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Webmaster's Selections |
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| Response to Kim's 'Isn't that strange' | |
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Do you dare show your words to your friends and family? I don't think so.
Because even you know what they would think of you. Don't imagine that I am THE
coward. I have written nothing I need to conceal from those around me. Can you
show your mother what you have written, as I can without shame show my
Chung-Mo-Nim what I have written? Why write something when all it can do is
bring you shame? |
| :My informed ideas | |
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As an ESL teacher in Asia for
going on 7 years, I have a few things that I'd like to say: 1st of all: If you've only taught in Korea, it's quite difficult to differentiate between negative aspects of Korea as compared to negative aspects of Asia in general. Crooked language school owners are far from an isolated problem in Korea. In my experience, you will find the same in Taiwan, Thailand, and (from what I've heard) in Japan and basically any other non-english-speaking country in Asia. Teachers in other places do not fair better than those in Korea, but there is much less bit__ing. The most antagonistic aspect of Korea is that schools are bound by too many rules regarding signing and terminating contracts. |
| re; teaching and crustiness | |
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my biggest dismay re; teaching
now is how to handle the conscientious objectors. the students who deliberately
forget their book, and smile about it. get to barky at them and they'll pop out
of school. but, otherwise, things are going well given having adopted a few new
'strategies'; -humour them, find what's funny and everybody laugh. it's a two/multi-sided exchange. for example 'what's the korean word for bla bla?'. countless times i'm asking and getting a lightning response to confirm they know the english word i'm delivering. teacher isn't TEACHER. 'teacher' is the other side of a mutual exchange that's fizzing or flopping. if kids are noncommital and wandering then it's TEACHER. but most of the time it's not |
| slagging korea | |
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I often wonder why people slag
Korea so vehemently. I really like it over there. The weather is not too bad.
There is really no street crime to speak of. The food is not half bad. The
people, although sometimes abrasive and annoying, are ok. Harmless. There's only
one terrible thing about Korea: TEACHING. Let's face it. Teaching sucks. I know for a fact that it sucks in Korea. I know for a fact that it sucks in America. All the "pros" I work with also agree that it sucks. You should come and listen in at the teacher's lounge. The vacation time is ok. I have to give it that. But I find that all my vacation time is spent dreading the day when I have to go back and TEACH. I'm especially dreading it this year. All my classes have over thirty students which kind of sucks when I only have thirty desks. |
| This is my account of teaching in Korea...... | |
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Well actually I had more
experiences than just this one, but here is the first........I figure I will use
my true name here as I cannot be sued for something that is true right? These
are just the facts........ My name is Cohen Glass and this is my account of teaching English in South Korea. I realize people have different experiences in Korea but to I simply wish to satisfy my own sense of justice by relaying mine. I am an Economics graduate from New Zealand and on returning from a two year overseas excursion working in London I found I still had a strong desire to travel. |
| A Walk On The Wild Side | |
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The Taewha river flows thru
Ulsan. Although there are a few polluted tributaries that still run with
lifeless black water, the main river has become remarkably clean. Most days it
is possible to stand in the middle of any bridge and look down into clear water
and see fish and turtles. The turtles are an introduced species, the red-eared slider (also called the Cumberland terrapin) from the United States. They have been introduced into many habitats around the world through the pet trade. They are the turtles sold alive in street side market stalls. Intelligent and adaptable they have replaced the native Korean fresh-water turtle in many places. |
| Loose a battle to win the war. | |
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What you wrote is quite right. I just want you to know there are some Koreans who both know and support your movement(or war against reversed racism). As you said, most of Koreans are not aware of how foreign workers are treated and discriminated. However, it is not entirely true that Koreans don't care eventhough they know the truth. What you have done is one way to solve or fight this nation's unfair system. People need to know what's going on and you need to tell not only other English teachers and/or foreign workers but more importantly Koreans for I believe majority of Korean people's support can be critical to do the right thing. |
| An attempt at sanity... | |
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I have posted fairly infrequently
on this message board as well as a few others. I read more often than post, and
thats simply because if I replied to everything I thought was misguided then I
would be online 24-7 trying to respond to everyone. I think it says a lot for
someone who will read beliefs of many others, and just file it away. I print a
lot of what you all say and sit it right alongside my books of world history and
international politics/relations. Everyone's opinion is valuable... some more so
