Living In Korea

Korean Adventure (September 20, 2002 Chautauqua)

I'm going to try and reflect some facets of my life here, in the hopes that they may complete a picture, and show what I am experiencing.
I live in a one-room flat, in a three-story building. The other foreign teacher at my school has her apartment next door. Most schools provide the apartment rent-free, and all the teacher has to pay for is the utilities and the TV. As you walk in the door, there is a small area to leave your shoes. It is impolite to walk into a Korean house with your shoes on. I like to walk around in my slippers at home and at work. It is very comfortable.
I have a fridge, which is fairly large compared to other fridges I have known. Opposite is the sink/stove/cupboard area. It's all one unit, and that's my kitchen. I've gotten fairly good at preparing delicious meals on a two-burner gas range. It's pretty standard for most Korean households. Ovens are a rarity. Most Korean dishes are prepared without one.

One of the roads up to my con-apt, which was a block to the right. I did get a lot of what Flint calls 'Christers' visiting my con-apt. I was never as... curt as Flint was, but I did learn to shut the door on them after a while.

I have a TV/VCR unit, and I am limited to watching movies or whatever programs are part of the American Army's channel. They get most of the shows that are part of the lineup I was used to, but they can be some months behind. They have no paid advertising, but a lot of service announcements that let the soldiers know what's going on in their area. There are a lot of reminders about what it means to be a soldier. These are produced by the soldiers themselves, and some of them can be a little amateurish. I get a lot of laughs in this way.
The bathroom is a tiled room, with a toilet, a tap with showerhead attachment, and that's it. There's a drain in the middle of the floor, and that's where all the water drains. I've gotten used to washing my hands while standing back from the tap. It will be strange to return home and get used to water that drains "normally."

The street leading up to my building, which was on the right, the last building but one.

There are taps in my bathroom that would usually hook up to a washing machine. The other teacher has to deal with this, but my washer has been installed in the "back room," which is like a storage area. I have no dryer, and I take care of that job by hanging my clothes on a rack, which is standard issue for most teachers' apartments. Some buildings have a tap out front, and I have seen some Koreans using this to wash their dishes and their clothes.
I was really lucky to have a double bed in my place. Most flats have single beds (my first one did). Koreans, of course, sleep on the floor, and one of my friends (tired of the cramped and lumpy single) has switched to this with satisfactory results. I also scored a microwave, which comes in handy when I want to cook up some popcorn. That is one of the snacks that I really missed when I came here.

There were two busy streets that I had to cross on the way to work. North of this one was the neighbourhood where my con-apt was situated, which was mainly three-story one- and two-room buildings. South was full of those huge blocks that marched off into the distance.

Koreans don't usually eat popcorn. They have some... different...flavours for their chips, too. Some of them are really spicy, and can cause your tongue to dial the fire department if you're not careful. Some of their chips are sweet-tasting, as well. I remember a comedy sketch from a while back about a man who gave a snack bar attendant fits by asking for "Raspberry Ripple" flavored chips, and so on. He would have got on well here.
I live approximately fifteen minutes away from the school (by foot). There is a big hill behind the building, where I like to go hiking on the weekends. The trails are well maintained and travelled. Hiking is a favorite activity for many people, and there are camping areas that feature equipment for the serious hiker. You can do chin-ups, sit-ups, play badminton; there's even a set of barbells to do some press-ups.

This is the second busy road I had to cross. Right on the corner, almost at my feet as I took this picture, there was always a pile of tofu for sale. It sat on the corner every day, absorbing the exhaust fumes, burps and farts, narrowly missing being spat on by some mook. I... never really liked tofu after that.

The area I live in is predominantly three- and four-story apartment buildings. There are a couple of private dwellings, but these are scarcer than hen's teeth in a space-premium country like South Korea. I imagine you have to be wealthier than Croesus to afford a private dwelling. Surrounding the neighbourhood where I dwell, is the main living space for Koreans, the high rise, which go on for miles. I tried to get a picture that would show these buildings stretching to the horizon.
I pass through these on my way to work, and they are like little villages. The buildings are about 15-20 stories high, and about 10-15 apartments wide. They each have their own little strip malls, and "police" forces to keep an eye on traffic. There is a lot of foot traffic going through, mostly mothers with their kids in hand. Foreigners have a lot of eyes on them.

The building where my hagwon lurked. The PC room I used was across the street. The hagwon's name was New York, and the lobby featured a mural of the city skyline featuring the twin towers of the World Trade Centre front and centre. I worked here the year after 9/11, and it was always a little jarring to see that photo every day.

I've heard that this type of dwelling is more expensive than the one I live in. They don't seem much different inside, and I'm not sure I would want to live in an area so crowded, with people on either side, and on top as well as below you. You have to deal with a substantial loss of "personal space" when you come to Korea. There is no such thing as waiting patiently in line for anything. It's every man for himself, and don't be afraid to use those elbows.
Still, there are perks. I use a computer at a "PC Room," and the owners have gotten very good at arranging for a monitor away from the smokers. I get a nice comfy chair, and an iced tea. Being served in a restaurant is a pleasant experience, and you get a lot of "service" (free stuff!) if you become a regular.
And the beer! Ah, the beer. Their draft comes in inexpensive pitchers that always taste like another one. A night out with a group of teachers looking for a way to unwind can go on for a long time, with no appreciable dent made in your wallet. Most bars like to try and sell you a side dish to go along with your beer, and it's not unusual to see a table of Koreans enjoying a nice array of ... fruit?... to go with their beer. Or if that's not to your taste, you can always try the seaweed. Dip it into a little soy sauce. Mmmmm.
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I've had a couple of hagwons try to get away with just supplying me a beer fridge. They look at me strangely when I tell them I need a regular sized fridge. When you consider they have fridges just for kimchi, I don't think it too much to ask.
I remember in my first year, my roommate's girlfriend kept kimchi in the fridge, and whenever you opened the door, the smell would hit you like a punch in the face.
I was always impressed with the relentless way Koreans exercised. I was never able to get motivated enough to follow their example. I'm flabby and out of shape, and I would be of no use in a crisis. I thought, 'Either get in shape or hope there is never a crisis.' I always hoped there was never a crisis.
I remember going to one teacher's wedding. He invited me up to their con-apt. They were just moving in. The place was chock-a-block with all the newest appliances and electronics still in their boxes. It was too bad when she gave him the boot the day after the wedding, but he deserved it. He romanced a foreign teacher and then dumped her on the advice of a fortune teller.
What a douchebag.
I almost lived in one of those highrises during my third year, but was lucky enough to get a solo con-apt. For me, it's the only way to go.
I still didn't have a 'puter, and I didn't get one until my third year. The PC room I used in my second year was a pretty good one, and the owners were very nice to me. But having your own 'puter is the bomb. I was really happy when I got my first laptop.
This neighbourhood was in West Daegu, and the local bar we went to was called Elvis. More often than not, the waitress would insist we order a side with our pitcher. I got to like the dried squid with peanuts. You could dip the pieces of squid in mayonnaise, or hot sauce, or both. Mmmmmmmmmm.
But getting used to the side dishes that most Koreans took for granted was difficult for me. I missed the usual salty snacks that we get back here in The World. There were a few places that served popcorn, like the Hollywood Bar in Cheongju, but then you'd go to a place like The Berkeley in Daegu, which served squid-flavoured crisps.
Eurgh.

