A few people have asked me about my time in Korea. I figured I'd tell my story to all who wish to listen. Please forgive my poor writing style and if anything comes across as offensive I apologize in advance, I'm not great at conveying what I really mean (which is usually not offensive). Anyone who is thinking of teaching in Korea or another country should take everything said here lightly, I have been told that my experience was rare and this doesn't happen often. I didn't come across anyone who had a bad a job as me. Ok here goes. Well as documented in the forum I planned to go to korea because I was fed up by england and the woman who had made me hate it so much. The application process was fairly straight forward but it did take a long time. The koreans don't trust foreigners at all, in order to go you must have apostilled copies of everything, Criminal record checks, passports scans, degree certificates and sealed transcripts*. This takes some time to get organised. Once it's done a recruiter will find you a school. Once the school has done a "phone interview" which basically involves a set of random questions to see what your accent is like (seriously) then they will apply for a visa number for you. When you get that you then send all of your documents to the korean embassy with your passport and wait patiently. *The sealed transcripts are interesting. At any time your korean boss suspects your degree is fake he/she will stand you up and give you one chance to tell the truth, after you give your story they open the sealed transcript. If the documents are genuine, you win and your boss pretends nothing ever happens. If you lose they generally dock some wages for you if you're lucky and fire you if you're really lucky. Anyway, off to korea I went, full of excitement and wonder, I've travelled a lot but I've never lived in a foreign country before and it was going to be my first time in asia. When I arrived in Incheon the guy who was supposed to meet me couldn't make it and a replacement guy came to pick me up, he didn't speak a word of english so he just kept offering me cigarettes and giving a thumbs up to his favorite songs on the radio. In the first 30 mins on the road I saw 3 car crashes. The first place they took me was my school, a grubby building in a back street near a fish market. The whole area looked pretty run down and I was worried about what my apartment might be like. The driver took me upstairs and into the school where my boss Allie a 30 something korean lady met me and offered me tea. For about an hour she chatted to the driver, never once speaking to me, this was pretty damn uncomfortable but I just smiled and nodded whenever I was looked at and politely sipped the disgusting sweet potato tea i'd been given. Eventually she told me that we would go to my apartment and that I was very handsome. The apartment was a 20 minute drive away and I was pleased to get away from the run down school area. We pulled into an underground car park, the building above it was the tallest building I'd seen since I went to Manhattan and it looked very very new, I figured the parking underneath was public and we'd be walking to another building somewhere close by. I was wrong very wrong, this was going to be my apartment building, 12th floor, the royal floor as it was named. Seeing as during the application process they would ignore any request to view the accommodation it was nice to be given such a good place to live as many aren't so lucky. View from my apartment My apartment I arrived on the saturday and so had a day and a half to look around, my co-worker was a guy called Matt from Brighton and he had only been there a week, we'd spoken on the phone before he left but we didn't know much about each other. In order to remedy this we went out on the town, trying out different bars until we found one that fit, eventually we found the 'Audi' bar complete with copyright infringing neon sign. It seemed to be a cool place and we drank a lot of beer, only to be chased out by some very angry bar maid after about 2 hours (turns out it was one of those bars where you're supposed to by the barmaids drinks every round to pay for their company...how were we to know?). The next day I flung myself into the centre of Seoul in the pouring rain. My first impression was so so, it looked like Lost in Translation with run down buildings and crappier lights. The first week of school was ok, most of the time the kids just went crazy, some of them had not seen a westerner before, some were scared some were fascinated. Many of them would pull on the hairs on my arms and try to touch the blue in my eyes. The other korean teachers seemed pretty nice, male korean teachers are rare so it was all female, most of them could speak good english but they were incredibly shy. We cooked English Breakfast for the Teachers Training was not included, and isn't included despite what your recruiter says, with me they gave me a handful of story books and shut the door. I spent the first week playing hangman. My working hours were 3.15 - 8.55 on mondays, wednesdays and Fridays and 2.30 - 7 on tues and thurs. Pretty odd but most of the kids do english school after their main classes. Either way I didn't have to get up early in the morning. The first two months were fine, the weather got hotter the work was easy, I was using a