than others, hehehe. |
| Seen A Lot of Bad Things Here | |
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You are absolutely right on the
safety issue you have mentioned in your post. Errr, should I say the absolute
lack of regard for safety.I don't know how long or what it will take
before Koreans start to take safety seriously. True, any maniac in any country
could start a fire like that in the Taegu subway, however, the real problems lie
in the fact that the subway car lit up the way it did. The fact that they used
highly flammable materials when constructing the subway cars and that it
laughably (tragically, disgustingly) passed safety standards here just shows you
how bad it is. |
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As a man who has barely entered the current established generation, I would like to open this letter with an apology. Despite the comments aired on a CBS's '60 Minutes' report, the majority of Koreans want the United States Forces Korea to remain in the country. If Kim Jong Il (I wonder if I should call him chairman) starts a war, I will fight against his soldiers regardless of whether the USFK is still here, or the Status of Forces Agreement is revised. |
| An open letter to my daughter.... | |
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My daughter, I decided to write this to you when I heard that you were going to the candlelight rally in Gwanghwa-mun. As a father, I felt it was my duty to do more than just worry, and went to visit the site in Gyeonggi province where Mi-seon and Hyo-sun, two girls of your age, died in a tragic accident. Hyochon-ri is the place where the two middle-school girls were crushed to death by a U.S. military vehicle, an accident that turned the country into turmoil. |
| To RastaMan | |
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The Koreans have a strong nationalistic streak in them that is sometimes expressed by lashing out at foreigners (mainly the Japanese and Americans). Korea has been victimized by foreign powers throughout its history so there is a tendency to lash out every now and then. But the US is not an imperialistic power, no matter what the European or Middle Eastern newspapers say. If the Koreans want the Americans to leave then the Yanks will pack up and go just like they did in the Philippines and Panama. The Yanks will not stay and start firing at crowds of angry demonstrators like the Brits and the French used to do. The Yanks will be gone so fast that the Koreans will be scratching their heads and wondering what the hell happened. The fact of the matter is that in the deaths of these two girls all procedures and protocols were followed according to the treaties that the Korean government agreed to. |
| Horrible day at the office | |
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Today I was teaching my 3rd year junior high students and one of my more smartass students started waving a post card. Now this kid is a pain in the ass most of the time. I figured it was one of the pop star divas they have plastered all over their desks. As usual I made him give it to me and on the front was the most horrific, gory, obscene picture of the young girls killed in the accident we have been talking about so much. Now to be honest it was a pre-printed postcard to GW. |
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If this forum is serving as a vehicle for important debate on World issues between educated people some of whom may even have a direct say its future, then I sincerely hope my posts are nothing but contructive and simply serve to encourage a more honest look at what is happening around us, instead of thinking just about the next 30,000 won /hour job. We probably do actually constitute something of an intellectual group as we are all... |
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I don't like everythng about Korean society. So what? I don't like everything about European society either. No where is perfect. Yes there are alot of horror stories here but STOP bashing anyone who posts a good experience. No Sasha, a good experience doesn't discount any bad ones but at least acknowledge there are decent, honorable people here. Just like there are decent honorable people everywhere. I don't pretend to be happy... |
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when I watch the 'Habby Birfday' video my students made for me last year, adult concerns seem petty. I see the final minutes where my teaching partner caught one of my smallest students pulling on my leg saying "Jaw-shreenn lipt me up!" (Jocelynn, lift me up!) and I'm proud that I went to Korea. No matter what happened later, my students and I had trust, fun and sometimes wild class-chaos..... |
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first impressions, final words....and some recommendations to employers reading this.... |
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(a) No more 2-party contracts. All contracts to be signed by the employer, the employee, AND a government official or government agency here in Korea that can converse and/or read in both languages. If this means a nominal tax levied on the employer and employee (say 1% per month of the teachers' salary) in order to fund this (EASILY ACCESIBLE!!!!)third party, then who would argue... |
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I've been reading alot of the posts on this board, having just discovered it the other day. Initially I started because I was in a futile rage at having been wrist-slapped again at my hogwon. It's hard, sometimes, to work with people who don't speak your language. After reading some of the posts though, especially from the "Employer Forum" I feel sheepish and somewhat ashamed.... |
