Korean Job Discussion Forums

Wisco Kid · Joined: 07 Sep 2004 Location: Changwon

There's a male Korean teacher at my hagwon, in his 30's. I've noticed more and more often lately that he has a habit of going up to the female students and patting them on the back or shoulders while he stands really close--as if he was half-hugging and half-petting them. He does this with the 7-year-olds all the way up to the high schoolers. I've noticed that sometimes the girls look like their obviously bothered by this, but probably because of their culture, they don't say anything.

He's been doing this more frequently of late, and combined with his increased tooth-sucking and increased stinking like an ash-tray, he gets my vote for "Most disgusting employee of the month".

This is really a rhetorical post, but I just had to vent.

itaewonguy · Joined: 25 Mar 2003

alot of korean men are like this..
they come across gay or slimely..

Mashimaro · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Location: location, location

probably a perv. sexual harassment seems pretty rife here.

the eye · Joined: 29 Jan 2004

if you hear the girls mutter "byun-tae", the verdict is in.

just because · Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964

Ask the girls if they think he is a butter man????

FUBAR · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: The Y.C.

Had a co-worker like that before. A 50 year old guy from the US with severe repressed anger issues. For two years at the hogwon, he would tell most of the Korean female teachers and staff how sexy they looked or he would pet one of their arms. They didn't tell the director because they thought she might not believe them. He hated on all the guys because we were "Liberal Canadians"

After working at the hagwon, he changed jobs to some corporate teaching job near Seoul. About one month into the job, he calls the previous hagwon asking for help because he might be fire for..... Sexual Harassment.

I heard he is still in Seoul somewhere. Goes to show, there are weirdos everywhere.

This guy gets my vote for slimiest Teacher of the year AND Saddest Teacher of the year.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Hard call. Everyone is family in Korea. A stranger can pat a kid on the head and the mother doesn't scream child kidnap attempt. Then again, Koreans aren't known for great physical affection towards their children. I'd not think some level of physical affection between a teacher and his students is freaky.

ajstew · Joined: 04 Feb 2004 Location: Korea

I agree with Itaewonguy... he's probably slimely gay.

red dog · Joined: 31 Oct 2004

Can your hagwon ask its employees to attend some kind of lecture about what kind of behaviour is/isn't acceptable? I think it's also important to educate the kids about personal safety/boundary issues. Maybe you could initiate this kind of program?

Swiss James · Joined: 26 Nov 2003 Location: Shanghai

yeah he's gay alright- all that hugging of highschool girls. Rolling Eyes

I used to get freaked out by all the physical contact when I first came over here, now I'm OK with it, but it would make it hard to tell when a Korean's being inappropriate.

chiaa · Joined: 23 Aug 2003

red dog · Joined: 31 Oct 2004

I don't claim to be an expert on what's acceptable here, but I don't think some clueless hagwon director has the final word on it either. IMO these kids need to be encouraged to stand up for their boundaries, because sooner or later many of them are going to face bad situations and need to know how to deal with them. I agree Wisco is in a difficult position, though.

rapier · Joined: 16 Feb 2003

I'm no pyeontae, but I think some kids here enjoy being hugged, picked up and thrown around. Maybe because they don't seem to get much physical contact at home?Dunno. Plenty of shy/ troublesome kids behave better if you occasionally swing them round or arm-wrestle them, etc.
But of course everyone, (including the kids, I'd say), knows the difference between a sleaze and a genuine teacher.

Yesterday · Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 4:28 am Post subject: freaky teachers

Wisco Kid · Joined: 07 Sep 2004 Location: Changwon

There's no way he's gay, just gross.

On a side note, my female director is really touchy-feely. She often kisses students on the cheeks, and she gets a special kick out of embarassing the boys by sneaking up behind them and kissing them on the cheek before they can take evasive action. Shocked

If this were a western country there'd be lawsuits flying left, right and center.

I've already decided that I'm not gonna do a damn thing about any of this.
I've learned there is a time and place to keep your mouth shut.