Pusan

Korean Adventure (August 16, 2002 Chautauqua)

In my first year of teaching here in Korea, I spent the last six months at a school in the small coastal city of Changwon. I really enjoyed my time there as the school was well organized, and most of the people who worked there were really nice.

I went down to visit them on July 19th. It seemed like they were happy to see me, and we had a good visit, catching up on old times. It was interesting to see the kids that I used to teach in the morning were now attending in the afternoon. I guess they must have graduated from pre-school to elementary. It was kind of like watching my own kids grow up.

I was treated to dinner that night, to a meal advertised as a traditional Korean dish, galbi jjim. It was a great deal like my mother's beef stew, and I ate a pretty good portion. My old director picked up the tab, and he was even nice enough to treat me to a motel room that night. There are some very nice people down there.

The next day, I was off to Pusan, to visit a teacher I met on the ferry to Japan. My first stop was a motel, so I could drop off my stuff. An indispensable part of my journey here is the "Lonely Planet Guide." It gives some useful information about the country you're travelling in, including budget places to eat and stay. The motel I decided on was fairly cheap, with an...interesting atmosphere.

The bed was round. I think that might give you an idea of what sort of clientele the place catered to. There was even a vending machine in the room. The logo read: "Love Calling." Now, I am a world traveller, but sometimes I come across aspects of a foreign society that remind me that in many ways I am still a kid from the prairies.


My next stop was the ancient Geumjeongsanseong Fortress on top of a mountain. You get up there via cable car, which rises up through a sea of evergreens to a height of 540 metres. The contrast of forest and crowded city is startling, especially once you reach the top. It was almost like being back in the mountains of Banff National Park, it was that quiet. Fortunately it was a clear day, and I could see all the way to the port, and the Sea of Japan beyond.

The Busan World Cup Stadium. You can see how hazy it is. There were some clear days, but a lot of the weather looked like this.



There is not much left of the old fort, just some crumbling walls, almost hidden by the green growth of the forest. The gates have been restored and are impressive sites to see.


There are hiking trails that lead all around the outside of the remains, and it can take a day to see everything. A planned tour will end up at a magnificent Buddhist temple of Beomeosa.



I met my friend at Haeundae Beach, which is the most famous beach in Korea. There are international hotels, and many western-style eating and drinking establishments. My friend and I consumed many beers at a seaside beer garden, before going in to enjoy a curried dinner that just couldn't be beat.

There is one thing about travelling in Korea - it is fairly cheap and efficient. Buses, trains, and taxis are all well within the budget of anyone and everyone. There are even "standing room" tickets available for the trains, which are sometimes the only tickets available if you do not plan ahead. In no time at all, I was back "home," ready for the next trip.
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One of the teachers at my old school asked me why I came back for a visit. Her question was asked in an aggressive manner, like she suspected my motives.
Maybe she saw the unbridled lust I had for my old supervisor, I don't know.
When I was on the cable car going up the mountain, there was this ajumma who took a shine to me. Maybe it was my beard, or my Batman shirt, or my sheer animal magnetism.
Most Korean women have a hard time resisting.
When I visited my friend on haeundae Beach, he introduced me to Dongdongju, for which I will be forever grateful. As Flint always says, I love dong... dongju.

Inside The Korean Classroom

(May 17, 2002 Chautauqua)

I can still remember the fear I felt when I walked into a classroom for the first time. It was just this morning.
Seriously, I can now feel fairly comfortable in a classroom. When I first started, I had no experience aside from some labs I took in university. I was expecting to receive some kind of direction from the school that I was working for, but all they wanted was a native speaker to give the kids some exposure. How you spoke, and what you did to capture their attention, was pretty much left up to you.
Now the morning kids in the typical Korean "hak won" are pre-schoolers. They have no attention-span to speak of, and the Korean teachers keep them in line through fear. It's not corporal punishment, so much as the shame of being made to stand against the wall with their hands in the air.
The most profitable way to keep their attention is to be a bit of an entertainer. One teacher likened it to performing like a professional wrestler. You have a flashy entrance, some music and movement to attract attention, and a lot of loud vocalization to keep the kids centred.
The first class I teach in the morning are five-year-old boys. They are probably the most difficult to handle. They are more pre-occupied with making sure that their pencil is the longest in the classroom. It's harder than it seems, as the pencils also have to be sharpened after each individual letter is written. These points are then inserted into the erasers and broken off, necessitating more sharpening, and on and on in an endless cycle.
My next class is composed of 7-year-olds. I share that class with a Korean Teacher, and we do story-telling. I read the story, and the kids repeat my words until they can tell the story in English. The Korean teacher, Jenny, translates the words into Korean occasionally, so the kids can better understand the action. I also teach the kids phonics every other month. The other foreign teacher, Aurora, is doing that this month.
My last class in the morning is 3-4 year-olds. There is not too much I can do with them but colour, and try to introduce some English letters, numbers, or words along the way. These kids are very sweet. One boy, David, is like a pudgy little doll. He usually has a big smile on his face, and the other kids play with him as they would a doll.
The afternoon kids are elementary and middle-schoolers, ranging in age from 7-15. When I was in Korea last year, I had to do quite a bit of prep work each day. I was expected to draw up a syllabus, and do lesson plans. My first school had limited resources, and I relied on the Korean teachers for direction. My second school was a bit better organized, with teacher's manuals, games, and supplements that made planning a lesson so much easier.
The school I am at this year does not require me to do any prep work. I just walk into the classroom and the Korean teacher shows me a couple of pages in the book to do. The Korean teachers do not even leave the room. Some of them do a little interpreting of what I am saying, some do work on their own, and some sleep.
They work long hours, and I do not envy them. They are all young women, in their early twenties. There are not a lot of opportunities for women over here. It is very much a man's world, though it is slowly changing.
Some of the afternoon kids can be a little bratty, especially once you start dealing with teenagers. But most of them are very smart, and are keen to interact once the initial shyness (on both sides) has worn off.
Usually, the earlier in the day it is, the younger the kids are. Some of my last classes of the day are composed of 15-year-olds. These are kids that speak English fairly well, but need some help with polishing, grammar points, and forms of language. I've gotten a bit better at deviating from the book if a line of inquiry opens up, in order to expose the kids to as diverse an experience as I can.
It amazes me to think how far I've come from those first days, and how much more I have to learn about teaching. Although I can do a pretty basic lesson without too much thought, I hope I can learn enough to be of more use to the kids coming to me for knowledge. I'm working for them, and I want them to "get their money's worth".
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Even tough I sound pretty confident about my abilities, I never really shook that fear that I had going into a classroom for a long time. And now that I've been out of work so long, I think I've forgotten how to teach altogether!

My First Column

When I went to Korea for my second year, I began a column reporting on teaching and travelling in Korea and the surrounding countries. These stories first appeared in The Chautauqua, which circulates in Central Alberta. I'll be reprinting these columns here and in Stig's Silly Walks. The stuff about Korea will appear here, and the stuff about other countries will be found on SSW, unless I'm channeling Flint that day, and do the opposite.

