Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Been There, Taught That]

That was the analysis of the director after I had worked just two months at the place I'm at. I am finished 13 February, with her promise of a letter of release. I'm writing this plenty of days after the fact to give it some objectivity, and writing it at all just to give a guy a chance to think twice before heading out to work for this place. If you want the name, you can PM me and I'll be happy to give it away.

It wasn't that I didn't show up, was a drunkard, couldn't teach (I must believe that it could NEVER be that, although I have a mere bachelors's with teaching experience, not a Master's, like the website boasts that all teacher's should have)--I have plenty of US teaching experience--, didn't get along with my coworkers--I have a coteacher who likes to be THE teacher in the room, but we get along; the other two foreign teachers are both from the US, like me--, had problems communicating, nor anything you would think would cause an uproar.

The reasons, I believe, were more cosmetic: the day of graduation ceremony, in December, I unfortunately got the flu, and more unfortunately was obligated to show up anyway. I wasn't at my best, but I didn't think I made it obvious. About 30 sets of Kindy parents (they all show up, it seems) from two groups of students were there, and it seemed to them, I hear, that I wasn't well enough to teach. They also thought it rude that I folded my arms over my chest at times during the ceremony, while I stood and listened. Though it's a natural gesture for most of us, I guess it's ill-perceived in this country. At least she told me it was rude.

Plus--plus, with my wife and daughter coming to join me--they aren't even here yet, thanks to having to find another school--, one day I asked politely if I could move to the bigger apartment that a departing teacher--from the director's other campus--was moving out of, and that I was advised to ask for by the US teacher that the director is very close to (they are both female, and the teacher is African-American; that's just a notation, not an opinion). My personal conclusion, based on my personal experiences, even though no one came out and said anything like this, is that the director resented my implication that her choice of smallish-type 'two-bedroom' villa housing out in the boonies in a city out in the boonies wasn't the right one for my family. That was a strike.

But I speculate.

Of course, I was the absolute LAST person to know what was happening to me. I was told during the ten-minute break before the last class of the day--6:40 pm, which discussion made me late for the class and which dismissal, apparently, everyone else actually anticipated. I was told during this time that all the parents went out after the ceremony and sat around at a restaurant somewhere talking about me, which is what she said they do. But I find it hard to believe that she actually knew what all parents did on graduation day, which is a huge day, reputation-wise, which is why they put the christmas tree in front of the sign at the exact spot where a word I poinred out on the graduation banner had been misspelled.

The next day, the female foreign teacher told me that of course everyone else knew about it, and didn't I know that that was the way the Korean system worked.

There is a recruiting agency, teacheslkorea.com, that was considering placing me in an Ansan public school, but the director did not give me a favorable reference when called, so now the school didn't hire me and the agency has stopped trying to place me because they count on the reputation of their teachers. Needless to say, I do not refer anyone to my director and don't even let them know the name of the institute, which I will say is in Dongducheon.

I'm not telling you all this for sympathy. Jobs are too abundant here to worry about it. However, I do perceive that a female applicant would be very well received. Except for the foreign teachers and the grammar teacher, the employees are family, and that is only what it is.

I'm relating all this because I've experienced that ceremony, even the everyday, on-the-job kind, can be much more important than job performance. Dedicated, hard-working, culturally ignorant people should get educated themselves. Plus, I really need to know if this is a bar to getting a job in Korea. I don't believe it is, and I'm doing what I have to to be placed, including being nonforthcoming about where I work now, but does it make things harder?

Lastly, I'm kind of using this as a way to find out if anyone knows of a place in Seoul or anywhere that I can just go to personally and would hire me based on that--and that is re-pu-ta-ble. Very important, that last part. Big or small (ish), any place can be good or bad. Especially anywhere between Goyang and Ansan that you know about, let me know. I'm looking for public, or at least no later hours than 9 to 5 and NO split shifts. No more of that.

Thanks, and, as I said, IM me if you want the school's name.

[oskinny1]

Now is the time where you have to ask yourself "Is teaching really what I should be doing?" Why don't you ask the management to tell you more about why you were let go (though parent complaints would be a good enough reason). Hopefully you will be able to figure this all out before your family arrives.

If all the other teachers saw this coming, then maybe it was you and not the school. They are giving you the proper notice and a release letter. She is not giving you a recommendation because she must think you do not deserve it. Who cares that one of the teachers is black (maybe it was this kind of attitude that made you not fit in)?

[polonius]

[moosehead]

OP - you have a family to think about - you've been burned here already - think about how much do your really want to invest in this place.

I'm a mature, well seasoned individual and if I was continuing in this industry - I'd go to Taiwan or Vietnam or the ME. it's hard enough being an expat - much less doing it in such a xenophobic environment.

chances are really good there was absolutely nothing at all wrong with you or your teaching, just some idiotic gossip that went to the extreme - it's very common here and the consequences can be devastating as you've discovered.

don't throw good money after bad.

[tomato]

I read somewhere that a prospective employer in Korea is not concerned with the job candidate's qualifications as much as the job candidate's capacity to fit in.

There was a travel agency which turned down a highly qualified candidate because she was too much more qualified than the employees already working there, and they were afraid that she would intimidate the other employees.

[michaelambling]

[VanIslander]

[Been There, Taught That]

[VanIslander]

[Draz]

[Been There, Taught That]

[Been There, Taught That]

Oh yeah! I just remembered something I shouldn't leave out. How could I forget this?

Just another thing to be aware of: shortly, and I mean very shortly, after the 'unfortunate day of not fitting in', I applied to and almost certainly had a job lined up with Ansan public schools. Everything was in place. But I made one mistake I won't make again: I suggested that my recruiter contact call up the director and get a recommendation from her. In the end, not only did the school not hire me, but the recruiter suddenly dropped me as well. I'll let the email explain it. This is exchanges between me and the recruiter.

[oskinny1]

[Been There, Taught That]

[tomato]

oskinny1, I think what Been There, Taught That could use right now is empathy, not reasoning.
You can't argue logic with a person who is overcome with emotion any more than you can defeat a football team with a baseball team.