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canukteacher
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul, Korea
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 Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Sorry my typo................re-sign |
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Derrek
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 7:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Plume D'ella Plumeria wrote: |
As far as the idea of GEPIK seeking another hundred or so teachers year after year, I'm afraid I see that as a real possibility. Sadly, I suspect that in GEPIK's eyes, we are entirely expendable. The Canadians are causing trouble? Get in the Americans. The Americans are raising a ruckus? Bring in some Aussies. The Aussies are kicking up a fuss? And ever on...
A cynical view, I know, but I just don't see GEPIK lifting a finger to do anything about some very well-qualified teachers who are departing its ranks. Nor do they appear to even be lifting an eyebrow. It brings to mind a job I once held in Japan. There were some aspects of it with which I was discontent. When I announced my intention to leave, the head honcho was immediately wining and dining me (literally). He offered me a sizable salary increase and sweetened the pot in some other very appealing ways. Needless to say, I was seduced into staying on. Somehow, in the farthest reaches of my imagination, I cannot see GEPIK doing anything like that. Ever. |
This has already been anticipated, and it's part of the reason why GEPIK sent agents to recruit on campuses in Canada (maybe the US too... not sure). Apparently, they were able to recruit a lot of teachers for the jobs. I heard that recruiters are only getting about 50 positions to recruit for (compared to like 150 last year, right?). So maybe they filled like 100 from teachers abroad already?
It will be interesting to see how long many of these people last/put up with it. How many of them will run? I'm not sure if they're going to be the typical teacher who comes here -- be that for the better, or the worse. |
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Gwangjuboy
Joined: 08 Jul 2003
Location: England
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| Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 9:14 pm Post subject: |
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| JacktheCat wrote: |
| What Gyeonggido has been sending around my neck of the woods are some pretty nasty memos threatening to cut off school funds if any of the schools in my area give their pet foreigners more than two weeks of vacation this summer. |
How did you come aross them? |
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JacktheCat
Joined: 08 May 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 9:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Gwangjuboy wrote: |
| JacktheCat wrote: |
| What Gyeonggido has been sending around my neck of the woods are some pretty nasty memos threatening to cut off school funds if any of the schools in my area give their pet foreigners more than two weeks of vacation this summer. |
How did you come aross them?
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It came up in the summer vacation negotiations with my school.
Actually the memos kind of pissed my school off, as they are a private high school and get most their funding (and my salary) from a private foundation. |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 9:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Derrek wrote: |
This has already been anticipated, and it's part of the reason why GEPIK sent agents to recruit on campuses in Canada (maybe the US too... not sure). Apparently, they were able to recruit a lot of teachers for the jobs. I heard that recruiters are only getting about 50 positions to recruit for (compared to like 150 last year, right?). So maybe they filled like 100 from teachers abroad already?
It will be interesting to see how long many of these people last/put up with it. How many of them will run? I'm not sure if they're going to be the typical teacher who comes here -- be that for the better, or the worse. |
And there in lies the rub. As long as people are happy to sign contracts they won't improve conditions.
Personally my advice to people new to Korean and teaching is to stay away from public schools for a while until they get some classroom management skills and coping in Korea skills.
Being stuck out in the sticks (which a lot of gyeonggi do contracts are) with no exposure to the familar and being dumped infront of classes of 40 kids who don't speak english and no one in your school speaks very good english (which a lot of schools don't have) is a recipe for disaster. |
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sarahsarah
Joined: 05 Aug 2004
Location: Bundang
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| Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 10:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Being stuck out in the sticks (which a lot of gyeonggi do contracts are) with no exposure to the familar and being dumped infront of classes of 40 kids who don't speak english and no one in your school speaks very good english (which a lot of schools don't have) is a recipe for disaster. |
I completely agree with that statement. If I had been dumped out here in the middle of nowhere and it was my first time being in Korea I would have been out of here long ago. Either that or hung myself.
Except for one or two, the students I teach speak no English and the teachers will rarely speak to me. Not because they don't speak English, they're just too scared or embarassed to.
Even being familiar with Korea and understanding a lot of Korean it's still terribly hard. I actually think it's made me withdrawn and weird too.
I am having a good experience though and doing a lot of things I wouldn't have otherwise done if I was teaching at a hagwon in the city...I guess. This experience is totally and completely different. Not necessarily in a good way either. |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 10:27 pm Post subject: |
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| What "sarahsarah" said should be made known to schools everywhere. Then they might better understand the dificulties faced by some people, and why some just disappear. |
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Grotto
Joined: 21 Mar 2004
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| Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 2:00 am Post subject: |
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I have been writing up a set of guidelines for my school for their dealing with the new teacher.
I am out in the boonies....not even a Lotteria in the town  only one dweaja galbi restaurant, no movie theater, swimming pool or even a gym.
I dont think the public school system really has any idea of how to deal with foreigners...particularly the ones out in the middle of nowhere. |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2005 2:10 am Post subject: |
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| Sounds delightful! No wonder a few of us are a little strange. |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 10:23 pm Post subject: |
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Well a gyeonggi do offical and one of the teachers fromt he snotty girls school came today.
Apparently I won some sort of commendation of best practice for my camps in the district so the girls school offical really went over my stuff with a fine tooth comb looking at what I had done.
They also commended my lesson plans and handouts.
Totally stunned that they couldn't find anything to nitpick! |
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mack the knife
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: standing right behind you...
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| Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 5:20 am Post subject: |
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| Apparently I won some sort of commendation of best practice for my camps in the district so the girls school offical really went over my stuff with a fine tooth comb looking at what I had done. They also commended my lesson plans and handouts. |
Which means you're now officially, totally screwed. Expect workload to double and lots of crap favors to be asked of you. On the other hand, congrats on doing a stand-up job. At least some of us are trying. However, flying under the radar in Korea is always the best strategy. |
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crazylemongirl
Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Location: almost there...
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| Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 5:46 am Post subject: |
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| mack the knife wrote: |
Which means you're now officially, totally screwed. Expect workload to double and lots of crap favors to be asked of you. On the other hand, congrats on doing a stand-up job. At least some of us are trying. However, flying under the radar in Korea is always the best strategy. |
Yeah that's generally my strategy but as I'm trying to extract extra vacation time out of my school this sort of stuff helps I hope. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 7:33 am Post subject: |
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| Grotto wrote: |
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| "WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? SEND ME ONE IN ENGLISH. YOU KNOW, THE LANGUAGE THAT I SPEAK! in the comments section |
If you read the two questions I posted getting it sent to you in English isnt a whole lot of help |
True, but if those were the actual phrasing of said questions, then you could still use my comment as a reply to those questions. |
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deessell
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 6:22 pm Post subject: |
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| mack the knife wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Apparently I won some sort of commendation of best practice for my camps in the district so the girls school offical really went over my stuff with a fine tooth comb looking at what I had done. They also commended my lesson plans and handouts. |
Which means you're now officially, totally screwed. Expect workload to double and lots of crap favors to be asked of you. On the other hand, congrats on doing a stand-up job. At least some of us are trying. However, flying under the radar in Korea is always the best strategy. |
I agree with Mack
Warning!!!!!! If you are seen as too good, they will want to show you off. You have more camps ie bee sent to other schools or training centres and may find that you have to teach teachers from other schools. You have been warned. |
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