Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bogey666]

am going to post some newbie diary/impressions for those who may be interested (posting this for benefit of people such as myself who used this forum to learn/decide aboutg teaching in Korea)

disclaimer - my experience may differ from your experience and my perceptions may differ from your perceptions

nota bene - I am/will be the sole FT at technical highschool in GEPIK system.

long ass flight but direct and plenty of room on plane so I managed to crash for most of the flight. (Korean Air). expensive but school wanted me to take that one..

very impressed with ICN airport.

recruiter wasn't at my gate... not very bright... she was waiting at different gate/place - but i had her cell, so went to phones (changed money) used change dispenser.. put in 100 won and voila. Then waited as she found me.

so she sticks me on a bus alone... tells the driver where to drop me off..
long ass busride.. traffic.. then rain... hate this shit..
at certain point I get up ask the driver (with handsigns) are we close, far, etc? the real purpose of this was to make sure he remembered me (was asked to sit close to him but there were no seats until all the way in the back)

finally - he motions... I get out.. I see there's a welcome committee for me... my Korean co-teacher, FT program handler.. the head teacher and the VP (recruiter asked me if I wanted to have dinner and I accepted but thought it would only be with my coteacher and informal as I was not appropriately dressed (sweatpants and t-shirt, I like to travel in comfort) so I felt a little ashamed. I apologized for being stinky and sweaty and underdressed but nobody seemed to mind..

very nice dinner, tried different Korean food though the main dish was beef on a grill teryiaki style.. delicious. tried kimchi and some other stuff - nothing I'd crave, but it's certainly "edible". Anyways, very nice meeting/dinner, and it was good to get some non airline food in stomach.

Dropped off at my appt, very close to school, it's a shoebox (as expected) but neat, clean and nice shoebox. The FT just leaving hated the place and area, but my first impression is generally positive, particularly to area which was his biggest complaint. I have several convenience stores within a stone's throw of my place which I LOVE,, so I went out looked around a little.. bought some juices to put in frig... and then hit a PC bang, also right around the corner.. and checked the web, wanted to see how the Obama/Clinton race played out in NC and IND. Was very happy to see Obama do better than expected.

I generally tolerate ciggie smoke fairly well, but the non stop smoke chimneys in the bang gave me a big headache. Nice little park right close by!

so first impression of living area is very positive.. (though it's extremely limited at this point) but looks like I'll have most conveniences within a stone's throw, yet it's very quiet at night...(another positive)

hot water doesn't work when I shower before going to bed.. (worked initially when they told me which button to push and wait 5 mins.. but didn't work later... and not this morning either... taking a cold shower in the morning is NOT fun (though I've done it before... plenty of times in Latin America)

will figure that out later.. ask landlord. etc.

so.. first day at school.

they picked me up... head teacher and Korean handler/co-teacher and VP was waiting in front of school, went it to meet Principal. (he speaks no English, VP speaks a bit). Was worried about my earring (told them I'd take it off it I had to, but it's very difficult to put back on once taken off, so I prefer not to if possible) but VP told me no problem, you can wear it.

Anyways.. given grand tour.. everyone is super nice to me.... outgoing and interested though very few people speak English and NO ONE really speaks it very well (Korean handler's is the best by far, nobody else is even close)

kids have reviews today and tomorrow and tests next week so I won't have to teach until a week from this coming Monday.. will give me time to prepare and talk to co-teachers about approaches, etc.

am supposed to follow a book the teachers at school put together, it's a very basic conversational book depending on certain social situations (plenty of errors and clumsy expressions as I thumb through it, so I'll work on that next week as well)

had lunch with VP and principal, Korean food..this time mostly bikimbap? (rice and you mix the other stuff in it). Once again, nothing I'd crave for and particularly LIKE, but it's edible and I can certainly eat it. Will have to bring some extra stuff with me though with protein like tuna cans.. or chicken though).

had kids give me welcome "applause" in certain classes... was given grand tour of the school. Not bad.. certainly far cleaner and more attractive than most US highschools I have seen, certainly the urban ones.

so.. I am made to feel welcome, almost given rock star treatment and feel comfortable I will be very well taken care of...absolutely no sign of the envy/jealousy/resentment that is sometimes talked about.. (of course it's only the first day)

note to self - will HAVE to start learning some Korean , nobody speaks any decent English around here.

lastly, the principal and several of the male teachers told me I was "very handsome". I'll always take a compliment but it's somewhat disturbing I only heard this from the males though my gaydar never particularly went off.

so... tasks this afternoon will consist of locating e-mart since I neeed to get voltage converters and a pin adaptors for my laptop.

btw.. school have me cellphone for personal use.. was told my phone expenses will be deducted from my pay (convenient and expenses should be minimal)

update.. just surrounded by giggling group of 16 year old girls who told me I was very handsome (that's a relieft, despite their tender age better hearing this from them than middle aged Korean males)

anyways.. VERY initial impression - positive.

though I do worry and will probably go insane not being able to have a half way decent conversation with anyone around here..

(In Latin America.. when I started teaching, I already had basic grasp of Spanish and it was rapidly developing as I started)

so.. no English and no Korean..

I will be talking to myself a lot. Perhaps I should buy a volleyball, paint a face on it and call it Wilson.

p.s. btw is it just me or do high school kids here look even younger than the highschoolers in North America?

[Chris_Dixon]

Where you living?

[raketbaler]

bogey,
thanks for that. I'm right behind you, should be leaving in a week or two for Seoul. Reading this first entry gave me an idea of what to expect. Also, I'm a little more postive about going now.

thanks again.

[maingman]

best of luck

[mnhnhyouh]

The rock star status will not diminish quickly.

If you can post a pic of your ondal hotwater device somebody is sure to translate it for you. You will need it on, and then there is a button that will select between (hot water and ondal) or just hot water.

You probably wont need voltage converters as most stuff nowadays can take 110 to 250v, so you will just need a plug converter. Having said that, they are not to be found everywhere because most Koreans dont have plugs other than Korean plugs. If you are in Seoul Yongsan Electronics store is a good place to get them. Just get out at Yongsan station and go to the help desk, they will tell you how to get there.

h

[ttompatz]

Most stationary shops (like Alpha) carry the plug adapters (300 won) as well as most hardware stores and most chun won (1000 won) stores.

You can get a brick to the wall power cord from any computer shop for about 2000 won.

Check your electronics BEFORE you plug them in. Many are 110-250VAC but many are NOT. Look at the label on the power plug or back of the device BEFORE you burn it out.

Yongsan market is a blast if you are a techie or gamer but it is a long trip for something as simple as an adapter or voltage transformer.

OP:

Your experience is similar to what I experienced EVERY-TIME I signed on at a new school.

Welcome to Korea.

.

[The Grumpy Senator]

Good stuff, newbie!! Brought back some memories for me.

I think you have hit the nail on the head with the importance of learning the language. Even if you make an attempt, I have found most Koreans will go out of their way to help you.

Good luck and hope your stay continues to be positive.

[ciccone_youth]

Welcome to Sparkling Korea!!! Haha.

I had the same first impressions.... I just arrived here 2 months ago, but it seems likes ages now!! You'll see, in no time it will feel so different, you'll get used to everything.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Get oooooooot.