Korean Job Discussion Forums

[myenglishisno]

My new job isn't that bad overall. I work four days a week and see the same students everyday (it's an adult hagwon). It's not at risk of going bankrupt because the owner's dad is rich or something (my guess) so it has stayed open for years even though I don't think it's ever made money. The classes are fine and my worst class still falls within the manageable range.

I didn't have much experience teaching adults before coming into this job so at first my boss didn't like my teaching style and he criticized me a fair amount. I did everything he asked, criticism mostly stopped, students told him they were happy with me and for the most part it's smooth sailing.

However I think he's kind of difficult and I'm really hoping it doesn't get worse and worse. The guy has a poor track record with most of his teachers in the past three or four years lasting only a few months before running off (some only a few days). I think I'm doing better because I've been here awhile and have met enough people like this to know what it's like. I took this job because my last hagwon ended abruptly and I had to find a new job quickly.

Here is all the annoying things that he does that upset me:

- He gave me a lot of little tasks in the beginning (open the hagwon, turn on the lights, set everything up in the morning etc). He explained some tasks in detail and didn't explain others at all. He makes fun of me regularly for not being able to do the tasks he didn't explain at all, for example, rebooting the printer which is always broken and needs to have a sequence entered in (it requires a bunch of digits that he only told me once in passing and didn't write down and he really got on my case about not being able to remember it). Even though I figured it out long ago and it hasn't been a problem, he still reminds me about it regularly. In a lot of cases, he's never told me where something is and when I ask him for it, he gives me a lecture about already having told me and how forgetful I am (I'm sure he hasn't told me and I'm not a forgetful person).

Every conversation starts with: "Why didn't you..." and always leads into something I wasn't aware of or something not in my control or something that I've already done and he's forgotten/confused about (in which case it still ends up being my fault).

- He forgets things all the time. Either he blames it on me or makes me pick up the slack for his mistakes. Quite often, I think he expects me to be psychic as I keep getting in trouble for things that there was no way I could have possibly have known.

- He's as cold as cold can be. I said 'good evening' or 'good morning' (split shifts) every day for weeks and he just glared at me and went back to what he was doing. In the past week, I decided to stop saying it because it's starting to irritate me that he doesn't answer (his English is really good and he's not doing anything so I figure he has no excuse not to). Anyway, tonight he told me that I need to go back to saying "good evening", accused me of being anti-social and then said that I needed to hang out in the lobby and talk to students, even if they weren't my students, in the half-hour or so before class.

- He says adults always want to come to class if they have a good teacher. If they don't come, it's my fault and I should call them and hound them about it. Sometimes this is true but frequently, I think that adults just get lazy and stop doing stuff or they get busy and can't come. I know this because I'm an adult too. I ran this by him after he asked me why some students who signed up on New Years stopped coming as often and he implied that I didn't know anything (again).

- He keeps changing the curriculum around. We're using standard conversation textbooks. At first I was going a bit too fast and doing two or so pages a day because I was nervous and not used to teaching adults. It was fair that he accused me of going way too fast so I slowed down to about one page a day or less. Then he said he wanted me to do the books in six months instead of three which means I should be covering one grammar point or one exercise on one page every day (give or take). This usually means that if I a stretch it, I can only make the class take up about half the class. I got "you're a teacher, make materials." This is all well and good but the way he's been adding classes, I'm actually teaching 35 classes a week now and not being paid for all of them.

- On my first paycheque, he didn't pay me for a class where the students never showed up (one student registered and I never saw them once). He said that if I don't teach, I don't get paid. I didn't think this was fair because it didn't say this in the contract so I got on his case about it and he paid me (which leads to my next point).

- Basically, he always wants the most for the least and I find that even when I'm doing everything to the best of my ability and even when I'm receiving no complaints at all from any of the students (on the contrary: I've tripled the enrollment in under two months and it's at it's highestpoint in three years), he'll dig something up and lord it over me.

- He also mentioned that he has little respect for "foreigners"/Westerners because we're selfish and we put ourselves ahead of our jobs and hide behind the contract or our social lives. He accused me of not caring for the students because I just showed up, did my job and went home (I usually come 30-60 minutes early and leave five minutes after my last class).

The thing is, I've had bosses like this before in Korea. This guy isn't actually that bad at all because when you work with adults, you didn't have to have the kind of intimate relationship with a boss you'd need when working with kids. I actually only talk to him once every two or three days. Still, this bugs me a bit and I feel that I'm going to give him a piece of my mind if he keeps railing at me.