lot of my lesson plans from my teachers training in England. It wasn't necessary to plan but the teaching material in the school was thin on the ground and occupied kids are happy kids. I made a lot of friends and started seeing a Canadian girl. The cost of living was very cheap (about 50p a beer) and so I was saving lots of money and paying of debts, huge chunks at a time rather than the minimum amount back home. Life was great. Then the weirdness happened. The first major problem occurred when I turned down the chance to go to the beach on the east coast with my boss, Matt and the korean teachers. I was polite about it and simply said I had other plans, smiles were exchanged and she said it was no problem. I had planned to go to the Seoul DJ Festival, being a dance addict I was really looking forward to it as some major names were on the set list. Saturday came and Matt went off at 6 am with the teachers to the beach and I packed my bags for the seoul DJ fest which was a camping event. Everything was great, drinking in the sun, dancing until midnight. All of a sudden my phone beeped the message said this (and I quote..saved it in email for reference and evidence): "I can't trust you any more. The person that I really hate is one that doesn't keep promises and says excuses. So pack your things and go to your country, I don't want to hear from you again" This was from my boss. I tried to call her and text her for the next few days (it was a three day weekend) and I got no reply, Matt said when he got back that she had gotten really drunk and freaked out and then said nothing about it the next day. Tuesday came round and I was terrified, I didn't know if I should go back to work or "pack my things and go to my country" so I stayed at home and called my recruiter. He eventually got back to me and told me that he had arranged a meeting with my boss at the end of the school day. I went in shitting bricks on the train. The meeting was horrible. She made no mention of the text message or the beach trip or my day at school missed, she ripped me a new one. She accused me of being late, faking a sick day (she could have seen the diarrhea if she really wanted to) teaching students to swear, the list went on. Two things stopped me from walking out. 1. I had no money. 2. I'd just met a cool girl and wasn't prepared to just up and leave like that. The meeting ended in smiles and coffee and I was put on a 30 day trial, of course I realised that she would never fire me simply because I was her most valuable commodity and she wouldn't be able to replace me so quickly. Anyway the weeks went on and it all calmed down and things were ok again, I attended the Boryeong mud festival with 2 million people, another DJ festival and spent a weekend in the mountains paint-balling and riding quads. I also found some sweet places to buy games and I purchased a SNES, Samsung Megadrive, Saturn, and a PSP, plenty to do in my spare time. Paint-Balling Then came Matt's turn, he got pulled in for a meeting with my boss, there she did the same to him as she did to me, accused him of generally doing a bad job, sitting down to much, teaching swear words etc. Again this was before pay day so she had him over a barrel too, and he didn't want to leave either. Things went really down hill from here. We were four months into the 12 month contract, despite starting at about 3pm our boss started making us come in at 12pm with a 30,000won penalty for every minute late (£15) even though there was nothing to do in that down time. All of the teaching materials were taken away and we were banned from using the photocopiers and computers because apparently we weren't speaking enough in class. My boss had become deluded and had so much faith in her school that she believed all of her students could speak perfect english and so only needed us to converse with them. Some of my students were still in diapers and would just run around the class for 40 mins destroying stuff, once a kid jumped on my Macbook when I wasn't looking. Complaints about this resulted in the same answer: "Our students are great, and remember the korean teachers get half the amount of money you do and have the same problems" Which isn't fair but that's the way of the world and the extra money is a small compensation for not being at home I think. We were also asked to produce school reports each month but we weren't allowed to write anything negative or use any of the tick boxes on the card underneath 'good'. In the 5th month things took a new turn. It was decided that the school no longer thought our (light) english accents were appropriate for the students and they now wanted us to speak with an American accent. To help facilitate this the boss recorded a TV show from korean TV designed to help teach kids english, the show was a very childish play involving fairies and elves. She turned the audio into a script and our job was now to make every kid in the school memorise every line and word. The meaning wasn't important the kids just had to sound like they knew what they were saying. Then came the costumes and the two hours of dance practice every day before classes. Matt and I had to dress like Elves, in tights, boots and hats. We were no longer teachers but performing monkeys, destroying our students souls as we were forced to make them chant words they didn't understand