, please tell us honestly about what you were concerned about the most. What has caused such a concern of the Korean students' characteristics?

8. Have you ever felt like being ignored by Korean students? If so, please explain the situation in detail.

9. Do you think a foreign teacher's classes have helped Korean students improve their English? If so or not, what makes you think so? Please write your opinions about it.

(2) About your life in Korea

1. Please introduce yourself briefly. (name, age, country, etc.) How long have you been here in Korea? When did you start working as a foreign teacher?

2. What did you major in? Before you applied for your current position, what did you do? Also, please tell us what made you apply for a job in Korea.

3. What have you thought about Korea? Is there any difference between your thoughts about Korea before you came to Korea and those from your real experience in Korea?

4. While working at school, have you ever gone through any difficulties with your Korean colleagues? How important do you think your Korean colleagues' help is for you to settle down to Korea? Please describe what you want from them.

5. Have you ever seen other foreign teachers who suffered from cultural differences or difficulties in adjusting to the Korean culture? If you have, could you please describe more about those cases in detail?

6. What you think the Korean government should do when they recruit foreign teachers and appoint them to each school to help them settle down without a hitch and develop teaching skills?

7. Korea is well-known for the high expenditure of its private tutoring and dog-eat-dog competition for the university entrance exam. While teaching at a Korean school, do you think there is any strength about Korean education system? What do you think are the problems of the Korean education system?

8. Do you think you have been successfully adapted to the Korean school? If you don't think you're been successful, please describe the reasons.

This is the end of our survey. Thank you very much for your responses.

[Gillian57]

Yikes, these questions are a sure-fired way of getting fired! Honesty is NOT what people at my school want to hear. I would NEVER hang myself out to dry by answering those questions, expecially since they would want my name! No thanks, my life is difficult enough without shooting myself in the foot!

[OculisOrbis]

If you're not comfortable leaving your name, just leave that part blank. Your answers won't cause any repercussions if you PM me your responses to forward to the student because, that way, even your email is not shared. Hopefully, a few people will be willing to provide their opinions and experiences to these students.

[nomad-ish]

i don't think anyone should give their name when answering this. we don't know this student and what she'll be tempted to put into her article.

[OculisOrbis]

I totally agree. This is why I declined to do the survey for my student and have placed it here so that some foreign teachers' honest opinions and experiences can be shared anonymously and still allow her to write this article. Anyone concerned about their identity being known can pm me their responses without any information that they feel is too personal or may be used to identify them. I'm just hoping that enough people are willing to share so that the article may still be written.

[OculisOrbis]

bump

[OculisOrbis]

228 people viewed this and zero volunteers so far.......

[some waygug-in]

[OculisOrbis]

Thanks. That's one so far. Anyone else?

[Ramen]

No, thanks.

[WavFunc]

I have a lot of free time
____________________________________________________________
(1) Students' attitude in your classes

1. Are you satisfied with your students' behaviour and attitude in your class? If you are or not, please write the reasons also.

I'm satisfied most of the time but not all the time. I find that the students are often well behaved and some classes do pay attention very well. In other classes, the students have never been taught that it is rude to speak/play/yell/run around in class and I don't think it is fair that the foreign teacher is the only person trying to correct this behaviour.

2. What kind of students you like the most? (ex. A student who concentrates on your class, A student who is really positive)

① I like students who try their best.

② Students who pay attention.

③ Students that influence others to do well.

3. On the contrary, what kind of student you dislike the most?

① Students who talk incessantly.

② Students who are rude or ingrateful.

③ Students who don't know proper classroom etiquette.

4. Can you remember your first class in Korea? Please describe it. Besides, please tell us what the most difficult problem was.

The most difficult problem in my first class was... well, everything. My first class in Korea was the first class I had taught in my entire life. It was anarchy. I had no idea what I was doing. The students realized this and ran circles around me.

It took me an entire year to finally feel comfortable teaching.

5. If that problem was solved, please tell us what you did to do so.

I learned how to teach. Since then my teaching ability has improved greatly.

6. Did you get any help with your difficulties? If so, please tell us in detail what kind of help your school gave you. If you think your school is lack of such consideration, please write about it also.

I have never, ever recieved any help in Korea towards my teaching. Not in the hagwon I worked in before, nor have I in the public High School I teach in now.


