Korean Job Discussion Forums

[R. S. Refugee]

OK. I'm just getting ready to put my big toe in the water here and see how it feels. Six months ago I had never thought about teaching ESL in Korea (or anywhere else for that matter), but now I find myself selling belongings, putting things into storage, reading scary books on culture shock in Korea that suggest that I will have to get drunk all the time (just during non-working hours, of course) so as not to offend my future Korean friends, and that I will constantly be asked very personal and intrusive questions.

And, of course, I am so looking forward to that feeling of reverting to childhood that I assume most people experience when they no longer know how to do so many of the simplest things that they've been doing without much thought for most of their adult lives at least. This must happen, mustn't it, when you suddenly can't read any directions on products, food labels, and street signs and you often find yourself asking children to explain to you how to do the simplest things?

In any event, I've been told that the Discussion Forums at Dave's ESL Cafe is the place to start, that it's where the expert ex-pats hang out (or is that chillin'?) So I thought I'd try it out, neophyte that I am, and start drawing upon the vast storehouse of ex-pat wisdom that is said to reside here.

As I progress to putting more than just this now turning blue big toe into these forums, I know that more specific questions will occur (like where to get treated for hypothermia). But until my brain pan warms up enough to handle that question-forming task, I thought I'd just ask a very general question of y'all (yes, raised in the Great Halleluia Don't Tell Me My Grandpappy was a Monkey Anti-EVILution Bible Belt, don'tcha know) while still in this state of shock from the realization that I'm really going to come over there soon. (They don't make prospective ESL instructors take grammar proficiency tests, do they?)

And that question would be: What is the one most important thing that you think I should know about coming to Korea. (No one will be graded on their answer.)

[Poster's Note: None, some, most, or all of the foregoing was simply made up for fun -- the TV's broke -- but the question is definitely for real. Thanks in advance, for your wise (and I'm sure entertaining) respsonses.]

[peppermint]

Leave all your expectations at home. Korea was far less exotic than I though it would be but more odd, if that makes sense.

Get a card with your home address written in Korean. ( they don't have a logical address system here, and even so, people can be pretty fussy about pronunciation.

[Grotto]

develop a thick skin. Be prepared to have small children point at you...hell be prepared to have old people point at you.

The more rural the area the more hillbilly gawking will be going on.

Personal questions are usually pretty normal. How old are you...are you married....how much money do you make???

The food....spicy?...kind of...tasty? pretty much....monotonous? Oh yeah!
They have 4 seasonings, gochu, ginger, garlic and ginsing.

[JAMZ]

bring lots of cotton underwear... boxers, briefs, boxer briefs... whatever you wear... it took me a little while to figure out how to use the washing machine in my apt.

[manlyboy]

The stages of dealing with grief

Key: "grief","grieving" = living in korea ; "loved one","deceased" = life as you once knew it

[eamo]

Be prepared to nod and smile a lot.

Always think hard before you become offended by anything. Koreans can seem rude but, believe me, when, on the very rare instances they actually want to offend, you'll know it!!!

Bring or buy a computer for your apartment. PC rooms can get tiring real quick!

Bring lots of photos of home and family.

Learn to love meat and booze!

[Ya-ta Boy]

I enjoyed your writing style, but I would recommend you start practicing dropping all slang, idioms and complicated grammar from your normal speaking style.

Short, simple sentences strung together will get you much farther in the markets. Oh, yes. And body language.

Life here can be as much fun as a room full of puppies. But beware of the odd pile of puppy doo-doo when you are walking bare foot.

Good luck.

[R. S. Refugee]

Ya - ta Boy wrote:

[endo]

I've been here just over two weeks and I love it. Just keep a positive attitude and do your research on Dave's and you should be alright.

[captain kirk]

Don't be too nice a guy and let everyone tell you what to do, micro-manage. But then it takes some experience in the first place to know you have your own teaching style and what the kids need.
For example, suddenly I have a class of 23 elementary school kids because the K-teachers are prepping middle school for a test coming up. All the kids have been crammed into the f-teacher class. The boss is making money prepping middle school, AND giving the kids class with a foreign teacher. But it's not productive. Sure, K education is lecture style, but subjecting elementary kids to that? It's usually ten to a class, some interaction and talking, not lecture style.
What I mean is the boss has a newbie and starts to micro-manage her big eyed, over-willing participant into exactly what the boss thinks she wants. And the K-teachers take the ball and 'confer' with you on what to do for 'the perfect class'.
Well, you're the foreign teacher and the dynamic between you and the kids is different than k-teacher and kids.
To give you an idea of 'cluelessness'/monetary priorities I asked what textbook the 23 elem kids suddenly ganged into a mega-class would be using. Not the one they had on their desks, it's half in Korean, for use with the k-teacher. The boss said, off-handedly, 'just talk with them'. I said 'no way, forget that, I'm making them a handout'. I know from experience that no giant Korean kids class is going to fly 'free talking' for forty minutes. That class of 23 students is going to fragment into groups talking in Korean while I 'converse' with the front row, between telling the k-talkers to be quiet, stand in the corner, etc.
There's a new f-teacher who's never taught before and never been to Korea. I'm watching him being groomed, read molded into 'just what everybody wants'. Well. Good thing he looks like he can handle himself and negotiate his way through all this 'help'/'guidance' .
But he's got the bug and fussing in return, to look involved and co-operative, a 'team player'. It's just him and the kids, but he's getting lots of 'advice'. ARGH!
And he's not keeping his English simple. If kids don't understand most of it, they drift off into 'English is too difficult so I'm shutting off now', then start goofing and talking Korean. Korean kids don't take well to the 'immersion in a lot of what you don't know' theory of English learning.
He's revolving trying to please management when it's the kids he ought to be relating with, not fussy input from boss and k-teachers.
Some K-teachers think they're teachers per se. Because they get more respect from the kids, and simply because they're Korean. I get respect from the kids because they know and like me, most of them, but you know what I mean. So these 'real teacher' 'attituded' K-teachers go at the newbie talking about this and that technique, and what the kids need, and so on.
Foreign teachers aren't considered by them to be teachers, I don't think. So it's amusing and ironic their pestering of the newbie. Who doesn't know, yet, that he isn't a 'teacher', yet they're telling him 'how to teach'. ARG! The newbie had his walkman on, reclining, and looking like he was 'out to lunch' and 'do not disturb' for a spell. He deserved a micro-vacation!
Good thing he's 23. Still, I'll bet he's going to be ready for some pub darts by the weekend.

[kangnamdragon]

One bit of advice is to be careful with from whom you take advice. There are often contradictory answers on this site.

[captain kirk]

There are also indifferent, aloof, posters who like to flame for kicks. Barren life, barren kicks, bad upbringing, whatever

[Swiss James]

Looking at the subject title, I'd say the best advice I can give is to take it step by step.

[eamo]

[Toby]

Impressions are very important in Korea and it can be difficult to change one once it has been set.

So, with that in mind, be very careful and respectful in your first couple of weeks in your work place.

If they have a good first impression, it will make your life so much easier later.