Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Grotto]

Okay here it is.

Since I have arrived at my school I feel that I have been lied to. I had no apartment for the first month! On September 11'th the apartment became vacant and I seriously would have put a dog in it. Mold on the walls, the floor, in the cupboards, on the screens, holes in the floor, broken windows, holes in the screens. I waited patiently and they were fixing things up slowly but surely. I myself spent about 20 hours over 3 days in it cleaning up the mold and mildew in the cupboards, the dirt and nicotine off the light fixtures, windows and everywhere else.

Then I was told everything would be ready by the 20'th...it did not happen! All this with Chuseok coming up. I had to go in and literally bang on the desk on Thursday and say why isnt there any furniture? My co-teacher said maybe by Saturday...yeah right with Chuseok coming maybe Saturday!

What pisses me off the most is that I could have ordered all the furniture and had it delivered in 2 days. So I get into my apartment on September 24'th finally. Then they forget to pay me! Oh I am sorry we forgot to pay you! Makes you wonder! Oh yeah when I finally got in my apartment she informed me I should give my hosts 200,000 won!

Okay so I come back after Chuseok and I am ready to put September behind me and start with a new attitude.

My classroom is still not ready...a computer is in it but nothing is installed or hooked up! I ask for some pens and am told I have to buy my own! On October 5'th my computer is finally hooked up...a couple of days later my air conditioner arrives along with a fax machine!?!(what do I need a fax machine for?) On October 7'th I get a printer....oh yeah I almost forgot! My computer only has a cd read write...no floppy...all the other computers at the school have floppys and CD roms but no read writes!

Now on last Thursday my co-teacher tells me I must give her lesson plans for the special classes, grades 3/4, 5/6 and teachers. I must have all these plans for the rest of the month done by Friday evening! Now we dont have a book for the special classes yet so how do you plan out a month or two of plans without having a book to do it? Not realistic in my opinion. I buckle down and give her the lesson plans as she demanded!

Now on Friday she tells me I have to go in to Suwon and buy the books for the special classes. So I go in on Saturday on my own time and dollar and go to the book store for the second week in a row to pick out the books for the students. I decide on Lets Go 4 and a phonics book which looked pretty decent. I pick up a book of idioms for the teachers class and a couple of other items. I arrange to have it shipped back to the school on Monday as it is a bit much for one person to carry. Then I get to school on Monday present my coteacher the bill and she seems fine with it but then this afternoon in my special class she goes off on me for ordering these books...NO we have to discuss it with parents, the Principal, and her before we buy them so she sends them back!

Now look at the time and cost I have put into researching the books: Lets do some math shall we? Two round trips to Suwon 11,600 won...two hours of my time.....16,000 won of cab rides.....about 3 hours in book stores reading through material and making decisions. Now my overtime rate at the school is 20,000 so lets just call it that. 7 hours of time x 20,000+16,000+11,600=167,600 won out of my pocket.

Then she demands plans up to January for the 3/4, 5/6 and teachers special classes and this is today! These must be done by Wednesday! I refuse to plan out lessons when the book hasnt even been chosen. I have also talked to several other people in the program and none of them have had to provide 3 months worth of plans in 2-3 days.

Keep in mind that that I have only had my classroom up and running for about 7 days.

I feel that my co-teacher resents my presence. She constantly brings up the fact that I get Saturdays off, am paid much money and you must study harder....you must study more. All the other teachers I work with think my lessons are well done. I am incorporating games and activities that I believe the students are enjoying as well. I am not goiing to jump through hoops for the rest of the year to keep her happy. She needs to back the hell off and give proper notice. I told her that I require one weeks notice for any paperwork.

She often claims 'I forgot...oh sorry...I forgot' her forgetfulness is not my responsibility.

I am a hell of a good teacher but without proper equipment and notice I find it difficult to do my job properly.

Like a mature adult I talked to my coteacher and solved the problems...unlike dumbass Joe Thanks who got his immature ass fired for being a danger to children!

[justagirl]

That sounds really frustrating, especially when you feel like you're doing a good job and not getting enough recognition for the effort you're putting into your job.

It's really too bad your co-teacher isn't more appreciative or helpful with all of the things you have to get done. It could very well be possible that she feels resentful towards you for some unknown reason.

I hope the rest of your week goes a bit better, and as you get into the program the next couple of months, perhaps things will calm down.

I don't know if it will help, but maybe you could start to compliment your co-teacher on what she is doing. I know you probably don't feel like giving her compliments, but it could certainly help soften up the situation. Let her know that you appreciate what she does for the classes and that you're glad you have such a dedicated co-teacher to work with. That whole "honey attacts more flies than vinegar" thing my mom always told me about.

