The main reason for me coming to South Korea was to teach so it only makes sense that my job is a major part of my experience here. When evaulating my time abroad, one of the most significant considerations will be whether I look upon my job favorably or unfavorably. Luckily for me, almost everything has been positive so far.
I've heard many horror stories about foreigners ending up in bad situations both through the teacher himself or herself as well as from other sources. These bad experiences vary, but the most common situations are schools not paying on time if at all, teachers being fired for no legitamate reason, and schools placing unreasonable demands on the foreign teachers.
When I arrived here in Korea, I was surprised to find out my job situation was not quite what I had expected. This made me extremely nervous at first. I thought I was going to be working at one school and that my boss was the owner. As it turns out, my boss is better classified as a recruiter (at least in my case). He recruited me to "rent" me out to multiple schools who did not need a foreign teacher on a full time basis. Honestly, had I known this beforehand, I probably would not have accepted the position. I'm glad this was not the case as I am very happy with my current situation.
When asked about my boss, most of what I say is positive. He has been very friendly and helpful to me thus far not only with job related issues but with other situations outside of work. I am frequently asked if I am happy with my situation and if I am enjoying my time in Korea. Having a boss who seems concerned about making sure I have a pleasant experience has helped make my transition to life here in Korea much smoother.
Currently, I work at three schools. I also am tutoring a businessman one on one but I will address that at a later date. While each school is run differently, I am happy with all three. I like having a different school to go to each day because it helps me to avoid a monotonous routine. I have different start and end times as well which helps to prevent me from getting in a rut. One of my schools is in a different town, Jangyu. I enjoy getting out of Changwon a couple days a week and being in different surroundings (even if visually there is no difference between the two).
My Korean coworkers I have worked with so far have been nothing short of friendly and helpful. Whenever I required assistance, someone has always been available to provide it. I am sure that some of my coworkers became sick of making copies for me as I only recently learned how to use the copiers (because I couldn't read the options in Korean, not because the technology baffled me), but they never complained.
My coworkers and directors at each school seem to respect my ability to run a classroom. While my level of independence in the classroom is different at each school, I do not feel like I am being micromanaged in any way. I feel that most of the time I am given enough leeway to conduct class in a manner I see fit. Although I am required to use the provided textbook (trust me when I say most are not that great), I have also been able to introduce other material as well when necessary.
The students I teach also show respect (that's a new experience for me!) and, for the most part, are fun to work with. Despite the fact that Koreans tend to be shy, the students were very outgoing from the beginning. After the initial shock of my presence wore off (this was usually in a matter of seconds) the curiosity would kick in. Then the questions would come and these usually started with, "Where are you from?" or "How tall are you?" The first few times I was asked my height, I answed, "6 feet 4 inches" and this caused a bunch of confused looks until I realized that I needed to provide an answer in centimeters. I now say without thinking I am 193 cm tall. It makes me wonder how long it will take me to adjust back to American units when I return home. Surprisingly, I have only been asked how heavy I am once or twice. Once introductions are over with, I am just another teacher. Most students seem to like me, and I feel the same way about them. The only behavior problems I have to deal with are younger students who may get a bit restless. In a sense, working with the Korean students is almost like working summer camp at the park district.
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