Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chaz47]

Providing I get my visa in the spring I'll begin working at a university. What should I expect in general. How attentive are the students, etc.?

I've worked in adult and children hagwons. I've worked in public elementary and middle schools.

[Homer]

Depends on the classes you teach and on the university....

Freshman English, in my experience is a real toss up. I have had good groups and very bad ones. Usually the larger groups were the worst. They tended not to pay attention too much.

Elective Englis classes tend to be better (in my experience anyway) because the students chose to be there, in Freshman English many of them have to take the course (degree requirement) and hence you do not get the same levels of motivation.

We created more advanced courses at our university (focus conversation groups and such) and these have been a success as far as motivation from the students and enrollment (we had to turn some students back because of lack of space).

How your university approaches English education will also be a great factor in what you will get.

Finally, the attentiveness of your students will be largely determined by you!

How prepared you are, how much work you put into your classes and so on.

Show up with vague ideas and unprepared and they will most likely know it soon enough and will not care much.

[Milwaukiedave]

It really depends from class to class how good they are. The students in my class were attentive, that wasn't the problem. Many of the students in my morning classes tended to be late to class or absent. One of my classes was really bad in terms of students being absent or late, the other one wasn't too bad, it was just them being late that was a problem.

[HapKi]

You will not know how attentive your students are until you start the class. All new teachers have this problem. As another poster said, a lot of it depends on you, adn the way you run it. One thing I would say is be aware of time management issues. Know exactly how long the class is, and prepare lessons that fit. This is where experience helps.

[OiGirl]

Keep in mind when the add/drop period ends. If it is not a required course, you can use that time to scare the under-motivated students out of your class.

[ella]

Can you tell us which university?

[jlb]

A big factor in Freshman English is what major your students are. I had some music ones that were horrible. But some economics and international relations one that were amazing.

[Homer]

[Bibbitybop]

Yes, don't reveal your workplace on Dave's.

[ella]

Which kind of university, then? Students' behavior and motivation can vary depending on the tier.

[chaz47]

I won't give the name, but I will describe the pay, etc.

1.8 a month for 18 contact hours, 2 months of vacation, and two weeks of camps during the summer and winter breaks. Not in Seoul.

I guess it's probably 3rd tier, maybe 4th.

[the_beaver]

[ella]

If it's the university I think it is, don't expect much from the students, although the top .02% will knock your socks off. FWIW, the students aren't expecting much from you, either, just the usual white monkey entertainment.

[R. S. Refugee]

[Shimokitazawa]

Yeah, I can see that as being a concern. But you have to be careful who you tell and what info you provide.

I don't mind sharing info on where I work but I also am careful about who I share that info with. Overall, I think people here are fairly guarded about where they work and don't give that info up too easily to fellow posters.

On the other hand, there have been several people who I've exchanged employer info with over the years her at Dave's, without any problems. In fact, there have been a few times when I've tried to help a few posters here at Dave's to get on at my university.