Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 7:35 am Post subject: My Advice for a newbie
This is my advice for a newbie:
-Make sure the kids like you
-Do as much butt kissing to your co-workers as possible, particularily to the Korean ones and even more so to your Korean superiors
-Remember: You are not considered to be a professional by the Koreans nor are you a professional, so don't expect to be treated like one.
-Try to teach your kids as much as you can but don't be too hard on yourself and don't freak out if they are not learning as much as you think they should be (remember: hagwons are not the best learning environments and this is not your fault)
-Have a sense of humor, a thick skin and a fuckload of patience.
-On a technical note: make sure that you review some basic grammar/take a 100 hour online TESOL course, research some teaching ideas online (particularily if you have never taught before). Be open to advice on teaching/life in Korea from co-workers.
-Learn at least the Korean alphabet before you come and maybe some basic Korean
-If a recruiter tells you that business at a hagwon is really good and this is the reason that they need you to do a visa run don't believe the recruiter. Doing a visa run adds more risks and it is likely not being done because business is good, it is probably being done because they forgot that they needed a new teacher to replace the one who is soon leaving.
-Make sure you are enrolled in the government health insurance and national pension
-Public school jobs and hagwon jobs both have their advantages and disadvantages
-Remember: Korea isn't America and it isn't Canada (or wherever you happen to come from) so don't expect it to be
-Be careful who you make friends with, there are a lot of dodgy expats here
-When you walk around, look down, appear busy/preoccupied and have a tiny bit of a frown on your face. If a random Korean greets you (on the street let's say), greet them back in Korean, bow to them and appear to be very busy and keep moving. If a random Korean greets you in a restaurant, share their hand with both hands (the Korean way), bow your head and then look away/keep eating. If a random foreigner greets you say "wassup" and appear busy/preoccupied.
-If you're in the doghouse at work (which you hopefully won't be in the first place), be careful about what you do to try to dig your way out. Case in point: When I was in the doghouse I tried to make up for it by being friendly to the parents at my hagwon (this was my first job in Korea which I was fired from in 2008) When my director fired me she said to me "and how come you always talk to parents?" OMG, was it just one more thing to complain about or was she being sincere and she actually thought that I was trying to get private lessons from the students at the hagwon!!!???
.........I could add many more but these are the most basic, from my experience at least....
Best of luck!!!
Last edited by itiswhatitis on Thu Nov 24, 2011 9:47 am; edited 6 times in total
-When you walk around, look down, appear busy/preoccupied and have a tiny bit of a frown on your face. If a random Korean greets you (on the street let's say), greet them back in Korean, bow to them and appear to be very busy and keep moving. If a random Korean greets you in a restaurant, share their hand with both hands (the Korean way), bow your head and then look away/keep eating. If a random foreigner greets you say "wassup" and appear busy/preoccupied.
-When you walk around, look down, appear busy/preoccupied and have a tiny bit of a frown on your face. If a random Korean greets you (on the street let's say), greet them back in Korean, bow to them and appear to be very busy and keep moving. If a random Korean greets you in a restaurant, share their hand with both hands (the Korean way), bow your head and then look away/keep eating. If a random foreigner greets you say "wassup" and appear busy/preoccupied.
This is all a bit odd. Why?
Yes I was wondering the same thing. Why should i walk around around with a frown on my face ? and why should I "keep moving" if a Korean person greets me ?
You mention strange expats, agreed there are some some strange ones, just like there are strange people in every country.. from reading your post maybe you are one of them !!
Don't be too familiar with the kids, they aren't your friends
I disagree.
Korean kids respond better to a teacher who is not stand-offish. Get to know them, let them know about you. Joke with them. Be friendly. Good learning will follow.
Don't be too familiar with the kids, they aren't your friends
I disagree.
Korean kids respond better to a teacher who is not stand-offish. Get to know them, let them know about you. Joke with them. Be friendly. Good learning will follow.
Naw, Schwa, this was good advice. I have seen many, many, many teachers have problems because they tried to be too chummy with students (at least 2-3 a year, every year I have been teaching -- some years more than that. This year it was 5) -- I have only ever met one teacher that had problems because he was too "stand-offish."
I am not advocating being a jerk -- you can smile, joke, have a laugh or two...but you are the teacher, and the students are the students. They are not your friends -- even the adult students, whilst enrolled in your classes, are not your friends. Mistakes get made when teachers act otherwise, and the teacher suffers the fallout of those mistakes.
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