Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Kaypea]

I was suddenly "let go" from my kindergarten hagwon job today. Apparently, the moms have been complaining for 6 months.

I'm not in a bad place. I have been promised full severance pay and a ticket, and I can stay until July sometime. However, I don't think I'm a bad teacher, and I would like to teach in Korea some more.

I have had it with hagwon kindergarten teaching, though.

My question for the forum is this: do I have to address the fact that I did not complete a full year contract? If a recruiter or interviewer asks, should I tell them that I only had a 9 month contract, or should I be honest and say that I was "let go"?

Also, is it too late to get a public school job for September?

And finally, should I thank my lucky stars that I have a good reason to leave Korea now? Maybe, just maybe, I should leave and not come back.


Thank you for any advice!

[Skippy]

Do not take it seriously! Sounds like you had a school which did not protect you from the parents. I give your school a couple of weeks later when the can not find anybody to take over or if they do the chances are the person will be just as good or worse than you. Finding teachers that will take kindergarten is hard and even harder is finding ones that are great with kids.



Ya look for another job! Most places will not really care if you where let go. They only really care is are you alive, white or proper color, able to start now, got your papers, etc. Heck make sure you get a letter of release. Also if you can get a simple recommendation from your school. As to public school it can go either way.

[Kaypea]

Thanks

Yeah, I'm not a great kindy teacher but I wasn't that "bad". I took over for a beloved teacher who pulled a midnight run, and apparently neither the kids nor their moms can get over her memory.

There's a new hagwon in town who's been stealing some of our kids. One of my students just left for that school, so all of a sudden "all" of the moms have been complaining about me for 5 months!

I do not know why they are getting rid of me, because I have no idea how they can ensure that the replacement, who they will be hiring overseas through a recruiter, will please the moms.

My partner teacher was good enough to inform me a few days ago that there were rumours that I was teaching privates. Those are totally untrue. The manager did not mention that today when she "let me go". I would like to know who has been saying such things about me, but I would rather let go and move on.

So, if any new employer or interviewer wishes to talk about my abortive teaching experience here, can I just say "it was a 9 month job" and leave it at that?

By the way, I will definitely get a decent reference from this school. I was hired to teach afternoon classes, agreed to do mornings when that teacher left, and haven't heard substatntial complaints about me until 2 days ago. I was shocked to be fired! I thought people didn't get fired from hogwans unless they were breaking the law, because it's hard to replace us! I suppose it's not.

So, should I bother getting another job in Korea? I'm thinking of contacting Korvia about a public school job. If anybody has any leads on good hagwons that are hiring, you may pm me.

I swear: I am *not* a bad teacher. Maybe I don't have the kindergarten magic touch, but even as far as that goes, I was often "just following orders". I was having some trouble keeping kids in line, so the manager told me to be more strict and act angrier. Then today, the same manager tells me that she told me to be gentler to the kids, and that I was too mean

I need hugs.

[billietea]

((hugs)) I believe you will go to sleep tonight and wake up with a new perspective on what it is you want to do. First, think about whether or not you want to stay in Korea and then start from there...the world is your oyster! Best of luck!

[Adventurer]

Hold your head up high. Look, you are you, you are not the former teacher who didn't want to stick around anyway. You were dedicated to your job. I don't want to speculate about why the last one left, but the school lost students, and that's normal these days. Competition is fierce. And, maybe, kindergarten is not your thing just like for some people high school students might not be their thing. It's not a big deal to change jobs after 9 months. Heck, in the old days, when the visa rules weren't so stringent people did that after a month or two at a job that wasn't working out.

We've seen this stuff before. It can be hard, but focus on getting a new job and getting a new start and only thing about that, because that's the here and now.

People are saying nicer things to each other on Dave's.... That's nice...

[Skippy]

Ya you got the classic when it comes to hagwons and complaining. You have to learn to translate

All the mothers are complaining ----> One or two mothers who have not other lives but their children are nitpicking

Parents have been complaining for months ----> Actually they are not really complaining we just want some excuse to fire you as we have no real one like drugs, drinking, or missing classes..


In the end, get what you can from your job and go!. ALso, you can do better and get less stress and likely even no Kindergarten. Also when you are looking for another job just do not mention what happened why you go let go. If they ask be polite and tell the truth.

[Kaypea]

I am so glad that there are some hugs and love on Dave's! Ah, so glad that my misfortune could bring out the best...

I am already looking at other jobs in Korea. I would like to put in one full year. I really enjoy teaching elementary kids, so I am going to put out those public school applications ASAP (tomorrow).

