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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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earthquakez
Joined: 10 Nov 2010
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 Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 12:12 am Post subject: |
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| Mw182006 wrote: |
| Pinehurst wrote: |
| I am just saying they don't discriminate on looks like some have implied. |
Uh, I can assure you I'm not making it up. First, she asked for my weight in lbs as she thought I couldn't do a simple kilo conversion on the application. Second, she said more or less 'apparently EPIK has a bmi requirement, and can you get down to 100kg?'. Whatever.
And earthquakez: Little stuff like that doesn't bother me in the least, and I'm sure I'll get plenty of comments when I get over there, nukes permitting. And who are you to generalize so much about people you know nothing about? I've had a steady job for the last 10 years and have done well for myself. Yeah, I'd much rather sit in a cube all day then spend some time traveling abroad and doing something different for awhile. Get over yourself. |
You know, you just reinforced my view that people like you are better off staying home instead of feeding the disrespect recruiters and many employers in Korea have for native English teachers.
Your experience that I bolded says it all - you really think that having a steady job for 10 yrs is worth throwing away for being treated like that? You should have thanked me for warning you about Korea as I worked there for 5 yrs, and in fact also worked in Taiwan, Japan, France, my home country the UK and two more. I know what goes on there.
The recruiter preoccupation with your weight is just a taste of things to come - not many of them pleasant. Good luck on your plans to travel abroad as the days when people went to Korea and had enough time off to travel in Asia during vacation etc have gone for most native English teachers, even those who aren't newbies stuck in plantation style contracts of '5' or '10 days vacation' that 'includes national holidays'.
One of the reasons the public school system started slashing the month or more vacation for native English teachers was because Korean teachers resented them vacationing abroad or going back home during the school breaks. Don't believe me? It was out of the horse's mouth from various provincial education offices including the one where I worked at public schools.
But do give up your steady job for all the horseshizz you're gonna encounter esp in the increasingly horrible falling conditions and salaries of Engrish in Korea in 2013. You seem to deserve it.  |
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World Traveler
Joined: 29 May 2009
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| Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 12:20 am Post subject: |
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| because of saturation in the job market, many hagwons are trying to take advantage of English teachers. Work days are getting longer and pay is getting lower. |
http://koreanesl.com/esl.php?board=teacherforum&page=2&command=body&no=16108
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If you enjoy your job, then the non-work related run-ins with xenophobic/misogynistic behavior, teenagers spitting at your heals and being served bizarre entrees of rectum and feet ...then it's manageable.
Heck, there's a lot that's enjoyable about Korea - but it's a toss up everyday whether it's going to be awesome or suck. You never know how you're going to be treated. |
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Mw182006
Joined: 13 Feb 2013
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| Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 4:19 am Post subject: |
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| "People like you..." Hahahaha, thank you for the sage advice, oh internet wise one. Please tell me the err of my ways and how I should live my life. |
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earthquakez
Joined: 10 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 5:44 am Post subject: Done and dusted! |
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I already have. I pointed out the folly of quitting a solid job with 10 yrs experience to go to such a horrid job market as that of Engrish teaching in Korea.
I had better wages and conditions throughout my working life in Korea - and they weren't much compared to what I had throughout my teaching career elsewhere.
But in life there's always people who know better than those who actually have the experience being discussed. Do leave behind your job situation in the US or wherever for a one yr visa owned by your employer, making around 1,700 bucks after tax per month for a tiring schedule with often unprofessional circumstances.
If you really think you need that, go right ahead! |
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I'm With You
Joined: 01 Sep 2011
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| Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 7:27 am Post subject: Re: When will I get to Korea?! |
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| earthquakez wrote: |
Seriously, why are you demeaning yourselves to get a job that's on average worth about 1,900 bucks per month before tax in your home currencies unless you're a Brit?
The 'free housing' is usually included in the quoted salary and most of the 'housing' is actually nasty, unhealthy little 'one room' places where the toilet is right near your sleeping, washing and if you're especially unlucky, cooking areas.
Many people I knew in my time in Korea got on average 5 proper hours of sleep living in such horrid, thin walled accommodation with mostly Korea's low income citizens who in these kinds of places think nothing of stomping around all night (students especially), banging around in the early hours of the morning, coming home drunk and vomiting loudly right above your head, etc.
Those who have been in Korea about 3 yrs or more will have the advantage over new people re a job that's half decent. From what I've seen advertised and from what I've heard from friends and acquaintances still working in Korea, the job situation is rather grim.
More hours, less days off - '5 days vacation and national holidays' does not qualify as vacation when you're under the hammer at hagwons which are mostly run by clueless Koreans who will make many demands of you while not giving you the working environment, curriculum, teaching materials or support to succeed at your job.
Korean parents often ruin their children, expecting others to teach their kids manners but will scream blue murder if you dare to discipline their kids (not talking about physically here).
