Korean Job Discussion Forums

[InDaGu]

To be clear, I don't smoke on school property, and only work there part-time. The complaint(s) about me smoking stem from a parent or parents seeing me smoking in public on a weekend. And it has only been mentioned to me once, about 6 months ago.
All of the feedback I've ever had about my classes has been positive, and the students love me.
Basically, the school wants me to "promise" to quit smoking before they'll consider re-upping in February. In all honesty, I already wanted to quit. But if I quit it's going to be for me, not for a school. Frankly, I don't think it's any of their GD business.
This especially sucks because I really only want to extend for about 6 months, then leave Korea for good. If I can't work it out with this school, I'm gonna have to be dishonest with another school and not honor a contract.

Has anyone else ever dealt with a similar situation?

[meaghan]

You have to "promise to try" to quit smoking? Say yes, and don't smoke outside in your neighbourhood anymore. Problem solved.

[InDaGu]

[happiness]

its all about the school image, if you smoke while walking outside or where parents and kids see you, it could be a problem, or if youre a lady, its could be seen as a problem. if you smell like cigarettes, its not your problem, its the school problem then, becuase the kids have to smell you. alot of your k-coworkers do stuff too, but they keep it away from the workplace.

it just how it is..

[InDaGu]

[earthquakez]

A part time job that demands you don't smoke although somebody or a few people happened to see you by chance smoking in your free time well away from the school?

Tell them where to go politely. I don't smoke but if I did in the way you are (no happiness, InDagu is not coming to school smelling of smoke) then I'd rather work somewhere professional. The people who made that demand are not professional.

You should say that you enjoy your work there and like the school but this has absolutely nothing to do with your job as you don't smoke at or near school. Say you'd like to renew on the basis of your popularity and commitment as a teacher but you won't if they insist on that.

Koreans do interfere in things that have nothing to do with them. Korean teachers are seen publicly drunk after drinking/room salon excursions with their colleagues but that's fine apparently. One of my friends admitted he had been married before and his wife was actually his second one. He didn't get renewed because 'Teachers in Korea cannot be divorced'. As he said, Korean teachers cheating on their wives are fine by the standards of this society.

My rule in Korea - unless the job is some remarkable one with well above average pay and conditions and has real security, let such employers find somebody else. People here fall into the trap of worrying too much about what Koreans think when they are in insecure, one year limited term jobs. You're doing nothing wrong.

[earthquakez]

In a way this reminds me of a part time job I had in Japan. It was not many hours per week and I was teaching staff at a workplace (not the big name companies I worked for - they were very professional in their expectations of foreign teachers).

The Japanese man who had acted as the liaison to get me as the teacher at that place after a while told me I would be expected to go on excursions in my free time with my students. No, it wouldn't be subsidised, I would have to pay the fees and meal money for those days on the weekend when the staff decided they wanted to all go out. All expenses - and some of them sounded very expensive indeed.

I never drove in Japan and that would have meant forking out sometimes big money on train fares to go out with these students. Foreign teachers do not get free or subsidised apartments in Japan unless they work at unis, we have to pay our own national health system expenses and it can be more tha 12 percent of your income per month on a very ordinary salary.

I also appreciated making my own plans in my downtime. I found it in Japan and I find it in Korea - many of the natives just do not understand that life can be tough and demanding in an Asian country no matter how well you know the language (my Japanese is fluent) or have adapted.

I have worked outside my own country for so long because my free time is my time to shake off the stress and do things I enjoy. I made excuses not to go out and then Mr Araki asked me to meet him (liaison who had lined up the job). He said that if I didn't go out on weekends with the students (remember this was a part time job with no benefits) then he wouldn't renew me.

I said no problem - my work schedule is getting busier and so I will give you two weeks' notice. Under Japanese law you can give two weeks' notice unless it's specified to be one month or two as is in most contracts. He of course was completely taken aback. I taught two more weeks and then it was over.

But my message here is - do not let employers in Asia treat you as if they are doing you a huge favour and they try to control how you spend your free time. Especially when the job is part time. These jobs are not permanent jobs with benefits. Even when they are not part time, they are limited term year to year propositions for E-2ers. Do not let them take away your right to make your own decisions that have nothing to do with them.

[jvalmer]

The smoking issue is pure BS. There is something else that they don't like about you, but won't tell. If you're a man, smoking is really a non-issue in Korea.

[IlIlNine]

[InDaGu]

No, the smoking thing is the only issue (and yes, I'm male). They've flatly told me that if I quit smoking, I can renew. If I continue to smoke, no renewal. That's it.

[Vagabundo]

well... yeah kind of a non issue, since most/many of the male teachers at school will smoke (especially the older ones)

BUT, they all sneak outside out of sight to do it... outside in an area where the students aren't allowed.

It is kind of farcical, really. I was told I shouldn't jaywalk because someone may learn that I am a teacher and complain about it (WTF?)

a young K female teacher at my school likes to wear bikinis on a beach but won't do so in Korea. When asked why, she said it's because I am a teacher (in Korea)

the boundaries of work behavior/personal space/behavior are really squeezed for teachers in Korea. It's tragically amusing.

if they really wanted to simply get rid of him they wouldn't have given him the option of quitting to smoke. Perhaps he's been screwed by having an overzealous "teacher image conscious" VP or P.

[AsiaESLbound]

Koreans don't care about men smoking or smelling like smoke as our office people, work men who work on things, and drivers smoke at school and around the kids. If I smoked, I certainly wouldn't around kids, at any school, or anywhere my students could spot me.

Koreans seem very tolerant of filth, smoke, and foul pollution, but maybe your school is trying to be more, "Western," by being cleaner about it. Is your school really new looking? Does it have hand soap, hand towels, and a cleaning staff who keep it really clean? Is the building actually heated? If yes to these, then it's trying to be different from the rest by bumping up the standards from the norm.

If no, then go find a new job should you feel they are being judgmental on you which would only turn for the worse later on.

[wylies99]

[Vagabundo]

[InDaGu]