Serious English Teaching? Not in Korea

:::Comes in and kicks the tires:::: Yep, it's still working.

I saw this blog post pop up on my Facebook feed: Why South Korea isn’t the Place for Serious English Teachers.

I read it and then started writing a Facebook comment that kept growing and growing, so I realized it was probably better as a blog post.

With that said, if you've taught in Korea, I think it will hit a nerve.  He's in it now as he mentions he's planning to finally leave Korea. You can identify with his frustration, and he's hitting on some very real points. What's interesting is someone I know who still lives in Korea reached out recently. I'd not been in contact since before I left and this wasn't someone who was in my inner circle. I moved back in 2009, so it's been at least seven years since I've been in contact with this person. He and I were exchanging messages, and I had to excuse myself to get back to work as I was up late. He replied that he had a class coming up soon, and I realized he's been an ESL teacher in Korea for years upon years. Nothing wrong with that, but he's pretty much going to have that "best dead end job" that the author mentions for as long as he can pull it off. 

 

I had that job too. In terms of career prospects when you're in Korea, that's close to it. I know some people including non-Koreans and foreign born Koreans who've gotten into entertainment through radio and TV. I also met other foreigners there who were with the military or were there for business. But if you want to stay on the teaching track, that's pretty much it. The top of the ladder is teaching at a Korean university or college. Beyond that there is no career track or professional development because you're supposed to do the job for a handful of years and then move on.

Teaching English in Korea has always been set up as a temporary gig and was never meant to be anything more than that just by the way it's structured because of the required yearly visa updates/renewals along with mostly yearly contracts (some schools might do more, but most don't.) One of the many reasons I chose to move home was being over having to get sign off from immigration for any project that came up. At one point I had both a student via and a teaching visa simultaneously. If you didn't, you're in violation of your visa and, trust me, a lot of people take on other projects.

 

I have some friends who've made it work or have pushed themselves onto another track by getting a PhD. I have a couple of friends there now who are professors in other topics, but they've put the work in. They're basically experts in some aspect of Korean culture or history and, of course, are fluent in Korean.

I was there for my own set of reasons:

• post law degree and trying to figure things out
• getting time to travel and see a bit more of the world, which I did
• healing and patching up my soul after losing my parents within 5 weeks of the other and reconciling that with being adopted, which also requires a certain level of healing and patching up

My almost eight and a half years there equipped me with experiences that to this day still benefit me, but that time took me off the grid in many ways. Repatriating is a hard process which took me almost five years to complete, and I've still got one or two more things to do to make it complete.

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*Some* recruiters are morons...

Okay, when I first came back to the States, I completely denied any urges to freelance.  Too scary.

Honestly though?  I sort of saw myself doing this. I just wasn't sure how to do it or, honestly, what to do.  I knew the freelance writing market was being gutted due to the recession (economic slow down, my a$$, this is a recession).  Experienced writers were getting laid off and long-running magazines and papers were shutting down.  Not really the best time to come in as a newcomer only to have to compete against experienced writers.

I started looking for your typical 9 to 5.  I had almost no success.  That was jarring for me because I was always someone who could land something pretty fast. It brought home how very real this recession is if I couldn't find something.  What people told me and what I eventually noticed was all that time I'd spent online? That gave me a wealth of skills that some people are willing to pay for and to my clients and to a well-wired South Korea, THANK YOU.  Now I freelance and have been doing so for about a year.

Things are tight for sure, but it's rare that I'll apply for a job.  If I happen to scan the help wanted section and see something I think would be a good fit, I'll apply.  It's rare.  Why?  I'm convinced that most recruiters are just too conventional for their own good.  Most who talk to me are a bit baffled when they hear my background.  Honestly, I can understand it to a certain degree, but I look at it as "this is a candidate with a wealth of experience and tons of valuable transferable skills."  They, in contrast, don't get that I'm well-educated, well-traveled and haven't sold out to a law firm or something conventional like that. (God, no!)

Anyway, the inspiration behind this post are the recruiters who contact me.  I've not gone looking for them.  They're usually finding me from my LinkedIn profile.  (So it's good to see the site does have some value in that respect.)  I had a recruiter contact me last week. She requested a resume and I sent that to her. She said she'd follow-up with me.  I was going through my emails last night and remembered that I'd not heard from her, so I shot off a quick follow-up email.  Her reply?

