Korean Job Discussion Forums

[robinsoncrusoe]

I'd like to maintain a blog while teaching in Korea, but I keep hearing instances where teachers get fired for airing their grievances online - however minor the grievance may be. However, I'd still like to maintain an honest and open mode of communication with friends back home.

One option I heard of was password-protecting your Wordpress blog, so only friends who have the password can read them.

I don't feel like I'm hiding anything from the people I'll meet in Korea, but isn't a certain level of privacy important to all of us? Like if something funny happens at my job and I want to blog about it, but the person involved in the incident may be offended.

Anybody else come up against this issue? Or better yet, found a workable solution?

[Slowmotion]

Which bloggers have been fired before?

[Auslegung]

I did this for a year last time I came, but I don't think I ever really had anything too negative to say. A couple of things, though. Don't friend any of your coworkers on facebook, or GUARANTEED things will get back to your boss, regardless of how innocent they seemed. Also, never tell anyone you're writing a blog. Also, be aware that they are still going to find your blog if they search for it, so be PC with everything you write. If you can't do all 3, then definitely password protect or something similar. Is there a way to blog on Facebook, but only allow certain people access to that? Or maybe you could just do an email group.

[gem]

You may be able write candidly through an email blog using an email address that you create specifically for certain friends to contact you.

[Underwaterbob]

Yep. Just blog anonymously and only tell those you want to know who you are.

[Smee]

You can invite-only a blogspot blog. Provided you don't use your real name and don't name your school or your co-teachers, I don't think there will be any negative consequences. But you might not want to be so elusive when writing to friends or family, so an invite-only thing might work best. That just limits your ability to connect with other people, if that's something you're interested in.

I was a blogger who got in trouble at school a few times for what I wrote about current events and about the English industry. There was another blogger not renewed by his university for writing that Dokdo was Japanese.

[northway]

[Slowmotion]

[Cedar]

You can be friends with Korean co-workers on FB. But you should understand Korean culture well enough to know how things will be perceived and then choose what to post based on whether you care or not. As for blogging, you don't need to mention to anyone you work with that you blog. I had an anonymous blog years ago, never wrote my name on it, used my then boyfriend's initial, etc. Now I have a public blog, my name is allover it. Whatever. I don't do anything I'm ashamed of.

[robinsoncrusoe]

[northway]

A much better rule would be to not post stupid crap on Facebook.

[TECO]

EFL teachers have been fired, or not renewed, for what they've written on their
TESOL blogs. Don't mention your current employer. If you have anything controversial to say leave it for after you quit and find and new job.

But then if the new school you're looking to work for finds out that you keep a blog and have written negative comments about your previous school(s), they might not want to hire you.

[Hokie21]

[robinsoncrusoe]

[gem]

"Don't friend any of your coworkers on Facebook? You people are ludicrously paranoid."


It's foolish to befriend Korean coworkers on FB if you plan to blog honestly about what happens in Korea, whether it directly involves them or not. You have to ask yourself if you have a politically correct personality and can naturally censor yourself. If so, you can befriend your coworkers but I still wouldn't recommend it. You will have to be super careful because Koreans are SO easily offended. Are FB friends worth more than your paycheck? Personally, I'd rather walk over hot coal or shovel sh !t than constantly "save face" for the Koreans, so I avoid FB altogether.