Teaching English in Korea (February 1, 2002 Chautauqua)

By Alan E. Johnson

In the summer of the year 2000, I was working as a security guard in Calgary. I had graduated from university, but was unable to find a job that suited me. Security paid the bills, and gave me time to read. But it was a dead end, and I had been looking around for something better for quite a while. I had tried to get jobs teaching English in Europe and China, but they fell through.
Then I met another guard who was going to Korea. He gave me a handout that answered questions about applying for a job, the various procedures to go through to work in another country, and an address to contact a recruiter. A lot of the work can be done via the internet, which makes it easy for people in different countries to communicate quickly.
In no time, I had a variety of offers from recruiters in Canada, the U.S, and Korea. Eventually I settled on what seemed to be the most straightforward of the offers, and got my papers together. I had to submit copies of my university transcripts, a certified copy of my diploma ( the Korean Embassy in Vancouver handles that), and a copy of my passport. Koreans put great importance on a person's appearance, so a photograph is a must. No one seemed put off by my appearance, and a contract was faxed to me.
There is a website run by the Canadian government that offers some advice about working in Korea. They make it clear that a lot of what you do is at your own risk. Koreans don't see contracts as something that they have to adhere to completely. They place more emphasis on the personal agreements that people make face to face. A contract is just a guide that can be ignored if better terms can be arranged.
There was a lot of work to do before I was ready to leave the country. I had to quit my job ( that was a lot of fun!), put some of my things into storage, sell the items I no longer needed, and move the rest to my folks'. My parents were an invaluable source of help and inspiration in this. They were very happy to see me get out of the rut I had been in. It was a very emotional farewell.
I must admit to a certain amount of trepidation as I flew half-way around the world. Wandering around the airport in Seoul ( my pick-up was late), I wondered if I had done the right thing. That feeling never really left me the whole time I was there. A new teacher is not really given any extensive training - at least I wasn't - before being placed in a classroom.

Taegu from the southwest. Taken from the "mountain" behind my first con-apt.

The school I landed at was in the city of Taegu, the third largest city in Korea ( approx. 2.5 - 3 million population). It was part of a chain of schools that go by the name of "Wonderland". When I arrived, there were three other foreigners there. I was rooming with one of them, another Canadian by the name of Phil. He gave me a lot of useful information, but he was wrapped up in personal problems, and I had to learn a lot of things for myself.
I was given a couple of days to watch the other teachers in various classes before I was given my own students. There are no words to describe the fear that grabs you in that situation. A lot of what I did in those early days was made up as I went along. To tell the truth, Taegu Wonderland is not a very good school. Their curriculum is poorly organized, and there is not a lot of support for a new teacher to rely on. A person has to look inside for the resources he/she needs.

Taegu Wonderland (3rd and 4th floors)

The main reason that foreigners are there is to provide a resource for the children to listen to. All I had to do, really, is go into the classroom, start talking, and not stop until class was over. The children needed to hear English being spoken in order to get used to the rhythms and be given corrections about pronunciation. The hard rules about grammar points and spelling would come from the Korean staff.
The Korean teachers were young, pretty women. There were four kindergarten teachers, who did not speak very much English at all. Their task was to get the children used to the school rules, where the bathrooms were, when lunch is; the usual day-care sort of tasks.
The pre-schoolers (cute as buttons, all of them) came to the school in the morning, and were there from 10:00 until 2:30 in the afternoon. At that time, the elementary and middle school kids came in. Those classes went from 3:00 in the afternoon until 7:30 at night. The same kids were not there all that time. There were three sets of kids who changed "shifts" every 90 minutes. In those 90 minutes they had two classes, one with a Korean teacher, and one with a foreigner.

Changwon Wonderland in building indicated.

There were a variety of textbooks that were used, and the Korean teacher usually controlled how fast or how slow the books were used. After a while, I began to rely less and less on these books, and on my own resources. The books became a guide as to what I was teaching, and I grew more confident about discarding the less helpful parts and giving the children more substantial instruction.
In the time I taught in Wonderland, I saw a complete turnover in the foreign staff. The teachers who were there when I arrived moved on when their contracts were completed, and sometimes before. The act of leaving early came to be known as "doing a runner". I knew five different teachers who for one reason or another decided to move on before their contracts were fulfilled. Some were a bit overwhelmed by it all, and decided to return to the "real world". Some were merely taking some time to travel and experience a bit before they took up "real" jobs.
Living over there became easier as I became accustomed to travelling around the city by myself. I really began to enjoy my time when the new teachers arrived to replace the old. We formed a gang, and we relied on each other to help us through the tough times. We found that we could get together and talk shop, take instruction in the Korean language, and generally have some fun. It was a lot like being back in school. There was less "responsibility" in our profession, and we were able to have some fun with it.
Exploring the country, experiencing a different culture, is just one of the perks of the job. I was able to see the remnants of a civilization that flourished at the same time Christ walked the earth. I was also able to see first hand one of the few remaining places that the Cold War is still being fought.
The Korean people are very friendly once you get past their initial reserve, and I made some good friends that I am looking forward to seeing once I return. Yes, I am returning - if I can sort through the many jobs available - and I hope to see the people who I came to regard as my second family. One of the jokes I heard before I left was that I would probably bring back a little Korean wife. That didn't happen, but who knows who'll come back to Canada with me the next time? I'm working on it.

Well, there you have it. My first year in Korea, encapsulated in just so many words.
It left out just how difficult those first months were, and just how bad it was, working for Wonderland. I came this close to doing a runner myself, but I stuck it out and was glad I did. By the time the year was over, I began to feel comfortable in the classroom and in Korea.

Visa Runs

There are many ways to obtain the standard E-2 visa necessary to work as an English teacher in Korea. The Korean government has added many weird and wonderful prerequisites before they will allow you in. Some of the things they check out (drugs, HIV, perversion) are not asked of Koreans, of course, but regular readers will already be acquainted with my and Flint's rantings about this.
I received my education about the whole process the hard way. The first time I went to Korea, I went without a visa, and was stopped at the check-in at Vancouver.
A person can get a visa before they go to Korea, but I didn't know that. The recruiter neglected to mention the fact that I should keep my visa status on the q.t.
I did get to Korea and finally obtained my E-2 through what is known as the "visa run." My school sent me to Fukuoka in Japan, where South Korea has a consulate that handled the application.
There are a variety of ways to get to Fukuoka. There's an overnight ferry from Busan, as well as a hydrofoil that makes the trip before you can even blink. This time, I took the train to Busan, and a plane from Busan to Fukuoka. Daegu has an airport, but the reason why I just didn't fly from there was never properly explained to me.
My school paid for everything: train tickets, plane tickets, visa fee, and about $500 for expenses. Not bad. They even gave me a map of the city, so I'd know where to go.
It was a very interesting trip. I had to get up about 3 AM or some godawful hour (on a Thursday, returning Friday) in order to make the train. My doofus of a rommmate, who couldn't give directions out of a paper bag, didn't tell me that there were two train stations in Daegu. One was simply Daegu Station, while the other was Dongdaegu (East Daegu) Station.
Dongdaegu was fairly big, and not hard to miss, but thanks to my idiot roommate, I was looking for Daegu Station, which at that time was hidden behind an outdoor market. I wandered around, looking for the entrance to the station, being stared at by all the people getting their stalls ready.
I did find it, and I made my train. The ticket guy looked at me kind of strangely, no doubt wondering why I wasn't at Dondaegu.
Babo waegookin.
One of the things I loved about getting around Korea was riding on the train. They're fast, cheap, and relaxing. It was a nice easy glide down to Busan. Hmmmm, reminds me of Arlo Guthrie's "City Of New Orleans." Maybe Flint and I can adapt the words for Korea...
Anyway, I got to Busan, and even got off at the right station (Gupo). I had to take a city bus from there to the airport, and then made the short hop across the Tsushima Strait to Japan. History buffs will recognize this body of water as the place where the Imperial Japanese Navy took on the Russian Navy in 1905, and blasted it out of the water.
From Fukuoka Airport, I took the subway to a station near the Korean consulate. There was about a half-hour walk between them. After coming out of the subway, you see a foot-wide creek, which widens out as you follow it to the coast.