Dense recruiter:  What kind of position are you looking for? 

Me: You contacted me, so nevermind. Good luck finding someone.

That was my measured reply which was actually code for this, "Pardon me? I wasn't looking at all. You contacted me; you fucktard!"

Honestly though...lately, I've been getting a few recruiters contacting me.  What I'm noticing is a lot don't do their homework.  If you find me via LinkedIn, maybe read the page and get a feel for my background before contacting me.  It's sort of insulting to know someone found you on a page where you've sat down and laid out your professional background, but then the person asks you to go through it. Instead, I want someone to show me they've read my info and ask me questions about it (questions being clarifying time lines or understanding my roles and experience). 

Basically, take the time to show you've read it and not just did a key word search.  It's lazy when I'm sitting there as the person who was contacted but I feel like I'm the one doing all the work.  It's lazy and I lose faith in you real fast.  Usually by the time you talk, a recruiter also has your resume.  Recruiters...read it.

I've also had recruiters who've come to me then flip the dynamic.  It suddenly feels like I've got to sell myself and, half of the time, they've not even bothered to give me specifics about the job. It's weird. I'll chalk it up to a lack of professionalism and maybe a general dislike of people or what they do.

I'd not put candidates I'd approached on the hotseat. Usually, that causes me to just end the conversation and get back to work thankful that I can work for myself.

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It's on...

My view of the Empire State Building last night from the spot where I board the bus to Philadelphia.

Good morning from the east coast. I've been here for just under one week. Man, I'm already tired. It's not in a bad "I wanna go home way," but in a really good way.

There are some things that are pretty similar to what I left behind in South Korea. The most obvious thing is the ease of transport. In California, the idea of taking buses or trains to connect to nearby cities is pretty much unheard of. You have to get in your car and blow pollutants into the air and, if you don't have a car, well, you're out of luck.

It's not impossible. You can do it. I've heard the stories of friends who decided to take the Greyhound bus from San Francisco to L.A. or vice versa. It ends up that you're on the bus with ex-cons, drug addicts and goodness knows who else. So while you CAN do it, your average person doesn't WANT to do it. In contrast, in the US northeast you can be on the bus from Philadelphia to Manhattan with a drug addict, but that drug addict had to pay at least $10 to get on the bus and is probably heading into university or to work.

The prices for the trains are much steeper in the States. The train ride on Amtrak from Philadelphia to New York ranges from $45 to, get this, $143! Now the rates shift based on the class you choose and the time, but a similar hour and 45 minute train ride on Korea's KTX, their high-speed trains, are comparable at the basic level. It's around 44,000 won, so that's about the same. However, the first class rate maxes out at around 65,000 won. The prices compare for the bus system, but the coverage doesn't. In Korea, the intercity bus system is exhaustive. And this is just a link to one bus system. There is another. You can get on an express bus to get you anywhere in South Korea from Seoul. A two hour bus ride from Seoul is about the same in terms of price, so that's good. But the sheer coverage of where you can get to is truly overwhelming until you're used to it.

This transition is going to be interesting, at least to me, and I'm going to want to share it. From that perspective, this is officially now an east coast/NYC blog with a Korea blog past ;) There are so many little interesting and different things I'm seeing.

Just watching the famous demeanor of New Yorkers is entertaining. I was in the Lexington and 53rd St station. I know this because it's the same station I went to for my job interview last week. I was going back to exchange the umbrella I bought during last Thursday's deluge. One lady needed a refund or a replacement Metro card. She went to a booth where they weren't equipped to do that. Based on her reaction, you would have thought they'd called her every name in the book. I thought it was a bit odd to loose your cool over something like that.

I factor in the pain in the butt aspects of transactions these days and expect that I'm going to get a bit of a run around. That's simply because it's too expensive to keep staff standing in multiple spots to give you a refund. It was the late afternoon and the trains were definitely going to be running for many hours more. Her choice to verbally abuse the folks there just seemed excessive. Plus, unless provoked, I really am a firm believer of being nice and saying "please" and "thank you." I'm noticing what a huge anomaly that is in Manhattan. Now don't get me wrong. I've also not been in a city where the men have been hold open for me almost constantly. So some New Yorkers might be snappish but they'll help you get through the door.

