Korean Job Discussion Forums

[euphony]

My day was starting off normal, then the korean teacher designated to relay messages to us 2 native speakers came up to us and told us (more me) not "to be lazy and go home early today" and that she worked twice as much as I did.

I had been going home early, mostly because I have no work to do and I dislike twiddling my thumbs while the other overworked Koreans are actually doing something. Well, her comment pissed me off so like an idiot I asked to speak to her in private and yelled at her, and then I went and yelled at my boss.

My boss agreed to give me more work. I thought I was in the clear, then the next morning me recruiter calls me and starts offering me different jobs. I repetedly asked her if my boss had called me. She told me he hadn't. I was confused. My boss hadn't said he was going to fire me, but
I decided to take a phone interview just to see what was out there. Then I decided that I wanted to stay at my job, so I told my recruiter that I wanted to stay and then she said that the truth was that my boss wanted to replace me.

I then decided to bury the hatchet and apologize to the teacher who had made the comment. I invited her to my house and which point she told me the error of my ways. I told her I wanted to keep my job and asked her what I should do. She said I should go apologize to my boss.

I went and apologized to my boss with her as interpreter. Even though he had never officially fired me he said that an interview for another teacher had been arranged for that day but he had had to reshedual the interview for another day. (Keep in mind that the argument happened last Wednesday and this the following Monday). I told him I wanted to keep my job.

Tommorrrow evidently all of the Korean teachers are going to have a meeting, without the other native speaker and myself. They are going to decide if they want to keep me.

So what do you think I should do? Should I get another job? I really want to stay with my job because it is a great location and I have a lot of friends, but quite frankly this whole thing has really upset me.
Anyone out there willing to explain what is going on in my hagwon bosses'and co-teachers' heads? Any cultural forces that are at play here? I haven't been an incompetent teacher and I want to stay in Korea.

[sulperman]

Lemme get this straight...you regularly leave work before the working hours are finished? Are there clear hours that you are supposed to be there? If so, I'd say the problem is pretty clear.

Working in Korea, whether it be in a PS or a hagwon is between 30% and 80% sitting on your ass and doing nothing. It is part of the job. Doesn't matter if you are prepping or reading a book in most cases. It's the time that matters. Silly? Sure. But the reasoning doesn't really matter, does it? If you are leaving before work hours are finished....well, name me a job where that is ok.

[Fishead soup]

Harmony is a key thing in the Korean working enviroment. The main thing is to just keep your cool at all times unless you don't mind losing your job and burning bridges. A major blowout can take months for them to get over. In tense situations usually the first one to blow their top will be the big loser. As a foreigner you will almost always lose out in the long run in this situation. Manners and knowing your place is really important here. Statis is based on age and social position.

[tanklor1]

[Steve_Rogers2008]

I guess the OP learned the hard way the importance of desk-jockeying.... of course there's the option of finding something constructive to do during that time, but it sounds academic at this point.

[thegadfly]

What was going on inside YOUR head? How did you think your actions were even remotely acceptable? You leave work early, and when called out about it, yell at both your co-worker AND your boss? Why do you even NEED someone to "give" you more work? Aren't you capable of looking around and seeing what needs to be done? Do some research about new teaching methods, look online for available textbooks, find some useful websites, make a freakin' handout or two -- or, short of actually doing the job you were hired to do, you could have simply PRETENDED to be busy, instead of rubbing everyone's face in the fact that you are slacking by leaving early. Seriously -- how can you imagine that you are NOT the party at fault here? How can you claim not to be incompetent? Just because no felonies are committed in your classes during classtime does not make you competent!

You need to leave that job, for your co-workers' and boss's sakes.

[PatrickGHBusan]

[.38 Special]

Well, at least have some sympathy for the guy. No doubt the tribunal found him guilty. He's probably being water-boarded as we speak. Poor sot.

[Countrygirl]

Is this the first job you've ever had?