Korean Job Discussion Forums

SuperHero · Joined: 10 Dec 2003 Location: Superhero Hideout

I"m happy

nev · Joined: 04 Jan 2004 Location: ch7t

What's with all this positivity? Real Reality, where are you? We need you to remind us how miserable we are.

SuperHero · Joined: 10 Dec 2003 Location: Superhero Hideout

adventureman · Joined: 18 Feb 2003

To the people who responded by saying they absouletly loved their jobs, what would you say is the single most important indvidual factor that puts it over the top the top for you and makes you feel really satisfied about going to work everyday? your students? vacation time? support? working hours? variety?

BTW, as much as this seems like a loaded question, Im really not trying to instiagate anything in anyway, just curious...

SuperHero · Joined: 10 Dec 2003 Location: Superhero Hideout

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

adventureman · Joined: 18 Feb 2003

the_beaver · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

Jonny Boy · Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Location: Portsmouth, UK

Wow!, just read your post Mr poet
I'm preparing to come to teach in Korea as well as start a new life there with my Korean girlfriend. After weeks of research I've read mostly tales of woe from different discussion boards, and other sites!!, leaving me quite anxious about how it will be when I arrive.
Your words are an inspiration to me, thank you and may your happiness and good fortune continue and give hope to others; like little scared ole me.
Jonny Boy

MixtecaMike · Posted: Fri Nov 05, 2004 6:23 am Post subject:

Whether you like or dislike your job probably depends as much or more on you than on the job. Some people are happy with anything that includes a decent check paid on time, others can have a screaming hissy fit because the buttons on their appliances are in Korean.

Where I work nobody hates their job; there are days and even kids you might want to drive through at high speed, but over all it's good.

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

Rah rah Confused Canadian. The K-teachers do not take extended vacations. They do more hours than us. They have Korean 'tunnel vision' and the expectations set, the whole kebang, before and after work. About when they should get married, bla di blar. Those K-teachers need a vacation! At one haggie one did. She went to Egypt, can you believe it. That's the spirit, and after stopping in India.
Haggie jobs are sweet. Cahly me crazy but Toad's right. Sweeter if you're 'emotionally available', though that term sounds awkward. If you can put them as people first and get around the 'stick to the book' requirements of most haggies, that's the killing/deadly thing. The drill sergeant mode, the mode their mom's are on. I saw a Mom actually hauling her 12 year old son by his bookbag like a cop hauling a criminal. Why I dunno. Tonight it was the next class after I'd put the daughter of the boss in her place. She was being sassy, 'diplomatic immunity'. Well she comes back (after 'hating my guts') super cheerful and asks about what countries I've visited. Using a little Korean and keeping it simple and exciting I described some visits. To 'Taegook' (Thailand) for one. It's an example of getting along in an interested way. That can be forgotten (the fact they're kids and very capable of being fully alive) for the drill. Play hookey on the boss, like. I forget that 'doing a good job'. The Korean teachers can get more of that in I'm sure, hacking around in Korean.
Some days, 'bad days', I think I hate the boss, the K-teachers, the kids, bla bla. Really. But it tends to break, the fever, like a fight in a hockey game when all the absurdity and fun surf into the forefront. I can't think of any job more lively than working in a haggie. If you want to sit at a desk job and be adult and intelligent you pay the price. There's a Chinese curse, 'may you have an interesting life'. Gotta let stuff go in a haggie. Kids are a carousel but I'd choose the lively atmosphere there over being settled, for now. Plenty of time to be serious when you're dead.

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

I don't love the job but I like it most days.

Someone said above, its just some ratbag kids that are the problem.

Took them away and It would be fantastic.

nrvs · Joined: 30 Jun 2004 Location: standing upright on a curve

I definitely don't hate my teaching job (so far).

Like others have said, the worst part for me are the 1 to 3 jerkoff kids in certain classes. Even then, it's only two classes out of six that are stressful. This is easily balanced by having one class three times a week with only two kids -- good natured and intelligent ones at that.

No real complaints about the management either, especially after reading eslcafe's horror stories. They've been straightforward with constructive criticism and don't make undue demands on my time outside of what's outlined in my contract.

Alias · Joined: 24 Jan 2003

I loved teaching kindergarten. I would have done it full time if I could. Unfortunately that wasn't an option.

But I absolutely hated "teaching" the afternoon classes with the elementary kids. What a joke they were. I had no control over most of the classes at all. I could have just accepted it and took my paycheck but it bothered me so bad that I actually quit just 4 months short of the end of my contract. I realize that you have to check your dignity at the classroom door but there is only so much a person can take. They didn't hate me. They just thought I was a white clown that they could swear and throw things at. I also felt like I was part of a scam. The tuition wasn't cheap and these kids weren't learning any English.

So no more kiddie hagwons for me. I hear that my replacement is on the verge of leaving as well. Poor guy.

bucheon bum · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

yeah, I wouldn't ever go back to teaching kids in a hogwon...