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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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Homer
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 Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 1:58 am Post subject: |
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Karl,
Its like many people who start new jobs: many learn on the job.
As for teaching, it takes hard work and dedication to improve. I was a teacher back home before coming over. I still had to learn and adapt to the new educational setting and cultural dynamics.
As for the teaching monkey comment made in this thread, well, you are that only if you behave in a way that makes you that. This is like any job you will have, if you put nothing into it, you will get nothing out of it and that is a sad state of affairs. |
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Cymro
Joined: 11 Jun 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 2:41 am Post subject: |
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I took an online TEFL and got offered a job in Korea, but decided not to take the chance of being stranded the other side of the world in a job I didn't like, so I went and taught in Greece first.
Coming from the classroom in Greece it took me a while to get used to calling my hagwon job "teaching".
There's much less English/western influence over here I soon learned to appreciate kids' acheivements in becoming able to use English, even so limited. |
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Hanson
Joined: 20 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:06 am Post subject: |
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I got off the bus in Daegu on a Tuesday night. Spent Wednesday and Thursday observing classes. By Friday, the kids were all mine. Saturday, I went in for teacher training where they basically just showed me the textbooks. I was jetlagged and exhausted the whole time.
That was my only 'training.' Never taught before. Instant teacher indeed.
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Pffft!
I got picked up at the airport, dropped off the luggage at the apartment (I mean $hithole) and went straight to the hagwon. There, they gave me a textbook, an attendance sheet and showed me to the "Bear Room". 
Taught from 4:30 - 8:50 PM that day. Oh yeah, and that was a Tuesday. Oh yeah, I had to work Saturdays too. No previous experience. |
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bosintang
Joined: 01 Dec 2003
Location: In the pot with the rest of the mutts
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| Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 6:29 am Post subject: |
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| Hanson wrote: |
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I got off the bus in Daegu on a Tuesday night. Spent Wednesday and Thursday observing classes. By Friday, the kids were all mine. Saturday, I went in for teacher training where they basically just showed me the textbooks. I was jetlagged and exhausted the whole time.
That was my only 'training.' Never taught before. Instant teacher indeed.
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Pffft!
I got picked up at the airport, dropped off the luggage at the apartment (I mean $hithole) and went straight to the hagwon. There, they gave me a textbook, an attendance sheet and showed me to the "Bear Room".
Taught from 4:30 - 8:50 PM that day. Oh yeah, and that was a Tuesday. Oh yeah, I had to work Saturdays too. No previous experience. |
Did you work at the same place I did by chance? Almost to the tee with me except my introduction was in the "Panda Room". The teacher filling in until I arrived: "Oh thank God you're here, this has been the absolute worst class I've EVER had in four years of teaching." These young kids had absolutely no control whatsoever. Some kids were under the table, some were on it, some were running around it; some were crying, undressing, eating crayons, having scissor fights, it was absolute madness. I remember trying to get a grip on the class and thinking to myself that I was wasting my breath and energy. They had no idea of my presence in the room let alone understood what I was saying.
That class gave me nightmares for the first month I was teaching, and then like magic, it turned around and if not enjoyable, it at least became bearable to go to class. |
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plokiju
Joined: 15 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 8:33 am Post subject: |
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| Hanson wrote: |
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I got off the bus in Daegu on a Tuesday night. Spent Wednesday and Thursday observing classes. By Friday, the kids were all mine. Saturday, I went in for teacher training where they basically just showed me the textbooks. I was jetlagged and exhausted the whole time.
That was my only 'training.' Never taught before. Instant teacher indeed.
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Pffft!
I got picked up at the airport, dropped off the luggage at the apartment (I mean $hithole) and went straight to the hagwon. There, they gave me a textbook, an attendance sheet and showed me to the "Bear Room".
Taught from 4:30 - 8:50 PM that day. Oh yeah, and that was a Tuesday. Oh yeah, I had to work Saturdays too. No previous experience. |
I'm sure they would've put me to work had they not cheaped out and bought me a 4.5 hour bus ride from Incheon that arrived late at night. At least I had observation days. Part of the full teacher training package. I knew there were worse stories than mine. No one was the giving specifics the OP seemed to want. |
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