Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cubanlord]

A short while ago, I met two smug gentlemen that work for a university of which�s name I will not disclose here as I know there are instructors and professors from that university that frequent these boards.

At first glance, they seemed stuck up. They were strutting their stuff wearing their three-piece suits, clean-shaved, and acting like the world was at their feet. Their demeanor, reminiscent of chihuahuas that suffers from small-man�s complex, was over-bearing and demanded respect. You could tell that these two gentlemen were �cut from a different cloth�.

After having spoken to them for quite a bit of time, my initial impression of the two, as outlined above, was dead-on. These two thought they were king caca; there were no equal to them. They walked the walk and they talked the talk. Shoot, they even dressed the part! Having been convinced these two were the epitome of what a professor should be, the quintessential foreign professor, the question was raised by a fellow professor, �What is your degree in?� I sat silently, intrigued and curious, as to what these two �men-of-stature� where going to grace us with. One had a Ph.D. in International Communications and the other had his Ph.D. in some type of history. I was impressed. Then, that�s when it happened.

The questioning professor then asked them if they were tenured. They both said no. That�s when my eyes grew wide with much surprise. Here are these two dimwits acting like they are the caca and lo and behold, they are just like little-old me. An NTP at a university. What�s even funnier is that upon further questioning, it was revealed that their overall compensation package was much less than that which I get at my university, and I only have my Master�s! Needless to say, I had this overwhelming sense of satisfaction come over me. Silently and inconspicuously, I gloated thinking how these two can be so wrapped up in themselves. I don�t think it wrong to be proud of what you have and what you have accomplished; Lord knows I am a bit conceited and far from self-deprecating. However, to belittle those that one deems �unworthy� isn�t becoming of he who so yearningly seeks recognition and respect.

Ironically enough, I barely spoke to these two gentlemen. The dialogue of which I mention took place between the two and another NTP in front of me. The whole time, I kept silent. Experiencing this situation has prompted me to think the following � To those that feel they are above everyone else because you have your Ph.D., how does it make you feel that I, the silent voice sitting in the back of the room, have a better compensation package at my university with only a Master�s? What does that say about you, your Ph.D., and your annoyingly relentless efforts in trying to be recognized in this field? Perhaps if the two of you published and furthered the field in which you work more than you run your mouths, then respect would naturally follow. You wouldn�t have to demand it; you�d receive it.

Kudos to the guy that was asking questions and I hope you didn�t take offense to the �gentlemen�.

***P.S.*** This isn't directed at all who have their Ph.Ds. You know who you are and you'll know if this is directed at you or not.

~
www.ralphsesljunction.com

[eamo]

Maybe those two gents knew that if their Uni was more famous then yours.......then.....in Korean terms.....they win the pissing contest. Pay and conditions are irrelevant in Korea. It's all about the reputation of the company/institution where you work.

That's why those poor sods in Samsung work 80 hour weeks.......because working for Samsung will make their resume golden in the future.

[knee-highs]

The guys with Phd's were smug? Sounds like the OP thinks he is the one who is 'better'.

or maybe bitter?

But basically the OP judged and condemned 2 total strangers because they like to dress well and shave.

[bluelake]

I've met Ph.D.s of all sorts here in Korea. Some were snooty, while others were really down-to-earth and pretty much hid their advanced degrees.

If the Ph.D.s you were talking about were teaching English, but their degrees were in something else, it's quite likely they wouldn't be tenured. However, if they are teaching in their own field, it's very possible the university would hire them with tenure as part of the package. I've known FTs of both types here in Korea.

Personally, I'm working on my doctorate in an area other than ESL/EFL (Korean studies) and, after I receive it, I hope to teach in my area.

[cubanlord]

[cubanlord]

[travelingfool]

[tenchu77491]

[djsmnc]

I don't find it too surprising. A PhD takes a lot of money and thorough work, so obtaining one should give one a sense of satisfaction and sophistication. Unfortunately, perhaps, the TESOL profession often considers a Master's to be the terminal degree, so vying for univerisity ESL/EFL positions with a PhD might necessitate the initial expectation that the financial rewards and fringe benefits are not going to be much higher on the scale than a Master's or in some cases a Bachelor's degree holder. Even in the US a lot of ESL positions are adjunct, so there is a lack of security in the field. It's a symptom of a profession that is not highly regarded in the grand scheme of academia.

[cubanlord]

[tenchu77491]

^Dead serious, and this has happened in more areas than jobs.

When I was looking for a Korean language school as well. Everyone said the Sogang program is incredibly better than the Yonsei program, however she has expressed her opinion that I should study at Yonsei.

[mc_jc]

When I am not in the office, I tend to dress down extremely casually because I am not into Polo shirts and dress slacks- I am more of a t-shirt and jeans kind of guy.

Here is my story-
I once attended the KoTESOL meeting at Sookmyung W. Uni they hold every month and once I struck up a conversation with this really up-tight woman who thought she was the bee's knees because she worked at one of the bigger unis in Korea. She snickered at the person next to her remarking how much of a "hagwon jockey" I looked like- that alone put a smile on my face.
As the meeting ended, I went up to her and introduced myself in a rather bubbly blonde kind of way. She seemed less enthused and she introduced herself as professor so & so from X- university.
Thats when I shook her hand and handed her my card, which explained I was a senior civilian executive officer at an agency in Yongsan. The person next to her asked why I was there and I explained that I wanted to be kept up-to-date on current TESOL methodology so I could teach my part-time students. The women gave out a rather condescending laugh and said "teaching privates is illegal". That's when I schooled her "only for uni jockeys such as yourselves. Not to base personnel"- that's when I winked and walked away.

I love 'sonning' people sometimes .

[The Cosmic Hum]

[cubanlord]

[cdninkorea]

Nice one, mc_jc.

I've been to a few of those workshops at Sookmyung myself and have found a few of them to be of interest and useful. Most of those I've met have been relatively unpretentious, but it was never a surprise to me that there were a few stuck-up pseudo-intellectuals.