Korean Job Discussion Forums

[leigh.s.foo]

Hello,

Just in need of a little advice, please! So, Ive been offered a job at this school through GEPIK. The work conditions seem great but I've heard mixed reviews about the students who attend this school. I can't imagine it be so horrible that i wouldnt be able to put up with it for the year but I'd like some opinions! Especially if you know anything about this school. The recruiters were pretty honest and told me straight up that the students were a bit wild, but said that they seemed to have gotten on ok with the previous english teacher. Anyways any advice is appreciated! Thanks!

Leigh

[andrewchon]

What's the worst that can happen? They are not going to pay attention to you and sleep or muck-up major in the classroom. If so, that'll be the best opportunity for you to learn classroom management skills. As for the reputation of the school: on Korean web, there are many who wish to transfer to that school but has some misgivings due to its rep. Still, it is a gov designated school for manufacturing automation, so many are interested. So, if you are looking for bus-ride, then give it a pass. If you are looking for a challenge then give it a go.

[Tyshine]

Well if it doesn't bother you that you will teach them little to nothing and that the class will be a bunch of loud chatter, then go for it.

[iggyb]

Try to get the last teacher's contact information - especially email - and ask what advice they have - what worked for them. Find out how helpful or not the Korean co-teachers were in terms of discipline.

Find out if the previous teacher had anybody he had gone to for worst-case situations -- was there another teacher or admin person he could count on for help if needed for an unruly class or student.

In elementary school, the class' homeroom teacher is often a useful go-to person when you really have to - either for individual students or the whole class. I'm not sure about high schools.

I seem to remember hearing that some high schools have a VP or special teacher set aside for discipline issues.

If you talk to the previous teacher or your primary co-teacher who is supposed to help you out, and you formulate a plan on what you'll do in a worst case situation, it should give you some confidence before you step into the room...

Find out how many classes a day he had. I believe it can vary somewhat depending on the size of the school.

My elementary school generally had 4 40 minute classes a day. I was generally done by lunch everyday but 1 which was completely full and 1 where I finished teaching at 10:30. One complaint some have about public school jobs is the amount of time you have with nothing to do...

Which is good in your case.

Actual teaching hours are usually light, and you'll have much time during working hours to either unwind from horrible classes or put in extra planning trying to make them better.

And you won't likely be taking work home with you. Your free time outside the school will be your own. That is one of the primary benefits of the public school jobs over hakwons...

That should get you through a year even if the students turn out to be a problem...

It's a technical high school, so, they will probably be students who did not care much about English in earlier studies unlike some other kids whose Korean parents have been pushing them since the cradle...

You'll have to work harder at motivating them if possible...

One thing to look for is trying to figure out how much of their bad behavior or inattention is due to an unwillingness to cooperate and how much is a front for being lost by what you're trying to get them to do.

I've heard high school teachers have more freedom than many elementary expats get. I had to work at getting mine to allow me to do more than stick to the textbook, but all they really wanted me to do was play games with them.

If you control of the classes, that can be daunting with difficult students, especially low level ones, but the freedom gives you the ability to experiment.

If you do have control of the class and material, try to find ways to connect with the student's interests. Try to show you are interested in what they like and think and that you are putting in the effort to make the class material reflect it.

It will win over some difficult students even if it might not win over the whole class.

Don't try to be their friend, but trying to tie class activities to their daily lives and interests can help.

Be strict at the start of a semester and loosen up as the weeks progress if the class warrants it. It's almost impossible to do it the other way around if you run into a difficult class...

I like low level classes in some ways, because everything can be useful for them. It isn't hard to create material that they can use in everyday life, because they don't know much.

Overall, unless you run into a really wild school, I think you'll be OK.

Like I said, even if the classes leave you ready to pull your hair out frequently, the class and workload is generally so light, you'll probably be able to leave it behind you once you step off campus most days.

Like someone else said above, if you do have control of the class from the co-teacher and the freedom to experienment, you'll learn a lot about teaching fast.

Even experienced teachers take some time to adjust to a new school.

You'll have a lot of free time during working hours to try to adapt...

[leigh.s.foo]

Thank you all SO much! I've been thinking about it and im going to accept the offer. I was told the students werent the most well behaved students in the world but they did like the previous native english teacher. I keep thinking the same thing (pretty much what everyone else is saying) "Whats the worst that could happen". They couldnt possibly be worse that Australian students, haha. Thanks again guys, you've really made me feel better about my decision! C:

[iggyb]

I've read here about 1 high school teacher whose students would curse at him in English and Korean and sounded like real delinquents. That's an extreme. But, I try to imagine what it would be like to have 4 40 minute classes like that...and be done with them by noon....

I had one rotten class in elementary school in Korea. A class the whole school (the teachers) talked about. A class at the end of the year all the homeroom teachers prayed they wouldn't get the next.

I would sometimes dread the days I had them. And the first semester, they did tend to make my whole day in school bad, but I didn't take my work home with me. Which is a huge difference from my teaching here in the US or even in some of the hakwons in Korea.

Maybe if you every class was a grind each day, it would stick with you once you went home, and make life in Korea a grind. But, it's hard to imagine a situation that bad.

The class load in public schools (usually) is just so light.

If you could hold out and get another position fairly easily, I'd do it, but jobs are much harder to come by in Korea these days.

[leigh.s.foo]

Yes, I totally agree. I'm pretty thick skinned (youngest of 4 boys). So, name calling and things like that tend to just roll off my back. Ive been looking for work for about 2 months. The location of this job is perfect and I wont be alone. I chose this location as I have korean friends living in this area. I did the TaLK program for 2 years which was working as an after school English teacher and the school i worked at then also had a bad rep. and it wasnt nearly as bad as people had described! Anyway, Thanks again! C: really looking forward to this job and if it turns out horrible, its only a year! I can put up with it! >