Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pkang0202]

Free food. Free drinks. How can anyone complain about going?

I probably had the best dinner in months, coupled with all I can drink free alcohol.

I don't get why people would try to get out of these things. Being school teachers, you could leave just about anytime. Some teachers left as soon as they finished eating. Others took off later in the evening.

A few of us stuck around to the after party of singing and more drinking. Best part is, I didn't have to pay a single won.

[djsmnc]

I don't know where this came from, but I agree with you. I'm all about the free dinners, though it often ends up with other waegooks whining about the food and complaining about easy work. Either way, it means I don't have to pay for one of my meals!

[curiousaboutkorea]

I wish my school went out for meals

[Fishead soup]

Actually I used to think these things were free. If you are new to Korea there is a good chance your school is treating you. Otherwise each teacher pays about- 29-30 000 thousand won this is usually taken care of either before or after but never in front of restaurant staff.

One thing to bear in mind is as a foreigner you will stand out at these. There will be quite a few people who will want to see how much you can drink. Or simply want to see you get drunk. Being a lively happy drunk in Korea is quite acceptable. Being a fall down vomiting foreigner you might be subject to the great world of Korean double standards.

Koreans are sprint drinkers. They drink a lot in a sport period of time. The custume of pouring each others drinks also mean you get drunk much quicker. The chances of blanking out are high.

[The Goalie]

At public schools there is usually (in my experience) a monthly fee to help cover staff dinners and whatever other outings that may take place. My school goes out a lot so I definately come out on top, though the fun is often tampered by being placed directly across from the principal. He's a nice guy but it seems to get more freewheeling in direct proportion to the distance from the principal. The good times roll when I get to sit next to the maintenance guy...

[Big Mac]

I used to go to these, but I realized it's better not to go. There are a lot of very racist teachers at my school who like to talk about me while I'm sitting there. The last time I went to one, one of the teachers ruined my principal's going away dinner by protesting loudly about how stupid he was for giving me another contract. He went on for a very long time and said some pretty nasty things from what I was told. That was the last time and will be the last dinner I ever attend. It was not fun.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[ippy]

[antoniothegreat]

if drinking is your thing, then sure, go to these, but not all people value a free meal and alcohol as much as you.

some people dont like to drink, so they feel pressure at these things.

some schools have very few teachers that speak english, so that is not fun.

some teachers are rude to foreigners.

i personally, have had male teachers love to rub my leg and tell me how much they like me. even when i tell them that makes me feel uncomfortable, they do it.

some of us have better things to do.

some of us dont like the food they eat.

the point is, go if you want, but why care if someone doesnt go?

[Big Mac]

I'm definitely not a slacker. I'm probably one of the hardest working teachers in the school and definitely the most popular among the students.

He had picked a fight with me in the teachers room about six months before that over sitting on the edge of a table. Afterwards I saw him in the hallway and we exchanged a few angry words and he raised his arm to punch me, but my co-teacher pushed him aside. I never saw him again until that day. So we had a bit of a history.

Apparently he was upset because he had spent those six months lobbying to make sure I wasn't renewed. When he saw me at the dinner he flipped out. He told the principal and the vice principal they were idiots for re-signing me and said that he was going to go to the Board of Education and have me fired by the end of the week. He started having meetings with teachers at the dinner, including my two co-teachers to try to get them go to his side. He told my co-teacher she follows me around like a dog or something like that. This went on for almost the whole dinner. Some people were embarrassed for me (especially the principal) and some of the older teachers who I don't even know took his side and started having meetings the next week with their complaints about me. Their complaints seemed to involve not speaking Korean to them in the hallway. It was ridiculous.

In the end my handler and I had to have a meeting with the teacher to make him feel better about the whole thing (who cares about how I felt about it!). Haven't heard a peep about it since. Ever since then I keep away from all social functions and just do my job. It's been much more peaceful.

[Hunter Ess]

[ippy]

[ippy]

[some waygug-in]

I'm not a drinker and I really don't like being around people when they are drinking.

I go for the dinner and then leave.

If I have to sit while the teacher have a few 'toasts', fine but I'm not game to be drug off to a norae bang or whatever.

To each his/her own I suppose.

It's not the "dinner" people complain about, it's the idea that you must go and you must sit on the floor for hours and you must pretend to be Korean.

It's not a lot of fun, even if you do drink.

The last school I worked at had their dinners way out in the countryside, so I couldn't leave until they left. It was like being held hostage. They were having about 1 of these a week (sometimes more). I finally had to tell them no more.

They almost had a conniption, they circled around me and were trying to force me to go. Anyone who enjoys going to these things, well good for you. Not everyone does, nor should they be "forced" to go.

I am learning Korean by the way, but at these things I'm mostly ignored all night. If you enjoy being the pet waygook, go for it.

[CentralCali]