Korean Job Discussion Forums

[RLib]

I'm hoping someone can shed some light on this.

Today, my hagwon director asked to speak with me during my break. In the past seven months that I've worked at my hagwon, my boss has never asked to have a meeting with me. I immediately assumed that something was wrong or that maybe one of the Korean English teachers had a complaint about me. Instead, he asked me if everything was all right in my personal life-- if my boyfriend and I had broken up (I'm actually married, but that's beyond the point...)-- or if I've been feeling sick the past few weeks. I can't think of what would make him ask such a thing-- I don't think I've been acting any differently, and if anything I've been in a slightly better mood recently with the weather. The only thing I could think of is that I've become a little more relaxed with my classes over the past month. I told him that everything was fine, but mentioned that I felt over-whelmed with a few of my classes because of some behavioral problems with the students.

Then, he asked me about whether or not I planned to go back to the US after my contract ends in August. I explained that it largely depended on where my husband gets a job, but that it was likely. I then suggested that I could stay for 1-2 months longer, and he responded, "Oh, only 1-2 months, but not a full year?" At which I told him probably not.

After all this, he told me to kick students out of class if they misbehave, and then he sent me on my merry way. I asked him if there was anything else and if everything was fine with my classes, and he reassured me that things were fine and that he just wanted to make sure nothing was wrong. He then went to speak with one of the Korean English teachers-- about what, I don't know.

Anyone have a clue what this was about? Was he just trying to fish-out whether or not I would be re-signing, or should I be worried?

[CentralCali]

You should've lied to his face. Now he knows you're not planning to stay the full year and so he has no reason to keep you on. You will now be leaving the place on the boss's schedule for your departure, not yours.

All the build-up conversation was just meaningless chit-chat. I have yet to meet a Korean supervisor/boss in any kind of business who will begin a conversation with the actual topic of that conversation. It's just "not done" that way in Korea.

[RLib]

[Hootsmon]