Korean Job Discussion Forums

weatherman · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: Korea

One of the biggest issues when working in Korea is the control they have over you. I mean you are tied to your work place and looked and thought as very expendable for there never is any job security. Plus management styles can be very whimsical and arbitrary. I really think Korea is a black hole for anybody trying to get ahead in the ESL field. There aren't any promotional opportunities or management opportunities either. Sure I have heard about a few places, but it is the rare exception. If Korea wants to attract a more professional bunch, the whole system needs to be reorganized. As it is now, Korea is a great place to cut your teeth and gain experience, but to make career choice for Korea out of the love of ESL isn't going to be happening soon, or at least not for many. Personally, and this is only my opinion, one avenue would be if a system came in place where most hogwons had a foreigner as the staff director in charge of curriculum, hiring, training, etc. This would provide a better job for people who have stayed around in Korea for 3 or so years and who actual care about teaching. At the University level, there are so many problems that truly getting some dude with a masters in applied linguistics who cares about teaching would result in the dude leaving. Why? Universities give out passing grades for breathing, and the students know this so they don't do anything because the university is too afraid of getting a bad reputation and it then becomes frustrating to teach, if you honestly care and believe in what you are doing. The universities want you to have all the qualifications, when really most Uni jobs in Korea, the requirements in rational thought would be a BA/BS and a year experience slogging it out in a hogwon. I feel it is all a control thing, and the Korean man can't stand giving any control to a foreigner in his own country, and that is why their aren't any promotional opportunities in Korea. Thanks for reading, I would like comments to know where I at fault in my assessment.

Hotuk · Joined: 10 Jan 2003

kimcheeking · Guest

weatherman · Joined: 14 Jan 2003 Location: Korea

I am happy to hear your university has a foreigner in a position to affect the program. Another reason I should add for their not being a foreigner in many like positions is the view of education that foreigners and Koreans take. Teaching in Korea turns out to be more about making the class enjoy who you are as human being, which is a good thing and I have learnt a lot about myself from following what Koreans want. On the other hand, I find Korean students are exceptional unmotivated 95% of the time and you really can't push them or try to make them expand their horizons in anyway. But at the same time you have to appear that you are always offering them something new and progressive in the world of ESL teaching. I think this is one reason why Koreans are reluctant to give any leadership to foreigners because they think we don't understand the mind of Korean students and what they want or how to deal with them. Am I being too polite about all these reasons?

VanIslander · Posted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 6:07 pm Post subject:

some things will never change

princess · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: soul of Asia

I know a foreigner in chrage of interviewing and hiring. But, in the end,when she finds someone she wants to hire, she has to run it by the big dudes, and if they say the person doesn't have the "right" look, she can't hire them. Rolling Eyes

caniff · Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Location: All over the map

oneofthesarahs · Joined: 05 Nov 2006 Location: Sacheon City

My hagwan leaves some of the decision of who to hire up to the foreign teacher who is leaving (if they are leaving on good terms, of course). She's really picky, so she shortlists the resumes to all of the people she thinks are qualified enough, and then lets the foreign teacher do all the interviews. Then she gets the new teacher in early enough so that the teacher who is leaving can train them. This system works great if the leaving teacher cares enough to train the new teacher properly.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for me, as I was replacing a runner and didn't have much time to be properly trained. He had a great resume and had taught with the Peace Corp and everything. Apparently his picking up and going away was a huge surprise to the school. I think it took my director a full month to trust that I wasn't going to head for the hills.