As far as the whole apartment mess goes--thank goodness you finally are in your own place! I'm sure it was really difficult having to live with a host family when you just wanted to relax in privacy. I would hope that you recommend that the school pay the hosts. It's pretty clear that they are responsible for your housing, from what I understand in your situation. That means they should take care of the "gift" to the hosts. If they didnt' want to pay for that, they really should have had your apartment ready when promised. I'm sure you agree.

Hang in there!
justagirl

[adventureman]

Another post showing how much of a joke the EPIK program is.

[Grotto]

Im in the GEPIK program.

Justagirl

I tried the compliment route for the last month. Things like:

Wow you sure are busy..you are a good worker.

I know things are tough right now but in time it will be better.

Great lesson today we make a good team.

That was a great job coteaching today.

I think we are doing a great job together.

Right now I just feel like smacking her!

I am going to take a sick day tomorrow as I am so stressed out! I also have a sore throat and my allergies are kicking in. It is harvest time out here in the countryside and the dust and chaf being kicked up from the rice is pretty bad. Give me time to calm down a bit too.

[Zyzyfer]

[captain kirk]

I guess every school is different. You're sent out to some school and the cast of characters, and apt., is different than the next guy's. The administrative totem poll and snafus are annoying I'm sure. She sends you off bali bali for books then boomerangs them back complaining it's too expensive. Like, waiter!.
I did the public school thing in Taiwan for a semester. We were paid by a bidder that got the contract to provide f-teachers to public schools. Our orientation was three weeks, paid lodging. Then we were sectioned off to our schools. Some had one, others had five f-teachers. My job, since I was 'poster boy' at the orientation /more expereience, was to wait by the phone in case someone at one of the schools didn't show up for work, still I got paid.
Right off the head honcho asked I teach two classes of highschool, since 'I wouldn't be working much, he thought'. I asked if it was optional, this request, and he said sure. So I said no. Sounds reasonable enough. But he lost face, or something, and gave me the slanty eyed stare from then on. I had a motorbike and three days a week went to schools in the city where a teacher was sick or hungover and didn't make it to work. It was a blast. They gave me a map to find the schools and it was lots of variety.
Some teachers were nestled into good schools, others had somewhat freaky admin/co-teachers. I had a 'base school' of two days a week 9-5 with another f-teacher. One of my co-teachers, there were two, was FANTASTIC. The other sulked and thought I made too much money. There was an issue all-round that Taiwanese English teachers should be doing the teaching, not f-teacher imports. So it was like a political 'situation' with the co-teachers in some schools.
The fantastic co-teacher was like a 'mini-me' . We were up there in front of 40 1-4 graders as a performing team. No resentment, just flow. She was a terrific woman. The kind, like the head teacher at this current haggie, who responds to a permanent teaching job by going deep into care for the students, and positivity. Not running away into politics, resentment, divisions.
The awful co-teacher just watched me most of the time, and participated with a grudge. Showed up late, darted off as soon as class was over. Got irate at any irregularities, like she was 'the boss'. Like a disturbed child.
Each class has a home room teacher, who spends all day with the kids. They needed to be known and respected in the way suitable to them because it's their turf, their home room. Some opted officially to be the co-teacher, and they were a blast. Others didn't and disappeared for a well-deserved break. I had no classroom, but had a booth in the giant staffroom of booths.
About the kids, I recall, though it was two years ago, the sea of faces and the students who 'stood out' and their smiles, great attitude.
The accomodation was either provided, a sort of officetel in the city, rather expensive but choice with polished stone and a HUGE color TV. Or fend for yourself. I stayed in the officetel and watched 'Next Generation' or whatever that StarTrek show was, lying on the bed with my head a couple of feet from the huge TV. Across the street was a fruit stall market and big mangoes I'd chill overnight and eat for breakfast.
The best f-teacher at adjusting had taught public school and Indian reserves back in Canada and so was familiar with working in a public school. He was always modest, saying appropriate, complimentary things, taking an interest in the public school teachers. He didn't make waves and always watched his step. He was so involved in 'settling in' that he didn't travel the one hour by bus to Taipei until a semester had gone by . He paid a lot of attention to details and that included speaking and acting in a personable, low-key, kind way with everyone in the admin. Like, 'it's not what you know but who you know', and who you get along well with, making an effort to make it everybody, every moment, guaging how he came across. Like, 'others first'. He had it down to a lifestyle practically . Single guy, fiftiesh, boyish looking, didn't get out much. His choice.
The longest running TV series is the Brit 'situation soap' Coronation Street. The same same of public school/institution life, at least getting along with the admin/other teachers part, at its slooowwwest, reminded me of that. Dolor as a base to do something with. It reminded me alot of the dolor of being in school as a kid, year upon year, maybe that was it. I liked the laid back get to know people respectfully, deliberate and mellow approach of the aforementioned f-teacher/pro. In the Asian institution it works better, I saw him do it, than sparking up the dolor with fits. Those full time, permanent teachers can hold a grudge and pack up.

