Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I quite often come in on Saturdays even though by contract I don't have to. Today I was planning on stopping by rather later in the morning to check emails and gather up some handouts for the orphans' class I do every other weekend. After a night of drinking soju with the English, home-ec, and math teacher last night I got up at about 8.30 this morning. I'm putting around the house when I get a call from Miss Clueless, the middle school English teacher who's far more difficult to understand over the phone than a number of my high school students.

Apparently the MS PE teacher wants me to come in to do a 'bideo recording'. Now, this guy has helped me out a great deal with many favours and will immediately jump on any problem I have and try to fix it. So I say sure, what the hell, I'll be there in half an hour ... take an Italian shower, brush my teeth, throw on a suit, and wonder over to Miss Clueless' desk. I live on residence so it's not like it's a very long trip.

Well, it turns out that it's not a video recording but an audio recording the PE teacher wants ... of the Lord's Prayer and Apostles' Creed. WTF??!! Why the hell does the PE teacher, who doesn't go to church, want an English audio recording of that. First we do a cassette tape recording and then he has to find a student to show him how to make an MP3 recording that can be downloaded onto a CD. Miss Clueless explains that it's something about a student's parent wanting it for something but I can never be sure what she's trying to say.

In any case, the PE teacher now wants to take me out drinking tonight which will make it the fourth night in a row I've gone drinking on a Korean's tab. You really do reach a point where nothing at a Korean school surprises you anymore, don't you?

[jennateacher]

I too have been often asked to edit or review something that is for a friend of a friend of a co worker. Who it is for does not come out until I start asking questions to try to figure out what the person is trying to say. Often not during office hours, or normal work hours.

I do not mind helping those that have helped me, but I am not a free English service.

[coolsage]

What's an Italian shower?

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[wormholes101]

I have to sign in at work; not a big deal. However, the vice principal decided my signature wasn't 'good' enough and requested that I change it! Apparently he thought that it looked too easy to forge. I refused.

[ChuckECheese]

[trubadour]

[Dawn]

For the past few months, my boss has been subjecting me to English translations of Korean news editorials that she wants proofread and edited. All of them have been awful. Most are beyond awful. Last month, however, we hit a new low. Last month's topic was the Big Bad U.S. Army. In two passages of tiny print, the writer blamed the U.S. military's presence in Korea for everything from the Gwangju Massacre to Korea's sex industry and painted the average soldier as being one step below the devil himself.

Did I mention that I happen to be a U.S. citizen? married (engaged, at that time) to a U.S. soldier? Or that I had two cousins killed and an uncle permanently disabled while fighting to protect this land from their "brothers" to the North?

I made it through all of two paragraphs before dumping it back on the boss's desk with an "I cannot, in good conscience, help the writer of this steaming pile of bovine excrement communicate these sentiments to any audience anywhere."

[R-Seoul]

[The Chewbacca Defense]

I was asked many years ago to talk like an American, even though I am an Australian. Which was fine, my years of acting helped me with my accent. But when I was asked to walk like an American I was a little taken aback. I had no idea Americans walked a certain way....lol.

I was also asked to play Santa once for a school. Even though I am 194cm tall and quite lean. There were more suitable candidates, but they wanted me because and I quote "the students love you more". WTF?????

I was asked by one of the Korean professors here to edit and check a CD ROM program that she was working on. 4 hours a week for 7 weeks. At the end of it she gave me 10,000 won for my trouble.

NOW....I do appreciate the 10,000 won, but I mean really! I think I would be less offended if she hadn't given me anything. I know that sounds crazy but thats the way I felt at the time.

I have had many strange requests in my years here. I just roll with it now and set my expectations really low. That way if something good happens I am pleasently surprised!

[andy202]

My school has been ridiculous in the following ways within the last two months alone:

Had us attend training Saturday and Sunday - 12 days' work without a day off (contract says maybe one Saturday a month)

Asked us to tell the new teacher how to get to Japan for a visa (well, go to the end of the road, turn left and you see a bridge....)

Told us to make English fun for the students then prohibited us from playing educational games in class

Cancelled a weeks holiday for all staff business reasons

Asked me what day it is (serious and genuine enquiry)

Best of all....

I asked my supervisor for a day off as my parents were visiting Korea at the end of October. Instead, she proposed to meet them at the airport and show them around Seoul on my behalf as I was needed in school. Kindness or madness?

[Smurfette]

[alpope23]

Co-teacher: "When do you leave Korea?"
Me: "December 27th, but I'll come back to Korea in March to a different job."
Co-teacher: "Can you do a winter camp for 3 days starting on January 22nd?"
Me: "Sure."

[oxfordstu]

[Hollywoodaction]