7. Working as a foreign teacher in Korea, please tell us honestly about what you were concerned about the most. What has caused such a concern of the Korean students' characteristics?

I think that they are taught not to respect foreigners or foreign cultures. That is not to say that all students feel this way but sadly, many of them do. I think many Koreans are brought up to think that foreigners, be they from Canada or the United States, or Vietnam or China, should not be respected.

Many of my students are only concerned with learning English in the same way they learn mathematics or chemistry. They don't understand that there is a culture or an entire civilization behind the language and that they need to understand/respect this culture if they ever plan to speak English well.

8. Have you ever felt like being ignored by Korean students? If so, please explain the situation in detail.

Yes, many times. I'd venture to say that I am ignored my Korean students everyday.

Because the class is not graded and because co-teachers rarely come to the class (not only in my situation; it is this way for most foreigners) many Korean students assume that the class is not important and try to talk/sleep their way through class.

9. Do you think a foreign teacher's classes have helped Korean students improve their English? If so or not, what makes you think so? Please write your opinions about it.

No. The students might remember a few things from the class but it is not worth it for the students or for the school which employs a foreign teacher.

As it is, I see each class of 45 students once every 1.5 weeks. That means I spend a very small amount of time with each class and an even smaller amount of time with each individual student. Regardless of how good a foreign teacher is, it is impossible to make a lot of difference in these settings.

I create smaller, afterschool classes in order to reach out to special students. This is the only way I can teach them something.

Foreign teachers are mostly babysitters.

(2) About your life in Korea

1. Please introduce yourself briefly. (name, age, country, etc.) How long have you been here in Korea? When did you start working as a foreign teacher?

Jason, age 24 from Canada. I started working as a foreign teacher at a hagwon in 2007. This is my third year.

2. What did you major in? Before you applied for your current position, what did you do? Also, please tell us what made you apply for a job in Korea.

I was in University studying Philosophy in Canada. I came to Korea for adventure, to teach and to make money.

3. What have you thought about Korea? Is there any difference between your thoughts about Korea before you came to Korea and those from your real experience in Korea?

I didn't know much about Korea before I came other than what other people told me. I had cousins, friends and family who had all taught in Korea at some point. People usually had said positive things about teaching here.

4. While working at school, have you ever gone through any difficulties with your Korean colleagues? How important do you think your Korean colleagues' help is for you to settle down to Korea? Please describe what you want from them.

My Korean colleagues at my public High School have been very nice. I think that they have all made an effort to understand me as a person and understand my culture.

5. Have you ever seen other foreign teachers who suffered from cultural differences or difficulties in adjusting to the Korean culture? If you have, could you please describe more about those cases in detail?

I've known many people that experience cultural difficulties in Korea on a regular basis.

Many foreigners feel that Korea is very difficult to live in at times as a foreigner because of many Koreans attitudes towards foreigners. Day to day it can be just fine but occasionally something happens that reminds us how many Koreans feel about us being here.

6. What you think the Korean government should do when they recruit foreign teachers and appoint them to each school to help them settle down without a hitch and develop teaching skills?

Change everything. The current system doesn't benefit anybody except for the foreign teacher's wallet.

Foreign teachers need more help from Korean teachers, a standard curriculum, the ability to give grades to students (with a Korean teacher's aid if necessary), the ability to conduct smaller conversational style classes instead of large, lecture-style classes and foreign teachers should have resources available to them to help them learn how to teach in the very beginning.

7. Korea is well-known for the high expenditure of its private tutoring and dog-eat-dog competition for the university entrance exam. While teaching at a Korean school, do you think there is any strength about Korean education system? What do you think are the problems of the Korean education system?

The students behave better, overall. They behave worse inside the classroom than students from my native Canada but they behave a lot better outside the classroom. Korean schools operate on twice the energy but at half the efficiency.

The students are not taught critical thinking or debate. They aren't allowed to manage their own lives or find their own hobbies, or to even find their own strengths and weaknesses. I hope that some day they will be allowed to be kids.

There is far too much pressure on all the students to succeed even though only a few can accomplish. This reflects the greater society more than the individual schools, though.

Schools should create well-rounded, intelligent and thoughtful people. Not robots that are really good at passing tests.

8. Do you think you have been successfully adapted to the Korean school? If you don't think you're been successful, please describe the reasons.

I think I have adapted as well as I'll ever adapt.

