Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ChuckECheese]

Although they don't actually express it when I'm around them, but sometimes I feel the KTs� resentment toward me because I make way way more while teaching and working far far fewer hours than them. Not only that I get the royal treatment from my boss.

Do you feel the burning sensation of resentment from your Korean co-workers (teachers)?

[AwesomeA]

Oh yes. I am the only foreign teacher at my school. There are 3 female Korean teachers. One of them really shows her jealousy.

I think I should be paid more. They have only degrees, not even in English. Not as much teaching experience, don't have to experience xenophobia, and most of all are far worst at English.

[alabamaman]

[mgafunnell]

of course they hate us. they hat us because we make more, are or can be arrogant even without noticing it, they think we stink and often disrespect their ways without knowing it.

[laogaiguk]

[quote="AwesomeA" and most of all are far worst at English.[/quote]

[princess]

They can also be jealous if they are women and you are a thin foreign woman, especially if you are even thinner than they are. They expect white girls to be fatties, AND you get paid more. Double whammy. Thee's no law though that says you have to hang with coworkers outside of work. Just smile, nod, say hi, hello, whatever, do your job as best as you can, and leave. Learn to separate work from personal life. I have learned that hanging with cowokrers outside work too much just causes problems in the long run.

[oneofthesarahs]

Everytime I read posts like this, I feel so lucky about my job. I really don't think my coworkers resent me, and if they do, then they deserve an Emmy for their ability to hide it. They always seem very concerned about how I am: they want to make sure I'm eating enough, that I like the food, that I'm not lonely, that I have things to do on the weekend. They also really want me to find a boyfriend, but that's a different matter altogether. I have good outside-work friendships with two coworkers and one ex-coworker.

Occasionally, I'll leave early and one of my coworkers will shake their head sadly and say, "I envy you." But it never strikes me as an "I envy you and therefore hate you as a person" so much as a "I envy you because my job kind of sucks."

[Saxiif]

[Novernae]

At my current school they don't resent us at all. We all work hard, put in our time, and are generally at school for an equal amount of time. We both recognise that both jobs have their difficulties; While they might have to call the kids' parents, I might have to take home 3 hours of essay marking. We both have to make tests, correct tests, and input marks, and we have equal course loads... Together, we resent the few who don't do their jobs.

At my last school the teachers before us worked really hard to get rid of the 'lazy arrogant stingy foreign teacher' stigma and we just kept that up. Our foreign coworkers were the kind of people who caused the stigma (fresh out of university from rich families who'd never held down jobs and wanted to be paid extra for just doing their jobs). The Korean teachers resented them as much as we did and we were all happy to see them go.

[gsxr750r]

In my experience, resentment often takes root in a lack of respect. Ask yourself if you have done anything to make them think low of you. Sometimes you don't have to do anything, and are disliked from the start. Perhaps some other person or situation caused them to dislike foreigners.

Other times, there is some cultural issue we are oblivious to that provides fuel for the fires of dislike. Unchecked, this becomes resentment.

I have a friend who gave gifts to his Korean coworkers. He did it with the friendliest of intentions. His mistake was that he gave the same gift to everyone -- including his boss. He didn't know that, in Korean culture, it's expected that you give a bigger gift to the boss. Even if it's just a small gift, something should be done that makes the boss's gift better or bigger. This doesn't hurt the feelings of other coworkers, because it is expected.

My friend thought he was doing something nice for his boss -- maybe even building some brownie-points. Instead, he upset his boss when the boss found out the gift was identical to what was also given to a lower employee. It would have been better to give no gift at all.

These little cultural land-mines are what makes Korea so interesting.

[crusher_of_heads]

[Ya-ta Boy]

I have not spotted any signs of jealousy or resentment among my Korean co-workers. Perhaps the OP is attributing whatever bad feelings that may exist at his workplace to the wrong cause.

[ChuckECheese]

[richardlang]

[VanIslander]