Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Turns26]

Hi all,

Just wanna say straight off the bat, im generally happy in my EPIK job in Busan, been here for 7 months and it's gone well...over time i've read some horror stories on here and feel thankful how i ended up here...but i do have an issue with 1 of my 2 co-teachers...

He is an older Korean guy and is generally incompetent in his job...his English is v.poor for an English teacher and as far as im aware he is generally not liked by other teachers in my school but luckily for him his two best friends in and out of school are the vice-principal and principal! His lesson plans are non-existent, he doesnt let me plan lessons and im basically an expensive tape recorder to him.

Anyway, my problem is that he never tells/relays info to me from EPIK/BMOE, anyone teaching through EPIK knows they frequently will have seminars/refreshers/cultural trip days etc... which requires you to be out of school and in 7 months being here i've only been told about the general EPIK orientation back in December (even then i had to go back to school during orientationfor an open class!)...there was another refresher course arranged in April, he told me about it and then told me it was cancelled a few days later...i didnt think about it again...that was until all my western friends asked me why i wasnt there!

Just recently, there was another seminar...again i knew nothing of it until again my friends asked where i was...my name was on the list of attendees...again i knew nothing! I asked my co-teacher who said 'teaching at school is most important'

Please do misinterpret this 'vent' as i just want free days out of school...i don't...theres been plenty of other 'away days' as such arranged, like cultural trips etc... which im not that interested in attending but if something is available which will help my teaching...i'd like to know about it...but my co-teacher makes a decision without even informing me!

I dont want to cause to much of a fuss as i am thinking of renewing but things like this put seeds of doubt in my kind. I dont want to disrespect him by telling other people and i think telling the principal/v.principal would be pointless...should i go directly to EPIK/BMOE with it? anyone know who i should contact?

Any advice would be appreciated...thx for reading this!

[tanklor1]

Start chatting about Soccer than bring it up.

[eljuero]

I've got a similar setup - I think I've received parallel if not the same information from SMOE. You might just call EPIK and say you'd like to get on the mailing list for the info? If they say they send it to your co-teacher you could say he's really "busy" and you're afraid the information about it could get lost?
Just a possibility.

[Senior]

You're entitled to your free days out of school!

Try to cultivate a relationship with your program coordinator. Don't complain too much about your co-teach, because all she will do is go on the defensive, protecting her Han brother from the foreigner. But she might inform you of this stuff over his head, if you are pally with her(him?).

This has the added benefit in that you will be first in line when extra (payed) camps, demonstration gigs and such come up. All it took for me, was to fire off an email thanking her for the orientation trip. So far, I've gotten three days out of school and a camp teaching teachers, out of it.

Your co-teacher sounds like a jerk ass, but pointing this out to another Korean isn't going to win you any battles. Act sad about the situation to who ever will listen, but don't openly criticize him, even defend him, and someone will probably take your side. What about your other co-teach?

[winterfall]

Your lucky. My worst co-teacher is completely unqualified and has ZERO awareness. He makes phone calls in the back of class, doesn't notice / care when textbooks, some kid's eye glasses, shoes, and one time a pair of scissors went flying across the room, refuses to translate even when asked by students, gets in arguments with them too, and the list goes on and on.

You need to make a report, document every case with dates and class #. Before you can send it to your POE. If your report is REALLY BAD (Where you think they won't believe you) you've gotta start video taping (Visual & Audio) all your classes with him.

Until they do something just endure with it

[oldfatfarang]

OP . Other posters gave you good advice. Try and contact the POE supervisor and discretely ask to be sent the info you need by email. Just say that you haven't been getting the info on course dates etc (because your co-teachers are so busy). So Busy is Korean for: Couldn't give a .... Don't want to etc. Remember, in Korea, you aren't criticising your co-teacher if you are complimenting them on being ' so busy'.

Whatever you do, take heed of other posters. Don't criticise your co-teacher to anyone - especially if they are old and/or senior in your school. If you do that, you're dead in the water.

Good luck.

PS: I wouldn't be re-signing at this school. You can do better for yourself, and other students, by not being a tape recorder for some old guy waiting on retirement. If you like the area, just ask for a transfer when re-signing comes around.

[Seoulio]

[eljuero]

At the risk of just repeating things - I haven't been here long but I've been working a long stretch in life. The advice here is pretty solid. Play the situation with him as artfully as is possible and do really well with the other teacher(s).

I think the advice to document in a case like this is really important. Don't make a big production out of it but do things by email so you have that and/or have people sign off as was suggested.

good luck

[Who's Your Daddy?]

1) Do you see yourself making it through the year?
2) Would you want to renew at this school or POE?
3) What pay grade are you?

If you can't see yourself making it through the year, don't want to work at that school next year (with different co-teacher possibly), and are in the lower pay category, I'd think of changing to a hogwon job.

Yes, some hogwons are bad, but being in country you can check them out, and you'd probably be able to choose a better hogwon than your current situation.

[eljuero]