So, if anyone asks me why I only did 9 months at the school, can I just say "I wanted to change to public school" and leave it at that? I have a feeling that "they've heard it all before," but at the same time, we all know that the really good teachers don't ever get fired. Ever.

I think the other teacher probably left because she was in the unenviable position of being the "head foreign teacher", which meant that every time an FT had a complaint or concern, she would have to go to the management and get criticized because of it. I think that was causing her to lose sleep.

On the plus side, the manager told me that being kicked out of Korea would be the best thing for me, because I have been losing too much weight. I've just slid into the healthy BMI category and am wearing the local clothes. I have to stay a little longer!

[billietea]

Okay, so you have decided to stay in Korea. You made it over the first hurdle, excellent! A big plus is that you have decided to continue with elementary education which you WILL find rewarding when the right mix of kids and employer. IMO you should not lie if asked why you left your last job. You suggested a perfectly acceptable answer in your last post. You want to move to a public school. I doubt you will have any problems with that answer. Please keep us posted on how things turn out for you and should you need support along the way just know that we are here for you. ((hug))

[Cerriowen]

I replaced a teacher that everyone else (teachers) at my school said was wonderful, but ONE parent complained that the teachers "strange accent" was stressing her son out. < He was also stressed about seasons changing, not getting 100% on homework, and the seating arrangement > But Hakwons bow to what ever bizarre impulses mom's are struck with. It's a thousand times worse working for a kindergarten.

Most of the moms have one child and no job, and NOTHING better to do than to obsess about their childs ever whim and burp.

Your school isn't a school. It's a business. It only takes ONE mom who has the right level of influence with the other moms complaining about something completely trivial and stupid... and you're out.

I also had a teacher at my school be given a warning letter because the mom's complained that she put their snack on a tissue, rather than on a plate.

Don't take it personally. You're probably a perfectly fine teacher.

[Adventurer]

[polonius]

Sadly what Cerriowen said is the truest answer to your problem.

I have the fortune to be a foreign manager at my school. Nothing gets said to my teachers as far as complaints or teaching techniques from anyone but me. Generally a mother will call the Homeroom teacher, the homeroom teacher will talk to the Korean manager, who then talks to me. I will not accept a discussion without having the Homeroom teachers issues written by her in English. Let me tell you, half of what comes my way is utter nonsense. I tell the Korean manager when something is an unacceptable complaint, and that the parent be told that we are not going to bend to their every demand. (We have 2700 students, and if we changed things for every parent, we would be changing things everyday)

If there is an issue that I feel needs addressing, then I research it before making a decision. I will either monitor or observe the class, then discuss it with the teacher, and then assess the situation. If I believe the teacher to be at fault, I tell them. But moreover, I give them ways to resolve their issues. If I believe that the issue is bunk, then I express to the teacher that I support them 100% and they need not worry.

OP, sorry things didn't work out for you. But, be happy that they are giving you your severance. Also, if you complete 9 months, you can get a Letter of Release from your school and transfer to a new school without having to get a new visa, CBC and medical. However, the LOR needs to be issued stating a specific date, and the new school needs to take responsibility for you the very next day. Good luck to you.

[lifeinkorea]

If you are 9 months into your contract, I would look for a way to finish off the year. Even though it is not a big deal to leave, schools and recruiters do question why you left. They also use it as a basis to not pay you a higher salary. Unless you work 12 months, they start the counter at 0 for your next school. That means you will have to work 21 months before you get paid more.

It won't make much difference with hagwons, but public schools are more likely to use this thinking. Maybe you could change the hours and work less for less pay just to finish the year out. If you got a 1 month extension before leaving, that would be 10 months. There's only 2 more.

You could try to change locations instead of going back home. Then you can extend your current visa. A school then is less likely to question you if they need you now.

[Bread]

I am having the exact same dilemma, but nobody's really given much of an answer to the poster's actual question. I got fired and will be leaving my hagwon job at the 8 month mark, and right now I'm applying to SMOE. I hated the job anyway and was considering switching to public school, but then I got fired.

So the question is, on the "Have you broken a contract?" part of the SMOE application, do I say no and have it be obvious that I was fired (who has an 8 month contract?) or do I just say yes because I wanted to switch from hagwon to public school, which I was considering doing anyway? I'm sure it's better to be honest, but will they react very negatively if I admit that I was fired? I sure as hell don't want to work at another hagwon, so it's either public school or back to Japan or Taiwan for me.

[polonius]

[Xuanzang]

Anyone asks why your term was cut short? Just say they ran out of money, especially given this economy.

it's not too late for public school. Just get your documents ready and submit them to some recruiter asap/