Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Adventurer]

Is it considered abnormal to be expected to bring your own computer to work? I have never had to do that at a hagwon. A public school gig asked me to bring one. It doesn't make sense. Don't they get a lot of funding to have us. I don't mind bringing my computer for my own purposes once in a blue moon or for work, but I should be provided with a computer to work. I did notice the Korean co-teacher had a laptop.
It was probably her own computer. The previous foreign teacher told me he had access to a computer. Anyway, I would expect this if I were teaching in Soweto, Cairo, Mozamique, but not Korea where they make tons of computers. Then if you say you don't want to bring your own personal computer, you might be the bad foreigner. Who knows?


Your take on that, gents?

[chris_J2]

In a public school, you should be provided with a personal computer. My first school allowed me to use my co-teachers pc, until the school provided me with a laptop, after 3-4 months.

Looking around me today, there are approximately 30 pc 's in the teachers room, of my new public school. I did bring in my laptop for wintercamp though, & for special classes, as the library & some other room's connections were unreliable.

[marlow]

No.

The Korean teacher's laptop most likely belongs to the school.

[Kimchieluver]

[marlow]

[spliff]

If you don't have a com than don't do any work...just sit there and read.

[aarontendo]

Lotta teachers at my school have been provided laptops, myself included. At my other school I work at this year they gave me a run down P.O.S. Sorta a crapshoot I guess.

[LostinKSpace]

All teachers at my school have alpatop and all the native teachers i know in public schools have one too. Just ask for one, if they say no push through GEPIK,SMOE.EPIK whichever public school gig you are doing taking the line that the school isn't providing you with adequate materials to do your job to the standard that you would like to attain.

My understanding is that all FT's are to be given a laptop, this is what my co-teacher told me, I mean how else can i sit and watch you tube?

[Adventurer]

The situation is going to be taken care of, I believe. I would never lug my laptop back-and-forth to work. The idea doesn't sound appealing.
I mean what if your machine died. Would that mean you would have to buy a new one to have at school? LOL

[Kimchieluver]

Two years ago I had a Pentium 386. It would crash if you opened more than one window. It gave me an excuse to go home as soon as my classes were finished.

[Mi Yum mi]

[JiH]

It is unusual for the native teacher not to be provided with a computer of some sort. It is a tool necessary for work. Bringing your own laptop, I feel sets a bad precedent (i.e. using personal property for work).

If you're not provided the tools for the job, you can't do the work.

[R. S. Refugee]

Bring you own? I don't think so.

I have 2 employer-supplied computers at my school. Down in the big office where all the teachers who don't have a homeroom have their desks, I have a desk and a laptop with an Internet connection.

Up in the English Zone classroom (my classroom) I have another computer -- a desktop -- that's attached to the humungous rear projection tv and the Internet. This desktop computer is shared in that there a couple or so classes other than mine that meet there each week.

But mostly that room is empty except when I teach, so I spend most of my free time there as it would most likely be considered rude for me to sit in the main teachers's office practicing music and singing for 2 or 3 hours a day.

However, I did notice other teachers oohing and aahing over getting new laptops recently, so I asked my supervisor when I would be getting a new one. She said the teachers get new laptops on a regular rotation (i.e., when their current laptop reaches a certain age.) and mine wasn't old enough yet. So, I said, "Cool, but I want English Windows on mine. When can that be achieved?" She said there was a scheduled computer maintenance guy visit in about a month and she would try for then.

They are so friendly and accommodating at my school. Of course, I make a point of making my requests in a friendly, cordial, non-aggressive, collegial way too. Seems to work really well for me at this school.

Definitely the best employer I've had in Korea. And they just asked me 3+ months in advance if I would re-sign. I said yes, but I want a bigger apartment. No problem. Who says Koreans never anticipate things and plan ahead? The ones I'm working with now do.

Quite frankly, the Koreans I work with at this ps are some of the happiest, most pleasant people (notice I said "people" not "Korean people") I've met. I feel very fortunate to be at this school.

Ahh. The pleasure of it all. Now as soon as 2MB gets the class size down to 23 . . .

[TheChickenLover]

I would strongly suggest you buy your own. The privacy factor alone is enough to warrant it. Password protect your OS, keep your laptop in a safe place & don't allow anyone to use it.

School computers are generally crap for doing anything productive anyways. STudents fill them with shareware & infect them so badly they're down most of the time anyways.

I bought one of those 19" LG notebooks and never looked back. I even refused the schools offer of a desktop. I always preferred using high end computers than the generic economy crap they provide.

Add a wireless keyboard/mouse combo & you're all set.



Chicken

[R. S. Refugee]