Korean Job Discussion Forums

Smee · Joined: 24 Dec 2004 Location: Jeollanam-do

Over at The Marmot's Hole there's a translation of an interesting article from Naver's Sisa Journal. Definitely check out the whole translation.

Woland · Joined: 10 May 2006 Location: Seoul

I've put up a long comment under my nom de plume here at the Marmot's Hole, so anybody who wants to see what I think, can look there.

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

Foreign Scholars Merit Equal Status
The foreign professor -- colleague or hired hand?

DHC · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

Korea will eventually have to bring it's education policies into line with the majority of the world if it wants international recognition. That being said , Korea is still a society very deeply rooted in long standing traditions that will not change overnight. Anyone working in Korea , especially teaching at a university steeped in Confucian tradition , must realize that no two Koreans are EVER equal. There is always a ranking which at times can be very complicated. A foreigner is not included in this system. Foreigners are NEVER on equal footing with Koreans. This may change in time but time is the key word here. It won't change anytime soon.

While it is true that foreign professors teach more than Korean professors , foreign professors are not required to keep the same social schedule as Koreans and they do not have to attend a never ending series of meetings , often called at the last moment. Foreign professors are not required to publish on a regular basis nor are they required to attend endless meetings and conferences , often on their day off or the weekend and this without additional compensation. Junior Korean professors often complain that they are like slaves because they are required to do so much additional work at the request of their senior professors. Tenure is a long and difficult process. When the day comes that foreign professors are treated equally with Korean professors , many will have tremendous difficulty playing within the Korean system. Equality may eventually come but when it does you will still be in a Korean university and the system is Korean with all the cultural differences most foreigners don't like.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

jlb · Joined: 18 Sep 2003

I'm not so sure I'd want to be treated equally. I like the anonymity that comes with being a foreigner. No one checks up on you, pretty low expectations. Not that many meetings or ass-kissing. Not such a bad thing in my opinion.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

While there's no way to verify, I wonder how many of these were actual professors, vs E2 visa holders teaching at the university level.