Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Roch]

If it looks like an insurmountably bad prob that you look likely to lose, go for the ol' standby - plastics.

Seriously, I may have some luck with the Ministry of Justice via an old, friendly contact there. PM me if want me to hook you up to her.

R

[Paji eh Wong]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

How very typical. If I were you I would save myself eight months of hell and see what you can do to get yourself a letter of release and make very clear to your boss why no one with any integrity would want to work at such a place.

[Big Mac]

I guess this is a good lesson for all of us. Never sign a bad contract!

I mean, all the red flags were there in that contract. I think you can identify most of the good and bad hogwans just by looking at the contract. And that, my friend, was a pretty crappy one.

Good luck!

[chilgok007]

Thanks all for your help. Yeah, I think I've learned a valuable lesson here, I definetly should have had that contract checked out before I left.

Now that I've decided to quit, I'm worried about the airfare reimbursement, I'd rather not be out 2 grand U.S. Can I just not pay it? How much legal standing does a contract here have?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[jacl]

Korea = first contract bad

The shorter the first contract, the better.

[ontheway]

chilgok007,

I quickly read through your posts about your problem. I can see that what you do NOT need is an analysis of your contract. You've already signed it and you're stuck. What you need to do is figure out how to make this job work for you.

First, it looks like your boss has figured out your hours to be 30 per week, not counting a one hour lunch break that you spend with the kiddies. If you are not getting paid for that lunch period as overtime, then you should go out for that hour. Tell your boss that you really need that break time, it's not in the contract, and then go out the door. You should also go out for the other free time periods you have, unless you just enjoy being there. If you are getting paid overtime, then it's not so bad.

You also seem to be having trouble with the young kiddies. Some teachers here love them and think they're cute and adorable. Others detest teaching rug rats. What you do now really depends on how you really feel about the students. If you don't like the little ones you'll never make this job work. You should complete six months so you don't have to repay the airfare, give the proper notice and resign.

If you do really like the little kiddies and enjoy teaching, then you should try to stick out the contract. You didn't complain about housing or the other teachers. You need to find out if your pension money is being paid in to the pension office and verify the correct tax amounts. After you verify these, you can make a detailed presentation to your boss about what amounts are missing or you have overpaid etc.

Finally, to make this job easier for yourself, spend A LOT of time reading TOMATO. He tried to give you some suggestions above. If you follow some of his threads you'll get some great ideas about teaching and discipline. He really has put a great deal of effort into his helpful advice. When I read through his posts I find myself nodding and I only wish I haad more time to actually study his posts. Make a list of a few things that really seem helpful and try to put them into effect one at a time. Try one new teaching idea and one new disciplinary technique each week.

Good luck.

[chilgok007]

Thanks ontheway, that may have been the most useful post to me of the whole lot. I came into the job with almost no kindergarten teaching experience (save a brief job with a private company in Beijing when I was studying there...but the situation was totally different: there were only 4 age 5 kids for one 40 minute session twice a week, I had a Chinese speaking assistant in the room at all times and I speak relatively fluent Chinese...totally different from my present situation). I really do love the kids here and love working with them, and I'm pretty sure they love me too. Admittedly, my classes were pretty bad in the begining, especially the youngest kids. But my classes are improving dramatically all the time and I'm starting to feel like a real teacher. Discipline really isn't a major problem any more. The kids, save a handful of bad ones, generally sit still, participate in class and don't talk too much out of turn. I can get through my lesson plans (which are also improving) with ease and don't have to spend half the class time getting the kids into their seats. My classes are definetly at or near par with the other teachers in the school, some of them probably better. I know I still have a ways to go and I welcome, accept and appreciate any criticisms, suggestions and comments my peers may have so long as its constructive ("plan you classes better," my boss's mantra, is in no way constructive, I need something specific). It's for the kids mostly that I still consider sticking around. I'm even pretty happy with Korea (I find the people, for the most part, friendly and helpful, but not as outgoing as the Chinese or Japanese)

My problem is 100% with my boss. I didn't lie to my recruiter, my boss or my coworkers: I said exactly what my previous experience had been, yet I was still hired. Though I'm the least experienced kindy teacher of all the FTs in the school, I was put with all first year classes. My boss expected me from day 1 to come in and have the kids under control like a professional teacher. She's impatient and unhelpful (I started work on a Thursday and by the next week Tuesday she already called my recruiter to have me fired, but my recruiter told her she needed be more patient). If she wanted someone with experience then she shouldn't have hired me! In the States, people go to school for 5 or 6 years to become a kindergarten or primary school teacher and she really expected me to compress that into a week. I think considering the circumstances I'm doing a pretty good job. Like I said there's always room for improvement and I'm always striving to learn and improve myself and my classes, but my boss (who has no teaching or management experience for that matter) dosen't seem to be able to grasp that.

Today I brought up the lunch issue with her and she started giving me this guilt trip: "But don't you care about the students?" Of course I care about them, but I need a break, I told her. She told me if I take a lunch break the Korean teachers would become jealous (The Korean teachers get multiple breaks throughout the day, mind you). Well, I invented an excuse and took a lunch break anyways and it made a huge difference in my afternoon classes. I didn't feel stale and crummy like I usually do, my mind was fresh and I was more alive and active than usual.

If my boss was willing to be more flexible, caring, and understanding I would love to stick around, if only to have the full year on my resume, but alas she isn't and it really has a negative impact on the workplace environment, employee moral and productivity. She has made it apparant that she dosen't care about our wellbeing; she only cares about the parents, though she is entirely unable to comprehend the fact that a happy worker is a productive worker and a happy teacher makes happy students which in turn would make happy parents (logic really isn't her strong point). Oh well, like I said, better luck next time

[anyway]

3 words- sit down strike. State your demands, stick to your guns.

I believe that if you get fired, your chances of getting another job (quickly) are much better than giving notice and having the beatch screw you over by not granting the letter of release. Please refer to other threads on letters of release, but I think I understood the consensus...

If your get fired, your visa should be (by law) cancelled quickly. If you give notice, it may not. If you get axed, it's just a small gap in your resume...worst case scenario. (As if resumes really matter in this country)

[Grotto]

Rule number one when dealing with Korean bosses:

Dont give a rats caboose about what they say!

One day its "you best teacher"
Next its "oh parents complain about you"....What did they say? " "parents complain...try harder"

"You must do this!" "you must teach Saturday"

Sorry there boss but its not in my contract!

"I boss I say you do!! "

Sorry there boss its not in my contract!