Korean Job Discussion Forums

[zachmcleod]

[some waygug-in]

Look on the bright side; at least you found out now and not after you had flown all the way to Korea.

(which is what SMOE did to a bunch of people a couple of years back)

[PatrickGHBusan]

[PatrickGHBusan]

[Bruce W Sims]

I bumped this thread because of all of the recent angst about GEPIK and because I was surprised to see a recent job notice for a person with teaching experience to serve for a year teaching Korean teachers how to teach English. What made this posting particularly curious was two of the apllications requirements in addition to the usual degrees and experience requirements.

Among the other application documents to be submitted was a "lesson plan" as well as a short clip of the applicant teaching a unit.

Now, its not that such a request is totally unknown; in fact, it can be quite common for admin positions or department chairs. The difference is that usually the request is made only of people "on the short list" and are then returned. I found it curious that every applicant was expected to submit a lesson plan and video clip. If 50 people applied for this position, would that not mean that the agency would then have 50 lesson plans for its files?

Given the track record for how various individuals report their being handled by the school system this seems to have an odd smell about it. Anyone else think so?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[Feloria]

I saw that ad as well.
The first thing I thought was that if enough people apply, I guess the current teachers don't have to make their own lesson plans

[shostahoosier]

[Zyzyfer]

Universities commonly request lesson plans and even demo lessons from applicants. Such a request is only out of the ordinary with your average kiddie hakwon.

[PatrickGHBusan]

[sojusucks]

[PatrickGHBusan]

[some waygug-in]

Most of these things are because someone higher up in the food chain has demanded it.

The Korean staff know it's bull too, but they want to dot their "I's" and cross their 't's"so that whoever is demanding this stuff will have nothing to come back on them about.

Unlike in the West where people tend to complain to the management if they get unreasonable requests, Koreans just tend to do whatever is asked of them. (no matter how ridiculous or unreasonable it seems) That's why FT's are so often seen as whiners and complainers.

For Koreans, keeping team "harmony" is more important than any personal complaints. Complaining is seen as selfish. (whether it's justified or not)

[leopard7]

It has been all over the Korean news, including Korea Times, Korea Herald, etc., that 300 teachers have lost their jobs recently, most without notice. They have been sent home packing, and 800 more are scheduled to have their contracts terminated. That is almost all of the 1,100--something NETs in GEPIK. I'm sorry about your situation, but it's official--almost all NETs, if not all, will get the axe soon. I would look to the EPIK program (GEPIK is Gyeonggi do English Program in Korea) whih will place you somewhere else. Rumor has it, it is because of the new "free lunch for students" program in Gyeonngi that they are scrapping the NET program, though Korean officials deny it (denial is the most important word in Korean culture; my Korean wife told me that). Everything is "save face" the truth comes about 6th or 7th down the line--in other words--it doesn't matter.

[koreatimes]

[NohopeSeriously]