Korean Job Discussion Forums

[UknowsI]

I have started to speak broken staccato English omitting a lot of "unimportant" words such as articles. I guess I'm more easily influenced since English is my second language, but it makes an immense difference in how well I'm understood if I speak broken English.

Broken English helps me a lot when I want to make myself understood, but I'm worried people who actually know English will think I only speak like this. It takes me a little while to turn back to proper English, and I guess I still carry with me some Konglish features

[joelove]

That's a significant point in the classroom. Correct English is often not as well understood as broken or dumbed down English even though one is supposed to teach proper usage. There is a big difference between book English and just trying to communicate in English.

After my first year of teaching basic English in Asia, for a few days back in Canada I did speak rather slowly and clearly. People sort of looked at me like I had brain damage.

[The Floating World]

When, despite the carrot being dangled being slightly bigger bigger than the carrot in China, you just really don't care anymore. Takes a while to get there due to being able to save almost 1500usd a month, but I'm there.

When you have accumulated great materials over half a decade and racked up the same ammount of classroom time and just desperately want to find a poisiton that will let you really apply yourself only to be told time after time again to quit trying to teach so hard and just be funny and play games and let the kids mock you and swear at you openly without being able to discipline them.

When with all your experince and skills (you have had the odd pt job or private job where you got to verify that you were able to do the job well and that your methods were good) mean jack all if you are a male over 26, and the worse thing is as you know how the industry here works on false claims and promises and appearances - you realise that shipping in lots of fob 22 yr olds is actually the best thing for those playing the pretending game (parents, schools and students) to do!

I recently managed to find what looks like a decent job and I was wanted due to my experince in the classroom and detailed lesson planning etc. It has real materials and curriculum that I was amazed to see were made by people who actually understand education (non Korean organisation with non Korean executive management whom are implementing plans that will hold the parents and students as well as the foriegn teacher accountable for the child's progress and leveling up isn't possibe until 6 months into one level.) But if this one falls through and ends up being same as all the rest, (take crap all day with zzero recourse, play silly games and after a year the kids still can't say what they did at the weekend etc) I'm finally at a place where I'm gone baby gone and off to the Middle Kingdom.

Rant / vent - fin.

[le-paul]

... when someone asks me about my dong and I dont snigger...

[ajuma]

When you automatically know that "sloping load" means "slippery road"!

[D.D.]

you know you are in korea too long when you land in a korean airport and you are not a transit passenger. ie the second you pass korean customs you are in korea too long.

thats when you should use your get out of jail free card.

card should say . you passed korean customs turn around and reclaim your sanity.

[kiknkorea]

That's what I call a downer post D.D.

However, there is a silver lining.
All of the airports here have Departing gates.

So if you're really that down about being in Korea, there has to be greener pastures somewhere.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Draz]

When you stop speaking in broken English. I'm not sure when this happened or why, but it definitely happened. This may belong in the "you know you've developed some level of teaching competence when" thread but I remember being happier when I was still dropping articles all the time.

[kenglish]

when your english starts getting rusty. i definitely need a fresh air.

[travel zen]

When you think having prostitutes should be as easy as buying a Big Mac.

When you think coughing and spitting is normal.

When you start hating white girls and think that they are all fat.

When you are used to getting stared at, short-changed and laughed at because you are 'the foreigner'.

I stayed in Korea for 3 months as a tourist and I loved it, but I could see how things can go south reeaal quick if I stayed for a year or two.