for 5 hours a day, everyday. You can see a video of me doing it right here: http://tvpot.daum.net/clip/ClipView.do?clipid=11424259 The videos were published on the internet for all the world to see and then they were sent to the parents. Because everyone thought that these kids understood all of this and could speak amazing english, the boss announced expansion plans and the addition of 200 more students to the school. It was then we realized that the school was just a con, a baby sitting area for rich parents, it didn't matter if the kids learned, as long as the parents saw something impressive the illusion of it being a school was maintained. We objected to doing another scripted play but they didn't listen, I figured it could be worse and put on my costume again but Matt flipped, he told them he wouldn't do it and they smiled and said he must be having a hard day and they'd talk about it tomorrow. The next day they dragged him in for another one of their meetings and crucified him. He handed in his notice. They panicked and begged him not to leave but he stood is ground. Nobody but me spoke to him for three weeks solid and they stopped buying his lunch at lunchtime. Eventually Matt left and I was sad to see him go. I took a trip to China for a break (3 days holiday for the whole year was all I got, it was supposed to be 10 but she refused to give them). I got back and it was worse, they said they were going to do two more plays in the run up to xmas and they wanted me to write one of them. Also I had to work 15 hours extra per week to make up for Matt's absence. Bianca my girlfriend was leaving at the end of November and so I planned my escape. I waited until I was paid and then after school I went back to my apartment and packed my things, dismantled my school cell phone and left it on the counter and booked a flight online (which was two days away) I then dragged all of my stuff to the GF's. I hid for two days panicking about immigration. Not one site online could tell me if they would stop me or not. They didn't. Now if you've read all that then you might think that Matt and I were a little sensitive to some of the situations and we should have stood our ground. Korean culture can be very weird. Even the angriest person can be the happiest on the outside. The school was so small that any upset would make a working environment from hell and a few days of pure agony were sometimes a good deal better than solid weeks of happy uncomfortable anger from the boss and coworkers. Also, men in Korea are a lot more metro sexual than westerners and so it was very difficult for them to understand why a guy from Newcastle Upon Tyne would have difficulty acting enthusiastic in an elf costume. If they have a small problem with you, they won't say anything, they make you feel like you are doing the most amazing job ever and then when too much gets to them they release it all at once, throwing their authority around. Rachel my Korean co-worker was a really cool girl and her way of thinking was more western and I often discussed this with her, she was understanding but due to their order or respect she would never help out if the going got tough for me. She had to side with the boss. Under no circumstances do I intend to be racist towards koreans but there are flaws in their culture which can't be ignored. Disabilities don't exist, if your child has ADD or dyslexia they just get hit harder by their teachers, telling a parent their child would benefit from special help is a HUGE insult, babies born with disabilities get left at hospitals almost every day. Most Koreans are racist. On my very last day of teaching my last class were doing an activity where they had to read a description and then tell me what the object was. They immediately guessed sun screen, I asked them what it was used for and their response was "It stops you from turning into a black person" I asked them why they thought that was bad thing "Because black people are dirty". Policing and domestic violence is also hard to stomach, I saw a woman in a restaurant cut her husband throat open with a beer bottle and then when she asked for another to do it again the waiter complied without question. I also saw a man push his drunk girlfriend in front of a taxi and another guy wrestle his girlfriend to the ground and kick her in the head. It's illegal to cheat on a spouse but as long as you're faithful you can do whatever you want to them. The police can't do anything because most of them are young guys on national service and it would be disrespectful for them to interrupt and older persons dispute. Despite all of this. I am going back. Why? Well because it was one hell of a ride, yeah the job was a train wreck but I know better now and I will be more financially prepared to stand my ground. AND Korea is a great place and so are the people, if you take a look into your own culture you find just as many problems. Koreans are generally friendly, fun, they like a drink (sometimes too much) the food is good, it's cheap, the pay is ok and it's easy to find a job. It's also a great place to travel from and flights are cheap to the surrounding countries. This is only a small sample of my experiences, it's hard to fit 8 months of it into one post in one sitting. If you wanna know more then ask, if you want the post taken away, ask an admin. - Twimfy.
