Korean Job Discussion Forums

Gardimus · Joined: 23 Feb 2006 Location: Formerly Ontario, Canada

Our Hagwon has a new teacher. He took over for a guy who didn't put much effort into teaching and keeping order. One of the older classes he teachers (12 year olds) has very poor disclipline. They always speak Korean and pass notes back and forth to each other.

When my coworker told them to pay attention in class, and stop speaking Korean/passing notes they took a disliking to him. For the past two weeks he has had difficulties connecting with the students despite his best efforts to be entertaining and friendly.

Last night he told the girls that he was going to sit them on opposite sides of the room in the next class because they did not stop passing notes. During a well behaved student's presentation, my coworker tossed(underhand threw a distance of 1m) his white board eraser on to the note book the girls were using to write notes to each other. This was done to get their attention while not disrupting the student making the presentation.

The girls were not expecting the eraser and were very startled. In no way could it be misunderstood that he was trying to hit them with the eraser or attempting to harm them. When the one girl went home, she told her father that my coworker attempted to hit her in the head with the eraser. The father called the school. I do not know what he was initially told in regards to the incident, however my coworker was then phoned while at home and asked for his side of the story. Our school called back the father and told him that the girls were misbehaving and it was done to get their attention.

The father called the police and they came to our school around 8:30 at night to speak with our owner. He is saying that he tried to hit the girl and has demanded a refund from the school. I doubt our boss was going to give him one.

My waygook coworker now needs a lawyer it seems. Would anybody have some recommendations.

Thank you.

huffdaddy · Joined: 25 Nov 2005

Junior · Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Location: the eye

Head to the airport and try a saner country.

bellum99 · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Location: don't need to know

He doesn't need a lawyer because the school will refund the money to the father. The teacher will be forced to pay it (they will take it out of his money salary). There was no crime because they can't prove intent and he didn't actually hit them (I think). This is nothing......A lawyer costs money up front in Korea, much more than the actual tuition refund will cost.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

Tell him not to worry. Tell your friend to tell the father that he can pay for both you and his daughter to take a lie-detector test from a neutral source. What BS.

I've seen a teacher break a stick on a student at my school and no one thought anything of it. If there are serious physical injuries the parents may be able to sue but that's about it.

Seriously, don't worry about it. He's not in the PC, litigious west anymore. If the boss doesn't support him he should quit, but otherwise this is just idle banter by a xenophobic idiot. The police have better things to do and it's not like they'll be an automatic school board investigation like their would back home at the slightest complaint.

alabamaman · Joined: 25 Apr 2006

If your friend's employer suggests paying a nickle back, then a letter of release should be submitted immediately!. A letter of release template is on the contract correction sticky (page 1).

Hotpants · Joined: 27 Jan 2006

Sounds like an unfortunate incident which reminds us to keep our cool in the classroom no matter what.

Does the teacher actually NEED a lawyer, or is there just some talk of legal action? Most probably, if it's just talk of legal action, it's usually just talk and doesn't go any further because most people cannot afford the expense of a lawyer. Korean men like to waive the threat of big consequences in your face, but most often it doesn't come to anything.

I've heard of people representing themselves at labor and other legal hearings here in Korea, and if I were in the teachers' shoes, I wouldn't bother spending all my money on a lawyer because the whole incident is really no big deal if it happened exactly as you described. It's just one student's word against the teacher. Have the other students been asked what went on?

I bet it'll calm down quite quickly. Just hope your friend isn't fired. That could be possible if the school tries to keep the student at the sacrifice of the teacher. Again, I think getting a lawyer is wasted money to fight such a case. He'll just have to move on.

philipjames · Joined: 03 Feb 2003

Stories like this infuriate me. A korean teacher can batter the kids and noone complains. A foreign teacher so much as raises his voice and its a serious grievance.

Koreans are very kind to foreigners though. Rolling Eyes

Gardimus · Joined: 23 Feb 2006 Location: Formerly Ontario, Canada

The school is an ECC in Seoul.

The parent also posted on the ECC website saying the eraser was thrown at his daughter. We now have an ECC corporate rep here at our school currently talking to our boss about the issue.

The only reason I asked for a lawyer is because the school has recommended that my coworker starts looking for one.

Hotpants · Joined: 27 Jan 2006

Shouldn't it be the school not the teacher looking for a lawyer? The teacher is legally entrusted by the school. The event happened on the school premises.

Don't get a lawyer unless you can get one for free.

ilovebdt · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Nr Seoul

ChuckECheese · Joined: 20 Jul 2006

I feel for the dude...... But throwing an object at someone or toward something near someone isn't cool no matter how disruptive they are. There are other ways of handling things..........

As others said, however, it's no big deal no one was seriously injured. The girl's father must be some influential BS Korean official to get this minor BS blown out proportion. I hope not, but this incident may be shown on KBS special next week.....

Sody · Joined: 14 May 2006

Unfortunately, your friend is to blame. Not sure how frustrated he was and I can understand, I have worked with difficult kids in the past. But as the teacher he shouldn't have lost his cool. It is NEVER acceptable for any person of any race, having any job whatsoever to throw things like that at people. Even if you did something like that in MLB you would be in trouble.

It was a stupid thing to do, but he would be even more stupid if he went out and paid for a lawyer. The best thing to do is quit and look for a better job. Why should your friend have to suffer any more than he already has? Don't waste your hard earned money. I can understand getting a lawyer if you were trying to fight for your job in your native country but this job has no bearing on your future whatsoever. It's no big deal if your friend moves on and gets a better job. I heard ECC was one of the worst companies to work for anyhow.

Sody

Sody

Hotpants · Joined: 27 Jan 2006

Actually, the KBS thing might not be a bad idea. Call up KBS and get them to represent your friend instead of the lawyer. Seriously, give it a go!

philipjames · Joined: 03 Feb 2003

The bottom line is this. The ONLY REASON this is an issue is because the teacher is a foreigner. If he was Korean the student wouldn't have told her parents in the first place out of fear of being scolded by her parents.
Kids can get away with murder with us because they know that all they have to do is complain to racist, xenophobic dad (who probably batters her at home, never mind throwing erasers in her direction). Dad will set the foreigner straight. The Korean teachers can hit the students at will, but Dad will make sure that whitey knows his place.

This, of course, in no way detracts from the infallible truth that Koreans "are very kind to foreigners." They just want us to know our place, that's all. No unkindness intended.