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What do you expect from foreign teachers when they are cheated and lied too so often? What do you expect when police don't want to know and the Korean legal system is geared towards Korean directors? What do you expect when Korean parents don't care about the teachers and only care about perceived prestige? What do you expect when lies, deceit and theft of pay are endemic within Korean... |
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you have repeatedly written the purpose of you posts saying that you are here to point out the injustice toward hogwon teachers, yet when you are deviating from your original intentions to post different problems like someone stealing 1000 won, biased media, and etc... i don't know if you are purposely avoiding my point or that you genuinely don't understand it, but these problems are common ... |
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Big Korean SNU graduate gets a cheap loan from a lending institution and builds a hellish abomination of a money-making hokwon. He advertises about how its the "best" or has the "best reputation"...in fact its neither the best nor do the kids learn anything... |
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The avarage salary Koreans earn is 1,360,000 in 2001. That's without housing, airfare and etc! The director has to pay for the rent of the school, house, airfare, advertising fee, other staff salary, school bus and etc...You should know a lot of schools are in... |
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I've met many employers known as so-called exploiting employers personally and learned that none of them was bad by nature. In fact they never had any experiences of foreign personnel administration. I would say that many problems come from their Korean... |
| The `Daechidong education city' phenomenon and associated hype | |
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The concept of a school with a good reputation is really a joke in Korea. Parents are gullible and will believe whatever marketing ploy is rammed down there throat via advertising in newspapers. Take Robert Hollys tapes and books- they arent very good and.. |
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I have a hard time with this because my Father spent his time in the Air Force here during the Korean conflict. I have an Uncle who got a Purple Heart after serving in Korea. He lost 50% of his hearing and one eye in this country. I have a cousin buried here in this country. He died in Kaeyson. Froze to death after being injured. So I have a personal stake in all this. This is not a sob story. My father, Uncle and others in my family believed in service... |
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None of us not one is innocent. Not me, not you, not anyone. Idealism is difficult now. Being honorable and ethical is difficult for one's self. Where is the line drawn? I try hard but hell I like a Big Mac now and again and a latte at Starbuck's now and again. Many coffee bean workers are exploited... McDonalds makes obscene profits while they pay poor wages and only hire part-time so they don't have to pay benefits |
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Sorry kids it ain't that easy. Bad Americans...Good Canadians or Good Brits.....You need to look in your own history books. We all have some proverbial blood on our hands. So take your holier than thou attitude and well I think you get the idea. I lost my best friend in the 9/11 debacle. No one but terrorists were responsible. I am sickened by the callous nature of some of the comments.. |
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If I include the city, name of my employer/landlord, institute, etc it will be on the form(s) I will have to fill out after contacting the appropriate sectors of government here in Korea. I don't want this to be a "spitting contest" and I don't want a public forum to decide things! To my mind a public forum is for airing and discussion of issues, not details! Also, I want to give.. |
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Yes I was in Korea the year before last and before I went over there the company I was corresponding with said I could willingly bring my little boy aged 7 going on 8 with me.They said they loved children and the lady who corresponded with me said her boss would really be good to my son and make sure he was happy and that he enjoyed his stay there with me... |
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The reason you have to pay such high recruiting fees is that you and your fellow hogwon owners have abused SO MANY foreign teachers that you have almost destroyed Korea's reputation in the worldwide ESL community. Why would a qualified teacher... |
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Please understand the situation and get the right information before you say... |
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As a director of the institute, I've tried to ask them to be more cooperative to our staffers and teachers, which turned out to be useless. I think the teachers acted like children and were too emotional to control their emotion by reason, espeically the male teacher... |
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Degrees are not a bad idea, they can be extremely useful, but are they really that necessary to teach 5 year old children how to write the letter A?? Or read them a story book? I will tell you something that I didn't need a degree to know, the current system... |
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Current policy fails to take account of SUPPLY AND DEMAND rules. Perhaps this current policy situation relates to a desire for the KoreAN government to sub-concsiously control the subjects of their territory, or is it just related to the fact that the Korean... |
