Korean Job Discussion Forums

sallymonster · Joined: 06 Feb 2010 Location: Seattle area

I don't know if this has been posted on here before, but. . . wow.

http://ihateteachinginkorea.blogspot.com/

Bitter much?

machoman · Joined: 11 Jul 2007

if u watch his videos, he sounds so annoyed and fed up. "stop talking in korean, stop talking in korean, stop talking in korean."

go in with a negative attitude, you get a negative experience.

northway · Joined: 05 Jul 2010

Personal favorites:

Kurtz · Joined: 05 Jan 2007 Location: ples bilong me

Well, I think he's just telling it like he sees it; and his experiences perhaps mirror what many many other NETS experience too. Korean co-teachers are invariably lazy, useless, and a complete waste of space. At least he's willing to show his face, and demonstrate the problems he faces.

Let's see you post some of your classes online, I'd love to see them.

Wishmaster · Joined: 06 Feb 2003

Yeah, that dude is definitely burned out...you can just tell. I can't say I blame him. But watching that video...man, am I glad I don't teach in a public school. I'll just keep slacking at my easy ass haggie job. Laughing

Steelrails · Joined: 12 Mar 2009 Location: Earth, Solar System

northway · Joined: 05 Jul 2010

sulperman · Joined: 14 Oct 2008

I guess when you are that down deep in a hole of despair it is difficult to see how your own negative attitude and inability to cope with the same kind of things that every other person on earth has to deal with are not just results of your situation, but also the cause.

I always wonder if people like this will gain a little self-awareness as they get older and realize that maybe they shouldn't have blamed Korea for all their problems, that there were things they could have done differently to be able to enjoy something that so many others enjoy. Not saying Korea is perfect, but no place is. And it is not for everybody. But if you can't get through one year here enjoying something different with your life, I am pretty sure the problem lies with you, not with an entire country.

Gotta take off that diaper, pull the pacifier out of your mouth and do something yourself to enjoy life. Work sucks for most everybody in the world, and probably 95% of the jobs in the world are worse than working as a foreigner in a PS or hagwon in Korea.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself, it is pathetic.

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

oldfatfarang · Joined: 19 May 2005 Location: On the road to somewhere.

My two cents:
Plenty of things the blogger said were correct. We are disposable - and contracts here don't mean anything - unless it's to squeeze the NET.

However, we've all have the sit-in-the-back-of-the-classroom co-teacher. That's the way experienced GET's like it. This allows the GET to teach the lesson - (that they planned using communicative student-centred methodology). Most experienced GET's (and co-teachers) think the K co-teacher is best out of the way - used for translation - crowd control - and general classroom management.

What this guy didn't grasp, was that his co-teacher wasn't one of the dreaded "You're-an-assistant. You're-a-tape-recorder. Let-me-talk-in-Konglisheee- for-40-mins" co-teachers. They're the worst.

I thought he needed teacher training. Where did he call the class to order? Why was he talking when the kids were chattering? Why didn't he involve his co-teacher to call the kids to attention? Why was he walking around giving out handouts and speaking at the same time? Why didn't he drill the dialog? Where were the visuals to help contextualise the dialog?

That first video was a failed class (and that failure had little to do with the K co-teacher). I gave up watching after 4 mins.

Simply put, most of the problems in those classes were of his own making. That is, he didn't own the room.

Perhaps he should have sought guidance from Steve Shirtlifter. Stevie could've shown him how it's done.

eamo · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

There's nothing wrong with pointing out the downsides and annoyances of being a NET in Korea........but allowing that much bitterness and resentment into your life is unhealthy.

Overall, I think most of us enjoy a pretty good life here. I know I do.

I don't bite the hand that feeds me........well, not in front of the hand anyway!! Laughing

DeMayonnaise · Joined: 02 Nov 2008

balzor · Joined: 14 Feb 2009

What a weiner that guy is. WHAAA, I have to teach. WHAAA I have to make materials and PPT. He sounds like a fresh out of college, born with a silver spoon up his ass, little punk. My co-teacher help me sometimes and don't sometimes. I don't rely on them. I am the teacher so I teach. If they want to help, Great. This chump needs a dose of reality.

Fishead soup · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Location: Korea

He appears to be working in a multi-media lab despite this I see

No Powerpoints

No interesting video's.
He's just walking around with handouts. I think most students find this kind of lesson boring

discostu333 · Joined: 18 Nov 2009

The guy came across as being a bit of a mod-edit but his experiences exactly mirror my experiences at an all-boys middle school. Take the bitterness away, reading his descriptions of school life exactly mirror my experiences.

I chose to deal with it differently, I actually enjoy the way my co-teachers don't get involved in my lesson planning. The day-to-day crud I have to deal with I laugh off. I know I'm only going to be here for a year (10 weeks and counting). I do the best for the students who care and filter out the students who don't. I make the most of every weekend by going on trips, hikes, checking out cool nightspots in Seoul. I don't worry about the hell at school, its not forever.

But yeah, I know exactly where the guy is coming from.....