Korean Job Discussion Forums

[slideaway77]

I need some good advice. I'm a month into my public high school contract. Last year I worked in a Hagwon but done a CELTA part-time and managed to secure myself a good public school gig in Seoul- all well and good, but it's looking ropey now.

I love my school, I get on well with the other teachers, and I'm popular with the kids however the job is nothing like I expected. I have a Korean co/"boss" teacher who wants me to take top/down teaching approach to my classes and focus on conversation. My first reaction was fine I can do this, but now I feel like I'm chasing my tail in this job. I done what I thought she wanted but apparently i shouldn't do exactly what she wants? I have no problem creating lessons myself but because I have to defer to the co/boss teacher for the lessons I feel quite redundant.
I learn't to teach a certain way on my CELTA but this isn't what she wants. She brought a textbook which I have to use for lesson plans. I hate the book because it's rubbish and she briefs me on "my" lessons the way she wants it done.
I thought I'd just do what she asked and it would be ok but she struggles to articulate what she wants and I find it hard to visualise what she briefs because she can't express herself well in English I told her this and she acknowledges the communication problems. Depite my best efforts at diplomacy she has said I am direct and abrupt. (In a nice way of course..)

Does anyone know anything about top/down teaching? or have any links? Apparently I have to talk about my uk culture compared to korean culture then get across the main idea of the lesson as opposed to eliciting it from the kids (in my case a part of conversation.) It also seems to not involve any fun stuff so the kids will love it.

It's fustrating - I know its Korea. I spent months learning how to teach the CELTA way only to find I need to take another approach now. I spend all week preparing lessons to have her turn around and say they are doing it their way regardless what I show them..it's bollocks because I'm taking them proven lesson plans I used in my CELTA/training for the job.
Additionally I have a Korean/Canadian part-time teacher working with me who can't understand the boss teacher's briefings eitheir.
I'm worried they/she is looking for excuses and planning to get rid of me. I think she'd prefer a Korean speaking teacher over me- maybe the part-timer as she is shit hot but she's the back seat driver at the moment.
It's all very nice at the moment but I'm worried the shit is going to hit the fan if this goes on and on. There's only so much I can take. I just don't get where she is coming from?

Please: only answers about advice after the day I've had the last thing I want to discuss is grammar or spelling..

[BS.Dos.]

Just roll with it and placate her with conciliatory professionalism for now. Once you've got the wider measure of things and she can see that you know what you're doing, then she may back off.

There are others on here who can probably offer you more specific advise regarding how to deal with over bearing female CTs (her age is a factor, but you didn't state it) and YBS certainly springs to mind in that regard. But either way, I'd personally play things submissively atm rather than losing your rag and getting confrontational. She's probably got very particular ideas about English language instruction, which, from the sound of things, aren't dovetailing with your CELTA grounding. Just try and be a bit more adaptive. It's frustrating I know, as I've experienced the same kind of thing myself, but your chances of winning her over are more likely to transpire in the classroom than they are in the teachers room.