Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Stout]

Whether one wants to hear it or not, it's the kind of stuff one is bound to bump up against in one form or other, regardless of whether u teach or not.


http://www.troymedia.com/blog/2012/01/03/foreign-teachers-can-be-irresponsible-too/

GIMPO, SOUTH KOREA, Jan. 3, 2012/ Troy Media/ - The directors and owners of Korean hagwons, as private education academies are known over here, have become notorious for their ill-treatment of foreign workers.

I have a master�s degree in international human rights law from the National University of Ireland and I have been teaching English as a second language in Korea for almost two years.

Searching for �Korean Hagwon� in Google, I found hit after hit reporting a litany of misdemeanours � non-payment of monies owed; incorrect processing of visas; inadequate housing and most frequently, rude and xenophobic bosses.

Unfortunately, I have witnessed several friends and acquaintances suffer such ill-treatment, so I know that this is the reality for too many teachers who come to Korea seeking positive new experiences.

No job is perfect

On the other hand, there is little written by foreign teachers about the irresponsible behaviour of many of their fellow Weygookin � the all-encompassing term Koreans use to refer to any citizen of an English-speaking country.

While it does not, in any way, excuse the treatment that some teachers are subjected to by unscrupulous bosses, it does shed some light on why many Koreans display what is perceived of as xenophobia, but what I have come to believe is mistrust based on past experience.

Recently, my American co-worker sent a text message to my head teacher which read �I�m sorry, I am going home. I have left the key for the apartment in the letterbox.� He was the third teacher to quit since May 2011 without giving prior notice. So many teachers disappearing overnight obviously raises the question � what is wrong with the school? In my opinion, having worked at the school for nearly two years now, one answer is that we are hiring the wrong sort of teachers.

Of course my job is not perfect. The working hours are far from ideal � 2pm until 10pm. Vacation time is short, only 10 working days per year, which have to be booked and fought for months in advance. Teaching 30 hours per week can also be difficult and exhausting at times.

On the plus side, my boss is decent and fair, if sometimes a little unapproachable. My Korean co-workers are friendly and incredibly helpful, my accommodation is good, the school is new and well-equipped and I have never been paid late � once even receiving an advance from my boss when I was a little strapped for cash.

But even if there weren�t all these pros to balance out the cons, the fact is that no-one held a gun to my head and forced me to sign the contract which clearly stated the working and teaching hours, and the vacation time and the rest. I had researched Korean culture in depth before I decided to move here. Since I made the decision to come here, I feel a moral obligation to abide by my contract.

The short-term effect of a teacher leaving without notice is, quite simply, chaos for those of us who are left to clean up the mess. Already working hard on our own lessons, we have to scramble to figure out who can cover which classes with minimum disruption. After this, we need to go through the departed teacher�s desk hoping they have left clear notes on what they last taught from the book, what they have assigned for homework and what tests are coming up. Then we have to continue working under these additional stressful conditions until we have found a new teacher.

For the children, it is also upsetting. It can take up to a month for students to adjust and feel comfortable with a new teacher. Thanks to the selfish actions of the teachers who have come and gone in my school since May, some of our students have had to adjust three times in six months. The negative effect on their education is so obvious it doesn�t require further detail.

It also can affect the children emotionally. Young Korean children are quick to feel affection for their teachers. When the teachers leave without even saying goodbye, I have witnessed several students in tears.

The longer-term consequence of leaving without notice is the damaging effect on the school�s reputation. The private academy industry is oversaturated and, consequently, highly competitive. Some parents devote up to 50 per cent of their monthly income to give their children an advantage in the highly pressurised and demanding Korean education system. Because of this sacrifice, they justifiably demand high standards from the school.

[PatrickGHBusan]

That type of article/post is seldom seen on here or on other forums but it is critically needed.

Thanks for posting it.

[rollo]

Well written and good to hear the other side of the story.

[Julius]

As always... both sides need to be presented.

Most Koreans do not realise that many foreigners get abused while over here.

And many foreigners do not realise how some of their behaviour is percieved here.

[Kimchifart]

As someone who has only worked at unis, I'm very surprised that people put up with the conditions hagwons offer (low pay, low holiday, high intensity of teaching hours) all just to stay in an Asian country that let's face it, isn't Thailand with the beaches or Japan with the relatively high standard of living/first world infrastructure.

[tiger fancini]

[silkhighway]

Some people take themselves way too seriously in Korea. You can't control everyone's behaviour, only your own.

As for people who leave, with or without notice, Korea's not a prison sentence and they're free to do so. More people have left ESL jobs in Korea without giving notice than any other field I have ever worked in and I chalk it up to the Draconian visa system that ties you to one employer, and a long history of people getting in fights with their employer or screwed out of money when they did give notice. It's just easier to leave and it's not your problem anymore.

[PatrickGHBusan]

[Weigookin74]

Good article and many good points are raised. There should be a law that if a foriegner gives 30 days notice and they quit that they aren't screwed out of pay. Then they prob wouldn't pull runners. If you want maturity then hire maturity. A hogwan boss that hires a 22 year old based simply on looks gets what they deserve. Not saying all younger teachers are that way of course.

There are definately two sides of the story. If the contract is abided by without and games then it should be a good place to work. As for the low salaries, it use to pay much better. But blame the recession and people coming over here like lemmings accepting such low pay. If everyone dug in their heels refused to work for less than 2.3 Million or more, then things would change. But it's doubtful the lemmings would do that....

So, there you have it....

[Steelrails]

Something about this article seems a little off...

[PatrickGHBusan]

[Draz]

What's "off" is that you'd think someone with an MA would be a little brighter than this.

[stevieg4ever]

I agree that teachers who are not in a abusive and exploitive Korean hagwons who leave all of a sudden without going down the proper channels are, quite obviously, in the wrong.

That said, hagwons have a reputation for exploiting and mistreating their foreign workers, this is decades in the making now. This forum is the same now as it was back in 2005 when i first logged on.

Had they of treated workers better then they would be able to hire more professionally trained and better qualified workers. If the hagwons cared about the sensitive children and the relationship they have with their teachers they would do two things: 1) attempt to hire better qualified workers, 2) treat existing workers better.

Because of the market rates they pay and because of basic supply and demand factors (which have been extrapolated upon before) Korean hagwons choose to employ young, inexperienced and unqualified workers. You reap what you sow im afraid.

[northway]

A masters degree in international human rights law, but not a law degree? Curious that such a thing exists.

[Steelrails]