Woo hoo what a read you sure do have a intresting life . korea sounds odd to me now and the violence sucks hope it didnt bum you out too much like it dose me thats why i would love to leave here. to much pointless violence its a sign of a small brain. good luck :nod:
As you pointed out, it is difficult for a westerner to figure out their way handling disputes. If you go there for the first time, anyway. They just smile when you would prefer them shouting at you. But I'm impressed at how you held up a brave front till the end. I think I would have broken down. And that you go there again, Kudos!
Sound like a great adventure. It seems to me that at "handsome" your boss was giving you a hint. She probably reacted like a jilted lover when you didn't go to the beach. So tell us, what kind of pay is it?
For a bog standard degree holder, about 2 - 2.5 million won a month which is £1000-1250 a month. With free rent, very low bills and a low cost of living its a nice sum to have each month.
Ugh. That video was painful to watch. I feel sorry you had to go through that. No doubt about it, were it me(and you probably expected to hear this from someone) I would have stood my ground and call them out for their phoney schooling. That's so unfair to the students and just makes them look like devils honestly I would hope the next school you go to isn't gonna end up being another thing where they just force kids to memorize stuff without knowing what the heck it's saying. You maybe should look into trying another country just to get another experience. You say your may be unique, but witnessing that violence and those car wrecks happening one after the other like that......doesn't sound as much unique as it does something you'll come across time after time, though not SO often, but still... Really though, those kids getting cheated out of their education and LIFE spent just memorizing mindlessly. That school was nothing but a bunch of fuckers.
All of the private schools are the same, they're just baby sitting factories, some just try a little harder than others to actually educate. It's easy money for a Korean with a savings account if they set one of these schools up.
Hey, how's it going? Yeah should be. Just this second emailed my passport number to a Canadian recruiter who is in Seoul now. He's gonna check with immigration to see if I'm allowed back in. Sometimes they black list people if they do a run like I did. Can be a 5 year ban sometimes.
Well.. kinda pretty new and i was hoping i could make a few friends. You should join couchsurfing.com and meet all the backpackers who are already in Korea. You may hang out with them and may not be that lonely in Korea. Try it...you wont regret it. Hehe....no more Lost in Translation.
Awesome! I've been wanting to go to Korea for a long time. I was thinking about doing the teaching route, I just need to finish up my Bachelor's Degree. I'm almost there, I'm just not in school at the moment. It really does sound like an awesome experience and a good way to just live somewhere different for a while. If I ever get around to going, I've got a bunch more questions.
Very interesting experience Twimfy, I kind of understand what you've been through, I travel a lot too, and a couple of years ago I found myself working on a small electronics distributor in Miami, I know it's not the same as being in a totally different culture, but in terms of distance from home & friends it is, and at first everything was amazing, then all of a sudden I started getting complains from my boss (a very easy to upset Moroccan) and everyday was like going into a torture. Until one day I finally quit, taking with me all the backup files of the work I was doing on their new website :katamari:, work they didn't appreciated at all so It is kind of hard when stuff like this happens to you when you are mostly alone and far away from home, but hey, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I'm glad you decided to go back again, I did the same thing and had a better experience the second time. So what happened to your Canadian girlfriend? Is she still in Korea?
