Korean Job Discussion Forums

[captain kirk]

I swear the boss needs someone to hold her hand. If it's white and has a pulse....
I was out at the local on Friday and met a guy from England, teaching here now six months, who appeared at the haggie today because there's an opening. Don't get me wrong he's a great guy, very intuitive. I know that from talking to him Friday night at the pub. But he admits it comes from meeting people on the fly, all the time, the year he spend in India. You know how certain substances accent the intuition. Accentuated sixth sense. Talking about life intensely with people just met, knowing they'll be gone from the hostel the next day. He's working to make it back to India. He referrred to himself, rather disparagingly, as an 'India kid'. Basically a partying backpacker.
But teaching in a haggie is not exciting, it's rather dull if you look at it a certain way. Sure kids are interesting, the mood is elated and young, horsing around and delightful.
I overheard she was offering him 1.7.
Already 'gone through' two guys hired on, one lasted a month and another two weeks. Both quit because they just weren't involved, lots of complaints.
Hey, I know the boss. She deserves a break. So I told her hey, do you really want a guy who has come from, and is going back to, India to party?
It's really tough trying to find anyone to teach. Talk on the board about the job market being not as good as years previous, but hey. It's not easy for a boss who doesn't know foreigners to guage who's being interviewed, whether they'll be good or not, or stay through the 'doldrums', and be steady about everything. There's a job but no-one to take it. This is in Ulsan.
I figured, given what I know about him, that he wouldn't be steady and gave him a thumbs down. The boss doesn't seem to be able to discern amongst foreigners. The other day she said that she thought every foreigner from N.America 'had a tuxedo'. And when I said most people rent she looked like she'd been short changed
Then there's the guy who was being interviewed three days ago. Very clean cut, blonde, from N.America somewhere. He has been in Korea since his last contract ended, that's two months, 'looking for a job'. He seemed shy and easily spooked, very careful. His Korean girlfriend explained 'something went wrong' at one job he almost took, so he's skittish. Lots of jobs, he said, but he's looking for 'the right one'. He was offered the usual 1.9, usual hours, usual everything. He looked like a young bank clerk, almost the opposite of the wild-haired, loud-voiced, garrulous 'hippie'. His hobby is tennis, but he veered off.

[Juggertha]

finding a good teacher doesn't always seem easy.

[tomwaits]

At the few bigger hagwans I have temped at or visited or whatever they seem to have a stable bunch of FT's. Maybe it just looks that way. What do they say the average stay for a foreigner here is about 3 months?

To the OP I'm not sure what you think is wrong with the partying in India guy. They need someone so even if doesn't last a year it doesn't matter. Plus your boss saves bonus money...The other guy sounds odd---2 months looking for the "right job?" I wouldn't trust him. Tell her to hire India backpack guy. But yes I'm willing to bet the parade of applicants is pretty bizarre.

[Saxiif]

[captain kirk]

They want whoever it is to sign a contract for a year. The guy who partied in India for a year is planning on going back for another extended replay. I slagged him to the boss because I've seen the management bent out of shape accomodating new arrivals and they just bug out. I don't think teaching English to children is especially interesting, does anyone? It's a responsible job, it's mundane. It doesn't involve great challenges but it goes on, reliably, day after day. I wouldn't trust, for the long term, a self-proclaimed drug user and backpacker to not bug out. I'm not super-conservative or anything, it just doesn't make sense to invite into a 'machine' (the haggie) someone who has come from far out in left field (a year in hostels in India) and heading for same when he's got the money.
It surprises me how applicants ruin their approach by being demanding from the start, I guess is my point. Sniffing around, looking for dark secrets and skeletons in the closet. Lots of scare stories, different culture, being in the dark about lots of stuff not speaking the language. I've seen guys so arrogant about expecting this and that the managment just wrote them off, even though there's an opening.
Next time I shop for a job I'll definately remember this, and not be skittish about jumping in and doing demos without embarrassment, which is hard to do after being on vacation for awhile. Feel like a dancing bear in front of management I don't know, their inscrutable gaze and poker faces observing.

[Son Deureo!]

[captain kirk]

Right. It's a lock-down, gotta get a good reference for next time, keep immigration happy, one year excursion so be careful. From my point of view, been at this school eight months, there are no boogymen, skeletons, trap doors, raging psychopath, keloptomaniac, lying like Tom Sawyer racist bosses. So applicants looking for these monsters look odd. Especially job-seekers who demand this and that from the get-go.
One guy, worked two weeks, shlepped around then asked for more money and they 'couldn't give it to him'. Because he, based on his performance, saw the job as nothing more than glorified daycare with his evenings and life in general, that of a colonial waster not exercising his potential. At the same time he craved another year of living the animal house/frat house drunken yippy-yah-hoo-ha life in the off hours.
I mean respect the job, the kids, the management, and do the job well, right?
Another teacher worked for a month, was set fire with indignation when the children acted like spoiled children, full of disrespect and impish game-playing (particularly the dreaded middle school students, cunning they are) and blew out, quit. He was standing at the front desk, this Phd in religious studies, refusing to leave until they paid him next month's rent. And next month he, of course, wouldn't be at the school working so why should he deserve next month's rent? But still this imposing figure of a man stood his ground at the front desk for almost an hour.
Yeah, be careful. But be reasonable. The management doesn't know the prospective teacher, either. See some gimme gimme-ing from foreign teachers and it's like they're thinking, 'here I am, in this foreign country, and I'm fighting for my rights as a minority with no power. I must get before I am got!'. It's like they've got combat fatigue from walking across the street

[jajdude]

Only 1.7..? Pretty low for more than 20 hours a week.

[captain kirk]

Of course. He has been doing privates and wants off the street. He's got a rather thick Scottish accent which the boss figures he knows is a disadvantage so she offers him 1.7.

[Demophobe]

All shapes and sizes, eh? People like the ones you mentioned certainly give the ESL industry it's "mercenary" monicker.

It's their life, but unfortunately it affects the other's in the school as well. I remember having to do double-time to cover the classes of the recently departed...really a grave situation.

Guess it's part of the reason the hogwon owners are the way they are as well.