Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Koreabound2004]

My school doesn't...anything that is news, will always be told to me last minute, and quite frankly I am tired of always being that last to know everything.

I asked my coteacher to give me a calendar so I would know of special school events and days off this semester...still waiting.

So now I ask my students what's happening, and they are my secret informants these days...pretty sad.

Now, when my coteacher decides to tell me something, I let him know that I already knew....really makes them annoyed...he is always puzzled at how I can possibly know these things.

Is that the way of these people in general...or is this the type of treatment a foreign female should expect?

[Summer Wine]

No, that about sums it up for most of us, I would wager. We usually are the last to know. I found out one K-teacher was the leaving the day she left and the Boss mentioned that they had no interest in replacing her after a couple of days of me wondering when the new teacher was coming.

[Gollum]

No, they don't. And I've told them repeatedly to please try to tell me more about what's going on.

Sometimes I use it to my advantage. They had an overnight mountain trip at the beginning of the year. I didn't want to go, and had heard about it, but was given no formal time or place information. Afterward, they were unhappy that I didn't go, but I kindly reminded them that someone needed to tell me.

That worked.

[oxfordstu]

Always the last to know. I'm constantly out of the loop when it comes to, well, everything. I've missed the last two meetings because no one told me. I've really stopped caring. It's their responsibility to tell me of any announcements. Even when I ask, they don't seem to know. Of course, all of this could be easily solved with a white board in the office. But that would be too easy.

[crazylemongirl]

I try to be reasonably pro active. I go to minder once a week and ask her what is going on. I also badgred her to give me a copy of the school calanedar and club activity dates. She just photocopied off the korean copy and I can take an educated guess from there. Also I take a look on the notice board for things that might require time off, for instance tests. So I'm reasonably well informed. It does helpt hat I have a rudiementary understanding of korean and can be on the look out for things. Then go and ask.

To be fair half the time the k teachers don't know what's going on.

CLG: Did you know the photocopy room had moved?
K teacher: No. really? where?
CLG: Just down the hall.

k teachers asks around but most of the other teacher have no idea. Afew seconds later one of the science teachers who's office is next to the said photocopy room points out the waygook is right.

CLG:

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Thankfully we have at least one teacher who will tell us a bit. Otherwise it's the same with us. I'm pretty sure that it's just a power technique.

[JacktheCat]

The hoarding of essential information is just one of those quirky things about Korean culture.

Korean bosses try to keep as much power in their hands as possible. Information is power; give information and you lose that power. Hence the reluctance upon the part of our bosses to inform us of any decisions or changes.

[desultude]

[peppermint]

Last fall, the school changed the date for the start of the new term and forgot to tell me.

Peppermint: Hello? ( sleepy)
School: Hello, where are you?
Peppermint : Home. . . Where should I be?
School: You didn't know you had to teach today?
Peppermint:

After that, I demanded and got a school calendar. The thing is, accordiing to the K-teachers, my school is really disorganized anyway, and it changes a lot.

[FUBAR]

A few weeks ago our school gave out the calender for the year. Last week when one of the English teachers had free time, I took out my calender and asked him to explain all the holidays, exam schedules and such. Now, I am set up until September.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[Badmojo]

[Horangi Munshin]

Don't let it get to you! Things are always done this way, in hagwons anyway!

You shouldn't really get upset unless they are bitching at you for not doing something they didn't tell you to do.

[agraham]

Whenever a teacher deigns to tell me something important I feign ignorance even if I've already been told. That way they always assume I know nothing.

[Hanson]