Korean parents and hagwon bosses/owners often do not know what an English education is and trying to please them is like trying to please a bi-polar control freak in the sheer mood swings and constantly shifting demands, rational or not.
EPIK, GEPIK whatever are slightly better but even when I was working at a public school and getting paid more than what most EPIK/GEPIK teachers are getting paid now and getting far more vacation than now, it was still a lot of hard graft for a lot of nonsense and blatant using up of the foreign teacher by the Korean English teachers who slept in the staff room while I taught solo the classes that were supposed to be taught with a Korean teacher in the room.
Add to that the fact that most public schools do not have a curriculum for your classes and you're expected to design your own lessons, give your own original teaching materials for free with no compensation or acknowledgement and set up a curriculum for the next foreign teacher or for the Korean English teachers to pass off as their own.
I can't understand why some foreign teachers see all this as reasonable and natural cause it's not. It's exploitation and intellectual property theft. In reasonable countries the makers of original materials and lessons are compensated for them whether it's higher pay for curriculum design and development, etc. In Japan I was never expected to hand over courses and materials I had made myself to Japanese teachers or the employers.
Then there are more issues such as how you can't win with many employers in Korea whether in the hagwons or school system. Be a real teacher and you're boring. Then make the lessons more geared towards activities and the boss who told you to do it for more fun will then criticise you because parents say you're not a serious teacher.
Korean recruiters are mostly ignorant, rude, lying manipulators. They ignore you then offer you terrible jobs because they know you are willing to put up with their bullshiz for one of those sub standard 'teaching' jobs. Put them out of work, don't encourage them. Ignore them. Look outside Korea for English teaching jobs.
Don't put yourself thru all the rubbish about looks and weight. When I worked in Japan, unless people looked odd or were truly obese, Japanese employers did not emphasise looks and whether a foreigner was thin, medium or chubby.
They wanted their teacher to have a good image and dress reasonably well but the Japanese were nowhere near as shallow regarding image in terms of looks and weight, and employers certainly were nearly always polite in discussing what they wanted.
The Korean obsession with image is immature and something to be discouraged by not buying into it especially when there are plenty of Koreans who don't look great.
I won't even get started on the nonsense of the continual demands for document verification every 6 months or so. Other countries don't do that - their Immigration officers understand that once a document has been verified as a true and accurate one, you don't keep insulting institutions, govt departments and individuals by demanding 6 month updates of the same document.
The Koreans became cocky about westerners wanting jobs and instead of implementing reasonable verification, decided to go with the needless bureaucracy. It is irrational to continually question other countries' norms of verification when those countries are developed ones with established laws and customs.
Those of you who are desperate to work in Korea are just feeding all this mess. Why don't you just do some job at home until less people go to Korea and the Koreans have to curb some of the arrogance and the employers will once more offer reasonable if not great conditions again? |
I think this is a good post and one that people should read before coming to teach English. It highlights many of the issues we deal with in Korea. |
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young_clinton
Joined: 09 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 9:10 am Post subject: Re: When will I get to Korea?! |
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How long will it take to get a job in Korea? Maybe one week, maybe two weeks, maybe never.
Do what I'm thinking of doing, get your license to teach in your country then possibly think about going to the fertile teaching grounds of the Taiwan public schools, which I've heard are just as good as Korea. |
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mayorhaggar
Joined: 01 Jan 2013
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| Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 6:44 pm Post subject: Re: When will I get to Korea?! |
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| I'm With You wrote: |
I think this is a good post and one that people should read before coming to teach English. It highlights many of the issues we deal with in Korea. |
All it does is focus on the negative, which is typical here. Sounds like he/she has had a bad experience and thinks it will apply to everyone. Very little of that post applies to my experience. |
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augustine
Joined: 08 Sep 2012
Location: México
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| Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 6:49 pm Post subject: Re: When will I get to Korea?! |
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| mayorhaggar wrote: |
| I'm With You wrote: |
I think this is a good post and one that people should read before coming to teach English. It highlights many of the issues we deal with in Korea. |
All it does is focus on the negative, which is typical here. Sounds like he/she has had a bad experience and thinks it will apply to everyone. Very little of that post applies to my experience. |
... Your month and a half of experience?  |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 6:59 pm Post subject: Re: When will I get to Korea?! |
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| mayorhaggar wrote: |
| I'm With You wrote: |
I think this is a good post and one that people should read before coming to teach English. It highlights many of the issues we deal with in Korea. |
All it does is focus on the negative, which is typical here. Sounds like he/she has had a bad experience and thinks it will apply to everyone. Very little of that post applies to my experience. |
Agreed. Same here. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 7:02 pm Post subject: Re: When will I get to Korea?! |
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| young_clinton wrote: |
| ... the fertile teaching grounds of the Taiwan public schools, which I've heard are just as good as Korea. |
Better.
Better job.
Better remuneration package.
Better weather (outside of typhoon season).
. |
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