I've described this to some of my Korean friends/girlfriend before and they say this kind of behaviour is really abnormal in Korea. I and many other foreigners I know have experienced this behaviour often, however this guy seems to embody all of it and more.

The other thing is that I've never worked in my home country outside of fast food and really low paying stuff. Is this just normal boss behaviour all over the world or is it a Korea thing? Or is it a hagwon thing? Or is it just me? Since I've had this experience more than once, I've really begun to wonder if I somehow attract these kinds of people or at least, bring this side out of them.

Any advice for dealing with this guy? To be honest, I get the vibe that he's kind of a bully and has always gotten what he's wanted in life.

I should also add that I'm not the sort that carries the contract around in their pocket as a shield. I believe in harmony and a working environment where I sometimes trade in some of my free time for more comfort, however in this case, I've been tempted to whip on the contract on a number of occasions.

[koreatimes]

[rollo]

Mom and Pop haggie?? probably makes a small profit. Yeah the guy sounds like a jerk. but he also expects you to be part of the team!! You sound like a good teacher and employee. You and the school are basically partners, your sucess depends on their success. Try a little honey first. Invite boss to dinner or for a couple of drinks. Talk with him, let him know you care about the school and doing a good job. Sometimes these things work out but if he continues to be a jerk look elsewhere. If you are not content at your job, it ruins everything. Good luck.

[Pa Jan Jo A Hamnida]

I don't see it getting better. Best find new work or leave.

[Rutherford]

Are you male or female OP?

My advice is:

1) Continue to do your job to the best of your ability. First priority is keeping the students happy, even if it means ignoring his requests. Do what he asks you to do to the best of your ability, but ignore things that are out of line.

2) Don't let him disrespect you, especially if you are close in age. Stand up for yourself in a professional, nonconfrontational way.

3) Try to get on his good side. A bit of sucking up is a part of the work environment here. Don't stop saying hello even if he doesn't respond. Ask him when the next work dinner is. If you're male, go out drinking with him.

[myenglishisno]

[ThingsComeAround]

[myenglishisno]

I've already switched jobs twice this year. The first time was because I was working at a hagwon that ended up having 16 hour working days (10-ish teaching hours). I quit because I couldn't take it.

The second job was a long story but basically I worked at a kid's hagwon with a ridiculously idiotic curriculum (a "dog and pony show just to please the parents" but on PCP ) , unrealistic expectations, cliquey co-workers and promotions that were offered on the basis of who could get the drunkest the most often. I ended up being fired from that one.

This time, I'm just sick of moving around. I just want to stay at one job. I'm a good teacher, I'm experienced and know that I am an asset to any school I'm in. The problem is that the last two hagwons I've worked at have treated me like garbage. This job is actually bearable with the exception of this boss and he's only like this a few times a week. Plus at I get three day weekends and I can take national holidays off (at my last two jobs I had to work a morning schedule on national holidays).

It's not that I like the abuse. If I liked the abuse, I'd still be back at the first hagwon I worked at this year. I'm staying at this hagwon because I'm tired and actually, considering everything, it's the best job I've had in awhile.

I am looking to stay and somehow smooth it over.

[itistime]

Another poster said:
"You are being taken advantage of by him because you are allowing it."

Stop being a lil' beach. Pretty long list of complaints.
I still don't understand why people subject themselves to these
conditions. You're obviously not happy. Only you can control it.
Good luck.

[Mix1]

Sounds similar to a former male boss of mine. Eggo tripper who disrespects foreigners. Has some kind of personal vendetta. He was a jerk and a bully until we stood our ground, which intimidated him, then he backed off but became passive aggressive (very common here among the males unfortunately).

If you are nice, you can get him to like you, but he won't respect you.

If you are strong and direct and stop taking shit, he may respect you, but may hate you or like you. It's a gamble.

Gamble. It's better for your soul. Stop taking shit.

[Handsome Boy]

Take your boss outside and thrash the living daylights out of him. Koreans only understand brute force.

Job done = problem solved.

[Handsome Boy]

Grab hold of your boss and thrash the living daylights out of him.

Koreans only understand a smack around the earhole.

Problem solved.

[Handsome Boy]

Grab hold of your boss and thrash the living daylights out of him.

Koreans only understand a smack around the earhole.

Problem solved.