Korean Job Discussion Forums

[isitts]

Hello,
I'm about 4 months from completing my second contract at my public school (ends mid-July). It was the last administration that hired me and then recontracted me. But last September, new principal and VP came in and it's a different school now.

Personality conflicts don't bother me that much. I can still do my job. But those conflicts combined with their attempts and future intentions of violating my contract regarding paid vacation, long story short, they don't want to keep me and I don't want to stay.

My primary question is how to go about changing public schools if you can't get a good reference from the current administration. GEPIK office tells me I can just apply for schools that are hiring around the same time my contact ends, then just transfer my documents to the new school.

But what is the best way to do that? If I apply for multiple schools and they all want my documents, do I just photocopy everything and send it? Or do I just send my resume out to schools until I get accepted and then send the docs?

Has anyone ever used a recruiter when they were already in Korea? Seems like they'd be able to reach more schools than I could on my own.

I'm sorry if these questions seem a bit naive (they are), but I've never changed jobs from within a foreign country.

A few more bits of information... I am still in contact and on good terms with the last principal (he and my co-teacher are good friends). I know I can at least list him as a reference. But wondering if I can get his letter instead of the new principal to document my time at my school (to keep my pay scale).

He (my former principal) says he can check and let me know of other schools that will need new teachers this summer, but I don't want to bank on that completely.

Two other options I'm considering...
1. Move to a hagwon, rendering the new administration's opinion of me moot.
2. Go teach in another country, which I've been considering anyway.

I'd like to stay in Korea, if possible, using the documents I have. It'll be difficult to get a new letter from my school in Japan documenting my experience there (since by the time I finish here, the last teacher who knows me at my Japanese school will have been transferred).

Anyway, I'll start with that. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks, in advance!

[myenglishisno]

If all our previous Principals and VP's opinions were taken seriously by our future employers then most of us would be unemployed right now. I think I'm a damn good teacher and I worked at a PS last year where every single person in there hated me from day one. Before that, I worked in a PS for a year and a half where they all loved me and threw me a party when I left.

I wouldn't get bent out of shape over it.

[NohopeSeriously]

I would rather worry about your co-teacher. Co-teachers directly influence your performance more than the VP. This is the usual adage in PS.

[tanklor1]

I recently been through a similar situation. My school got a new Principal and Vice-Prinicple a few months ago. I don't have any personal problems with any of my co-workers but my new principle, in his infinite wisdom, decided that they wanted a "young female". (I'm glad that he's looking for someone with proper qualifications.)

I promptly sent resumes out to a lot of recruiters and landed three contracts. I decided on a hogwan job and had my Principle sign my transfer letter.

Now, I'm justing waiting out my contract and no one at the school holds any weight over me. Which is actually quite refreshing.

There's life beyond public; don't be afraid to venture out into it.

[isitts]

[isitts]

[isitts]

[Caffeinated]

Try asking the BOE instead of your school in Japan for a proof of employment letter or certificate.

At SMOE you can apply for a transfer after 3 years.

[Fishead soup]

There's a good chance your Principal might be judging your ability to teach from an Observation he made from the hallway while glancing into your class. This is not a fair evalution. If you were doing anything even remotely student centered it might be easy for him to misintereperate this as bad teaching. Have a meeting with him. Find out exactly what he saw from the hallway while doing a half ass attempt to evaluate your ability. Most of my activities would look pretty bad to an elderly man who's idea of good teaching is soeone glued to the front of the class lecturing.

Make it clear you expect fair evalutions in future. Whether you choose to change the seating plan and use peer dictation, or any other activity that can be misinterepretated by someone who thinks the cummunicative approach is an STD.

[winterfall]

[Ramen]

this is my 5th year at my school and i've had two vp and p over the years. they all want me to stay at my school as long as i want. i'm not with smoe though.

as for the op, if your p and vp don't like you, you're almost done with your ps career in korea. start looking for a hagwon job.

[Fishead soup]

[isitts]

Look, you guys The administration is not going to keep me unless they somehow feel compelled to by the parents (as in they go and complain to the BOE about me not getting recontracted). But it's unlikely the administration will care. Soju isn't going to fix this.

What I need to know is how to work at another publiuc school and maintain my pay scale.

Also would like to know best way to transfer my documents.

Yes, I know the hagwons and teaching in another country are options. And If I choose those, I have no doubt I'll get hired.

But I'd like to know how to stay in the public school system and keep my pay scale (I know I don't get a raise when I change schools, but I don't want the last two years to go undocumented).

I already suspected what Ramen mentioned. But I'm looking for a way around that.

Also, this is not SMOE. If I don't get recontracted with my school, I can look for another PS job. GEPIK office said I could.

[isitts]

[isitts]