Korean Job Discussion Forums

Junior · Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Location: the eye

Have any of you had this? Maybe its just me but I sensed a bit of insecurity and resentment suddenly from the Korean male teachers at my school.

I wracked my brains to think why. Then it dawned..A week ago I'd complained about having not much time off. I then whinged about having to do detailed lesson plans without being given enough time to do them, then refused to do them in my own free time. (weekends are non-negotiable to me, I refuse to even think about work.0

So today Ajosshi teachers only spoke korean around me to cut me out at tea break. Strange though, when I make the effort to speak Korean, they come back with a sort of patronising version of english. Think I'll just stop having coffeee breaks with them.

My guess is that if you're a western woman teacher, your korean female co workers resent you, and vice-versa if you're a guy. Enjoy the company of the Korean women teachers a lot though.

Maybe its just that they simultaneously need us and yet resent us? I was informed i get paid more than the other teachers. Not even sure if its true, but i had to tell them its really not that easy being a foreigner in korea sometimes...

jlb · Joined: 18 Sep 2003

You do realize that the Koreans probably put in double the hours that you do....right?

So you complaining about not having enough time off just makes you seem like the lazy foreigner of their stereotypes. I think it's going to be an uphill battle for you here on in.

cypher · Joined: 08 Nov 2003

I don't know if I buy the argument "Look at Z, he's got it worse off than you." (not that you're arguing that). Is it okay at home if someone says you should be happy working two part-time 5$/hour jobs because that guy over there has to work 3 part-time 3$/hour jobs?

They may not appreciate our complaining about it but maybe they should try to improve working conditions for Koreans instead of resenting us because we can get jobs like this...okay, never gonna happen, right?

Junior · Joined: 18 Nov 2005 Location: the eye

Natalia · Joined: 10 Mar 2006

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

jaderedux · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Lurking outside Seoul

flotsam · Joined: 28 Mar 2006

Here we go.

RR, I was trying to get this info out of some other posters but they couldn't manage it:

Do you have access to the Korean description, rubric, outline, what have you, of the pay scales, benefits, tenure conditions for Korean teachers?

THAT would be a stimulating post.

otis · Joined: 02 Jun 2006

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Our hogwan had many contracts for elementary and middle school in Taejon.

And the Korean teachers always complained. The best thing is to just ignore it.

Funny. We had a crazy guy. A Korean teacher (female) kept walking in his class while he was teaching.

So he wrote her a letter, calling her a b!tch and threatening to kill her. No joke.

She stopped walking in the classroom. Later the guy was fired. But it took two months because my boss couldn't find a replacement.

CoolTeach · Joined: 19 Apr 2006 Location: Back in the USSR

livinginkorea · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Location: Korea, South of the border

Don't forget for a lot of those classes the kids have science, art, music, P.E, English, library and computer classes. Do you think that their homroom teaches that? Hell no. That's why they have so many contract workers at each school. Homeroom teachers have it very easy that's for sure. Also they get paid for actually having a homeroom. It's in their pay every month (Homeroom pay).

Do you know that they only teach for about 15 or 20 minutes of the class and they give the kids an activity for the rest of the class? Just walk around your school and you will see it. We do the same but not for half the class. It's only about 5~10 minutes at the end of class when we play a game.

shoeboy · Joined: 23 Apr 2006

All the teachers at my three schools are more than friendly to me. They all say hello everyday and come to talk to me when I'm not teaching. Three have taken me out to dinner in the past two weeks.
If some of you whine and complain at work as much as you do here I can't really blame anyone for not liking you.

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

I never really had a problem at my schools. I work hard, my lessons are well prepared, I'm pleasant with the teachers, I made an effort to learn korean... oh and I also bring in snacks on a regular basis for the teachers to enjoy. Never underestimate the power of food in korea.

rawiri · Joined: 01 Jun 2003 Location: Lovely day for a fire drill.

I can't complain about my relationship with any of the korean teachers at my elementry school. I think i may have shot up in their estimations a little (either that or plummeted severly) after attending a retirement party for one of the maintainance guys and getiing the party rocking with "I will survive" on the karaoke machine.

I wondered what they thoght as it seemed like i have things pretty easy. prep doesnt take too long and i have a lot of downtime to do as i please (i.e filling my ipod off the computer in my classroom), but at the party the principal said through an interpreter " thank you for your hard work teaching", so sweet as!

Junior, why do you worry about what the korean teachers think? just smile and do your job and leave all the office politics out of it.

p.s......who plays volleyball with their co teachers, i do and it's fun but they don't rotate positions as in normal volley, you have to stay in the same spot the whole game....thats so korean.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

I really don't feel any resentment. I don't complain much, either. I know that there are some teachers who really value my presense here and I try my best to be helpful. I think I also put in as many hours as the average KT.

Re: the comment about homeroom teachers. At my middle / high school there are some who really work there asses off. To be sure, there are a few who I don't think care very much about their students and would rather put their efforts into the subjects they teach. But some are also very dedicated.