_____________________________________________________________

[OculisOrbis]

Thanks WavFunc.

[Kaypea]

I'm posting this for a student so that she can get better sample to write her article. Please take some time and do this survey if you can spare it. You can PM me your responses and I'll forward them to her or you can send them to the email below. Thanks.

Hello, we're the student reporters from the 'Hankyoreh' newspaper. We're planning to write a feature article for our newspaper's education section '함께하는 교육'. The subject of it is "Korean schools and students through foreign teachers' eyes". As one of the foreign teachers in Korea, please write about honestly what you have been felt while teaching and living in Korea. We're going to write an article about the cultural diversity and tolerance based on your statement. The article will be published on our newspaper on 30th Nov.

If you have any questions, you can easily contact us through e-mail or cell phone. Our email address is ([email protected]), and our phone number is (010-8909-4671). Thank you very much for participating in our survey....

(1) Students' attitude in your classes

1. Are you satisfied with your students' behavier and attitude in your class? If you are or not, please write the reasons also.

I'm not always satisfied with my students' behavior and attitude, but I know it's a combination of their age (middle school), the subject matter (foreign language class taught in a foreign language, to beginner/intermediate students of the language), and my relative inexperience as a teacher.

Sometimes, students display a horrible attitude towards study skills in my classes, and I need to teach them it's not okay. For example, they can't take the worksheets I give them and throw them on the floor as soon as they receive them.


2. What kind of students you like the most? (ex. A student who concentrates on your class, A student who is really positive)

① Friendly, cheerful students

② Students who do their work, and who try

③ Funny students who are friendly and cheerful, and who genuinely try

3. On the contrary, what kind of student you dislike the most?

① Disrespectful students

② Students who won't participate

③ Students who whine

4. Can you remember your first class in Korea? Please describe it. Besides, please tell us what the most difficult problem was.

My first class was in a kid's hogwan. I had the most trouble with the later evening middle school kids. They wouldn't listen to me, and I kept threatening to make them stay for detention, but I never did (I should have!) Instead, I would yell at them sometimes and that worked a little, but it exhausted me.

I also had A LOT of difficulty teaching kindergarten. I was brought in as a surprise switch-hitter teacher for the one who did a midnight run. The kids were total spoiled brats and didn't listen. I made the mistake of getting loud and "scary" to keep them in line. Oops, parents complained and I got fired. After that point, I was coached on how to be a better and more patient and fun teacher, and things got better... I even got offered my job back, but I had already found a new job.

I learned the importance of planning variety into classes... Especially at that early age, you have to switch activities often. It reduces a lot of brattiness.

5. If that problem was solved, please tell us what you did to do so.

Added variety

6. Did you get any help with your difficulties? If so, please tell us in detail what kind of help your school gave you. If you think your school is lack of such consideration, please write about it also.

I guess the hogwan I worked at gave me a lot of support AFTER firing me, which is weird but kind of nice.

Right now, at the middle school, I think it's fine. My handler co-teacher is really cool, and she's a new teacher too, although with a bit more education and professional training than me (and more brains and common sense and self-discipline, courage, etc, too So, as she learns new things, she passes them on to me. She gives me advice that an experienced teacher would not really think to pass on, because it's become second nature to them.

But, I think I've really lucked out with her. As far as the school goes, I appreciate that they've taken the time to decide what I am to teach. They have me cover the speaking portion of the textbook, so I'm never really at a loss as to "what" to teach. I would reccomend that all schools do this, although I have heard that some FT's hate teaching from the textbook. I really don't mind. I can always supplement the basic lessons with my own activities.

7. Working as a foreign teacher in Korea, please tell us honestly about what you were concerned about the most. What has caused such a concern of the Korean students' characteristics?

I don't like what I see in terms of discipline, sometimes. It seems as if students are overpunished for breaking small rules, but then as they progress through middle school, some kids become full-out juvenile delinquents, and the school just shrugs their shoulders and says, "nobody can control them, and they're bigger than us now."

8. Have you ever felt like being ignored by Korean students? If so, please explain the situation in detail.

I am still learning how to make large classes of students who really don't know much English, or care about English, listen to me. On the other hand, some students really don't ignore me at all Everywhere I go, they shout my name and try to get my attention. Weirdly enough, some students who don't like to study or listen in class like to try to talk to me outside of class. I wish they would be more attentive in class!