I think yesterday was a bit of a challenge for me because I'd booked myself on a real early bus leaving out of Philadelphia, so I got moving around 4:30am to catch the train to 30th Street Station. From there, I realized I needed to print up my resume. I wasted both time and money taking care of that. BTW, if they offer the laptop docking station at Kinkos aka FedEx Office -don't do it. Just give them your USB flash drive. They actually charge you to doc your laptop and print. That's just such a greedy level of stupid to me that I won't do it.

After printing, I was off. I got my resume in to one recruiting agency, chit-chatted a bit, got their recommendations for lunch and headed out. I got to the lobby and *snap* the heel on my right ankle boot just collapsed. These are a great pair of boots that I got when I was in Paris. I can probably get them fixed, but that lead to a complete detour.

Good for me that I was right at Union Square and had passed a big shoe store on the way to this agency. They were having a sale: buy one get the other at half-price. Okay, I can work with that. I found a great pair of Steve Madden flats and a nice pair of black patent leather square-toed pumps with a strap. Both shoes are cute but reserved enough for interviews. Plus, I only had one pair of brown shoes suitable for interviews and needed another pair. So the boot collapse made me do something I was going to have to do anyway. It's just I'd not planned it and it ended up sucking a good 45 to 60 minutes of my day away. I could have bought shoes out here in Philly's lovely western suburbs! Believe me, the King of Prussia mall is no joke. But there are also tons of other stores like Ross nearby too.

I didn't get out of the shoe store until lunch. Inside, there was another cranky New Yorker who just couldn't wait until the cashier was done with me and went on and on about needed quarters for the meter. Good for me that I had four quarters in my wallet. Helping her out was the way to get her to hush and say "thank you". Granted, it was to me, but I just wanted her to bring down the anxiety level. Four quarters isn't worth getting everyone around you all riled up. Really, you know the deal, so grab a roll of quarters at the bank and keep them in your change purse. After that, armed with a cute pair of shoes, I got to prance through the farmer's market at Union Square and have a great lunch. However, after that, my spirits just plummeted.

I think it's because I'm starting my job search in earnest now and, as much as I love Manhattan, even for me, it's an assault to the senses, which is exciting but it's also overwhelming when you're feeling anxious. Let's be honest, searching for work under the best of circumstances is stressful. I was okay after lunch for a bit. I got to a Starbucks to leech their wifi and figure out which recruiting office I was closest to. It ends up one was just a five or so minute walk away, so that was the one. The receptionist was just not nice and that threw me into a funk. I think actually having a plan, with resumes in hand and winding my way around brought it home that I'm really doing this. Dealing with a shrew reminded me that it's really on me to hustle and do my best because the random person just might not give two cents about me. I've had it in my head since I was about 15 or 16 that I wanted to move to NYC, so the reality that I'm actually doing it made me made me a bit overwhelmed.

Good for me that there are Episcopalian churches all over the city. When I was in Seoul, I attended Seoul Anglican Cathedral regularly. When I got to San Francisco, I switched to Grace Cathedral. Yesterday, I needed to decompress and saw a church with the Episcopalian flag and was just so relieved. I went into Saint Thomas Church on 5th Avenue. It was relaxing, for a moment, but the tourists with the flashing cameras drove me away. I then decided to walk to the 5:30pm networking party I had scheduled rather than take the subway and found Saint Bartholomew's Church on Park and 53rd. I went in, grabbed a prayer book, relaxed and just collected my thoughts. I came out in a much better mood.

So just imagine me, your relocating blogger rushing into NYC's Episcopal churches to recharge. I seriously needed it yesterday. I got to my networking event in good spirits and ready to go. I was a bit amused by how serious folks were. I think one distinguishing thing about me is I really do want to smile and enjoy every possible moment, so I get put off by the folks so driven that they forget to enjoy the ride. I met some good folks, and I hope they feel the same. Maybe one or more of those connections can turn into work for me or vice versa.

Anyway, it's views like the one I snapped a pic of last night that remind me that I'm on the right track. Now that things are getting interesting, I've got a feeling I'll be updating a lot more. Stay tuned.

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Another "What the Hell?" moment: No Deal!

