Korean Job Discussion Forums

[some waygug-in]

I am not sure how this is going to get played out, but it seems that the boss expects me to create and entire textbook and curiculum materials
for his crappy little hagwan, so he can sell it at over inflated prices to the next starry-eyed student.

I can't get over this. Korea has an overabundance of really fine resource material, texts, coursebooks etc. But this guy expects me to do everything right from scratch and then put it all in book form for him so he can sell it. How stupid can these guys get? Does he really think I will be able to write a decent textbook? I'm just a teacher, not a course designer.

ARGHHHHHHHHHH!

What a bunch of crapolla! I guess I may be looking for a job again soon.


cheers

[phaedrus]

I think you could do a fine job, but of course you should get paid accordingly.

Although it is a 'duty', this is a major task.

Now if you are teaching two or three hours per day, well that would be fine I suppose.

[Gord]

Top-tier acadamies like Park-Jeung require their teachers to all write their own books and voice recordings. It's how the big boys play.

Though I would ask to be paid extra, as the big boys all pay more.

[some waygug-in]

No I won't be getting paid anything extra to do this. I will still be expected to do regular prep work and teach 6 classes a day.

Uggg.

[Skarp]

The answer is an obvious NOOOOOOOOO!

But I suggest you stall.

Obfuscate......


I am looking into it...

I am nearly finished......


It will be really good when it is done...

In fact - use any of the excuses Koreans routinely use on us when they won't do something.....they don't even seem to see through it!!!


In the meantime buy a couple of decent books and photocopy them. Don't worry about the punitative fines you will be liable for for illegal copying - this is Korea after all......

By the time your boss finds out you will be long gone....



Skarp

[just because]

Yeah...forget that.

I can see why he would want a textbook but I would be asking for appropriate rates.

Whtaever that is i don't know though.

[mindmetoo]

Me thinks you should take a line from The Producers. He wants a textbook does he? Hmmmm... "Spring Time for Emperor Hirohito" would make a fine title for a textbook.

[Derrek]

How about this:

"Speaking English West of the Sea of Japan."

[phaedrus]

Negotiate a payment, and then just type an already existing book onto computer.......


Really though you should get about 2 million won, depending on the size or the quality. Making an average book would take four weeks of work.

[some waygug-in]

Thanks for your ideas. I have pondered the idea of just roughly copying and existing book, just making it more localized. Using place names near here etc. But that's still a ton of extra work, and what for?

There are tons, and I mean tons, of EFL textbooks to choose from here.
It's not like good resources are hard to come by or anything. The stalling tactic sounds like my best strategy.

How's this for a title: No more Hagwans! Learn English on your own!
an English self teaching course for Koreans.

Anyway, thanks again for your comments.

Cheers

[Ya-ta Boy]

It is likely the guy made a mistake with his verb. He probably didn't mean he wants you to 'write' a textbook, he just wants you to raid all the quality ones and steal the good stuff.

My boss did that. I suggested we use Interchange Intro with our adult beginners. He said we couldn't ask our students to buy one, but if the teachers found some additional activities from other sources to use with Interchange, then he could have all of it copied and printed up as a book. He was concerned with copyright infringement.

[Bulsajo]

I done it (including illustrations) and it's a monumental task. You definitely need time (i.e. reduced teaching schedule), extra salary, and resources in order to do this.

[TJ]

I agree with the others who warned that writing a book is a big job.

Six years ago in Australia I was employed full time for 4 months to write an environmental management handbook for farmers. The workload would have been similar to writing a text book for ESL students.

There is no way you could do a similar job whilst also teaching 6 classes a day.

If your employer insists that you do it you should ask for more money plus you should cancel your social life for at least 4 months.

[kangnamdragon]

Please don't write a textbook if you are not qualified. It could affect the quality of education. I am sure you are a fine teacher, but contents development is a different ball game.

[some waygug-in]

I am the first to admit that I am not qualified to write a textbook. No arguments there. I am still not sure what this guy wants. It may turn out that he wants me to do as suggested above, and just collect materials from various sources. I already do that, but I would still like the students to have a book to work from. I am thinking of suggesting English firsthand.

I guess I will see what happens in the coming months.


I have no intentions of writing a bad textbook - unless this guy wants to force me to do it, in which case I will write the worst textbook possible.

Some thing like, "Englishee Night mary - my boss isan anus and other useless idiotic expressions".
Sub-titled - the idiot's hand book.