Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Pulgasari]

I am due to depart for South Korea in less than a weeks time. I don't really have any prior experience teaching so this whole adventure is a little daunting to me. I'm trying to prepare myself but in some respects am not sure what to prepare for.

There have been situations in my life where after an experience or after spending some time in a job or in study I learn certain things that would have been beneficial to know when starting. So really I would really just like to hear from other teachers who have or are currently teaching ESL in South Korea.

Tell me 3 things I should know?

[sallymonster]

Read the FAQS

Read the FAQs

Read the FAQs

[grant gerstners]

Will you be at a public school or hakwon?
Will you be in a rural area or a city?

[Louis VI]

1. Prepare for the unexpected (especially last minute notices at work of schedule changes);

2. Prepare to be asked a thousand times your age, marital status, country of origin and place of employment (it's the Korean way of establishing hierarchy, discerning duties);

3. Prepare to work the day after you arrive and to go to work when sick (having the flu is a poor excuse for absence here, as a hospital visit, medicine and working thru it is expected).

These pieces of advice served me well in 2002 and they still apply today. Curse the wind if you want but them's the way they blow around here.

[Wishmaster]

Just one. You will never be considered as a real teacher. You will be deemed an assistant or clown. Not that there is really a difference.

[SeoulMan6]

1. The people on this site tend to be very negative and many of them should probably go home. Take everything you read with a grain of salt.

2. You can't change Korea. It is what it is.

3. If Korea gives you lemons, make lemonade. (Corny, yes, but fitting.) I've seen people have great experiences out of terrible situations, and I've seen people moan and complain about excellent situations. Keep your head, hang on, and enjoy the ride.


And since Korea loves the +1...

People who learn some of the language and culture generally have a much better time in Korea (and are treated better.)

[Oliver]

1. It is not easy. Most places will throw you straight into the classroom and expect you to teach. It's not as easy as just standing and speaking your native tongue. You need to show the kids and teachers that you care and really want to be there.

2. There is a difference between public and private schools. Generally there is more security and benefits with the public school route. While it is not guaranteed that you will arrive at a good school, the chances are that by going through the public school route your working conditions and job satisfaction level will be better.

3. Korean culture is very different than back home. That means you will need to have a great deal of flexibility and be open to new experiences. This point seems elementary but many teachers find the culture difficult.

[Hawkeye Pierce]

First, you have been hired because the local office of education didn't want to hire someone with actual teaching experience in Korea. Remember that you are very expendable.

Second, Koreans tend to be disorganized and typically wait until the last minute to tell you about things. It keeps you on your toes.

Third, the food is usually lots of seafood, chili pepper paste, garlic and salt. They also use MSG on things like fried chicken or pork. If you don't like Korean food, or it doesn't like you, be prepared to make polite excuses about why you don't want to eat things. Koreans are very communal and you will be expected to eat together frequently with your co-workers and students.

[Junior]

[kimchi_pizza]

Do you REALLY wanna know?

Everyone has differing experinces based mostly on their OWN mindset. Don't go based on the experiences of others. Go with an open mind, and be willing to be in the back seat of a ride that can be thrilling and mind-opening or be a backseat driver, nagging the driver on which way he/she should "drive" when it comes to educating others.

If you want to have a POSITIVE experience, then maintain a positive attitude. Likewise, if you arrive with preconceived negative opinions an attitudes, then don't be surprised if you are exposed to negative attitudes.

The mood you arrive in Korea will pretty much dictate your mood and experiences during your sojourn as a teacher.

Be humble, but not naive. Be optimistic, but not a fool. Be a worker, but not a slave, and lastly be true to yourself. That's my 2 won.

[balzor]

[Hyeon Een]

(1) You're not the first. Someone has been to [your town] and done it before you; you can do it too. You WILL still be kinda special unless you're in a super busy part of Seoul or another major city, but you're not THAT special anymore. It's been done before, it can be done again; by you.

(2) It can be wicked fun or it can suck. Mostly this is due to attitude rather than anything else. I've known people working the worst schedules you can imagine, earning less than all their new friends, who've had a good time. And the opposite has been true also. If you're positive, you'll enjoy. If you're negative, you'll hate.

If you don't get paid.. then ignore the last few sentences! It's always important to be paid haha.

(3) Be flexible. And I don't just mean like a yoga-master. I mean, don't get upset if your schedule changes or your class numbers change or anything similar. A polite, "Oh.. it'd be nice if you could give me a bit more notice next time" is cool, but anything more.. strenuous than that will usually not serve you well. Expect random changes, embrace them, love them, enjoy them and indulge in them. If you get pissy every time they happen you'll have a miserable time. Other posters will order you to bitch the hell out at your boss for this; other posters have a miserable time.

[eslwriter]

Relationships really matter. Sounds like a cliche, but it is true. Especially at work where you are expected to get along with others and maintain a good 'feeling' in and out of the classroom.

You are fighting against a stereotype. Foreign teachers are plentiful in Korea and a shocking number are not able to survive without some kind of mental meltdown. I can't count the number of people who thought yelling at the director was a good idea or showing up for class with a hangover was an acceptable norm. Set yourself apart by being a pro.

Learn some basic Korean ASAP. The few hours you invest by learning to read the language and speaking a few words will never stop yielding benefits.

Hope that helps.

[22tea77]

(1) Public Schools � All about luck. I have seen each and every end of the spectrum from black to white as far as Co-teachers, students, school vibe, apartments, job expectations, feelings towards foreigners, English levels, desk warming, after school teacher gatherings, and even the quality of the school lunch. There is NO standard, only what you have at YOUR school.

Be ready to accept your situation and not compare it to that of other EPIK people.

(2) Telling the truth often plays second fiddle to making situations and opinions more �palatable�.
This will result in simple white lies, real lies, and at times, even a slightly comical lie � one that will leave you thinking �Why in the world did they go through all that trouble rather than just telling me what really went down?�

(3) Reread number two, and this time note that �more palatable� will not necessarily be for your sake, but rather for the �face� of the one who is rearranging the actual parameters of truth.

[matthews_world]

[quote="Hawkeye Pierce"] 2) Dishonesty- they seem unable to play it straight under any circumstances. There is always some intrigue or double-dealing ocurring where money, workplace, contracts, promises or agreed arrangements are involved. Expect them to dissapoint, and make provisions accordingly.
quote]

It's not really dishonesty.

In a Confucian society, everyone, according to age and sex, has their own duties and there are social codes of conduct which which each member adhere to.

It's the fact that Koreans tend to dissolve information on their own personal level and disseminating meaning and inference and applying it to their own personal gain. A big difference.