Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tanklor1]

I'm still a ways off of landing a job and leaving for Korea. (I hope to be over there this time next year.) I am hoping to teach teenagers and I was woundering just how well they react to English teachers? I've read some posts that teaching them is like talking to a wall. Is this the case? Just how bad is it? Also with teaching methods I was woundering if asking students to go up to the borad to write in english is a good idea. I'm asking becuase it's what worked for me when I was studying other lang.s So is it a good idea? What kind of response should I expect to get?

[Panic]

The answer of this question mostly depends on the culture of the school you choose to teach in. In general Korean teen = studybot and alien taught classes usually provide a much needed and enjoyed break from rote learning.

In my academy experience most Korean teens are curious enough about us aliens to actually want to make chit chat with us. However every now and then you will encounter a student who refuses to speak English even though their bookwork shows them to have a reasonable level of comprehension. This can become a big problem if the student is the oldest as they can set the tone for the class.

I would have to say I like Korean teens. I have lots of fun actively subverting their studybot tendencies.

Good luck in finding a good school.

Panic

[aristotle84]

well, if you're a blonde haired, blue eyed lass you'll inevitably be hit on or stalked by a select few korean teenage boys.

on the other hand, if you're a brad-pitt type Caucasian lad, you'll likewise find that there will be a few girls who are going to try to flirt with you, and a fewer number who will be mad stawker-ish. in that case, if they're hot, jus chew and screw baby.

generally-speaking, and this isn't from my experiences from teaching, cuz i have none, but i know personally that korean teenagers can sometimes be a disinterested bunch, sometimes rowdy, and sometimes very studious.

it depends on the luck of the draw, but chances are you'll end up with a combination of all of those...

[Ya-ta Boy]

[Areut]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

They're great, IF you're teaching them in the right context. What type of school you work at makes all the difference. If you're teaching at a low-level technical high school you could be in for a year of frustration. Middle schools differ less than high schools but there, class size makes all the difference.

I have to disagree with Ya-ta boy to a point, however. With Korean teens, take their age in Korean years, subtract five, and you have their rough equivalent in western years. I.e. my grade 3 high school students, who'd be just starting university by now in the Canadian system, are about 14 and best taught accordingly.

[formerflautist]

I teach four classes a week of the low-level technical school teacher. In fact, I have to go teach a dreaded class in about forty minutes. Yes, dreaded because they have no interest in English. So I try to make it fun for them. Yeah, it can be like talking to a wall but I've taught all ages in Korea and I still like high school kids the best.

[Pak Yu Man]

Like any other school, the dreaded teens can be good or bad.
I've had highschool classes that were horrible. The students were about as interested in learning English as getting hit on the head with a bat.

The younger you can get them, the better it is for you and them (not in the way that a$$ aristotle84 meant...even though he was joking).

Don't just sit in front of them and make them study. My favorite was girls high school. They always wanted to cook. There was a Home Ec. room. We cooked...alot.

Would you believe those girls didn't know what Mexican food was. We made Tacos once. All the teachers ate them. Next thing I knew they wanted to hire me for an after school class "cooking in English".

I can't cook worth crap.

If you have boys...play sports with them. Pick a sport (they'll choose soccer so pick something else). Then make them do a little research on the game. Teach them in class the rules of the game. Then make them choose teams and then play. You can waste...er use a whole month on a single sport.

They'll love it, you'll have fun, your bosses and co-workers will look at you funny.
Then about a month later the kids will try to talk in English. Too much Korean=study in class with boring book.

[Yu_Bum_suk]