Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hellofaniceguy]

I know of 9 schools so far where friends of mine are teaching and their school owner is not taking anyone to dinner for Christmas...not even a Christmas card or gift!! Cheap Charlie school owners or what...anyone fair better? And what is really strange...really strange...two owners of two different schools are "Christians,"....attend church services often, etc...are always "preaching" the good life of the Lord, etc...and still they did not even show their Christian kindness to the teachers for the holidays!!
I thought it was kind of tasteless myself. Not that they were expecting anything...still...

[Sleepy in Seoul]

My last hakwon had a big Christmas party last year at a big tourist hotel - with a huge buffet meal and all!! It cost 40,000 - 50,000 won per person, including the bus drivers, all paid for by the boss. That was very nice, and certainly made up for a few things...

At my new hakwon all the teachers, Korean and foreign, are going out to a small restaurant in the neighbourhood tonight. I will only know at the end of the evening if it is to be paid for by the boss. I suspect not...

[mindmetoo]

Well they're bringing in pizza today and tomorrow. Next week we're having a new years party that sounds pretty nice.

Times are tough. There's a lot of competition. Oh well.

[Zed]

Yeah, we had a Christmas dinner/ karaoke session last Sunday. Nothing spectacular, but something.

[katydid]

Why, no! My school has been treating me instead to ddeok! And lots of it!!

[d503]

[Zed]

[the eye]

hehe. no party, just cash.

100,000bonus for every employee.
same on Chinese new Year.
same on teachers day.
same on Chusok.

i like my job.

[Homer]

We have an x-mas dinner every year even if our director and korean staff do not celebrate christmas or place the same importance on it then westerners do.
For us it is basically a dinner before the vacation occasion (we all get 10 days this time of year).

I think some owners will be cheap but that some also just don't celebrate christmas, this is just part of living in a different country with different customs.

Would you celebrate Chusok back home?

[Zed]

[Apple Scruff]

Boo hoo. I don't think Christmas gifts or parties are in anyone's contract.

[VanIslander]

The director and his wife are taking me out on the 24th to Pong Nepu, a Koreanized "Pont Neuf", named for the famour French bridge. The restaurant is basically a ski chalet with huge A-frame windows facing the bay. It serves Western fare, and expensive dishes too like decent Mexican burritos and quesadillas, and I'm not paying.

[ThePoet]

Last year, my director was really getting into the Christmas spirit. He dressed up like Santa and brought gifts to all the teachers and then went to each classroom and gave gifts to all the kids. But one of our teachers snubbed his gift, told him to go away, and locked the door to his classroom during the "teaching time". So this year, I doubt our director will do anything.

It's really a tightrope these directors sometimes walk. When they try to get into it for the foreigners and they get it kicked back in the face, why would they want to open themselves up to it the next time. Those scars sometimes carry for many years to people who wonder "why is he such a scrooge?" and nobody to tell the reason.

But, for my part, I'll be giving him and his wife a can of Tim Horton's Coffee and a can of Tim Horton's Hot Chocolate. I've never worried about receiving anything...but damn, I love to give things to see the smiles on people's faces.

Poet

P.S. -- Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you've had a wonderful year and that 205 will be even better!

[Badmojo]

Ha!

Christmas cards? Christmas presents?

Last year, I had all of 1 frigging teacher say, "Merry Christmas."

Thanks a lot.


But as I thought about it later - did they even know to say, "Merry Christmas?" Did they know the etiquette? Maybe not. Christmas cards? How are they supposed to know?

Now I'm back home - for the first time in two years - and I can't even say Merry Christmas to anyone anymore. "It's not politically correct. Too many different cultures and nationalities. You're supposed to say 'Season's Greetings.' "

You cannot be serious!

I think I liked Korea better.

[Homer]

Well...Zed...had you been paying attention you would know that I am married to a Korean woman.

This changes things. We celebrate x-mas at home in Busan(wife and I and some friends).
Were we in Canada, we would celebrate chusok and the Lunar new year at home and amongst friends.

She (my wife) would not expect her Canadian employer to take her out for a Chusok dinner or to have Lunar New years off....why?

Because that would be silly.