Korean Job Discussion Forums

agentX · Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Location: Jeolla province

So,I see there's movement on the Eastern front.
Will there be peace or will there be a barrage?

Young FRANKenstein

Whistleblower · Joined: 03 Feb 2007

Why is KAFLA so scared of ATEK? It is a shame that ATEK is seen by a hagwon association as nothing more than a group of foreign teachers meeting together. There thinking must be, "Surely foreigners aren't that bright to create a teacher's association? Well as all foreigners are dirty and bad, they shouldn't be able to open an association."

That is how I see it. Shame about KAFLA not accepting ATEK, it just shows how much we have to deal with childish behaviour from Hagwons and Hagwon Associations.

Young FRANKenstein · Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 1:10 am Post subject:

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

missionshk · Joined: 09 May 2007

I predict all ATEk leaders will be out of a job soon

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

I'm impressed that they've gotten even this far. If I knew how to contact them, I might even join up.

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

ATEK needs to worry about getting accepted by teachers, never mind the hakwon association.

3 months or so AFTER their PUBLIC announcement in the press and they only claim some 200 unofficial members out of a potential pool of 17,000.

Hard to be considered to be representative and then be recognized by the people you want to negotiate with if the body you claim to represent doesn't recognize you.

.

Kimchieluver · Joined: 02 Mar 2005

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

DongtanTony · Joined: 22 Feb 2008 Location: Bundang

DongtanTony · Joined: 22 Feb 2008 Location: Bundang

Voyeur · Joined: 19 Jun 2003

What is KAFLA's public justification for opposing any teacher's organization? I can see why privately they don't want one, but can they publicly oppose a union/association on the grounds that it might lead to higher salaries?

So far, I have heard them say that they don't see ATEK as representative. Fair enough. But then haven't they also said that they oppose ANY association - even one that would be representative? What is the public rationale for that?

Otherside · Joined: 06 Sep 2007

Tony, you make some good points and its great that some people are willing to make the effort.

That being said, EFL in korea is a very transient industry; of those 17000 teachers currently in Korea how many will be here next year? or in 2 years from now...or even 5 years, and obviously someone who is only going to be here for a year or two isn't that keen on investing the time and effort to take a chance and get an organisation such as ATEK running.

Secondly, many teachers who have been here a while have learnt to navigate the waters of Korean EFL, they can spot the bad jobs, find the good employers and so forth; very few teachers in their third year would work at wonderland for example, so its almost a case of "those who would benefit the most from an organisation such as this, need the organisation the least."

I'm glad your job in Dongtan worked out. You took a risk and its paying off. I too worked in Dongtan (one of the schools you mentioned in fact) and had a terrible experience, I was lied to, cheated etc and the location was completly different to the picture that was painted. As a location I personally hated Dongtan (I throw this view across in my posts on the area), and most of my friends in the area had a similar view. Basically, the consensus was, Dongtan could/would be great in a couple of years when its built...but right now, while they are still building it, it sucks.

And I think the same applies to ATEK; once its established and actually achieved something, I think people will be willing to sign up (even if its just to pay their dues and recieve a quaterly newsletter), but until that time, it's taken about as seriously as the countless different proposals to "change" the EFL industry in Korea.

Finally, I wish you guys all the best, if ATEK only slightly reduces the number of unscrupulous hagwons out there and a few less teachers have a shitty first year, then you've achieved something.

Hotpants · Joined: 27 Jan 2006

I think it's a very positive move that a teachers' association has been recognized by the Korean government. It's about time. Foreign teachers don't generally have a lot of recourse when the beep hits the fan, although the Labor board has been improving in terms of the cases it's taken up. I don't know how it will be possible for one or two head members to represent all teachers' voices, but I hope that it will at least insist on more justice if nothing else for particularly those who get stung by such practices as being fired in the eleventh month or cheated of due pay. It seems that there are some hagwon owners who are repeat offenders in these issues. They shouldn't be able to get away with it again and again. A teachers' association should be able to bring more awareness of such genuine issues to the government.

I hope also that this new assoiciation doesn't provide an excuse to promote the them and us divide. It doesn't assist in improving the foreign teacher's image in Korea any more than it does the hagwon owner's stereotype. It's wrong to put all hagwon owner's in a negative light. I hope that the sentiment towards the association remains mature and constructive.