Korean Job Discussion Forums

[K-in-C]

Hello,

With teachers switching jobs or being let go part way through their contract I was just wondering if a teacher is obligated to let their new or prospective employer know that they worked at another school in Korea before? Depending on the situation, regardless of who's fault it was that the person left the job, some may think it better not to mention any past history of teaching in Korea. I do know about visa runs but don't the perspective employers ever ask questions or care about a teacher's past employment in Korea?

Just wondering,

Honest Kate in Canada


Edited once to add on.

[kylehawkins2000]

I think it's a judgement call.

If you have had a bad experience and feel that your past employer would jepordize your chances of getting hired at a new institute then I wouldn't bring it up. On the other hand, if you were not at fault and can give a reasonable explanation for the non-amicable parting, it may be best to tell the truth.

I suspect that potential employers can probably find out your work histroy for immigration. I'm not sure if Immigration makes this information readily available, but I bet it can be had at a price if not. (speculation)

[captain kirk]

no, i don't think employers do care much about past jobs. i had one boss who kept wanting to know about where i worked in korea before (the name of a school i worked two years at)....but that was after i was in, and so i just kept looking like i didn't want to talk about it (which they thought was amusing). i think employers note that you HAD past jobs, and think that you probably gained experience from that and so would be a good teacher. Maybe they get the phone numbers of all the places you've worked in korea from immigration. maybe your boss has a 'conference call' with all your old bosses. I've stormed out of jobs a few times, but remain fresh meat with a pulse whatever anyone may dig up. it's weird, but koreans figure a foreigner is a teacher (respectable, with integrity). and schools are pirate ships that hire you if you seem willing and able and look like you have a taste for adventure (and don't appear quite mad). If it was three months some place i just put three months on the resume. if you have unfinished contracts and fret about 'revealing' the ugly truth, i'd say don't fret. the more moving around the more different experience. different textbooks, franchise, bosses, co-workers. it's immigration that stipulates one whole year, not the hagwon owners. if you look like, at the interview, you've got a clear eye and some zip, and decent, then a bit of work here, a bit there isn't 'a chequered past'. it's experience and you're 'seasoned' (tasty fresh meat ready to sign, the director drools...).

[itchy]

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[TheUrbanMyth]

[quote="itchy"]

[itchy]

It's always had 17 vowels. At least since the last major vowel shift (in the 1600's I think, but don't quote me on that). I'm including dipthongs. Here is a list:

1. i - as in machine, beet, heed, sneak, beat.
2. I - as in bit, hid, miss
3. e - bait, hayed, make, stake, steak
4. upsilon - head, bet, many
5. ae - had, bat
6. a - father, bought, caught, cot, law
7. o - hoed, boat, low, beau
8. U - put, book, hood
9. u - blue, who, boot, drew
10. caret - but, cup, double
11. aj - I, eye, fly, bite, hide, might
12. aw - cow, bout, how
13. oj - toy, boyd, noise
14. schwa - banana, enough, Manitoba
15. ej - say, way, pay, ok
16. ow - so, row, hoe, smoke
17. ij - mean, clean

Whether you pronounce all of them depends on your dialect. There are a few that some people pronounce and some don't and there is also an eighteenth (uw - moon) that apparently people in Western Canada pronounce but not anywhere else. British English vowels are of course different, as are southern USA vowels, and Australian vowels. So the number of vowels fluctuates up and down depending on the dialect. But there are basically seventeen that a language learner should master if he wants to speak English accent-free. They're pronounced at either the front or the back of the tongue and either high or low. As you can see, they are spelled in all kinds of different ways making it very hard for non-native speakers to read them.

PS: if you think english is bad with 17, Korean has 21!

[TheUrbanMyth]

[itchy]

[keguri]

Itchy is right. I have only spent a minimal amount of time teaching children, but when I taught Korean adults, I tried to show them how words are pronounced using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). I was surprised to find that most of them were familiar with IPA symbols. I'm not sure if they learned these symbols when they were kids, but if the kids know them, I think it would be an excellent way to teach pronunciation to them. And if they don't know the IPA symbols, it may be worthwhile to teach them.

Another way is to practice "minimal pairs" with them. A minimal pair is a pair of words that are identical except for one sound -- for example, "sad" and "said" (vowel change), "fat" and "pat" (first consonant change), and "raise" and "rage" (final consonant change). All of those particular sounds seem to cause problems for Korean students. By showing them the minimal pairs, they can see how a small error in pronunciation can create a completely different word.

The students do have to know that English orthography is not always representative of English pronunciation, and they need to know the different pronunciation possibilities associated with each letter of the alphabet. On top of that, they have to know that vowels in unstressed syllables sound different from vowels in stressed syllables (Korean syllables all get the same stress, where in English only some syllables are stressed). If they don't know these things, they will be confused and it will take them a lot longer to pick up the correct pronunciation of words.

[Tiger Beer]

When your school takes your passport to immigration to process their papers for a work visa.. well, they can see any other e2 visas so probably not a good idea to lie as that would look bad..

[William Beckerson]

I was just about to point that out. I'm currently having trouble because I didnt include my last job in my resume but the assclown did apply for an E2 for me. He just never sent me to Japan to get it along with not paying me.

I'm a poster boy for everything that can go wrong here in Korea.

[philipswoodjnr]

Don't worry about full disclosure

[Captain Corea]

I like the list itchy posted, but must say that row and low sound like the same vowel sound to me.

[Enrico Palazzo]

[cert43]

Do you even speak English? Yep..that's right; Mary only speaks English correct?