[matthewwoodford]

Is this sort of thing normal in the public school program? Well if the pay is good enough and the hours are short enough perhaps it's worth it. Were you expecting to have to go shopping for your own books and writing a whole term's worth of lesson plans right away? Lesson plans not just a curriculum?! I don't know...why did you agree to do it?

[inthewild]

[peppermint]

[Demophobe]

[inkoreaforgood]

Grotto,

Don't know how your school hierarchy works, but if I were you I'd go over her head to a boss. Document your problems with her, find someone to translate it if necessary, and go to a higher up. Reoccuring problems and unreasonable demands are very unprofessional and will show her up. Tell them your other problems, but in a calm and reasonable manner.

I've had to go and complain to the higher ups before, and did so in a calm manner. Also, you should be able to have a reciprical(sp?) relationship with at least one person higher up than your direct boss (if you can't establish one with them). Just because someone in charge of you at work is a total idiot, doesn't mean you should suffer the whole year for it.

This is a common sort of motivator in Korea for friendships/relationships. Scratching of backs.

[turtlepi1]

The GF is in the GEPIK program so I get to hear the dirt of how it is going for everyone. (Or at least many.)

She is very lucky as the staff and co-teachers really like her. Her experience has been great. On the other hand there are many not having a great go of it.

Part of the problem is the Korean teachers (some proably all to some degree) resent having the native speaker there. (and in some cases are likely intimidated.) Even at the GF's school her teachers told her after the first month that they didn't want her there but now they were glad she was there.

Her teaching environment is a true "co-teaching" experience. Many others are in a situation where they do all of the teaching or each teacher does their own part and doesn't interact.

The principal also likes her a lot. I get the feeling this can go a long way in making your experience a little better. (I went out and poured soju for the principal on the first night and we did the schmooze thing...)

All in all it may be one program but the experience is definitely unique to each school.

(Don't get me wrong there have definitely been a few cluster-fucks getting certain things set up, cell-phones, internet, etc but over-all everyone has been very helpful. (just on Korean-time sometimes.)

[manlyboy]

I'm in the GEPIK program, too. Fortunately, I'm not being put through any of the crap Grotto described. I do hear you about the "presence being resented by the K-teacher(s)" thing though. I'm sure nobody ever asked them how they felt about having to work with us. If it had been put to the vote, I'd say the program never would have gone ahead.
In spite of that, I've got to say that (thus far), this is the best gig I've had since I started teaching four years ago. Yes, I have to deal with some crap, but compared to the pressure you get in private academies, this job (in my case) is cake.
About the housing. When I had the interview, I told them that housing was my number one priority - even moreso than the money. I didn't like the first place they showed me, so I politely and diplomatically said that it would be fine if I were still a bachelor, but because I had recently gotten married, I would need a bit more space than that. Would it be ok if I went out and found a place for myself? Which they allowed me to do. I have to kick in a little extra out of my own pocket now, because I exceeded the budget, but it's worth it.
Now, every school was given a budget of 30 million won to house their F-teacher. 25K for bond, and 5K for rent. What some school's have done is rent places where they only have to put up bond and not pay rent i.e, mouldy crapholes. 5K of expendable rent money was allocated to every school. I'm no lawyer, but I can't see how the principals can legally withold that from the teachers. My school tried to do it. I only had to ask for it once, and they gave it to me, along with an apology and explanation as to why they didn't give it in the first place. That was the best part about it for me. When hagwons try to take what's yours you never get an explanation, much less an apology.

[manlyboy]

[pecan]

Turtle,

Let me get this straight, your girlfriend expected the school to help her get a personal cell phone and an internet connection in her apartment?

Is she incapable of doing that for herself?

Sorry, but I fail to see how that is the school's responsibility.

That kind of attitude could be why some of the Korean staff resent the foreigners coming into their schools.

Is independence a difficult thing for some of you?

Nut