Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yu_Bum_suk]

http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/esljobs/index.pl?noframes;read=20617

http://koreabridge.com/classifieds//detail.php?siteid=3199

As of this date they probably need more than just three teachers, as advertised. I know a fair bit about most of the schools in this district. Some are good and some are not-so-good. Some have specific problems you should be aware of. If you want to speak the teacher you'd be replacing I could probably put you in touch with him or her. I don't know anything about World Hunt Recruiting.

[drumpounder]

[alabamaman]

You might get sued!

[cruisemonkey]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[Wrench]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

To give some more examples of how things work here:

- Yesterday, after examinations, a teacher asks me 'let's go climb a mountain'. OK, I run home and get changed, but find out we're just going for a short hike and then having some fun activities, and I'm the only teacher all kitted up to go hiking.
- Yesterday after school I check with some students to see what's happeing next and they inform me that tomorrow (i.e. today) is physical examination day and we may not have regular lessons. I get confirmation of this from an English teacher 30 minutes before the first class. 90% of the time the students are a better source of information than the teachers.
- Today I find out that the head of English has been mistaking 'school district' for 'school campus' and severely misunderstood several emails that I've sent re: contract negotiation and whom I'm actually upset at.

This is all just par for the course. The students are fantastic, and the teachers and administration have really tried their best for me; but between genuine misunderstandings and preconceived underhandedness on the part of certain people the job can make you want to tear your hair out sometimes.

[Wrench]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

So this weekend I find out from my friend at another school in the district that there's a schedule posted in the library of his school. On this schedule is my name and that of every other foreign teacher in the district. We're all schedulted to go to his school for two weeks this summer to teach who knows what. Have I been informed of this? No. Has my school? No. Did whoever made the schedule know that I'm leaving for Canada in ten days? Obviously not.

I wish I could say I'm surprised but I'm really not. There are some great schools in my district but this sort of administrative BS is unfortunately becoming par for the course.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=61101

In case you need more of an idea of how the district works. There are some really good schools in this district, and I'm at one of them, but there are some higher-ups who I think couldn't have their heads further up their asses. I've seen some older, experienced teachers who are gold to English education here treated like absolute shit.

[Ya-ta Boy]

Some people might enjoy reading why raises are not being offered in this school district (or in MANY districts). This is from a memo sent round...

Please understand our side- public education

If we raised some, even little, the private institute would be angry and get the higher payment than now-----and at the end, the payment for foreign teacher in Korea would be getted the inflation. Whole part of Korea, that's not good...So give us a break.

You might think that's natural to get a raise for another next period.
But that simple thing make problems because we are very first special education district in Korea.

Many province/city/county now copycat of us.

So we feel that is very sensitive, so we need restraint to mention that matter now.

I feel sorry for you. But Please understand us...

Sorry for late answer..(withous any excuse)

***

[UncleAlex]

I've gotten that line before, recently from the Education Office of my city.
Last month I participated in a speech contest as a judge. The offer was 25K
won an hour. The contest was to run for about 2 hours, but ended up lasting
for a little over four hours because of late entries or something. A week after
the contest I checked my bank book and noticed that the Ed Office had deposited
only 50K won, as I anticipated 100K for four hours of non-stop work. When I
called the supervisor and asked why I was paid only for two hours of work,
he told me that we had arranged to make a salary payment for two hours of service.
And when I pointed out that I had actually served as a judge for four hours
instead of two, as prearranged, he excused his Office with the account of unforeseen
late additions. And he apologized and begged me to understand his Office's
position. Because of budget constraints, the Office cannot pay me for the extra
two hours. Of course, I told him to forget about asking me again to act as a judge
next year, if I'm still in town. I just wonder whether the Korean judges received
only two hours of pay like the rest of us.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=61162

Here's the latest example of a teacher they're trying to screw over. They say they can't make any changes to his contract but then they change the contract to give him (the most experienced teacher at his workplace) a 'training period'. They give him this so that they can get eight days of illegal work for free before his next contract starts.

At least I have my school on my side. This poor chap has both the district and his boss trying to screw him over, around, and up.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Seems they're even advertising on Dave's now.

http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/korea/index.cgi?read=19898

Some of the wording in this ad is ambiguous and self-contradictory. If anyone has questions I'm sure that Ya-ta boy, Drumpounder, or I could help out.