I arrived at the consulate about noonish, and submitted the necessary forms, photos, and fees. The visa would be ready for pick-up the next day, at which time I would reverse the trip I'd just taken.
I remember when I made a visa run to Osaka in '07 that the visa was ready the same day, but I still got a two-day trip out of it. Time enought to visit Osaka Castle even.

And I got a great picture of this neon bat sign from my hotel.

Sweet.
Fairly close to the consulate was the Fukuoka Dome, where the local baseball team, the Hawks, play.

There's a shopping mall and a hotel attached. The complex is called Hawks Town.

Just down the street is the Chinese consulate.

According to the map, Fukuoka is lousy with consulates, probably catering to thousands of teachers like me, getting visas for all the countries in the area. The ones I saw at the consulate were all doing the thing where they ignored everybody else, so I didn't have anybody to talk to at all during that trip. That's cool. I'm solitary by nature, and I don't feel right about inflicting my company on someone who doesn't care for it. Their loss.
As it was deep December, there wasn't a lot to do or see outside. I wandered down to the beach, but there wasn't a lot to see if you didn't like just staring at the ocean.

I did go on up the Fukuoka Tower, which is not as impressive as it looks or sounds. It's mainly an elevator and some observation decks.

But it does give you a nice view of the city and the bay.
There was an old fortress I wanted to see, but I ran out of time and money.

These photos are from a later trip.

I stayed at the Mimochi Twin Towers hotel. Very nice, and cheap, about $40 a night. I got to experience a Japanese bathroom, which was very economical about the space. Its shower was very similar to the showers in Korea. The spray hits you about mid-chest.
I ate at a Japanese version of a steakhouse (across from the hotel) and turned in fairly early. There wasn't much on the television for the English speaker.
But all in all it is an enjoyable trip, and a bit of a break from teaching, which at that time was torture for me and my poor students.
Japan is very different from Korea. The cleanliness is on a level far above Korea, and the people are polite. They don't stare, and they don't noisily clear their throats and then spit.
I made two, maybe three trips to Fukuoka for different E-2's, and another run to Osaka. The others I got in Canada before I went to Korea. Once I even went to Vancouver to submit the paperwork (I combined the trip with a visit to my sister).
After you get your visa, your hagwon can register you with the government, and arrange for things like your health care. I remember in my second year, the director's second in command Charlie, took me down to register me, and we got laughed out of the office. I had gone to Korea figuring I would do the visa run, but my recruiter and the school had expected me to come with the E-2 already in my passport.
SNAFU, eh?

The Pill

I only had two room-mates in the ten years I was in Korea (whew!). The second was a pretty good guy, but the first, who worked with me at my first school, was the worst!
Imagine a depressed, angry, paranoid individual and multiply him by ten. That was the man I'll call The Pill.
When I arrived in Korea, my director, Mr. Kim aka The Kimmer, and his assistant James dropped me off at the apartment I was to share with him. We chatted for a few minutes, and then The Kimmer left, and I turned to see if all of my bags were in my room, or something, and when I turned back, HEY PRESTO! There was a Korean girl standing next to The Pill.
It turned out to be his girlfriend, who I will call Two-Na. She had been hiding in The Pill's room while the director was there. I wondered why.
The Pill started to reveal somewhat about their relationship (and his nature) as we walked to the school that first day.

