Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dmbfan]

Hello all,

I have come back to Korea, after teaching in China for 7 months . The only reason I was in China was because of a bad experience in Korea, in which case, I was here from May 2003 through May 2005.

The school that has flown me over has really nice owners. Both of them are American (the wife being a second generation American/Korean) and seem to be on top of things. However, now that I am here and can see what I am in for, I am having second thoughts.

Being in Korea can be hard, we all know that. One thing that makes a difference is having other teachers to hang out with (not negative, whinny teachers.....like I used to be....) , drink a beer, or do things with after work. That does not exist here. The school is in a small city, near the airport, and it seems that NONE of the teachers from the three schools hang out at all. Apparently, there is some bad blood between the owners and it has trickled down to all of the teaching staff. Honestly, my first time in Korea (working at a Wonerland) was made bearable because of the other teachers in the area, and we all hung out together. Here, it is non existant.

Second, the teachers at my school all seem to be "christians" . They are nice people, but it is just "blah". We have a married couple with kids teaching here, a kyopo who is majoring in Divinity (and teachers the kids about God), a Korean Johovas (can't spell it) Witness teacher (yeah, that won't be worth any kind of frienship), and two older ladies. Then, there is me.....I dont feel that God should be taught about in hogwans, I like to go out and drink after work (not get sloppy drunk, but socialize), 29, single, and still wanting to have a good time, but do my job. I would feel like I would be committing a crime if I went to make friends with the other teachers in the town, but there is a weird vibe here. I mean, nobody has invited me out to do anything....no basketball, no dinner...nadda. I feel like I am not fitting in here.

Anyway, should I just actually try and find something and somewhere I want to do and be? My visa has not gone through as of yet, but is in the process, and that my be difficult. However, I want to finish a contract in Korea again, and I feel that if I stay here, then I won't finish. But, at the same time, I think we have pretty good owners and I dont' want to let them down. They flew me over form China, and have done quite a bit for me. But, the other teachers in the town don't like the school I am at, and have harassed a couple of our teachers. As I said, something with the owners and bad blood. I don't know, and I don't care. But, I still want to make friends. I spent quite a while being COMPLETELY isolated in China, and I don't want to go through that again.

Tough situation......I mean, I still like to have good time, and make friends. I am not counting on making Korean friends, and honestly I don't want to......beent there, done that. I am not here to find a K-girl either. But, having a good social group is good for the soul, in my opinion.

Is this worth leaving the school for? Or should I just shut up, not give a dam about anyone else, save my money, go to the hoff by myself, and just do it?

Any "objective advice" would be good.

[cruisemonkey]

[dmbfan]

Ok, ok...


...you are right. I just did not want to commit to something I would not finish. I have spent a lot of time not completing things, and I want to "get er done" this time around...(but it helps when the environment is more appealing and there are people to talk to ).


Ok.....cool. Thanks.

[lastat06513]

Why go to a small town, why didn't you wait it out to find a job in places like Seoul, Gwangju, Daegu or Busan, where the action is far more superior than any other place in Korea.

The secret to making life interesting in Korea is getting out, going places. My weekends during my first 2 years of teaching in Korea were getting on a bus and going to some city outside Seoul's city limits.
Although the look was somewhat the same, I got a different feeling each time.

Sometimes, you can find friends while travelling who would be willing to meet up with you from time to time to have a beer or something. You don't have to fall into the same isolation trap that you feel others are in.

If you want to have a drink, yeah, go out and do it by yourself, you are bound to run into someone who does the same thing sooner or later.

Keep your head up above water and you'll be fine

[teachingld2004]

I read your posting twice, and you said you were by the airport, but you didn't say which airport.. (if you did I didn't notice it)

The has to be things to do, you just have to find them. You may find other people not far from you who are just as bored as you are.

The weather is wonderful these days. If you do not have a digital camera, go and buy one.

Are you far from a big city? Where are you? Perhaps some posters live near you.

[Ya-ta Boy]

Hmmmm...

Isolation is a problem.

Your co-workers are not your style. (Mine either.) Sounds grim. Why do you feel you owe them more than just normal social courtesy?

You have every right to make friends with other people in town. You are not limited to the people you work with.

From your post I get the feeling the other foreigners in town are not all that friendly either...you said something about them disliking your school.
Bad blood.

My conclusion: They are weird. Why would any normal person be standoffish to someone just because of where they work? Maybe you are better off not messing with them.

Then there is the comment: I don't need Korean friends. Been there, done that.

Now the problem is yours. 'Been there, done that' is a strange thing to say. If you are going to set up barriers so that only the white boys in the neighborhood are eligible to be friends, then you are setting yourself up for isolation. And then have no right to complain. (There are 48 million people around me, but I will only allow these 6 people to maybe be my friends.)

If the job is OK, and you said it is, then you don't have a good reason to quit.

Good luck. (And look again at your criteria for friendship)

[kangnam mafioso]

because the visa process has already started, you will probably need a release letter if you want to stay in korea, but work at another school. the school will want to be reimbursed for your flight, visa, recruiting fees, etc. it's only fair. as long as you make it right with them financially, i wouldn't feel bad about moving on if this place is a bad fit for you. hope you saved a lot of money in china.

[dmbfan]

Hmmm.....yeah, I guess ALL of you are right.

To clarify where I am at, I am in Shin-do Shi (the new airport city). It is a nice little town, and quite scenic.

It is just that the other schools here have, well I guess, told their teachers to avoid our teachers.....and treat us like shit. In regards to that, I have to give a lot of credit to my bosses. They are both American (one being a second generation Korean/American), so that is just cause for other school owners to be hateful. And, from what I have gathered, they do things pretty much better than anyone esle here. There are only three other schools here.

So, unless something happened that I don't know about, I don't understand why teachers have to treat each other like shit.

For me, having a good teacher community is valuable. When I first started in Pyungtaek (Pyungtaek Wonderland), ALL of the teachers from the other schools hung out together, thus making life a little easier for each of us.

But, here.............it just seems that we are on our own, which sucks.

Yes, I agree....my statement in regards to meeting Korean friends was not really all that kosher. Howerver, I just have not had good luck with Koreans in regards to friendships. I am hoping to change that this time around, perhaps with some better luck. Much of it stems from my past experience with a couple of schools, and what not.

I guess I am must a lown confidence stage, and I am feeling like I"m not fitting in. If I had the miralce of choice, I would move my ass to Changwon or something, and get the expeience that I want, but it may be late for that.

But, the owner are really good people, and for us teachers, that is quite a bonus here in Korea.

Sorry to air out my laundary here.................but thanks for reading.

Cheers!

DMBFAN

[jinju]

If thats true, and the other teachers in your town are doing that because their bosses told them to, then they are the biggest bunch of spineless, cowardly little shits and brownnosing little twerps.