Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yaya]

I have an American friend who taught at a hakwon for a year in Seoul. For reasons she doesn't understand, her former hakwon director has badmouthed her to every prospective employer asking for a reference. She covered classes when teachers made a midnight run and tried to get along, yet this happened.

Anyone have any advice for her?

[allovertheplace]

What is her situation, is she in Korea now or back in the states?

In Korea - My first boss was a complete nut so I actually just told my prospective bosses my old hagwon folded and I dont have the contact info. (common enough in Korea)

Back in the states - I actually just tell people the boss speaks very little to no english and I dont put the exact name of the school on my resume. Something more like, English Instructor, Academy Level, Seoul South Korea

I feel bad for her though because I know exactly what its like. I was the only foreigner who completed the contract and was treated terribly because the other left.

[Skippy]

Your friend probably did the unthinkable and they did not resign with the school!

Right now the piece of advice I would give is this.

"It is not what you have done for me in the past, it is what you can do for me right now."

People all over the world have to remember this. Your friend could have given a kidney to the boss and still once it is said and done, the boss will say thanks and would still bad mouth them. She gets nothing in return for saying anything good now. In a sense the boss may get some satisfaction from bad mouthing the person.

So your friend might need to go back to the school and ask what they are doing? and Why? She may need to do something to get her to back off. Apologize for past slights even if not deserved, maybe pay back what they think they owe. Even getting in their face might stop them. So what can you do for them Now. ALSO your friend might want to explain to them "what they can DO TO them NOW". Bad mouth, blacklist the school, start a legal fight, etc.

OR

your friend could just not give the information needed to contact the past boss. She should just say "Hey I completed a contract, that is a years experience" I would prefer you not to call them as they will bad mouth me. If they press the point and want to contact very simply say Okay but they will bad mouth me and give an example and simple give your truth. Do not spin ling stories and many examples. You just want to prime the school you want to work at that when they call the other school they will take what they say with a whole lot more skepticism.

I have been lucky in this regard. Is I have done a year and a bit more with each school I worked with. So if they say I was a bad teacher I would just point out that if I was so bad why did I work MORE then a year each time Would the school have not fired me or not renewed me if was a bad teacher.

[Cedar]

Yaya, you should have suggested this already- but if she's in Korea (and otherwise why would the boss get calls, I mean who is going to call international to a hagwon for a rec?), then she needs to stop by with a thoughtful gift (dept. store gift of 80,000 won approx value that is CLEARLY from the dept. store- like a giant Lotte gift basket) and "reminisce" with the boss about how "the two of us worked hard, even if those other cads ran off" and tell the boss how much she misses her. Be very careful not to get roped into working for her again, but leave promising to visit again. Have someone who will call 15 minutes after you arrive, but as soon as you sit down with the cup of tea from the hot water cooler explain that you wanted to get there earlier, but you have to rush out in ten minutes because you've got to help someone with X, an emergency that arose after you got on the bus to come meet her with her gift. Try to leave before the friend calls.

[conrad2]

[tophatcat]

[Cedar]

egg-sucking whimpering dog pays 80,000 to get a good recommendation that she needs to get a better job... actually, it makes sense, strategically. Uncomfortable for 10 minutes, out some change, but problem solved.

[ajosshi]

[conrad2]

[v88]

I had the exact same thing happen.

I was trying to move up in the ESl world and trying to get out of the Hakwon gigs. I ended up working for another school that was in dire need of a teacher because one of their teachers had done a runner. I told them I would work for only 6 months to help them out, didn't ask for a pay increase and put faulty contact info for my boss. I had a reference letter written by a co-teacher instead who actually knew I was a good teacher and included old reference letters from older employers from back home as well as from my Korean teacher. It was enough for the new boss to forget about the lack or reference from my employer. I had a great time teaching for 6 months at the new school, got a great reference as I expected and then got the job I wanted 6 months later.

[earthquakez]

Yaya, I got a terrible reference from my old public school before I moved to my hagwon. It didn't matter I'd been renewed a few times. They quoted some vindictive comments made by students I'd kicked out of my classes for refusing to do any work or engage in anyway apart from trying to disrupt the class for other students.

The 'evaluations' quoted to the employers whose hagwons I applied to were pulled from the vindictive comments (jn Korean) of those students: Mr X speaks in Korean most of the class, Mr X is always late, Mr X sleeps in class etc
I knew what the problem was - 2 Korean English teachers, one a young petty female, one an arsoul older man in charge. I'd put my school and its phone number on my cv because I had no choice but didn't list a referee from that school. I told prospective employers who to ask for when they called but they were answered by the young teacher who promptly got the piece of work, emotionally troubled arsoul to slander me on the phone.

Luckily my soon to be employer told me about the 'evaluations' and laughed. We talked in Korean about them and he said how could I be renewed when all I did was sleep, come in late and speak in Korean? He thought it was rubbish and hired me.

In the case of your friend, why can't you be her referee? She could also use a different name for the hagwon if it also goes under another title which some of them do. Write her a reference in Korean and while not making it obvious she wasn't employed by you, praise her work ethic and commitment. It seems to be a real problem in Korea, this slagging off of former employees who did their job properly.

To an extent in my case I knew these two teachers would make trouble for me if they could but it really sucks where a teacher has done the right thing continually and has no idea that they are going to be slandered. In some cases I've heard of from public school teachers, that 'nice' co teacher they helped out and thought of as a friend has slagged them off subtley by saying things like "Oh yes they were a good teacher BUT the students said their classes were not interesting....." Seems the female K teachers who do this have a specialty in the art of knifing a foreigner's reputation.

[ajosshi]