Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Mayfield]

I've read many threads on this forum about being fired in the past week.
Is it because the employers are getting too confident because of the flood of applicants that they're just trying to push you out for what they perceive to be someone better?

[koreatimes]

More posts doesn't mean there are more hagwon owners screwing teachers. It just means more teachers are posting about it.

I actually see it as a good sign also. It might mean more teachers are trying to stand up to hagwon owners when they cut payments on certain agreements in the contract. They are getting fired, but if they report this to labor board, maybe something better will evolve from this.

[Reggie]

I think the firings primarily have to do with it being an employer's market right now.

Some other factors probably contribute. With the emergence of the Chinese ESL market conveniently located nearby, some teachers probably feel like they can can complain more loudly about the worsening conditions brought on by the employer's market, and if they get fired, they can pick up in China.

I've been thinking about either doing a runner and going to China or maybe going home for the holidays over some compensation issues, with a threat of being charged for using too much ink being the latest and perhaps the most ridiculous issue. If I had complained, maybe I would've been fired already.

[koreatimes]

It's funny because I am thinking of doing the opposite. I am in China and considering going back to Korea.

In Japan and Korea, there is an understanding of foreigner and native. In China, you are not given the rights of a Chinese citizen, yet you are treated more like a Chinese person.

They don't have any understanding of split shifts. You could have few classes scheduled, but have 4-5 hours in between them.

If you want to do that for 1/2 the salary you are getting in Korea, then that's your choice, but it's not very fun.

[jamesd]

Too many fresh outta college kids coming to Korea. Most of these kids probably never had any job experience other than minimum wage temp jobs.

[koreatimes]

james, that's a good point, Maybe we should be asking these people, "How old are you?" first and then give advice later.

I don't like the lack of pay any more, but considering the economy the way it is, the money just isn't there to pay off college loans or save up like it was years ago.

[kingssurfer]

[HarryMorgan]

I agree with just about all of what has been said. This contractor/subjugation/tax scheme gets nasty in this market. But let's not withhold what might be important advice for someone who may need it, based on assumptions of experience or age criteria. I'm not a recent graduate, in my late 20s, and had over a year of teaching experience before I arrived; I'm no veteran, but I'm being replaced by a 22 year old girl, despite initially thinking they would hire someone in country.

Point is, it's probably not going to get better for anyone anytime soon, and a little advice or assurance can go a long way. Oh, almost forgot.

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=212838

[PatrickGHBusan]

[ghostrider]

It looks like most of the teachers who recently got fired were let go not because they were incompentent teachers (with the exception of the lady who got fired from a position that involved teaching adults). They were fired because they got uppity and challenged the authority of the Koreans they worked for. I had someone in mangement tell me that he preferred to hire newbies to avoid such problems.

[Pa Jan Jo A Hamnida]

Millenialls.

[Chris.Quigley]

Consider the following business strategy:

You own a hawgon. The industry is extremely competitive. You have no experience in business. You just saw all the other people making money and you figured you could as well. But, the students just aren't coming, the bills are adding up... Initially, you decide that hiring newbies is the best way to go. Sometimes this works out for you - many newbies are charismatic, good looking and the students love them... but usually newbies have no idea what they are doing and your students end up hating them. Because training costs time and money - you don't invest in your teachers. After all, they will leave after a year anyway. Despite this cost saving measure, things are not improving. It seems like you have less and less students every month. So, you figure it's time to take desperate measures... you stop paying pensions, you stop paying your teacher's taxes and you start firing teachers in their 11th month. Teacher morale drops to near zero. Costs go down... but so do revenues. Eventually you declare bankruptcy. Today you find yourself at Seoul Station spending your last 2 chun won on a bottle of soju.

This is what the hawgon industry is full of. People who don't know what they are doing. And then, they get desperate and start screwing their teachers because that's the only way for them to pinch enough pennies to get any return on their investment at all.

Personally, not the best strategy.

[tran.huongthu]

Definitely the fresh out of college kids. We have one young punk with no teaching experience and I wish we didn't.

[Stan Rogers]

Most people get fired because they don't do their job very well.

It's funny how many people just can't accept that.

[ippy]

thats a touch glib. Why not round it out by also mentioning that very few of those people are actually given the training they need to do their job "well".

In my six years of teaching ive had about 2 week of training. This includes:

1. 3 days of Jet Orientation thats got almost nothing about teaching in it.
2. 2 days of prefectural orientation which has lots of other untrained jets teaching you how to teach (but actually showing you ideas that worked for them).
3. 1 Boe meeting per year where someone from OUP popped in to tell us how to use their picture dictionary.
4. Various small boe meetings where we all shared lesson plans and ideas that had worked.
5. 1 afternoon of training with my dispatch that consisted of showing me a few games and telling me all about how different the expectations were for the company and how i wasnt on the gravy train anymore!
6. A three day training seminar in korea for EPIK that actually had some quality training. But of course 2 of the days were a nonsense.

Thats it. Thats all.

Six years and id argue i received about a days seminars worth anything. The rest was filler or the blind leading the blind.