Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wonkavite62]

I am considering coming to Korea to work in a hagwon, and it is partly for financial reasons. China is also good, but I would have to pay for expensive medical tests beforehand, and then pay for the flight. I can but would rather not. I have experience, but I am put off by the bad reputation of some of them. I want to complete the contract, but I have had the experience of being fired from a teaching job (in Spain) and having to come home. Naturally, I have also had the experience of being kept on .
If I got a job in a hagwon, I would want to have some reassurances. I would insist on getting to talk to a western teacher at that school, before committing myself.
But what else should I look out for before accepting a job?
If you work in a hagwon, how did you avoid being fired? Which hagwons to avoid?
What if I got fired? What should I do? Would I have any chances of finding another job in Korea?

[tiger fancini]

[Troglodyte]

That's good advice.

As well, keep in mind that just because you get fired doesn't mean that you have to go home. You can find a new job and make a visa run to Japan.

Some jobs in China will offer airfare so that might be an option for you.

There are also other countries in Asia if you get fired or quit from a job here. Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia. No shortage of job there.

Do your homework before signing a contract. Bring an extra set (or two) of documents. Don't worry about it.

[EZE]

You can get a D10 looking for work visa and transfer jobs if you're fired, right?

[some waygug-in]

The best way to avoid being fired by a hagwon is to not work for them in the first place.

I'm not trying to be a smart mouth with that comment.

I am trying to tell you that good hagwons are few and far between; and of those, they tend to have very specific ideas of what they expect from you as a teacher.

Often teachers get labelled as "no-good" because the school
has different ideas and expectations about what makes a good teacher
than what many from the West would think of.

Do a lot of research, talk to previous teachers, don't jump at the first job that comes along (unless you can be sure it's OK).

If you do find yourself accepting a less than perfect job
(and you know it),
just do your best and try to gain what experience you can from it.

Don't let negativity ruin your experience. (this is important)

It's hard to be positive when it seems everything is against you
(and it will seem that way at times), but keep doing your best regardless.

Pray everyday. (you'll need all the help you can get)

[Skippy]

All the advice here is pretty good.

Some way to prevent being fired from a hagwon.

1) Play the game. Like any social network or areana there is a game and tactics in which to be aware of. Commented above one area of playing the game is sick days. Use to many and they get testy. Other things is relationships with workers. They can be friends but you will be a different kind of friend most of the time. Never trust completely, most will never be true friends. Careful with how you act with them. What you tell them and so. Sorry the back stabbing and cliques did not end in high school it continues on here. So come over, keep your eyes peeled and get into the game.

2) Next drop expectations of professionalism. Well, not completely. In one way your are a teacher, but in other ways your are a dancing clown for kids. Other times you are just a public relations director. Plus expecting people to be honest and by the book all the time is a recipe for disaster. You will see moves by some hagwons that would make you scream in horror. I had one manager who could in the words of my father "not organize a Sunday school picnic". You may work be working for a business but sometimes it may seem like a joke.

3) Develop a touch of paranoia. The one way to really get messed up is to come over get a job, start work and then just coast along. Friends, parties, traveling, or course work. Then *bang* one day, things start going to hell in a hand basket and people find themselves fired or in trouble. From day one you need to be a little paranoid. Up that worry a notch or two. Is the school/business doing good? Did I say something wrong to the teachers today? Are the kids worried? Do we have enough students? You will become more aware of when things might go wrong. Then if things do start to pop up you can either fix it or prepare for an exit.

4) Develop backup plans. You can do your best and be the best teacher. You played the game. Just sometimes things will go wrong of no fault of your own. So have a backup plan or two.
a good first way to be backed up is have extra paperwork (CRC, degree , etc). Just by having that you can reduce the problems of finding a new job by a good factor.
Always be keep an eye out for a new job. Every couple of weeks browse the job boards. See what is open. Put out some feelers. Also network with people. Damn, you just been fired AND wow with the help of a friend you have a better job in a week.
Have money ready. Do you have a rainy day fund? Just by having a couple thousand dollars extra you will be better prepared if you are fired. You will hear of people who stuck around and suffered with a bad situation because they where living paycheck to paycheck.

5) Be self sufficient. Learn to do many of those little and big tasks for yourself. From paying bills, to calling places, to paperwork. The less you need to call on your Korean coworkers or boss or manager, the more able you will be prepared for messes. Also by being a capable your coworkers will feel less bothered when you do ask for help. As it is only needed once in a while.

6) Intelligence gathering. Good first step you are a member of Dave's. Great you will learn many things. So lets say you find a good job. You get to Korea and you start to live your life and work. You stop reading the board. Hey you have other things to do. Doing this you will be get caught flat footed.
So read and read some more. Couple times a week come here and read many of the threads. You will see questions and tales of woe. Little details on how things operate. All these will coalesce into expertise and awareness. So if a similar situation pops up, you are prepared for it.
Not only read Daves, check out the other forums like waygook.org. Browse the multitude of Korean blogs. Read Korean news. Check out the government sites. Heck pick up the lonely planet guide book and learn things. An hour or two of weekly reading can preapre you for many of the situations that might come up.

7) Pick your battles. Your boss asks you to come in on Saturday for some event. Of course you do not really want to, but going and being pleasant will work wonders (step 1). Yet some people will fight it and pull out their contract and say NO. It might work and you can skip it, but you will be marked as trouble. People do not like trouble. People who are difficult get fired.
Other battles can be about books, students, something a coworker did, apartment problems, time issues. Now somethings might be worth it fighting, but there will be consequences. Just decide if those are worth it. Thing are you making a mountain out of a mole hill? DO not get buried for stupid reasons.

Develop a thick skin. Like in number 7 you will be asked to do things you do not want to do. Or you will be told something that may irk you. People will do things or say thinks that can really piss you off. Flying off the handle or crying at every slight and you will be marked as weak or a problem to be get rid of. Learn to ignore things and get over things. Find some outlets p- booze is a popular choice. The weekly moan and whine with friends at the local bar is needed.

Of course I need to take and follow my own advice.

[wonkavite62]

Thanks, yes, that advice was useful. I am actually trying to do some preliminary research right now. For example-my post about how to avoid being fired. I am also looking at recruiters, to see which ones are user-friendly. Some are some aren't.
I worked in Korea for a few months. I was fired like all the western teachers at that school. There was no curriculum, only the Let's Go books which are largely empty space. I was a new teacher. I got no guidance from the school, and no help from other teachers elsewhere. I did not know about Dave's ESL Cafe, or waygook or Boggle's world.
I want to avoid a repeat.
Your mention of paranoia brings back a happy memory. Once, I got a 6 week teaching job in Oxford. The summer school had a text book, and lots of other materials we could use. We could follow it or not so long as we did certain things. I decided that as disorganised and unprofessional teacher, I could not afford to skimp on lesson prep. Lo and behold, I got rave reviews from the students.

[Skippy]

[John Stamos jr.]

Being fired from a hagwon isn't necessarily a bad thing. I bounced out of a bs hagwon job after a couple months, and have only worked cake after school jobs since. I'd leave this backwards country or go home before I signed on with a handjob job. After school or university job, or stay where you are.