Korean Job Discussion Forums

I_Am_Wrong · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Location: whatever

Are all directors really such pricks? Can somebody relate a good story about their director. I've only been here for two weeks but I've heard are horror stories.

Anyways, thankfully I only have to teach one class a day at my directors hagwon so I don't really have to deal with him that much. However, today he pissed me off. First he took me to the bank so that he could help me to open up my bank account but he failed to mention that it wouldn't be possible to transfer money from this bank so I would still have to open up an account at another bank. Thanks buddy, I paid for an account that's basically useless...I could've simply opened up one account at the other bank that does transfer money but now I'll have to pay for two. Then he decided to switch around my schedule and give me ( the newest, least experienced teacher) the notorious worst class. So I'm supposed to teach this level 5 class this horrendous story from the Brainy storybook...it's just absolutely awful and I cannot believe they expect kids to learn and want to learn English from this crap. The lesson he wants me to give is as follows, play audio of story, go back through story line by line with kids repeating, and then ask kids questions such as "what do you see in this picture? Absolutely terrible. We go through the story once and then twice and the kids are hating it and I'm about to lose complete control of the class. Thence, I decide that there is 15 minutes left so let's play a game. I choose pictionary...which none of them have ever played but it was easy to explain. So we're playing pictionary and having a great time while also practising and learning english when the director comes in with a huge look of "what the *beep*!" on his face. He was obviously not happy about this. I didn't want to hear him complain about my teaching so immediately after class I question him about my washing machine (which hasn't worked since I move in) and he tells me he will replace tomorrow. He then has the nerve to say "please room keep clean." I left that place so pissed off. First, I have dirty laundry on my floor...why? Cuz my fucking washing machine hasn't worked since I got here! Second I have dirty dishes in my sink...Why? Because I haven't been able to change any money since I got here cuz immigration has my passport and I'm broke with barely enough money to eat. He hasn't given me my money for my plane ticket yet either. You want me to clean...buy me some fucking cleaning supplies!! Third the floor of my bathroom is covered in dirt (mounds of dirt). Why? because him and the repairman tracked massive amounts of dirt into the bathroom when they came to look at it. Lastly, I had one clean towel left and they left it covered in grease!!!

Sorry for the rant. I'm sure you heard it before...but I just need to vent.

Note: I'm not using this one bad experience with my job as an excuse to diss all of Korea cuz I am still liking the country very much...but...
haha...when I left I waited at the crosswalk for the walk signal and while I was walking I had a near death incident with an idiotic driver...man did that guy ever get an earful of English that I'm sure he'd never heard before. The old ladies around me looked at me as if I'm crazy!

casey's moon · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Location: Daejeon

Are there any other teachers there you can band together with? It sounds like you need to show a little strength. I had a terrible director too, but with 4 foreign teachers sticking together, we whipped him into shape. You do have power, as you're not that easy to replace. You shouldn't abuse that power, but you should use it to get what you need. Sorry he's such a jerk. Working for hagwons will show you the worst of Korea, but remember that there is a lot of good here too.

Be careful when you're crossing the street. I almost got killed by believing I had the right of way just because the walk sign was on MANY times. Don't believe the walk sign -- look both ways.

I hate crappy directors.

The Evil Clown · Joined: 10 May 2004

Get the *beep* out of that school ASAP. Your director's behavior is not going to change.

Quit now to avoid 12 months of a hellwon. If he refuses to reimburse the ticket or keeps putting it off...quit. You're not getting severance either.

Welcome to Korea, the sucker's paradise.

Edited once for a typo

peemil · Joined: 09 Feb 2003 Location: Koowoompa

kprrok · Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Location: KC

You asked for stories of a good director. Well, here's mine...

My director is so cool that when I mentioned that the partment didn't have a couch, he went out and spent about 300.000 for a bloody great couch that is incredibly comfortably should I ever need to sleep on it...

he also gave me the better classes as the new teacher because he figured the older, more experienced teacher could handle the rougher clases better...

he also, after I mentioned wanting a computer, agreed to buy me a brand new laptop and put it on his credit card and let me pay it off over 3-months, thereby allowing me to get a damned nice one instead of an OK one...

he also doesn't mind playing games with the kids once we've finished our work, so long as we don't disrupt the other classes...

he also lets us bring the kids to the computer room to play games while I read the newspaper every morning...

there's more, but, I'm a bit too drunk to type about it. Just don't get me started on my first director, he was an ass like the OP's.

KPRROK

Zyzyfer · Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2004 2:37 am Post subject:

My director actually teaches. That's an awesome story.

agraham · Joined: 19 Aug 2004 Location: Daegu, Korea

My director asked me for a list of all the stuff I needed to settle in. I thought she was going to help me find it at the store, but instead she went and bought it all! Dishes, cleaning supplies.. She also supplied furniture and a TV. Also my apartment rocks and so does my landlord.
Then she told me she would get me an AC if the heat was too much, but I didn't want to walk all over her. Smile

jazblanc77 · Joined: 22 Feb 2004

mog · Joined: 06 May 2004

stevie rotten · Joined: 31 Jan 2003

2 down, 50 to go.
if this place is making you bitter just pack up and leave. it's really not worth it.

just because · Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964

Yeah...he sounds like a *beep*.

Just with that bank account thing, just a wrning and not a definant.

A lot of crooked directors have things going with certain bank managers where they will track your account and in some cases freeze it so you can' do a runner. Thats why he may have set you up with that kind of account.

peppermint · Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2004 11:32 am Post subject:

The bank account thing does sound a little odd, but when my hagwon farmed me out to the public school system last year we had to do the same thing. You'd think they'd come up with a way to paty the director without involving you, but that's one of those things that makes too much sense here.

shifty · Joined: 21 Jun 2004

I've also been pimped to a public school and the money is pd into my account. When I asked the reason and knowingly hinted at the tax evasion, my boss gave a curious reply.

He said that these teaching posts are reserved for the small man, not for the almighty hogwan. The mind boggles.

His limited English certainly helps him in these kinds of tete a tetes.

Bulsajo · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

The director in the OP sounds like a total asshole.

TJ · Joined: 10 Mar 2003

Hagwan directors and probably most other employers in Korea come in a wide variety of abilities and concern for their employees. Similarly employees come in many different levels of ability and adaptability for a new situation.

Possibly you both could benefit from a quiet, non argumentative, discussion. If his english is poor an interpreter would be a good idea.

With regard to your banking arrangements ..... it's not a problem. I've been here for almost 4 years and my bank doesn't handle overseas transfers. All I do is draw the necessary cash and walk to the Korea Exchange Bank where they are happy to send my money to Australia for me. I did not have to open another account to do that.

With regard you being given the worst class - maybe you should take that as a compliment. It's just possible that you have shown that you have the ability to handle 'difficult' students. This happened to me and, after a couple of months of me showing them who was boss, they became one of the better classes. Sure it's hard work but it also can be very rewarding when you succeed.