Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Bloopity Bloop]

Super stupid = 99% of the people who ask questions/talk during SMOE orientation and district workshops.

I wanted to shoot myself with every question asked during orientation last August and the few workshops I've attended thus far. I was recently told that I'll be attending another 3-day district workshop next week (강서구).

Now, I'm all for improving as a teacher and I was fairly excited about it, but I was just e-mailed a preliminary schedule. There will be classes followed by discussion/question time

People ask the most unbelievably idiotic questions. Check out these 100% real and authentic questions from SMOE's finest: "Can you, like, wear T-shirts to work?" "I heard in Korea, it's not polite to blow your nose. What if I have allergies?" "Do you know if my school will have an after school program?" "I'm vegetarian, are there vegetarian restaurants in 강서? If not, can I be transferred to 강남?" "My school's been paying my bills for me, but they stopped. How do I pay my bills?" "Can I skip desk warming if I work on lesson planning at home?" The list (unfortunately) goes on for 1-2 hour sessions!

It's like I've been transported to hell for stupid idiots. Honestly, most of the questions are totally dependent upon an individuals' personal situations and schools. Why the f*** do they think anyone outside of their school would know or care? Does anyone put any thought into what they say anymore or do they just open their mouths and take a fat, steamy dump into everyone's ears. I don't know if it's worse that people ask these questions or that the coordinators/orientation leaders feel the need to address them with more than a simple STFU.

If you're attending the workshop next week and see an Asian guy crying and bleeding from his eyes and ears during super awesome discussion time, that'd be me.

Whoo! That felt good.

[Senior]

Heavens above. So true.

The meeting for my city is usually a nightmare. One guy spent 10 mins berating the co-ordinater because the office ladies at his school looked at his medical check. It didn't help that she said "you must understand Koran culture." But still.

There is one NET in my program who is really awesome. He has been in Korea for about 7 years, and in my program for about 3 years. He tries to shepherd the conversation towards the right area (not easy in a room f 40 people), typically to no avail. Also he offers to help those people(he speaks Korean) with their school. Without fail he gets fobbed off and people just spend that time bitching. Or asking inane questions.

Moral of the story: First, try to work the situation out with your school. If that fails or isn't possible, PRIVATELY approach your district/city supervisor and broach the subject with her. If that fails, you are probably an idiot.

[eljuero]

[eljuero]

[Senior]

Fair enough. It just seems like most of the issues can be handled via a email or telephone call to your district supervisor. It doesn't really matter what your peers are doing. Asking questions of your superiors and tactfully demanding the answers you want to hear, will get you where we need to go in most cases.

Unions are not the answer. I've debated the union issue here before. As have many others. They are just hobbies and play things for their leaders. They have never, and never will, do anything for the common worker.

Completely off topic though.

[eljuero]

[PatrickGHBusan]

I remember an orientation workshop with similar questions from Teachers....the list the OP provided is sad but I fear these were not the worst questions asked. I can think of several far more idiotic questions in those Q&A sessions.

[eljuero]

In fairness to Senior:

I guess there were a few beaut's in there.

I can remember one participant asking a distinguished looking Korean man or woman from the the higher ranks of Education - isn't Korea like the worst for speaking English? To get the full effect you have to imagine it asked with a real valley girl accent......

A moment though that really struck me as tragically insensitive was a final thank you speech by one of the March participants. She gave a rather eloquent speech until the last sentence when she joked about being in Korea because Japan wouldn't take her..........god help us sometimes.

[alljokingaside]

Some questions are probably a function of a lack of research and the availability of easy answers; some probably weren't fully thought out; some a function of the situation- fresh off the plane in a new country, embarking on a few adventure, life, job- the stress, the excitement, the fraying of nerves; some prolly just stoopid

March orientation? Don't forget that impromptu speech.

[oskinny1]

I think a lot of these people are idiots. They either don't have a clue about how life can run smoothly without their input or they are trying to impress others with their desire for knowledge.

We have all had those in our uni classes or in other training programs who ask question after question and never once actually listen to the answer. Why do they do this? To try and show that they are hard workers and want to better themselves. Unfortunately it just shows that they are annoying morons.

[Zulethe]

I've only been to one of these meetings even though in my time in Korea I was supposed to attend three.

In my heart, I'm embarrassed and ashamed of what I do. I've never known why until this post: birds of a feather. The average Englishee teacher in Korea is a dim wit.

I want to be able to say to other people, "I'm a licensed professional social worker."


As one girl on Korean Cupid said.....No fu.....English teachers!!!

[Seoul'n'Corea]

I too remember march orientation and it was the condisending remarks made by SMOE staff that made a few of us very upset and angry. In addition the lack of planning by the staff made the orienation into a joke
coming from a professional situation in my home country to this mess of an education system has worn away at my faith at the top here.

[kimdeal54]

[Bloopity Bloop]

[young_clinton]

What a teacher can wear to class is up to the principal. He is the boss. In Korea, the most important thing is that your clothes are clean and washed and that you don't smell. I never wore t-shirts at my school, but I could have. Some of my clothes were getting tattered and getting to be pretty old, but they were clean and I never once got a complaint or heard about anyone complaining.

I don't think the T-shirt question was stupid at all. How is somebody to know what is acceptable to wear in class? If I have to wear a suit, I'll wear a suit, If I have to wear dress pants I'll wear dress pants. Nothing stupid or dumb about that. With that said, if you're teaching in Thailand, you wear white dress shirts, dark dress pants, conservative tie, dark polished shoes. I know I've taught there before and you cannot show any individuality in Thailand. If you don't wear those clothes the students will think you're a clown and you will quickly be gotten rid of. Koreans are the opposite, they are very individualistic. In fact unless dress clothes are required by the principal who usually relays his orders to your co-teacher, wearing dress clothes all the time may work against you, I wouldn't recommend it. You may appear boring to the students, and you definately don't want that.