This was the building our school was in. It occupied the fourth and fifth floor. The name of the school was "Wonderland," which is a fairly large franchise in Korea. There motto (prominently displayed everywhere) was "Everyone Smiles In Wonderland." I ended up working at three different Wonderlands. One was good, one was okay, and one was very bad. I suppose I was lucky in that I got the one that was very bad out of the way first.
One of the reasons this school was very bad was because of The Pill. As we walked there on my first day, he began talking about it (and its director) as if it was the bane of his existence. He felt that they were always spying on him, and that they didn't believe foreigners should be "involved" with local girls, and that is why Two-Na was hiding that night. I could see that he was in a very bad place, and it coloured my perception of my new job.
I had expected to receive some kind of training before I would be expected to teach. I think that this belief came from things the recruiter said. I didn't know at the time that recruiters will do and say anything until they drop you off and get their money, and then you are on your own.
My "training" consisted of following one of the other teachers around for a couple of days before being asked to do it on my own. Apparently The Kimmer and his aides felt that a person completely untutored in managing a classroom could absorb enough knowledge to do it alone in that time. Eventually I became comfortable in the classroom, but those first months were filled with terror that began as soon as I walked in and continued until the end of the day.
Besides The Pill, there were only two other foreign teachers at the school, who I will call Dolly and Marty. Both were Americans. The Pill was a Canadian who had moved to Texas at some point, and he constantly talked about how great it was there. I began to consider him as an American as time went by.
Marty's contract was up at the end of December (I started with about a week left in November), and he was counting down the days like he couldn't wait to get out of there. Dolly seemed happy enough to be there, and I believe her contract had until the following summer to run. The Pill's was about the same.
Dolly did a runner within two weeks, however, and after Marty left, The Pill and I were left to handle the workload alone.
The head Korean teacher was a man named Jay, whose job it was to look after the curriculum and any questions a teacher might have about it.
The disorganization of the office became apparent almost immediately. The books were crammed helter-skelter into shelves. Supplies were sometimes available, sometimes not. Teachers were given a basket with which they were to carry their supplies to whatever room they were teaching that day. Each class had its own room, and the teachers were to go to them rather than have them come to the teacher's room. There was only one school I taught in that allowed us teachers to set up in our own room. It was brilliant, and I missed that at every other school, which all asked you to "chase the students."
My poor performance as a teacher eventually revealed Jay's real role, which was to blame the foreigner any time anything went wrong, and heap abuse on them until they felt like shit. If a parent complained, or a student wasn't being coddled, Jay would descend like the wrath of God on all and sundry. It didn't help that I knew my skills were non-existant, and my performance was shite. There was no way I could defend it.
But what did they expect? They knew I was inexperienced, and they hired me anyway. Did they expect me to turn into a good teacher overnight? According to the Korean government's parameters, I was qualified enough to be allowed into the country to teach English. I knew I needed more experience and that I would not be able to be effective in the classroom without more training. I expected to receive this training from the school, but I did not. When my performance suffered as a result, who was to blame?
It didn't help that as time went on, living with The Pill became more and more difficult. His paranoia eventually brought him to include me among his many enemies, and he began to take every opportunity he could to be critical of anything and everything I did. When he saw me reading my Bible, he quoted the verse in Matthew that admonished a person to go into his closet and study privately. When I ate the last portion of rice left in the cooker, he reacted as if I had stolen the last bit of food left on the earth. I liked my toast darker than him, but he expected me to reset the toaster after I had used it to his own preference.
When we returned to the apartment at the end of the day, he and Two-Na usually closeted themselves in his room, and did not interact with me at all. I was left to my own devices, and expected to be out of their way if they wanted the apartment to themselves.
The Pill was very protective of her, and he revealed why about a week after I had arrived.
He told me she was pregnant with his child.
I did the math, and this must have been accomplished about a month after he had arrived in Korea. Fast work!
He was pestering the Kimmer for his own place, and as our relationship deteriorated, I began pestering the Kimmer, as well. It had gotten to the point where we passed each other without speaking, even in the apartment.
When he moved out, I fell to my knees and thanked God in Heaven above. Deliverance!
But the Pill had one last trick to play on me before he left my life for good.
New teachers eventually arrived, including another male who became my room-mate. He was an Australian who I'll call Gargamel. Two British girls named, um, Carol and uh, Di, as well as a Canadian girl called... Barbie rounded out our group. Life actually became bearable after these people arrived. They actually knew how to converse with other human beings. They were willing to explore Korea with me, and they were more than willing to have a good time.
Within a few months I began to enjoy my time in Korea, and my job as well. It helped to have somebody to talk to and lend a helping hand, as well as commiserate regarding the daily helping of bullshit we all had to eat.
At the end of May, all the Wonderlands in southeast Korea were coming together at a conference in a hotel on Haeundae Beach in Busan. Each group of foreign teachers had to make some kind of presentation about lessons/lesson plans. We came up with a skit about making a car and teaching the kids about directions. The Pill didn't contribute too much. He made a dramatic speech at one of our meetings that Two-Na was experiencing complications, and he had to be there with her. Then his mother died, and he had to go back to Canada to be at her funeral.
All lies.
Our presentation actually came in second at the convention and we divided a cash prize amongst ourselves. It was a bittersweet time, because I was about to leave that Wonderland and start work at another in Changwon.
Our school had six teachers and their school had five. The Kimmer explained that we had one too many, and they had one too few. I was elected to make the move.
I don't know why he picked me. Maybe he thought I was the weakest teacher, and the school'd be better off without me. It would have made more sense to oust The Pill, as he was the outsider in our group. We all worked well together and got along, whereas he separated himself from us as much as possible.
Maybe a smarter man could have figured out a way to convince The Kimmer of this, but I was not that man. His mind was made up. He didn't want The Pill to go. He wanted me to.
The weekend after the convention, The Kimmer and Gargamel loaded up my stuff into The Kimmer's car and drove me down to Changwon.
On Monday, The Pill did not show up to work. He had pulled a runner, and now The Kimmer had to find someone to take his place. He didn't ask for the other Wonderland to send me back, but went about recruiting someone else.
The Pill had fucked me over but good. The times he said he was looking after Two-Na he was looking for another job. And the trip home for his mother's funeral was actually a trip to Seoul to interview for that job.
I have never seen The Pill since that time, in spite of my intense desire to meet him in a dark alley and find out how many pieces I can carve him into. I have to content myself with the knowledge that every day of his life he is going to wake up, look in the mirror, and realize he will always be what he is, a complete and utter waste of skin.

Stig Goes To Korea II

I had my watches repaired the other day. I have two watches. One is a "Batman" watch I got for my birthday in 1989, about the time the 1st Tim Burton movie came out. The other watch is a 'Wonderland" watch I got from my employer 6 months after I started working there. I was amused to read Wonderland's slogan, "Everyone Smiles In Wonderland" on the back.
Amused in a kind of sad way, because the smiles in Wonderland are as false as the promises they give when they're trying to recruit you.
It's been quite a while since I posted the first part of this story, and the watch reminded me I'd better get back to it. I left off being denied by the ticket agent in Vancouver. She wouldn't let me go the rest of the way because I didn't have a work visa (the E-2). I had let this slip because what the fuck did I know about going to work in Korea? I was as naive and dumb as a person could be. Wonderland couldn't believe their luck.
It took about a week before I was on my way again. I was lucky enough to be able to stay at my sister's while making the necessary arrangements. The ticket agent had said that unless I had an "onward ticket," I wouldn't be allowed to go to Korea. Which means they wanted to know that you had the means to get the fuck out if they didn't like you.
So I arranged with my sister's travel agent to have a ticket to Japan, dated a week or so later, making sure that I could turn it in for the refund after I got to Korea.
I never saw that money again. More about that later.
The flight over was about the same as any other long boring trip where you're trapped in the vehicle until the end. It was an Air Canada flight, and the passengers were mostly Korean. I don't remember much about my first impressions of them. I was in the absolute back of the plane, with no-one else in my row, so I did get to stretch out and rest.
One of the food choices was bibimbap, the first time I'd ever had it. Not bad, for airline food. I remember the ajumma across the aisle from me gave me a look when I put all of the red pepper paste in. Maybe she was going to warn me that it was "spicy." She must've been amazed I didn't start screaming in pain after the first bite. I've always liked bibimbap. It's one of my favourite Korean foods.
When we landed in Seoul, it was dark. We were at Gimpo Airport, as the new terminal at Incheon was not open yet. (Gimpo at that time had International and Domestic terminals next to each other.) A cab driver offered to help me out, which I thought was nice, at first. I'll admit I was very nervous, and very unsure of myself in that situation. I've since learned to handle international travel with some aplomb, but at that time it was all very new and strange. The cabbie used his cell phone to get in touch with my contact, who was going to take me from one terminal to the other and put me on a plane to Daegu. My contact advised me to wait, and he would be along soon enough.
After I got off the phone and returned it to the cabbie, he offered to drive me over to the domestic terminal himself, for $20. This was my first introduction to the dreaded Korean cabbie. Beware, my children! They'll cheat you faster than you can say "What the kimchi?!"
Well, I extracted myself from his clutches, and was soon on my way to Daegu. It's only a short hop, about an hour or so. It was much later in the evening (this was a Saturday night), when I met my director, Mr. Kim, and his aide, James. Wherever I've gone in Korea, the second in command at any hagwon has invariably been named "James."
Anyway, they packed my bags into the car, and we drove off to my new apartment. The main thing I remember from that drive was seeing building after building, all with large, orange, neon crosses on top. One after another. I was thinking, "What have I gotten myself into?"

Kindergarten Festivals

Every year Ivy School held a Kindergarten Festival. It was supposed to showcase the English ability of the kindergarten students and how they had advanced. Yet it somehow never managed to do that.

Why? Half or more of the festival was done in Korean by the kids. It is nice and cute to see them in their little hanboks singing "Appa Himniseyo" but that ain't English. Nor did it showcase things they were being taught. Instead, for about 2 months prior to the festival, classes were focused on learning the songs and or skit they were doing for the festival.

The goal of the festival, like an "education" at most hagwons, wasn't about learning. It was about making the parents BELIEVE their child learned something. Yes, your child can sing a song they cram studied for 2 months in English now. Too bad they STILL can't answer the question "What day is it today?" after a year. The Kim's (Ivy School not the generic term) didn't care about the learning just the money flowing into their bank account.

