Korean Job Discussion Forums

[casey's moon]

It was only a few weeks ago that I was on a thread here bragging about what a sweet deal I have at my job.... but now the new year has officially started, and there are a bunch of little annoying changes that have pretty much soured my job satisfaction. It's bearable, and I think I can probably compromise with the director on a few items to make things better for everyone, but I still find it disappointing. I've had plenty of experience in Korea and am aware that this is how things often go... but the difference this time is that I'm not locked into this job, as my visa allows me to quit as long as I give a certain amount of notice -- and I could easily pick up a part time job -- which would be more suitable for me at this point anyway. I don't really want to do that though, what I want is to love my job again!!!

Just wondering if anyone else has gone from wonderful to agonising in a matter of days at their job.

[Grotto]

sorry to hear that Casey

My experience and some of my friends have had their jobs go sour on them 5-6 months into the contract. Its a combination of being sick and tired of putting up with their bullcrap and their thinking that you have put up with their insanity for this long you would be prepared to put up with even worse.

[casey's moon]

[Grotto]

this will sound bad but my personal experience is that Koreans dont appreciate the extra effort put in nor do they realise how difficult it is to go in day after day and give it your all.

good luck

[dulouz]

A while back I was whining about not getting a public school job but I got one and it sort of looks like a good one. Non EPIK-GEPIK high school job. Required overtime at W25,000 per hour which is fine but they pulled that stunt where I am required to teach a 50 minute class and get paid W20,000 cause its only 50 mins. Three days into the semeter the shoddy ethics start.

[guangho]

We're the Mexican day laborers of Korea. Korea has SBS. Long Island had a charming councilman who said that his constitutents should go after Mexicans with baseball bats. Which they promptly did.

However, unlike Mexicans in the States, we're paid roughly fifty-eighty percent more than the people busy looking down on us. I assume this irritates them to no end which is at the root of ninety percent of work horror stories. (That and the fact that most of us have, as our sole qualification, caucasian features, which are nice but not as nice as B.Ed's.) Suck it up, smile, pick up your paycheck. If there is no paycheck to be picked up, resign, get your release letter and move on to the next truck stop. (Mexican day laborer joke.)

[casey's moon]

I actually do have a B.Ed, but that doesn't usually matter much to employers in Korea.

Anyway, I'm getting paid -- no worries like that, and the director seems to hear my complaints, and she has even backed off on things when I've said, "Uhh, I don't know -- let me think about it," so I know she's somewhat interested in keeping me happy.

But actually, my main complaint is that she's starting to treat me more and more like how she treats the Korean kindergarten teachers -- and those are conditions I never would have agreed to.

I know you're right Grotto, about the staff not really caring what I do with my classes, as long as I sit there with the students -- but unfortunately, I care.

Ahh well. I shouldn't be so upset. It's the start of the new semester and the fact that things are not running at all smoothly is absolutely no surprise. I've had 4 different jobs in Korea and at one point or another they have all driven me up the wall, even (actually especially) the national university. I don't know what made me believe this was going to be any different!!!!

[Zyzyfer]

My job soured up in the span of a week as well. It went from pondering how many years to re-sign to do I have to be there the full year pretty fast. The weird thing is that it's just the usual problems, but they were magnified like 10-fold in the space of a week with the new session starting.

Some of the crap:

-sick teacher, already packed schedules on everyone, they don't have a sub handy (even though there is a sub teacher)
-no one informed me of the new session, which would've been impossible for me to guess when I was coming off of the morning intensives shift
-random class given to me one day 15 minutes into the class because nobody realized that there was a gap between one teacher leaving and the other one starting
-because I didn't know about the new session I didn't have any of the supplementary materials prepared yet
-boss angry at me because she didn't tell me about the new session

Same old lack of information, but it hit me in a big way this time. Coworker agreed that everything was pretty chaotic last week. Ugh.

[margaret]

Does anybody have a guess for this lack of information/bad communication thing?
Is it that it's too much trouble to tell you in English? A power thing? Do they treat the Korean teachers the same way and they just take it for granted and the bosses think we will too?
Margaret

[Lunar Groove Gardener]

C.M.
I had read your previous post about the "good job" and am sorry to hear that its sweetness seems to be fading. I am back in the States pondering my options and this is exactly what makes me feel that teaching in Korea is so tenuous. I had several changes last year as my Korean teaching position and the principle players in that drama fluxed and flexed. It made for a rough year. I was amazed that I made it through. My only sanity was to arrive at the notion that there was no shame in a "midnight run" under such circumstances. I like to think that a healthy optimism, committment to my students and school, and cooperative attitude make me a valuable member to any team. When these criteria were not the focus of my administrator and supervisor, and the politics and acrimony ensued, it made for some soul searching and white knuckling times... I found it very unacceptable to have earnest concerns about the curriculum, volume of work, specific directions to address students needs etc. etc. etc. it never stopped.. I had to abandon all hope and simply avoid cofrontation to avoid getting sk%$@#ed. So it was too much paranoia and pulling daggers out of my back to stay on as I had intended at the outset. I NEED some level of peace and mutal respect in the workplace. I am starting to doubt that it can be attained in Korea. Good luck with your decision, it's a tough one, as I'm sure that the kids are great.
LGG

[casey's moon]

Zyzyfer -- you and I seem to be in pretty much the same boat.

Margaret -- no it isn't because we're foreigners -- it's more because they forget we're foreigners! The Korean teachers have the experience of growing up in a Korean family and they are much better at going with the flow. When we react with horror when a class sized is increased by 75% right before said class is supposed to begin, the Korean teachers think we're nuts. How can we and why would we say no to anything the director asks?

L.G.G., yes, Korea can be like that. Pretty much every job has its moments in this country -- which is why I am now planning on waiting a month and seeing how it goes, and if things aren't better I'm going to give them plenty of notice (2 months or more). A part time job would be more suitable for my life situation right now anyway -- this used to be almost a part time job, but they keep sneaking more hours in....

It helps to know that I'm not trapped in this job. I don't think my employers realize that, however!

Thanks for all the nice responses everyone. I'm kind of surprised that no one has blasted me for thinking about backing out on my commitments here (yet).

[teachingld2004]

Well, I hate to say this, but it seems when we get better at our jobs, the situation gets worse. Because i'm a great teacher (yes, great teacher but lousey typist) I have gotten stuck with some of the worst behaved classes. The better we are, themore is expected. I have seen lousey teachers get better schedules because "the kids don't like them, the parents don't like them..."

My advice is just to look at it as "a JOB". Do it, don't care so much, and tht is it.

Wish I could take my own advice tho...

[mindmetoo]

[Grotto]

[guangho]

I wonder if my salary coming up 100K short tonight has it's roots in Confucius's teachings as well....

But will hold my tongue until I seem my paystub tomorrow. Grasshopper is getting wiser.