Korean Job Discussion Forums

[philinkorea]

Im just in my second year in Korea and really enjoying it, teaching adults now. Ive thought about trying to ultimately get into a university perhaps. I guess the longer time goes on here. You get used to some negatives of Korea, have a good time and start learning Korean then finally get into a uni job. I mean the free apartment and the massive vacations, 18 hours per week. Do you have anything to go back to once youve got into one of those positions and after taking a few years to get there.

[rapier]

i assume you have your M.A ready for a university job..?
Anything to go back to? I think once you have an M.a in linguistics, the esl jobs start getting better and better worldwide.

[canukteacher]

I hate to burst your bubble Phil, but for that great apartment (choke choke) 18-21 hours per week, and massive vacations (what is your definition of massive?) you might have to do a bit of work. I love working at my uni, but we do work, and alot of us live in teeny weeny studio apartments, sometimes looking at the dormitory where many of our students live. But, the positives do far outweigh the negatives. I just think you should be prepared that the uni job might not be as perfect as you envision. Make sure that reality is ruling when you sign on the dotted line, and check out the accomodation first!

Good Luck! (and yes I hope you have an MA)

And for you second question......if I never shovel snow again it will not be too soon. My next job will hopefully be in a country with NO winter ...aren't opportunities what you make??

CT

[Arthur Fonzerelli]

[rapier]

[Homer]

Fonzie,

Really now, if you miss the challenging career, and the challenge and thrill of achieving things in the west then go West son...go West.

[rapier]

[dutchman]

Why all the hostility towards the fonz? He speaks the truth. University jobs are far from challenging. I, too, am looking forward to going back home and having far more options than just teaching.

Before Homer and Rapier tell me to leave, it's already planned. Less than a year.

[Kyrei]

I disagree with the previous poster that university jobs are not challenging. Certainly they can be a walk in the park, but if one thinks of oneself as an eductor and attempts to put into practice what was learned in the course of that Masters of Applied Linguistics course (for example) then it can indeed be quite a challenge to actually educate students within the parameters set by the school - 16 weeks of 2 hours a week per class, minus holidays, as well as MT trips and any other spurious reasons not to have a class. Never mind in-class 1 hour midterm and final exams. I remember exams in my university and these cannot compare.

I love my job - especially the challenge of it. The benefits are the few teaching hours and long, free semester breaks, but I think those benefits are earned by quality and professional teaching during the semester. I design my own course and make it fit the students. I actually teach them something - and since I am in the "General Education" (read "Liberal Arts") Department, I get to teach them about more than just ways to say things in English. I actually get to teach them about education, the world around them, and how to think. Although the last item listed there depends entirely on how much effort they put into the course.

Grades are (unfortunately) competitive since only a certain percentage can get A or B grades. Therefore I mark them according to the scale I have set for the class and if those grades don't fit the school's grade quota appropriately then I rank the grades and bell curve appropriately. As much as I hate doing that, I have told all the students from Day One (and reminded them throughout) that even if your grade for me is 92/100 that does not necessarily mean an A if there were enough people ahead of you to qualify for all the A grades. Every day 'sick' that they take, every half-assed homework assignment, etc. counts against them when stacked against the students who actually try to do the work assigned. I find the challenge to be making a course that pushes all the students equally, despite their inherent advantages (for example, rich students that went to hogwans versus country students fresh to the city or computers) and to make it as fair and educational as possible.

Personally, I find anyone who does less is not deserving of the benefits of a university position.

Kyrei

[Arthur Fonzerelli]

[Real Reality]

Arthur Fonzerelli,

Good luck with the job hunt. I hope you find a good position soon.
Stay cool.

[Derrek]

if you're not someone looking to build up a resume to teach back home, some of the current high school conversation jobs are the hot-ticket items now. Hiring time is February, though.

16 to 18 hour weeks. Test days off. Summer and Winter vacations. No grading of homework at night (my school asked us not to give homework, because they get so much in other classes now).

Classes average 35, but they are usually pretty well-behaved at my school (except the girls whose greatest aspiration is to become a hairdresser).

[adventureman]

[Wishmaster]

The only "challenge" that you will be getting back home is the challenge of finding a decent paying job. Tons of competition for jobs and they won't kiss your little fanny like Korea does.

[Derrek]