Then you had the foreign teachers and the festivals. For the most part your job was to help set up, prep the kids (costume changes), and take things down. At one point you were on the stage being introduced with the Korean teachers. Of course this all took place on a Saturday, which your contract (which doesn't count for anything) said you didn't work, and the Kim's would try and weasel out of paying you overtime let alone basic time for the hours you gave up.

One year the Kim's decided that the foreign teachers wanted to do a song on stage. Yes, they decided we wanted too. Not us. They also decided to tell us 2 days before the festival. Which left basically no rehearsal time.

We picked "California Dreaming". With six people we figured it was an easy one to muddle your way through. It would have been too except for the ricetards working the sound system at the festival. They decided that the song was too fast and used the mixing board to slow it down. Oh, and in typical Korean fashion they never told anyone they were doing that. It threw everyone off. The song was horrible. The parents thought they would help out and clapped through the whole song. unfortunately they didn't clap in TIME to the song. They clapped at whatever speed suited their kimchi addled brains.

It was a horrible waste of time and looked bad. Thanks to that the Kim's never again "asked" the foreign teachers to perform on stage.

What the ... cartoon?!?!?

A HUGE tip of the hat to Brian for the link to this cartoon! Damn it was funny.

What the ... phone call?

Phone teaching has got to be the worst thing I ever did in Korea. It just isn't that effective for every student. Except for my first and last year every job (Hagwon) had phone teaching.

The worst was at my second job, that hell known as Ivy School in YongAmDong (Cheongju). We did phone teaching for ... kindergarten! These kids were still learning their Korean but we had to call and try and engage them on the phone. What a colossal waste of time.

The Korean teachers would spend the day drilling the kids on the questions they would be asked on the phone. It was the Korean teachers job to come up with questions to ask. We had no input. Our role was just to ask the questions. And what questions they came up with soemtimes.

"What are you wearing?"

"what is your mommy wearing?"

"Is your mommy pretty?"

At times I felt like a perv calling the kids and asking them questions like that. Even with the drilling, surprise surprise the kindergarten kids would have trouble answering questions.

Even with the higher level students phone teaching was pretty much a waste of time. Some, a few, it would work with. Most would just give a one word answer or you would have to pull an answer out of them.

Then you had the parents answering the phone and not understanding any English. I can't recall the number of times parents just hung up when we used English. Then they would have the audacity to complain that their kid wasn't called for phone teaching. What the kimchi??? Fucking mooks.

Why did my hagwon do it? Because another hagwon did it and you had to keep up with the Kim's. Once you started doing something like phone teaching it was almost impossible to stop ... because now the parents expected it.

Bank Account and Bills

A word of advice if you are going to work in Korea, actually two words.

First, open your own bank account. For you. If an employer starts talking about opening an account that they have access to they are trying to scam you. Only YOU should have access to your account. I have heard of several people falling for that scam over the years. You also DON'T have to have an account at your bosses bank. Transferring money is EASY and cheap in Korea.

Secondly, pay your own bills. Bill payment is very easy in Korea. In most cases they will take it right out of your account. For those that don't most banks have a machine that can read the bills (most have bar codes they read) and you can make payment there without going to a teller. Even in the worst case scenario you just go to a teller and pay it.

One of the way Ivy School scammed money out of foreign teachers was by "doing us a favour" and paying our bills. They deducted money and then when you were leaving deducted more saying you didn't pay your bills. Since most hagwons give NO pay stub you have no way of proving what they did or didn't deduct.

By paying yourself you can prevent BS like this from happening to you.

Work Hours and Obligations

Some good advice from the Seminar for Foreign Language Academies concerning work hours and duties.

The Korean attitude towards work is different from that in the west. They do work long hours, although a lot of the time it is busy work or just sitting around. They tend not to gripe about it at work. Mainly because if it got back to the boss they may end up having a new asshole chewed out, or fired.

When a Korean is putting in long hours they really don't like to hear a co-worker who is doing 30 hours a week whine if they have to do an hour or two of over time. The Koreans often don't get any over time. They won't be sympathetic to your complaints.

Some of them will actually be jealous of the lesser hours and "special" treatment of foreign teachers. Special treatment being that we expect our contract to be followed. Koreans, as the Seminar "educated" us, don't believe contracts are binding.

If you are coming to Korea to work be aware of these things. Your Korean overlords, err bosses, will expect you to understand that doing extra work or hours is your DUTY as an employee. This could include coming in on some Saturdays, doing special events. And often they don't expect to have to pay you to do these extra duties, even if it would mean overtime.

Ivy School was notorious for pulling shit like that. They would have Kindergarten Concerts, special "bazaar", or as Mrs. Kim said "badger", days, Sport Day, etc. All of this would require extra prep time (and not the classwork kind of prep) and often would take up an entire day, or the better part of it. The first year they paid us properly for it (overtime). After that they started screwing us over.

And when it came to the concerts your duties would include performing number or two. of course you weren't informed of this until a week before it. IF you were lucky.

The expectation level of Koreans is quite different from what we are used to in the west when it comes to our work hours and obligations. Being aware of that and prepared to deal with it is a good idea.

Planning and Notification

Some more information people going to Korea to work and live should know about courtesy of the Seminar for Foreign Language Academies. Beware of poor planning and notification. (Something I warned about in a previous post.)

I find it funny that they tried pawning this lack of professionalism in a workplace on culture. One thing they failed to mention is that MANY times the Koreans WILL be aware of the changes. Maybe a week or more in advance. No one tells the FOREIGNER until the last minute. I don't know about you but to me that sounds more like an unprofessional workplace or idiocy. But Koreans consider it to be a "cultural difference."

However, it is a GREAT warning to give people who are coming to Korea. EXPECT things to change at the last minute. Often literally.

Expect to have to come up with ideas to teach a class with kids of several different levels of ability as the bell rings for class.

Expect to be told what you will be teaching for intensive classes, or even regular classes, at any moment.

Don't get angry ... it is cultural. Try and work it to your advantage.

Koreans and Contracts

Here is something that would have made a difference to me when I first came to Korea if I had known it. Something anyone considering coming to South Korea should know beforehand. Your contract can, and if you work for a hagwon probably will, be ignored for cultural reasons.

On April 23, 2010 a mandatory seminar for all teachers working in Hagwons was held. One part of it that stuck in my craw concerned contracts. Basically, it is government policy (this seminar was held on behalf of the government after all) that contracts are not binding.

Yes, a contract, according to the Korean government, is not binding. Contracts are considered a starting point not an ending one. A starting point for what wasn't mentioned? A starting point for future negotiation with the Hagwon having the upper hand? A starting point to show that you have agreed to terms to be followed and are ready to start work? Well, not the latter.

You should also expect to be asked to do things that aren't in the contract and you should accept at least part of what you are asked to do. In other words, bend over and take it up the ass. If you are lucky you will only have to take it part way and not all the way.

"Personal rapport is more important to employers and managers than legal agreements." Whether they like you or not is more important than a supposedly legally binding document. I actually heard a variation of this over the years. Often I was told that a verbal agreement is more important than a written one in Korea.

I particularly liked their comments about "never give an inch" not being the Korean way. Hagwon owners rarely ever give an inch, YOU are expected to. I only ever had one Director in Korea that understood what compromise was, and was willing to do it. And he honoured his word. Most of them don't. One of the pitfalls of working in a Hagwon. The minute you don't give an inch, hell the minute you don't agree 100% you become ... a bad teacher.

