Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hxnxymxn]

Hey you, eslcafe.com, I need to know just how bad is my situation?

I've been in Incheon for 3 days and I'm stressed and miserable - christ! I started smoking cigs again after steady quitting for 2 years. Am i just a softy with a bad attitude, or would any sane person spend their first paycheck on a flight back to the USA?

Here is my situation:

Working for a hagwan in Incheon, there are 3 other Korean teachers and 1 other foreign teacher. The other foreign teacher is on vacation however, until the middle of October, which is a drag because I could really use some grounding and perspective about just how I'm supposed to do a competent job.

Now here are the things I hate so far,

1. My windowless apartment replete with cockroaches. Can I make it my home? Will a thorough cleaning and some decoration make me feel at home here? It is important to like the look of your home - we're clay after all, formed by our environment, if my environment is a windowless rat trap, what will I become?(!??!?!?)

2. I have no clue how to lead these classes. No training, no other teachers to guide me. All I have are some half-baked books to lead lessons. From these books I have to draw out 50 minutes of class time with only 4 pages of material every day.

3. Semi-crooked director. Pension? No pension. Medical insurance? No medical. Sure, it's in my contract, but apparently the contract binds the employee and not the employer, go figure. But can I expect any better? (apparently she pays on time, and the other foreign teacher has worked here for 3 years, so she can't be that crooked unless he is a complacent masochist)

4. Insufferable little brats. Two kids in particular are impossible. Throwing sh*t around, yelling and goofing off. I'm going to try bribing them with a prize bucket today, we'll see how it goes.
Otherwise the kids are good manered.

5. 19 classes per week (50 minutes each) was quickly revealed to be more like 25 classes per week. Is this way too much? I can't tell yet.

Ok so there you have it. Is this going to get any better or will it spiral into despair, premature balding, chain smoking, etc.? Thanks in advance for some feedback!

[Jane]

Hey.

Without demeaning your situation at all, but it seems like it's the same things that happen again again to teachers when they come over. Crappy apartments, little direction, lack or hurting material, contract problems.

For one thing, you do not have to live in a cockroach infested apartment. Maybe your director isn't aware of the problem. Tell them you will not live there anymore. It isn't the standard back home, nor here.

I think things will be different when the other foreign teacher returns from vacation. If they are cool enough, they will probably give you a lot of valuable teaching advice and general information. It's also comforting to be able to discuss contractual problems with the foreign teacher to get their opinion--they've been there for 3 years, right? So maybe best to wait the couple of weeks until the teacher gets back before taking action.

The apartment however, you don't have to live there. In Korea, it is important to be tactful but firm when complaining or requesting things. Keep that in mind when and if you decide to confront your director. If you have given the job an honest shot and have shown potential to be a valuable employee, your director should be more open to your complaints.

If you makes you feel better, I think I had a similar experience. I got hired across the country at a hogwan just outside Seoul in 2003. I was given a basement apartment without a single appliance or piece of furniture: no stove, fridge, bed, etc. Nothing. I stuck it out a week, and told the director that I would work for free until they could find a replacement (and until I could find another job). I actually really liked the people and students (only only 4 days a week of work wasn't so bad), but I knew it wasn't a good match for me. I still think fondly of the workers at that hogwan.

In any case, give it time, it's only been 3 days. You will eventually get into a routine: you will find your favorite local restaurants, good coffee show, cool people to hang out with.

[jonpurdy]

[mmstyle]

[mmstyle]

dbl post.

[ttompatz]

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

FIRST:
Stop. Take a deep breath. Slow down. You are not doomed nor are you necessarily in hell on earth.

take the problems one at a time.

Shock: you are 1/2 way round the planet, nothing is familiar and you are in shock. It is normal. It will improve as you settle in.

Housing: typical hagwan housing - one room villa (about the size of a large walk-in closet). Deal with your roaches (get a can of bug spray and ask your director about an exterminator), get some internet at home so you don't go stir crazy and add some pictures from back home (I assume your school has a color printer - if not, photo shops are everywhere and prints are CHEAP).

