Korean Job Discussion Forums

[vlcupper]

The "Community Editor" at the Korea Herald is such a dick. Somebody complains to him about the paper just once, and bam!, the whole ESL teacher community should be arrested or deported. What the hell is wrong with this guy?

If he had printed today's "column" in a reputable, professional paper, he would have been fired on the spot.

Wait, this is the Korea Herald. The only good thing about it is that it makes good cage liner.

[periwinkle]

Oooh- I will have to check his column out~

[vlcupper]

The whole page is a joke.

I would love to see a group of teachers take him out 9 to 5 style.

[periwinkle]

Couldn't find anything toolish^^ Link please!! Actually, I did find some toolish stuff, but it was on the discussion board.

[diver]

The article:

Casting doubt on the professionalism of the foreign English teaching community here in Korea is usually met with howls of protest and indignation. However, an hour surfing Internet message boards dedicated to English teachers leaves one with the very distinct impression that many of the accusations are generally justified.
A newly released community magazine recently carried the story of a foreigner who had just spent a week in a Korean jail after being arrested at the hagwon where he was teaching.

"I would like to say at this point that I am not a criminal and I was not really doing anything wrong," he wrote. "I was, however, working without a visa which while being commonplace in Korea, is also against the law."

The young gentleman also wasn't in possession of an alien's registration card, which is another breach of the law.

The prevailing attitude seems to be that if it doesn't feel particularly criminal, then it basically isn't criminal, and anyone being arrested for breaking these laws is being persecuted.

The young man was released, but not deported. He is now enjoying something of a minor celebrity status. Is he, and the more obnoxious contributors to Internet message boards how English teachers here want to be perceived?

It is time for the legal, documented and qualified teachers to take the initiative and seize back the dignity of the profession, and again earn the unreserved respect and trust of the community.

I'd have to say that I agree with a lot of what he is saying. However, I will feel more inclined to 'take the initiative and seize back the dignity of the profession' when the average Korean decides to take the initiative and seize back the dignity of Korean culture. We, as foreigners. put up with a lot of crap, most of which comes from a small segment of Korean society (school owners at the top of that list, followed by inmigration officers and other people who like to abuse their position of power). Were the Koreans to show any sincere effort to rectify those problems that give all of them a bad name, I would be agreeable to doing the same.

[flotsam]

[vlcupper]

My point is the guy seems to write stuff like this b/c he's pissed off at one person. Did you see the letter below it from some guy they stole a comment from? I don't have the paper with me, so I can't quote it, but it always seems like he's taking his juvenile behavior out on the ESL community because somebody pissed him off.

[flotsam]

Can you post these earlier examples?

[Qinella]

[flotsam]

I see your points, but I agree with Mr. Rabid that there are too many goobers over here.

I also think that there will be goobers here as long as there are hakwons.

I believe there should be no hakwons.

I believe that there shouldn't be a suneung and insane competition for university admission that allows for the existence of hakwons.

I believe a lot of things need to be fixed in the Korean-created ESL environment and in Korean attitudes toward non-Koreans that are all linked and all contribute to the morass.

I believe these beliefs will never gain an ounce of weight in the minds of 90% of Koreans.

And I believe as long as the environment remains twatted, you will have Internet nutters on both sides of the court.

And in light of all these beliefs, I think his letter was, if not 100% rationally conceived, not entirely unsubstantiated or unreasonable either.

[flakfizer]

The first rule of living in Korea: Remember, the Korea Herald exists for entertainment purposes only.

[mithridates]

[flotsam]

[cubanlord]

For the most part, I agree with the writers opinion. If you are here with no visa and teaching without permission and you get caught????????OH WELL!!!!!

It's true that these people make us legal teachers look bad. They get caught and deported, thus giving us legals a bad name. These (no visa mofo's) are trying to hop on the chooo choooo without a ticket. We legals all paid our dues at our respective universities. Some of us, like myself and the misses, will be continuing on with our education. WE, LEGALS, will be doing so through actual universities from back home (FSU, SU, FAU, ETC.) THESE degrees will actually count for something upon our return home; unlike the smeared toilet paper that you find in Thailand or these other $19.95 degree selling places. NO SYMPATHY WHAT-SO-EVER my friends. WE educated ourselves. Why shouldn't they?

[Qinella]