Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ForeverWanderlust]

So I have been in Korea for alittle over a month. Thought I would share my experience with others.

Im gonna say right off the bat, NET's need to be MUCH more concerned with their students/bosses than with getting their pension, healthcare ect. Also class size and age is also VERY important. Next thing id be focused on is location.

I work for a decent sized hagwon chain in Busan. It has good reputation. Good curriculum. Use alot of books so its just dividing the books up within a month to make a lesson plan. I have zero teaching experience. I need to learn how to better teach and think of ways to add to the lesson to stretch it out. I am finishing with my lesson with about 20 - 15 minutes to spare each class most days. I teach 9 - 11 year olds.

I got no orientation or guidance in how to teach the class ect. They just had me watch the other FT's.

For the thing that matters the most there is no way to know without getting here. Im talking about the kids themselves. They can make your job awesome and enjoyable and can also make your job a living hell.

In my case the good kids are a very small minority.

Im am amazed at the lack of respect the kids show us FT's. They are loud, dont listen to direct instructions, cuss at you to your face, ect.

I am not even that strict. But I atleast expect kids to talk quietly not not be talking across the room and yelling. I atleast expect them to not be getting out of their seat every 5 minutes. They dont take the work you give them seriously. Thats if they do it, I have a few kids that just refuse to do any work, just sit there and talk / play the whole class.

At first I wanted all the kids to do their work but im almost past that now. I just want them to act proper and not disrupt the class so I can teach to the few kids that actually wanna learn.

Then there is the few kids that are down right MEAN.

All this really makes you appreciate the good kids 10x more.

I have a few good classes that are enjoyable. I have found that the girls in general are much more behaved and studious than the boys. Almost all my favorite kids are girls. Not that I have many.

The smaller the classroom the better! It is almost impossible to teach to a class of 10+.

I have two small classes 4 kids, and 5 respectfully. In one of them I have a kid that REFUSES to stay in his seat so thats annoying and is a problem.

I havent really brought all this up to my KT's and Director yet. If it doesnt get better I will have to bring it to their attention. Im not sure if the KT's can make the kids stay in line all the time because these kids have short and selective memory.

So I cant stress enough how important the kids are to how you will enjoy your job.

The food is tricky here if you are very picky.

During the day I find most koreans will ignore you and not even looks at you. Other than the old people staring at you. Not what im use to....

What do I like about Korea?

I like meeting / making new friends. I like experiencing a new place. I like my good students. I like the money.

Which also reminds me. NET's DO NOT take a job that is more than 7 hours teaching time. Hell I wouldnt take one that was more than 5 - 6. I teach 5 hours a day. 3pm - 8pm. And that is more than enough for me.

Well, hope this can benefit someone.

[marsavalanche]

[tanklor1]

[ForeverWanderlust]

[northway]

[PigeonFart]

thirded

[Quack Addict]

Sounds like pretty normal stuff for a newbie. Right off the bat I would say don't expect the school to police the room for you. It's up to you to discipline the kids. Read up on techniques used by other foreigners.

Have good attitude. Go with the flow. Take some trips. Treat it like a working holiday and you will survive the year. Cheers.

[northway]

[calendar]

Where is New York girl calling troll?

[ForeverWanderlust]

[ttompatz]

[Perceptioncheck]

Although some people are naturals, it takes most people time, practice and effort to become a good teacher. I think you could probably benefit from spending some time reading up on teaching methods.

Do you use transition activities? Do you have a reward/punishment system in place? How do you engage students? How do you ensure students are participating in the lesson? Are you setting clear boundaries so that the students know what is acceptable, and what is not?

Once you have your classroom under control, it's possible you might realize that pension and healthcare are, in fact, quite important after all.

Good luck!

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Squire]

Discipline gets easier with time. Stick at it, try new things and it will become easier and hopefully you'll get the respect of the kids. It's difficult at first

[TheUrbanMyth]