Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cassimira]

Hey again all,

My boyfriend and I have been offered a couple's position a little south of Seoul... the hours are great(1-7), the school is small (which is to our preference,) the apartment and area look nice, and the Korean teacher working there is delightful with excellent English.... all in all it appears to be a great fit for us... much better than any of the 9-6 grinds with incoherent contracts we've been offered so far! However, we are a bit concerned, because the native speaker teacher that supposedly works there has not responded to our e-mail yet.

Now, I've seen tons of advice here to never ever accept a position without talking to another teacher at the school.... but I could also see that with a small/newer school this could be a bit more difficult to "make happen."

What do you guys think? We're not wanting to pass on something with such great hours and trappings, but also don't want to be "fooled" by appearances.... any advice?

[Rory_Calhoun27]

Better safe than sorry.... how long has it been. some people dont hover on their email, but by the same token any school would actively have the teacher call you to get the ball rolling.... I talked to two people after I had started at mine. Of course I didnt trust my gut instinct on the first one, and I could write a book on him, thats for sure (I think I have the chapter name picked out...)


Anyway, it's in everyone's best interest to have contact if it's legit.

[withnail]

Or why don't you just phone up the school and get the person's phone number and then phone them up?

[blackjack]

They could be busy, it could be an old email address, they might never check their emails, if everything else is good don't write the school off.

I had the exact same situation, took the job, and it wasn't bad at all (well until new management came along 7 months later). The guy got back to me six months after I took the job to tell me it was a good job

[thegadfly]

Although talking to a current or former teacher at the school is one of YOUR top priorities, writing to the potential new teacher is probably at the bottom of a current or former teacher's list of things to do. Unless it is part of the person's job to talk to you, he or she is doing you a favor, and some folks are reluctant to do forced favors (which this would be).

Honestly, I wouldn't trust what a current or former teacher would have to say -- current teachers may feel pressured to present things in a positve light, and former teachers may have an axe to grind now that they are away. Both positive AND negative feedback about the school can be suspect.

On top of that, one man's meat is another's poison -- even when the teachers ARE completely honest, just because someone loved it there is no guarantee that you will, and just because someone else hated it and could not wait to leave does not mean you won't love it and have a fantastic experience.

Personally, talking to current or former teachers has never yielded useful information (in retrospect), and would have been misleading had I taken at face value everything that I was told. I wouldn't worry about the lack of response if everything else about the job seems kosher, and your gut is otherwise telling you it seems like a good gig.

[air76]

I disagree....I think that it is very important to talk to the former teacher. Ask for their phone number and call them. If they can't provide the number then take another job. It is better safe than sorry.

[sulperman]

I agree that you can't always trust the teachers before you, but it is worth talking to them. I think the best way is to locate them on facebook and write them, or if you are a bit of a spy, befriend them on facebook as well so you can look and see if they are always complaining about the school, or if they are having a good time.

[djsmnc]

I don't think it's always that reliable. A nasty boss will sit right there while the teacher converses with the applicant over the phone.

[runthegauntlet]

I'm inclined to agree that talking to a teacher really isn't as useful as it's made out to be and probably should not be a make or break point for deciding on a job.

[PatrickGHBusan]

[bassexpander]

They could be getting the boot for being a useless drunk... or peeved that they aren't being renewed, or something.