It is interesting that they don't inform you of these facts before you sign your unimportant yet supposedly legally binding agreement. Even now, it is NOT something that they are telling people who are coming to Korea. They will let you know once you are there. Maybe.

For those of you working in Korea what would your reaction have been if you saw a clause telling you this in your contract? (Of course not everyone does read through their contract ... but for those who do. ;) ) Or if you were told about it BEFORE coming to Korea?

I would have definitely thought harder about coming and it just might have been enough to make me say no. This would have seen me walking away once I started getting jerked around by a Hagwon since it essentially means that I have no recourse if they decide to ignore the agreed upon contract.

Coming to Korea

A reader emailed me recently and said she was toying with the idea of coming to South Korea to teach. She was kind of worried about being screwed over by a recruiter or hagwon. Job offers had come in but it seemed to good to be true.

That is the problem when dealing with most recruiters and hagwons. They will tell you what they think you want to hear. When you arrive in Korea you find out things are different.

The recruiters (for the most part) aren't really concerned about what you are looking for. They want to fill a position and make some money. Then move on. They will tell you whatever they have to in order to get you to South Korea and at a school. What happens after that is not their problem.

One woman who came to work at the hell hole called Ivy School was hired by such a recruiter. She told the recruiter that she did NOT want to work with kids. Only adults. The recruiter said no problem. So of course she found herself at a school that taught kindergarten up to middle school and had NO adult classes. The lieing assholes that ran the school never corrected the comments of the recruiter because they wanted a teacher ASAP.

Even dealing with Hagwons directly doesn't guarantee getting what you are looking for. As mentioned above, the hagwons will lie to you as well. One of the problems with talking to current teachers is that you can't be 100% sure you are talking to them or getting the truth. It is a good idea to try and talk to them but you have to be able to separate the chaff from the wheat.

For example many hagwons will give you the email address for a current teacher. But it is really them. The ones with poor English usually give themselves away. Some are more devious and get people who have good English pretend to be the teacher. after I stopped doing recruiting for them Ivy School would get current teachers to email prospective teachers BUT they had to send the email from work. Sometimes a Korean teacher, like the bitch of an office manager, would read what you sent. Someone with good English who would know if you told the truth about problems or bad schools. (The truth being that there are problems.)

Even when it comes to phone calls you have to be careful. Once again using Ivy School as an example, they would have you call people form the Hawgon. They would stand behind you and listen (or have someone with good English do it) to everything you said. These tactics will make some foreigners hesitate to speak the truth about schools.

It isn't always the Koreans that will screw you around either. At my first Hagwon the owner offered 300,000 won to any teacher who brought in new teachers. Matt brought in 2 new teachers, a couple. He lied and held back information because he wanted the money. The guy in the couple was a friend of his. Greedy assholes like that will screw you over just as quickly to make a buck as a recruiter or hagwon owners.

This doesn't make it easy to actually trust anyone when you trying to get to Korea for the first time. Just remember that the ONLY person you can count on to look out for your interests is YOU. Don't expect the recruiter to do it, or the hagwon, or even a friend. They all have their own interests and goals.

The best thing you can do is to research. When the recruiter gives you the name of a hagwon or school interested in you google it. A little research can go a long way. One reader once asked me about a school in Daegu called Andover. Language School. A simple google check set off a LOT of warning bells. If you have friends already there get them to ask around about the school in question. There is even a Facebook page about schools in Korea.

Not to keep repeating myself but I am going to anyway. :) Don't count on anyone to look out for your best interest except you. Do your homework. The chance of being screwed over or jerked around will be lower.

Teaching kids

Discrimination is usually a good topic for free talking and high level classes as is gender roles. The two subjects can actually be merged when you talk about men doing jobs we traditionally associate with women. Society tends to look down on men that do those jobs.

When we see a man who is a hair dresser, secretary, or steward some people think they must be gay. It was ingrained into our heads that these jobs and some others were for women not men. Real men would never do those jobs according to the bigots.

When we see a man who is a nurse many people think, and some assholes say, "What? You weren't good enough to be a doctor?" One of my best friends has felt the bite of this kind of bigotry. He went into nursing and has worked ever since getting his degree as an emergency room nurse. He loves the job and those he work with love his skill and dedication. But he still has to put up with the odd asshole making gay or "not good enough to be a doctor" comments.

When we see men teaching elementary school some people think they must be gay or perverts. God forbid the guy actually says he enjoys teaching kids. Then the idiots think they MUST just be there to find kids to molest.

When it comes to homosexuals these idiots (the ones who think they just want to molest children) forget something very important. Being gay doesn't mean you are sexually attracted to children. But the tiny brain of the bigot can't comprehend that. They fear that if they aren't there cruising for kids then they must be there to convert the kids to homosexuality. Like I said, tiny brains. They just can't comprehend anything outside of the box their little life fits into.

When it comes to male teachers at the elementary level everything I have heard from parents and educators in Canada says the opposite. Schools would kill to get a male who wants to teach at the elementary level. They are in high demand. Many parents want a male teacher at that level too. They feel the kids can use a male role model during those years and a male elementary school teacher would do that.

There is a small segment of society, the tiny brained ones previously mentioned, who disregard reality and think their bigoted view is the norm. They are one of the reasons men STAY AWAY from teaching at this level. Fear of running into these morons and being attacked by them.

Recently on one web site a Korean-American "woman" going by the name of Angry Mother pretty much spewed out the examples of this stupidity that I talked about in some of my classes. He is the perfect example of one of these morons. Yes, I said he. Angry Mother sounds more like Angry Homophobe or Troll Man and not a woman. Spewing forth all the bigoted stereotypes that tend to be put out when one of them sees a man in a job we traditionally see as woman's work.

Here are some of the comments the troll made.

Angry Mother said...

It makes perfect sense. How many schools back home hire adult males to teach elementary aged children? None that I know of. There's a reason for that -- 1. parents wouldn't be at all comfortable with it 2. you really have to question the motives of a man who WANTS to teach little children. Any normal, well adjusted man would rather stick his dick in a blender than babysit children. But here in Korea every guy from Michigan, Manitoba, Manchester and Melbourne seem to be teaching kindy kids. And 99% of them are complete freaks. No way id allow my kid near one of these classes.

July 8, 2010 2:01 PM

Angry Mother said...

...

And dont even start with the whole "its something i really enjoy doing" bullshit. No grown man would want to do that as a career. Not only is it really embarrassing but its creepy too.

Qualified female teachers -- ok i can understand it. They are more nurturing and understanding. A grown man has no business whatsoever being in a classroom with small children. Period. And the more you dispute it, the more you prove my point. You are a freakshow loser trying to defend your lack of ambition, laziness and possible pedophilia tendencies.

Guys not qualified to work at a 7-11 in their home countries and molding impressionable young children? Wow, sign me up.

July 8, 2010 2:49 PM

...

How do your fathers feel about your line of work? You even tell them? I imagine them to be horribly embarrassed by the whole thing. All that money dropped into a post-secondary education to sit infront of a group of children who wouldnt bat an eyelash if you turned up dead in a gutter one morning.

Must be really fulfilling work repeating "banana" over and over again though.

