Korean Job Discussion Forums

lookingtoteach · Joined: 18 Feb 2003

To all of you returnees, I need some tips on how you make your second trip to Korea better than your first? In my first trip, I worked at a school that had great foreign teachers, crankly Korean teachers (except for one), a great director (all he did was take us out to restaurants, etc), but one hell of an a.sshole of a supervisor. He was supervisor over Korean and foreign teachers and definitely had his favorites, me not being one of those. He was the main reason I left because of his verbal abuse, literally. I worked in an okay part of the country, Ansan to be exact, at an okay school, but ran after four months. How can I make my second time back better? (I plan to come in April/May) Only helpful responses need bother...

turtlepi1 · Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Well first you might come here first and look for a job so you can get a feel for the people you will be working with.

OR ask the recruiter for the contact info for people currently working at the school.

You already know about the culture a little bit and what to expect.
You might want to learn some more Korean before you come.

Make friends with BOTH Koreans and Foreigners...

But most of all (it sounds like you are strictly blaming the school for you pulling a runner..maybe the case) you need to take a realistic look at what the problems were the first time and decide why you are better equipped to handle them this time.

We don't know your situation so it is hard to offer a lot of advice especially when it sounds like you might not want to hear anything bad about yourself and your choices....

the eye · Joined: 29 Jan 2004

Daechidong Waygookin · Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:14 pm Post subject:

Its pretty much hit and miss. You can do the homework but you will never know what the school is like until you start working there and the dynamics develop.

I wonder how many foreigners end up coming back to Korea for another stint. Korea is like a black hole, you can never escape its grip.

shortskirt_longjacket · Posted: Tue Dec 28, 2004 6:17 pm Post subject:

I did 6 months, left (didn't do a runner) and then came back and am now in my ninth month at my current school. Not to belittle your problems, but;

Asshole bosses are international.

Korea hasn't changed.

Have you?

trevorcollins · Joined: 02 Jul 2004

lookingtoteach · Joined: 18 Feb 2003

I'm not blaming the school at all for my running. The school was okay. Only got paid late once and it was because the pay date was on a Sunday and he paid us on the Monday. The supervisor was the ONLY reason I left. In the four months I was there he had fired one of the foreign teachers because he didn't like him. It had nothing to do with his teaching style, he just didn't like him. He had no rhyme or reason as to why he did things, he hated me and didn't even try to hide that fact. My heat was shut off for two days in February because he didn't pay the bill. He got angry because I didn't want him to do my online banking for me. Anyway, that is all behind me now. I just want to know if anyone has ever run and come back and LIKED it the second time or am I just fooling myself into thinking it will be different. In general is it easier to deal with a.sshole directors/supervisors/coworkers the second time around because you have experience? Thanks for all the help.

turtlepi1 · Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Maybe you get it, maybe you don't...
The thing is it is you who has to change...have you? If so, give it another shot...if not, I think you are fooling yourself...

When you look at Korea through Western eyes, Koreans seem utterly illogical and it can be very frustrating. I think that is where the 3 month blues come from as much as missing home and not being able to speak the language at a fluent level, isolation, etc.

People get angry because the things Koreans do are nuts by Western standards...but if you accept it is par for the course in Korea and actually the "proper" way then you look at ways of dealing with the differences.

My GF came to realize this recently and she is out of her 3 month blues and loving Korea once again...She has stopped letting the "small" things drive her crazy...

(I'm not talking about your asshole boss...sometimes an asshole is just an asshole...) I'm only pointing this stuff out because your writing style leads me to think you haven't changed the things you need to change in you to be happy (notice I didn't say successful) in Korea...but you can't judge where someone is in their life based on a writing style...and who knows...maybe you didn't/don't have any growing to do...maybe it WAS "just an asshole supervisor...

The Great Toad · Joined: 12 Jun 2004

Mmmm well to avoid this in the future you should make contact with the most of teachers who work under the boss of your next school to be- if the boss will not allow this you gotta wonder...Like when I first looked for a new job last May -boss said the last teachers had left all of asudden but she had deleted their old emails and had no address / contact info for them... mmm wonder why I did not take that job...