Korean Job Discussion Forums

[theaims]

hi i have been working in this hagwon for 3 weeks and things arent going well. in my first week the director called us into a meeting and was really rude to a guy i work with. now she's starting to do the same thing to me nothing i do seems to be good enough for her despite working 9 hour shifts and all the parents and children are happy with me!
now she glares at me everytime she see's me. which is making my working life unbearable
i know im only a newbie but would changing jobs be a huge pain?
would i have to go to japan and apply for a new visa at the embassay?
thanks for your hep!
theaims.

[PatrickGHBusan]

What you describe after only 3 weeks is not that serious.

You are still or appear to be, in culture schock and apparently adapting to a job you never did before.

I would say considering changing jobs after 3 weeks because your boss was rude and sometimes looks at you with what you consider to be a glare is pretty premature.

Why not give yourself some time in the job, I mean meaningful time like say a couple of months, before deciding to change jobs.

I mean unless there are other actually serious issues at your job besides those you just listed, it sure sounds as if whats happening is normal adaptation pains.

Good luck anyway.

[Troglodyte]

Plus, doing a runner now would mean that you likely can't get another E2 for at least half a year. You might get another one right away, but I think that most likely immi would make you wait (up to 1 year even).

[WadRUG'naDoo]

[austinmc86]

Just take it one day at a time...


and they probably stare at u in class to make sure the kids don't act up.... right?

[PatrickGHBusan]

Wad while I agree that the OPs boss should not be rude to her. Your condemnation of her is a tad over the top considering we have almost no information on the situation buddy.

Perhaps the OP had problems in class and the boss simply told her about it in a direct manner, sometimes that will be seen as rude right? Especially when you are new to Korea and to teaching.

I for one will reserve judgement here because the OP appears to be an inexperienced newbee with 3 weeks into a job they likely never did before.

My advice: take your time OP, no reason at all to leave unless there is far more to this than a glare and a rude comments. Give it a couple of months.

[hagwonnewbie]

Did the OP communicate with any former teachers before she took the job?

I would have a talk with the boss. Try to figure out the problem and let her know you feel uncomfortable.

Personally I wouldn't settle for it. I would plan to work another month or two and then pull a runner. Have some dignity. You shouldn't have to deal with someone like that everyday. Moreover, how can you trust someone who seems to resent you?

[PatrickGHBusan]

hagwonnewbie you are drawing some pretty big conclusions from the OPs post.

Pull a runner because her boss glared at her and may have been rude?

Good grief man.

The OP is 3 weeks into a new job, there may be something to the boss is nasty story but don't you think it is even remotely possible that the OP is justr having a hard time with a new country and new job she never did before?

Lets not jump to conclusions here. Advising for a runner and using 'your dignity' as a reason is rather unwarranted at this point.

[Junior]

theaims: generally speaking...korea ain't the friendliest place. The workplace here is often a battleground of egos and xenephobia, passive agression and tension.

Its a shame that so many well-meaning young westerners arrive here with the intention to work well but get disillusioned by the way they are treated.

It will change in time though- dependent only on your ability to handle it and turn it around. Most of the long-termers here learn the cultural tricks to master their situations here over time. After that you get to enjoy being in a country where you can make good cash.

So you basically have two choices, which every esler in Korea has basically gone through:
1) Quit now and go to a different country that has a warmer and more easygoing culture for a better social experience (but probably make less money).
2) Stick it out and find yourself able to deal with it in time, to the point where you get comfortable.

*Personally i probably should have opted for "a" years ago, but I feel I've come too far along now to turn everything on its head and start again from scratch.

[some waygug-in]

Try asking your boss for advice. But don't be surprised if it's not the most complimentary.

See if you can find out why your boss is so 'dissapointed' in you and then you will be better able to look for ways to improve.

Perhaps there is no merit to your boss's attitude, but perhaps there are things you could do to improve.


I'd guess that after 3 weeks there are many things you will need to work on.

[Mr. BlackCat]

If you don't like your job then change. Would you keep your job if you hated it in your home country? Why should you keep it here. It is kind of hard to change jobs here because your visa is owned by your employer so if you quit and she doesn't want to give you a letter of release you're pretty screwed. So you have to decide if it's worth it to go through the process or not. To us Westerners Koreans often seem rude. The power structure here allows higher ups to be complete arses to their employees. It's pathetic really, but you can't change the place. Koreans also generally give off the impression of being angry and upset most of the time. They walk around with scowls and talk under their breath alot. You should learn not to take it personally. Also, positive feedback, positive reenforcement and constructive criticism is basically non-existant here. The way Koreans 'motivate' their employees is to constantly criticize them and be negative. 3 weeks is probably too short a time to properly assess the situation, but it wouldn't hurt to figure out how to go about finding another job. I've never done it myself so I can't be too much help. Good luck.

[questionmark]

Your situation is similar to other first time teachers. Probably, much better than many other instructors.

Just know you do your best, ignore it and leave it at the office.

Read previous posts on Dave's to get a feel for what teachers experience.

It's sad, but Korea has an unusually high mental illness rate, more than most developed countries (see Korea Times articles), so it's likely you'll encounter people in the workplace that act emotional and immature, and are just plain hard to figure out. Don't bother. It's not you.

[theaims]

[theaims]

[Howler Monkey]