I've had the same experiences here in China...and I've been here for six years! It seems most East Asians are quite similar in their ways of doing business, building relationships, etc. In fact to get the compliment "you're handsome" is just that, and nothing more. My students, coworkers, etc. call me handsome, but they're certainly not coming on to me. I assume this is so because even some of my male students do it. But yes, it seems like these Confucian ethics which still reign over so much of East Asian society can make things difficult for us Westerners with our concept of logic coming into direct confrontation with theirs. While we prefer to speak outright and express our opinion or ideas, Asians will not. While we prefer constructive solutions to problems or conflicts within the workplace, they prefer to hold it in, or even to talk about it with other coworkers before mentioning anything to you at all. Asia will teach you to be a bastard, really. In dealing with jobs, managers, bosses, etc. I've learned to become ruthless - especially when it comes to money. I simply started imitating what I would see in the markets and on the streets and it's helped immensely.
She is heading back in 3 weeks, we've stayed together so far each of us spending a time in England and Canada, but it's not been easy recently and I'm worried about the next week or two, conversations on Skype are running out of Steam. (She's the girl kneeling centre in the Paint-Ball picture.)
I went to Korea for a week 5 years ago. I hated the shit hole. I found people to be extremely rude out in the street and in the hotel/ shops. They have no concept of waiting in line, they're too F*ing noisy and far more racist than Japanese. Can't say I'll be going back there. I had a far better time in Hong Kong and a very good time in Singapore. On my first day to Korea I asked a guy for directions but he couldn't speak English so I asked if he could speak Japanese (many Koreans seem to be able to) he says yes so I ask him again in Japanese and the next thing I know the guy has me by the collar dragging me along the street then just points out his finger in a direction. I mean, fuck! Is that anyway a civilised person would help another? Even in the bank the twats were giving me a lecture and never ending questions because I asked to change Japanese yen in to won. I know Japan has it's many problems but at least for visitors it's a nice and genuinely pleasant experience. Yakumo
Three Things. How did i miss this post last night, come on msn so i can laugh at all this some more and erm three Hong Kong you know you want to... Oh video wont work for me all i get is some advert of im guessing whitening cream.
Oh yes, that video won't play more than a few seconds without that annoying add popping up time and time again.
It works in some countries but not in others for some reason. I can watch it in Canada but not here in the UK. Despite being one of the most connected countries in the world, the web in Korea is a mess, most web pages are still pure HTML. Probably all of the Starcraft sucking the bandwidth. The Koreans hate the Japanese, it's never a good idea to mention Japan anywhere, in the classroom even the 5 and 6 year olds add it to their dislikes when we do like and don't like grammar classes. They obviously brain wash them quite young. I'm sure Japan has no problem with the likes of LG and Samsung brands, however the Koreans still refuse to promote Japanese brands, of any sort, a lot of the PS2 games over there have the option of Japanese, Korean and English subtitles and in some cases English audio as well as Japanese. They'd rather struggle with the english than listen to Japanese. All SNES and MD games were just the US boards in Japanese cases. While i'm on a rant. They also hate fat people. There are reports of larger people being left by recruiters at the airport upon arrival because they don't look right for a teaching job. Another important thing for those of you thinking of teaching there. Be aware that a Korean contract is only legal if signed by both parties on Korean soil. However you will always be sent your contract to sign in your own country and then mail to Korea before you leave. Although there is a foreign labour board you are completely powerless to really ever do anything, Koreans will blackmail police officers to accuse you of stealing and all sorts of crap if something is up or they don't get their way. The Visa is a pain in the ass because it is owned by your employer, if you don't wanna work for the company anymore, getting it transferred to another school is impossible unless you can come up with a min. $2000 bribe to buy it from your boss. That's why I packed up and fled without saying anything, I would have stayed otherwise. I still really like the place though. Fuck knows why.