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I have a friend that is a teacher in Yeoksamdong and he pushed and pushed the hokwon to make a special phonics class. The director was hesitant at first but the teacher insisted because the teacher said these kids never learn by teaching using... |
| Korean Americans and Korean Canadians can't speak English? Give me.. | |
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A previous posting raises several points to this: K-A/C can't speak English as well. K-A/C don't understand Western culture. K-A/C hang out exclusively in their own cliches and don't have a diversified experience. Therefore, K-A/C can be treated differently... |
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Sorry, based on my "fantasy fragments" of experience (two years of living, working and traveling in korea) that would not happen, at least not in my area (nor in any of the many areas I have traveled to), maybe you should leave Seoul and get a broader experience... |
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The real problem is that the majority of Korean mothers do not understand exactly what is trying to be achieved by English language acquisition. Some seek immediate results but many just seek a certain peace of mind that they are providing their children with... |
| English-speaking kids and unqualified, native-speaker English teacher |
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Nowadays, Korean people are going crazy about speaking English like a native speaker. Korean mothers, particularly, are going even crazier about making their children speak English like a native speaker even before they learn to speak their native Korean language right. I often get calls... |
| About time but what about sentencing hokwon directors? | |
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That particular Korean criminal stole the pay of one of the teachers. The teacher went through absolute hell to take the matter to court...after some 11 months she managed to endure the stupidity (deliberate hurdles) of the Korean legal system and go... |
| We Koreans are screwing up the demand-and-supply of ESL teachers |
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I'm running my school (hakwon) and doing recruiting business as well. I'd like talk about my thought I'm feeling while doing my businesses. You know only native speakers are prospering in these down times; they receive over 2.0 mil won salary per month with... |
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i was reading messages posted by foreigners in dave's cafe(mostly white foreigners teaching in hogwon) in korea and all they do is complain about how they are being mistreated.... they say that they are being mistreated by the hogwon owners by being lied to and making them work during the holidays... they say people stare at them in the streets and they were even refused service in a restaurant b/c they claim the reason was that they were white... one person was even complaining that people were trying to get free english lesson by talking to him in the streets.... |
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One thing I have notices about
the truth: There are 3 sides to every story, yours, mine, and the truth. Ever
look at the color grey? Do you see black in it, or do you see white? Do you see
a tinge of blue, or perhaps some yellow? When it is raining, do you complain
that you forgot your umbrella, or do you realize that plants need to be watered,
and our rivers need to be filled? Is your glass half empty, or half full?
People look at life in differnt ways. Life in a haguan is what you make of it at times. Are you a hard worker, or do you like to slide through life? |
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I now live in a western country considered the most livable nation in the world.
But you know what? I really want to get out. The emptiness, the endless worship
of all things commercial, lack of culture that is inbred in older countries, and
in general the freedom they so covet is beginning to suffocate me. I'm expected
to indulge in substances, have disrespect for my family and older people, look
down on religions of any kind, and generally live only for myself. It worked
well for a while but we all have to grow up at some point. |
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I live in a small city in Saskatchewan, and every once in awhile when I see the odd Korean, I become curious as to where they lived, how long they have been here, and why they are here. More often then not, when I approach them, a huge smile lights up on their faces when I experiment with a bit of Korean, and they are more then happy to oblige some conversation. I have done this in a Chinese restaurant where I could tell the owners were not Chinese. I have also done it with students at the local nightclub, having recognised "Tommy Atkins" on one of their jackets. |
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I was the driver of the vehicle immediately before the one that struck those
two poor girls. I can tell you that the people involved in the accidedent were very sorry. We cried together, and it didn't matter if we were Korean or of different backgrounds (there was a Korean soldier, two white soldiers, a black soldier, and a hispanic soldier in the immediate area... along with the mother and her daughter that the two girls were going to see). We are all saddened by this. The Koreans are not terrible. Its the same as in America... the lack of knowledge about circumstances causes problems between people. Please read this account and know that the person at fault was not a driver... it was our Captain that put us there on that illegal road. |
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Thank each and every one of you for your sincere posts! -Rick |
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