Unless of course you are hiding a raging hard-on while doing it. Which woulnd't surprise me in the least with you lot.

Angry Mother said...

Here's a reality check for all your losers: most adults who work real jobs and have children feel exactly the same way I feel. Grown men have no business teaching kindy kids. Yes i know, i know I am a spiteful, horrible man hating cunt. Yet I have an ambassador for a husband who i love dearly and 2 young boys whom i also love dearly. And the accredited, international school they go to ONLY hires certified teachers -- non of which are male at an elementary level. Yah, as it should be and as it is the world over.

July 8, 2010 5:22 PM

Angry Mother said...

Read: ignorant and uniformed that their child is being cared for by a sexual predator. Way to go champ. Keep patting yourself on the back (and your children on the ass). You're accomplishing so so much. You must go to bed at night with a real feeling of accomplishment.

By the way, im Korean-American so i'll let you deduce my husbands country of origin. And even it was Zimbabwe or Yemen what does it matter to you? You're a racist and a child molester? Wow, Korea sure is continuing the trend of hiring the best of the best.

Angry Mother said...

If you teach kindy kids and you are male do the world a favor and jump off a building. Nobody will miss you. Especially the children who put up with the dancing monkey a few hours a week.

July 9, 2010 12:06 PM

When a female blogger replied to Angry Homphobe he got indignant.

Angry Mother said...

Wow, typical liberal western bullshit sentimentalism.

Hey airhead, since you claim to be an educator yourself, tell me, how often have you seen a male adult teaching primary aged children back in your home country? Dont bother answering because I know the answer: its zero. And why is that? Because NORMAL men dont want to do it and parents dont want grown men alone with their children.

And yes, a grown man applying for a job teaching kindy kids is fucking suspicious. As a parent thats just the way it is. They are either gay, completely fucked up or a child molester. To be fair to most of you male teachers, dont worry, i know most of you fall in that 2nd category.

July 8, 2010 4:06 PM

Angry Mother said...

I'll say it again. Any adult male teaching kindy kids is completely fucked up or is doing it strictly to make money. It's a crucial time in a child's development. Pardon me if i want my child being molded by a teacher who is certified, compassionate and actually wants to be there (as you see in elementary schools the states). Not some washed-up loser who is trying to make a quick buck like he's begrudgingly working construction for a summer to play some bills.

You people are fucked if you can't see this.

*******

Of course the guy purporting to be Angry Mother also claims to be a Korean-American woman who is the wife of an Ambassador.

" Yes i know, i know I am a spiteful, horrible man hating cunt. Yet I have an ambassador for a husband who i love dearly and 2 young boys whom i also love dearly."

"By the way, im Korean-American so i'll let you deduce my husbands country of origin."

Unless, of course, "her" sons want to become Elementary School teachers. Then "she" will have to sacrifice them on the altar of "her" bigotry. Always nice to see the wife of an Ambassador trolling blogs. :)

Mind you if "her" husband is an Ambassador is "she" implying her husband is the US Ambassador Kathleen Stephens? That would make "her" a self-loathing lesbian then wouldn't it? If it were true. But like most of what spewed out of Angry Mothers .... pie hole ... it is just so much noise. Like a good bilabial fricative.

"i have a post secondary eduction -- a B.A in finance and an M.A International Relations. I had a private (and very lucrative) consulting practice for almost 10 years. And no, i've never worked a 9-5 job. My working hours were usually more in the range of 8am-10pm. "

Ah the old I am much better educated, employed, and wealthier so I am better than you ploy. Standard troll tactics. My husband is an Ambassador. My family loves me. I am better educated than you. I had a better job then you. I am better than you. Yet I still come trolling on a blog. Sorry "Mom" you get a FAIL on believability but a PASS on trolling.

I was going to say it is hard to believe someone is this bigoted and stupid but then again there is Sarah Palin. But I digress. This was supposed to be about the bigotry people face when taking jobs that traditionally go to the opposite gender.

I do owe Angry Mother a thank you even if "she" is just a troll. Next time the subject of discrimination and gender roles comes up I have some GREAT material to use to illustrate the assholes people have to put up with when taking jobs that are seen as traditional for the other gender.

Intensive Classes

Summer or Winter Intensive classes. Vacation classes. The Vacation program. What they are called depends on the hagwon you work at. For the most part though they are they same no matter what hagwon you work at. A waste of time.

My 1st hagwon called them Intensives. That was an apt term because they were very intensive. We had few breaks and lots of classes. In 20 days I worked 200 hours. The overtime was nice but the stress wasn't fun. But that is how it affected me not the kids and their parents.

It was a waste of their time and their parents money for the most part. A students level for our conversation classes were based on how they did on a grammar test. Some teachers were given grammar books, the day classes started, and told to use them to teach a conversation class. The books did not suit the level of the students.

Mind you many of the students didn't suit the conversation level they were put in. Most of them knew their grammar but couldn't hold a conversation. Some of the classes had 20 students and they were of many different levels of ability. All of these factors combined to make classes that most of the students didn't get much out of. This didn't matter as long as bodies were in the room and money was coming in.

The 2nd hagwon I was at, the hell hole known as Ivy School, was similar to the 1st when it came to intensive classes. They were disorganized a lot of the time. Mixed up levels. Horrible books.

For one "high level" class I was given a dictation book with 28 units to do in 20 days. The students were to be given a paragraph writing assignment for homework every class along with vocabulary tests every class. Most of the students had never written a paragraph before. Every unit must be taught so they would have to do some of the units as homework. That entire class was a waste of time. While I believe the students learned a little I don't think it was worth the time or money that was invested.

The only up side of Ivy Schools intensives was that they weren't as intense for us as my 1st hagwon's were. Unfortunately for the students and their parents wallets all that mattered to the owners was getting the bodies in the class and the money in the bank.

I once talked with Mr. Kim about the amount of work and the quality. He said it didn't matter. As long as the parents saw all the work the students had to do they would be happy. Scarily enough that did seem to be true. Parents were happiest when the kids were buried with work. Or at least they didn't complain. It didn't seem to matter that they weren't get much out it education wise.

I worked a summer camp at a local university to get the money to go home after the BS with Ivy School. I went in expecting ... well ... the same sort of insanity that took place at hagwons during their intensives. I couldn't have been more off. The woman in charge KNEW her job. Everything was well organized, proper books for students levels, the students had the proper English ability for the level they were put in. When I pointed out that one of the books I was to use had 30 units but we only had 20 days I expected to be told to teach it all. I was pleasantly surprised when I was told to pick out the stuff that is important and go with that. I had a great time teaching that camp and the kids did to. They had fun AND they learned.

My last hagwon never really had intensives. Not as I learned to expect them from previous hagwons. We had vacation classes but for the most part the teachers had a hand in picking the books and setting the curriculum. And it was anything but intensive as each teacher only had 2 extra classes. Since I have left it and a new owner has taken over that does seem to be changing. (I still talk to my friends there.) They are going to be having a VERY intensive summer.

Unfortunately for those working in hagwons my last hagwon isn't the norm in Korea. Based on what I have experienced and heard from others the insane way my 1st hagwon and Ivy school ran the classes is the norm. Instead of having a vacation students are herded into a program where they don't really learn a lot. It is all about getting the bodies in the class and cash in the owners wallet.