9. Do you think a foreign teacher's classes have helped Korean students improve their English? If so or not, what makes you think so? Please write your opinions about it.

I haven't been in the public school system long enough to know. If anything, I think our presence may make students feel bolder in practicing their English.

(2) About your life in Korea

1. Please introduce yourself briefly. (name, age, country, etc.) How long have you been here in Korea? When did you start working as a foreign teacher?

I'm 29, and from Canada. You can call me Kaypea

I've been in Korea just over a year, which is when I became a foreign teacher.

2. What did you major in? Before you applied for your current position, what did you do? Also, please tell us what made you apply for a job in Korea.

I majored in English, and before teaching I worked at Subway, and in stores. I remember my first recruiter saying she could not recommend me as a particularily desirable candidate because I had been out of college for a few years and working "low jobs". She told me that she would tell employers that I had been applying for competative grad schools and striking out, as if that's better than just working for an honest living. Thinking back, I don't know why I didn't change recruiters. She really upset me (even if she was giving me a dose of reality), and the recruiter who got me my current job would NEVER say anything as lame as that.

I applied for a job in Korea because I was tired of low jobs. I also didn't want to go to teacher's college at the time, to become a regular old teacher. No, I decided I'd travel and get old first. Then I'll become a regular old teacher. (I enjoy the expat life)

3. What have you thought about Korea? Is there any difference between your thoughts about Korea before you came to Korea and those from your real experience in Korea?

I didn't have many thoughts about Korea. I knew some people who came from Korea, and I thought Korea sounded very interesting, but I still didn't have a real picture of the place. I remember that the girl I knew had some false teeth, so I thought maybe the healthcare was backwards or something? It doesnt' seem to be.

4. While working at school, have you ever gone through any difficulties with your Korean colleagues? How important do you think your Korean colleagues' help is for you to settle down to Korea? Please describe what you want from them.

I've had rosy relationships with my Korean colleagues, although I did get fired from the hogwan. They were actually quite courteous about it.

I guess I would say this to Korean teachers, in general: please treat the foreign teachers as somebody who is on your side. It's not an us-against-you game. I haven't experienced this problem, but it sounds sometimes (from reading this forum) that Korean teachers occasionally go out of their way to prevent the FT from feeling good. That's not necessary.

5. Have you ever seen other foreign teachers who suffered from cultural differences or difficulties in adjusting to the Korean culture? If you have, could you please describe more about those cases in detail?

It seems like most FT's adjust pretty well. Korea is not a hard place to spend a full year, and there are many fun things to do.

Occasionally, I get frustrated when communicating with people at work, and if my handler wasnt' so "cool" (well-travelled, fluent in English, open to friendship with Koreans and westerners), I might go running away screaming from time to time. I mean, just when things happen like... "Please plan an after school class. It starts tomorrow. You can use this" (handing me stack of A4 paper). Argh.

6. What you think the Korean government should do when they recruit foreign teachers and appoint them to each school to help them settle down without a hitch and develop teaching skills?

Have some sort of curriculum in place for the teacher so that he or she can plan lessons. Encourage the students to be open to doing things the FT's way. Back up the FT when it comes to getting students to be respectful.

7. Korea is well-known for the high expenditure of its private tutoring and dog-eat-dog competition for the university entrance exam. While teaching at a Korean school, do you think there is any strength about Korean education system? What do you think are the problems of the Korean education system?

There are too many tests. The kids are too tired. Whenever I have them brainstorm about fun activities, they say "sleeping" (NOT FUN!!!)

At the same time, they have some poor study habits. They often don't bring paper to class, or even pencils. Sometimes, they don't do activities, even if they're explained in Korean. I don't know how they're passing all these tests. Is the emphasis on studying at home? What do they do in their other classes? Sit and get lectured at?

I've been told that Koreans are very good at listening and remembering, which may be why they don't need to bring paper and pens to class. When I was in school, I had to write almost everything down or else I wouldn't know what to study at test time.

8. Do you think you have been successfully adapted to the Korean school? If you don't think you're been successful, please describe the reasons.

I think it's been fine. I'm kind of quiet and have a small, quiet face

This is the end of our survey. Thank you very much for your responses

[OculisOrbis]

Thanks Kaypea and to another who pm'ed their responses to me.

[OculisOrbis]

bump