Korean Job Discussion Forums

SPINOZA · Joined: 10 Jun 2005 Location: $eoul

I don't know about you, but I sometimes feel a tad guilty. My K-colleagues at least give the impression that they're constantly working - God knows what it is they're actually doing but it's manifestly not leisure-orientated. I, by contrast, teach an average of 5 x 45 min classes per day and, although this obviously requires preparation, that's pretty much it. Frankly, I don't exactly exhaust myself with the prep either. Really, if you spend more than 20 minutes finding out what you're gonna do for class, you're thinking way too hard about it or lack ideas. I spend a lot of my time sat on my ar5e doing f_ck all except emailing and texting my mates, surfing the net, fooling around with random kids around school.

My K-workers work their bo11ocks off - constant urgent-looking phone calls to God knows who about God knows what - while I put my feet up and have a nice cup of tea. I'm a lazy sod yet, bizarrely, appear to be doing a great job and have never felt more popular in my entire life!

Be honest - do you bust your ass?

jlb · Joined: 18 Sep 2003

The Korean teachers at my school did have a lot more paperwork/phone calling, etc to do than I did. That said, I taught about double the classes they did so in the end I think I had a heavier workload.

VanIslander · Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2005 5:43 pm Post subject:

I teach about 10 % more classes and do about 50 % less out-of-class prep, paperwork, cleaning, etc.

I've got it good in comparison. Even though I volunteer to sweep and mop the stairs (don't have to bend my back that way either).

The Korean teachers do so much more.

changmee · Joined: 10 Apr 2005 Location: Yongin, South Korea

I teach a few more classes per week than most Korean teachers at my school, but they are still busy making tests, doing paperwork, etc. I comply with every obligation in my contract, yet my Korean coteacher is extremely passive aggressive towards me. She is not the most culturally sensitive person and is constantly making bitter remarks about how much work SHE has do to. I realize that to her the working conditions for foreign teachers may seem unfair, however she should not take it out on me! Anyone else have similar experiences?

crazylemongirl · Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Location: almost there...

I don't do the pastoral care or as much paper work.

However I teach more classes.

I do a lot more prep on my lessons than the Korean teachers do. They tend to go straight from the book and use handouts from the book. I don't know how anyone can spend only 20 minutes prepping. I tend to spend at least 2-3 hours on prep per lesson. I do another 2 hours on paperwork per week.

deessell · Joined: 08 Jun 2005

I am an expert (like Koreans) at looking busy at the right times. I like to fly into the teachers room, work the photocopier until it has flames coming off it and then leave as quickly. I move around the school at a quick pace (always looking like I am on urgent business when really I'm going to the smoking room). Public Schools are a great place to perfect the art of dossing.

JacktheCat · Joined: 08 May 2004

Same here, I do less paper/office work, but teach more classes at my high school, which being communicative classes, require more prep work than the teach-the-book classes of the KTs. It all balances out.

However, the KTs are paid more than me.

Veronica · Joined: 29 Aug 2005

I teach 175% of the amount of classes that my 129 Korean co-teachers teach. I am in the school for more hours than many. I do, however, probably take double most of their salaries, and if not that, then I am earning a lot more than teachers that have been here for years.

joe_doufu · Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere

My Ko-worker has something I don't: teacher's manuals. In the office I never see her do anything except make photocopies and occasionally practice the pronounciation of the words she's about to teach. In class she seems to rely on following the manual, doing things in order, and yelling if kids get out of line.

I am not extremely hard working with the planning, but I regularly improvise games, diverge from the lesson plan if the children want to learn how to say something, and work hard to keep everybody learning and having fun. I think I invest a lot more of my personal time an effort into the business than she.

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

sheba · Joined: 16 May 2005 Location: Here there and everywhere!

We have around the same amount of classes, but the K-teachers have a whole lot of extra stuff to do - meetings, phone calls, tests, evaluations and reports, weekend study, all the cleaning, interviewing prespective students and their parents.... etc I dont have to do any of that, my prep time is minimal, I have 4 times the amount of vacation, I am paid more and I get the free apartment of course.

No cause for complaint here!

antoniothegreat · Joined: 28 Aug 2005 Location: Yangpyeong

while my korean coteachers look busy, i have learned that they really dont get a lot done. they might talk about all the work they have to do because that is what they do, talk about it.
I have seen teachers tell me at lunch how they have a ton to do, then i see them having a break and smoking, then i see them buying a coffee and smoking, then i see them on another break, then i see them talking to another teacher... and how much work did they really get done? Sure, they spend more time then we do, but that is because we take 20 minutes to do 20 minutes of work, they take one hour or more to do it.
I have also had some teachers complain about the better treatment I get, tell them that is what you get for leaving your home, flying around the world to come to a country where no one speaks your language and you dont speak theirs, that is about as opposite culturally as possible. i just read another thread aobut korean students putting their finger up teachers rears! would that ever happen in the US, Canada, or any western country? i would go to jail if i put my finger up the rear of some korean (back home) and then said "well, it is ok, he is a foreigner."
ok=done bitc&ing...

forgesteel · Joined: 30 Aug 2005 Location: Earth

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Qinella · Joined: 25 Feb 2005 Location: the crib

The K teachers I work with teach half the classes I do, but take care of almost all of the behind the scenes work. I mainly concentrate on creating games, worksheets, creative lessons, conversation topics, teaching strategies, etc. They do a little bit of that, too, but I think mostly stick by the books.

CLG - 2 hours per lesson? How is that even possible? I have to do 5 separate lessons every single day. Do you have the same grade all day / week or something?

Grotto · Joined: 21 Mar 2004

Prep time varies depending on the level of the students.

grades 1-6 prep time should be fairly minimal.

7-9 why bother middle school kids dont listen anyways Laughing

high school a bit more serious. Not necessarily more prep but I give more assignments and we go over them together.

College...depends on the students.

Last year I did about 30 minutes of prep per grade per week teaching elementary school grades 3-6. So all told about 2 hours a week.