Korean Job Discussion Forums

[alistaircandlin]

I've accepted a job at a public school in Seoul starting this September and will be working alongside co-teachers.

One of the things I'm thinking about is how to develop a good working relationship with colleagues in a Korean school. I've heard mixed reports about this on various other threads - some teachers have difficult relationships others seems to get on fine.

The reason I'm writing is to ask the advice of any teachers with this experience. How did you get over any conflicts or problems? How did you establish a good working relationship?

[austinmc86]

My co-teachers are AWESOME! They're very nice and help me a lot!


Their English is decent, some better than others, but they're good people.

[schwa]

The scary ones are a small minority.

I've dealt with dozens of team teachers & co-teachers & have been privy to how they regard other foreign teachers.

Key to being esteemed: give your best effort. Nobody's perfect. Be sincere.

[bish]

[kiknkorea]

Most co-teachers are cool. Just follow a few obvious guidelines and you'll be in good shape.

*ALWAYS be on time.
*If you are ever unsure of something, ask questions.
*Be positive during class.
*Don't try to reinvent the wheel doing lessons. They have a method and like it.
*Be nice to all of the staff at school, not just your co-teacher.
I'm surprised at how many teachers will be super-polite to their CT and then be impolite to other staff. Always be kind, word gets around.

[Perceptioncheck]

I've had two awesome, amazing co-teachers, and one of the bad ones. Unfortunately, with the bad ones - in my limited experience, anyway - there's actually nothing you can do to get them on side. They've either got a chip on their shoulder, or are just generally unpleasant people to everyone. It doesn't matter how much work you do, or how nice you are, or how good you are a teaching.

In my situation, I just stopped trying and employed SNIP (smile, nod, ignore and proceed) wherever possible. My nasty co-teacher wasn't any happier, but I certainly was.

[snowysunshine]

My experience with a CT was not so great, and now I don't have one, but instead have homeroom teachers coming for each class. For the most part, I actually really enjoy having the homeroom teachers, and feel like they are more effective than my CT was. That being said, I still wish that things had worked out differently with the CT.

My suggestion: communicate. When you first start out, sit down with the CT and ask them what style of co-teaching they are most comfortable with, ask them what their expectations are of you, and find a way to work together. Be flexible. There are times when you will not be told about schedule changes, but getting angry about it will not help anyone. Just try to be aware of what's going on in the school, and that will help. There are weekly schedules sent out, look at them, and ask if any of it will affect your schedule.

Have fun!!

[Ramen]

My co-teachers were:

1. Cooperative
2. Sincere
3. Caring
4. Hot
5. Young
6. Old
7. Racist
8. Nationalist
9. Communist
10. Naive
11. Workaholic
12. Lazy
13. Evil
14. Dishonest
.
.
.
The list can go on and on.

[ippy]

Smile
Nod
Ignore
Proceed

S.N.I.P.

When i arrived i had two really nice coteachers. They were helpful, relaxed, patient, and very interesting people. Come April they both reached their tenure at this school and it all went downhill, i received the coteacher from hell and a coteacher that barely speaks a word of English. The one that barely speaks a word of english is nice, but the other one is impossibly difficult to work with. So i learned pretty quick to just agree with whatever she says and carry on as normal. Its kept our relationship just on the right side of the line. We seem to get on now regarding everything not to do with teaching.

In fact shes so hard to teach with that i decided to not recontract based entirely on the prospect of working another years with her. The native teacher she taught with at her previous school also decided to not recontract solely because of her. She has also now driven away TWO after school English teachers through shouting at them continually in front of students about trivial crap like the key for the English room (which they have no control over).

Fortunately im not the only one who thinks shes nuts, so come september shes off to the boe for 6 months of retraining. Within the same day i was asking if i could change my mind about recontracting and the BOE said they completely understood my feelings on the matter and agreed.

Sometimes you catch a break. Sometimes you dont. If you dont, my advice is just ride it out and try and keep the relationship positive. It helps your sanity in the long run. Dont get petty, dont get too cynical and try your best to accommodate them. You will probably drive yourself mental if you dwell on the negative.

[fugitive chicken]

I've had 3 co-teachers in the 2 years I've been here. 2 were good, one was a little on the crazy side and had a radically different (more violent) approach to classroom management than I did.

I would say, unless it's a serious issue, as it was with my crazy co-teacher (she routinely yelled at the students for 20 minutes straight and made the 6th grade boys cry, and for the rest of the time was in the office surfing g-market) Add your input, let your view and teaching style be known, let him/her know that you want to teach by working hard at planning and insisting that you plan every lesson with her so that you are a part of the team. But, let her lead; and she will respect you for it. Again, unless it's a serious disagreement.

But my current co-teacher and I have worked out a great system. She teachers the first 2 periods to the lesson; and I teach the last 2. That way, the students learn the words and how to use them with my co-teacher and I give them the practice they need to internalize it. I still need a little help to explain some of my activities with my co-teacher sometimes; but it's given us both a chance to use our different teaching styles instead of contending and conceding to eachother with each lesson.

A few people I've talked to with bad CTs seems to be that they resent you for being there. I've known someone whose CT took it personally when her rather poor English was corrected and resented her for that. In that case, dont argue in that situation, just nod and move on; and do your job or it will feed their dislike for you and make them feel justified in not liking you.

[southernman]

I've had a few different ones, no one really bad but some were quite lazy. Some have been awesome

I am professional and polite at all times to all staff and students, it does get noticed.

I've had two issues and handled them straight away, you've been here a while so you shouldn't have any problems.

[TexasChicken]

I taught one year with GEPIK. Worst year of my life. My Co-teacher was a controlling maniac. Screwed me out of over 2 million won in Afterschool money. Didnt talk to me at one point for about 4-5 months. Threatened me saying 'You'lle never work in Korea again!" Frequently made racist or insulting comments. Had a mental breakdown when she realized I had a tape recorder under my desk and had been recording her making those comments. She literally fell crying on the floor of the classroom and curled up in the fetal position. Tried to take my vacation time during national holidays. She's the first bad recommendation ive ever had from an employer. After working for a GEPIK school I will never ever ever go back to a Public School again. But then again its all random. My friend works for a Public School and loves it. I just know im never going back.

T.C.

[Oliver]

[Ramen]

[bcjinseoul]

My coteacher is the reason I'm not renewing with SMOE, and possibly done with public schools, as I had a bad school with no time off with GEPIK too. First, on one day she told me I was so nice and gentle with the girls as if I was some kind of perv. Then, she didn't like a lesson I had for a Friday when Mon-Thurs where cancelled. Then she attacked me out of nowhere in front of a class and told me to speak to the children, and never to her, and call them all by name even though I don't take attendance and they don't wear nametags. Then she thought all my lessons were too easy, and wanted me to do all the talking and explain idioms while she did nothing at all. Then she made me do all this backlog stuff of every lesson plan I ever made, in three seperate folders with cover sheets and teaching overviews. Then she made me make 150 questions based on some kind of Mega Study guidebook (like TEPS maybe?), only to tell me that they were incoherent and lacked focus. Sometimes in class she takes notes and finds fault with my teaching and lesson planning like its some Cambridge CELTA course. Think when my contract is over, I'll tell my new head teacher (she was my head teacher last semester) she's the reason I'm not renewing, and maybe I'll email SMOE some nice long professional letter explaining the situation...