Work:
Typical for a hagwan - no medical or pension. You probably have 3.3% written into your contract as a tax rate too. Your employer is crooked but pretty standard for most hagwan owners. It is not the end of the world.

25 classes is actually low for a hagwan. 30 classes of 50 minutes (per week) is pretty much the standard for language academies.

Teaching:
There are LOTS of resources available to you to assist you in planning, supplemental work and fun activities.

What ages are the kids?
I assume from your post that you have elementary kids?
Do you also have to deal with kindy in the mornings as well or do you just do elementary/middle school kids in the afternoon/evenings?

The best way to deal with kids and 50 minute classes is to break your time down. Young learners have short attention spans (depending on ages; 10-20 minutes) so you need to keep it moving or you will lose them to boredom and then your behavior problems begin.

Kids come to class.

Spend 2-3 minutes on a warm-up activity. A song with actions works pretty good for kids up to about grade 6. If they are a bit older (middle school) then you want something a little more age and level appropriate as your warm-up.

Spend about 10 minutes on your basic lesson development (teaching, demonstrating, showing what you want them to learn).

Do another fun type of (related) activity for 2-3 minutes. Wake up the bum to wake up the brain.

Spend 15 minutes on practical use of the target language for the day. Roll plays, listen/repeat, practice.

Do another quick fun activity (2-3 minutes) to get them focused again.

20 minutes left, spend 15 on review and reinforce what you learned in the last class.

Spend your last 5 minutes on a closing activity - let them leave smiling and happy (or as happy as they can be after spending 10 hours of their day in a classroom).

Does it take some work on your part to actually prep your classes = yes.

Sorry but you can bite the bullet and put up with kids who are bored and act out (5 minute prep at the copy machine) or do your job as a teacher, keep them occupied and learning and have a great year with them.

.

[mmstyle]

[Hotwire]

I can't stress enough that if you feel isolated and lonely then get yourself to Itaewon in Seoul this weekend.

First off, it will take your mind of things, you know the excitemnt th journey etc.

Secondly yo can easily met other foriegners and find familliar foods and books stuff liek that.

Nothing eats at the Soul more for me than isolation from other English speaking people. I did it last year in Cheongnamdo, had not ONE friend there amongst the 5 or so others forigners. It was okaty forme as I have been here qite a while an dhave long term friends to call and visit in Seoul. But had it been my 1st month, it would have been very tough. I was lucky at my 1st jo in Korea int hat the hakwan had 9 other foriegners there.

So get out this weekend, treat yourself to a nice lunch and some comfort purchases and try to talk to people.

[NYC_Gal]

PM sent.

[dumpring]

Welcome to Incheon.
Roaches are part of the territory, just nuke em when you see em and they shouldn't trouble you for long.

Your Job sounds better than Average, the other foreign teacher being there 3 years IS a good sign.

Not having a window blows, but it's manageable - Not having appliances/bed etc is much worse.

Where abouts in Incheon do you live? The first week is always like that. If you can meet some other people and have a drink you'll find it's a lot less stressful.

Just keep your head up, it ain't great but it could be worse.

[SKinPRC]

I'm getting active and joining the TESOL Fair Employment Standing Committee.

Post photos of your horrid apartment on: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1534575@N23/

A Flickr group for EFL teachers.

This has got to stop. We're human! Would your director ever live in such a place? No. Only a foreigner is expected to.

You deserve better and should not have to arrive and live in such a bad place. Paid training should be required of all hogwans. Guess the government doesn't care that their young citizens get taught at exploitive schools.

[Italy37612]

For the roach problem you can try the hillbilly bug bomb. Just heat a can of Raid up on your stove, stand by the door, shoot the can with a BB gun, and shut that door tight.

[NYC_Gal]

[ThingsComeAround]

Forget Itaewon.

Get yourself to Bupyeong (as its easy to reach and still "in Incheon") and just walk around till u see some foreigners.

See Itaewon during the day, then return at night. Big diff

[Hotwire]

^^

Come on man, some of us do have some b#lls and a sense of adventure and are not scared or upset by some rowdyness, lewdness or grit.

Jeez some people would have you believe Itaewon at night is some circle of hell when really it is kind of fun and tame.