Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Trevor]

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/11/10/200911100051.asp

De-fragmenting expat community

A well-known commentator on Korea often compares organizing expats to herding cats: there are simply too many groups in Korea, here for too many different reasons, to ever form a coherent community. Fragmentation is a sad fact of life, and attempting to organize is a waste of effort.
Despite that, a few people decided to buck that wisdom, and form a group: along with dozens of Facebook, academic, professional and social groups, The Association for Teachers of English in Korea, ATEK, is now officially organized and operating, campaigning for membership, and establishing a stronger foundation to represent their members.

Members of certain online forums didn't feel this organization represented them, and railed against the effort to form a more integrated English teacher community. That time, rifts formed between the different classes of visa: the F-series (long term resident or married) and the E-series (work or study visa). Because they had different reasons for being here, different goals for their time here, because they needed different things from an organization, how could one English teachers' organization possibly represent both classes of visa?






From time to time on the English language comment boards, a similar sentiment arises between long and short-term expats: some of the veterans get tired of dealing with groups of newcomers, always explaining the same things each year to another new set of colleagues. Some, especially those who can speak Korean, feel they have less in common with other expats, and leave them to fend for themselves.

Meanwhile, business people feel little in common with English teachers, divisions form along nationality lines, those teaching in different types of workplaces stick to their own, and that isn't even mentioning expats from other regions of the world: Southeast-Asian factory workers and country wives, and diplomats and scholars from all over.

The final result is the same: the expat community fragments.

This should not be so. Now this is not an unrealistic call for everyone to join hands and sing kumbaya, nor is it meant to disparage the neighborhood and coworker connections that naturally develop, but as expats, there are things we can do for each other that we haven't so far.

First of all, expats of any stripe need to recognize that, for all our differences, we have a lot in common. When a story like Bonojit Hussain, who was victim of a racist attack on a bus, appears, we owe it to ourselves to give him support, however we can. The same goes for racial discrimination or scapegoating in business, in government, or in the media, because even if it's not our sub-group this time, next time it could be. Racism doesn't stop to check visa status, years in country, skill with children, diligence on the job, or ability to eat spicy food: We're in this together.

Next, we need to get our sub-groups organized, not necessarily to make bold political actions, but so we can stay on top of events relevant to our community, and respond appropriately. One reason a group like the Anti-English Spectrum has managed to grow so large, and operate so effectively in setting the terms for how English teachers have been portrayed in the media and, now in the national assembly, is because English teachers had no organized response to them, and no organization with the ability to mount one, and provide a contrasting view to the fear-mongering. Sure, many individual teachers were very good ambassadors in their individual situations, but those scapegoating us were organized, mobilized, with access to Korea's mass media - and we had no answer.

Groups that can respond the next time our community, or members of it, are vilified, stereotyped or mistreated, need to be in existence, and ready to either act, or to support the actions or needs of other groups. Some already do exist, and when others try to improve those networks, or start a new initiative, we would do well to start off by offering support, rather than immediately seeking out flaws, criticizing bitterly, waiting for impossible perfection, and at the same time tearing down the well-meant and earnest efforts of those who do try something.

Finally, we need to take ownership of our own groups. Though it will happen again when the current novice is replaced with another, long-term expats need to continue providing guidance, advice and information to newcomers, connect them with the bigger picture, and encourage them to think ahead, and act in a way that will leave the expat community in better shape than it was when they found it, for the sake of the next batch of newcomers. While many long-term expats complain about having to reinvent the wheel every time another fresh-faced newbie arrives, making these kinds of efforts might be exactly what improves the community's coherence and, as a result, the retention rate, so that by investing that time, they ultimately won't have to repeat themselves quite so often.



For more of Rob Ouwehand's writings, go to http://roboseyo.blogspot.com - Ed.


By Rob Ouwehand

[Captain Obvious]

Korean readers of the Herald must find that oh-so-fascinating.

[VanIslander]

[Moldy Rutabaga]

Good article.

I'm not sure how many, if any, Korean readers of the KH there are. So far as expat readers, I think the column is helpful.

[RobertX]

i saw a dog market in Busan, along with the cages of dogs I also saw a cage of cats...infer what you will from the above statement

[economicmayhem]

[yingwenlaoshi]

Where can I find deodorant and sea salt?