Well, as I said, in the "Choices, choices" post below, I'm pretty close to deciding to pack it up and move on. I didn't renew at my current job. However, fearing that inertia would win and I'd then change my mind and want to stay, I applied for a few positions.

I got a couple of interviews and decided to go. It would just make me feel better for some reason. I got a job offer yesterday after 5pm. The offer, which was extended via email, had a letter attached that said I had until December 12th to let them know of my decision. Don't you know I just got a call from the person in charge of the department saying they'd not heard from me. I just looked at my phone. That call was around 3:10pm. I just looked at the email. It was sent at 5:45pm last night.

I explained that in the offer it said I had until Friday to let them know. She says she was unaware that the offer said this and it must have been a mistake. First, I'm sort of amazed that every person they extended an offer to was like "oh wow! Yes, yes, yes!" but it's not the first time I've been the odd one out. Second, I guess a minor error on their part means I have to be rushed into a decision. She starts pressing me about how if I can give her a "percentage" then she can start lining up some of the people further down the list if need be. I'm sorry but this saying hasn't gotten much traction here in South Korea, "Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine!" However, it ought to.

I'm sitting here thinking "dammit, today is Wednesday and I've not even had the offer for 24 f&$king hours! Is it really THAT serious that you must press me right NOW?!!!" I'm thinking this is completely crazy because Friday isn't that far off. On the outside however, I keep my cool and just ask her when would be a good time to let them know.

I was thinking it would be fair if she said tomorrow sometime. I get my little 24 hour window and I'd be happy. However, she said today by 5pm! I point out that she's basically given me less than two hours to make a decision. She gives me some malarkey about pressure from her school. This is b.s. and I know this.

Plus, I have another job interview tomorrow. That's how I know this is b.s. because the interview is with another department at the same school. I just wanted to go through another interview because I felt it would help me make up my mind about this particular institution by giving me a feeling for the place in general. Also, it would help me think about staying or going in general. I mean watching the news on what is now a confirmed worldwide recession and the unemployment and underemployment reports that go with it is scary.

She's doesn't let up on the pressure. I remembered that in the interview she come off as a bit confrontational, and I see this was not a one time thing. This is simply her management style. Basically, if I accept, this is what I've got to work with. I realize she's helping me make my decision right now because if I do stay the last thing I want is to work under yet another heavy handed Korean academic who is in serious need of management skills. Also, the fact that she couldn't be bothered to review the documents sent out on her behalf rubbed me the wrong way. Usually, once something like this is revealed I've found it's not just an anomaly. It's a reoccurring theme - management makes a mistake but the workers are the one put on the burner for it.

So, here is to another moment where the person I'm dealing with completely lacks empathy and skill at dealing with others. Her need to push me into a decision made her look like a first-class ass. A year of dealing with her, hell no. That was more than enough to help me make a decision.

Decision made: my answer "no, thank you." Then she asks if I want to think about it.

Um, no deal!

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Choices, choices

[...grumble...] Save me from the CNN onslaught of talking heads. Sorry.

Pretty much after Nov. 4th, I'm simply sick of the political "analysis" that I see on TV. It's more second guessing Obama's choices coupled with political posturing than any real analysis. Cease...!(okay, the sound is off.)

Now to the topic.

I've decided that I'm out of here: "out of here" meaning finally leaving South Korea. At least that's what I thought I had decided until I got two interview requests back to back today. To balance out the two interview requests, I'm also literally between two paying writing assignments one from back home and the other from Hong Kong. It's an interesting juxtaposition. I chose not to renew my current contract, and I've been nothing but half-assed in applying to new jobs. I've been much more excited looking at the job boards back home, shopping for apartments online and anticipating my return to the States.

That's for a few reasons, but mostly it's because I want to go home and get on with the rest of my life on both a personal and professional level.

But there is that tension: the safety of the certain and predictable vs. the presumed danger of the uncertain and unpredictable.

I'm not really seeking advice as much as thinking it out as I type. I just know I'm certain to get a job offer. Once I've gotten through the evaluation process, it's truly rare that I don't get the offer. So either I cancel the interviews or go to be "safe". If I go then I'm faced with the decision of saying "yes" or "no" at a later date.

I just know that in the next few days I'll have to make a choice that will lock things down one way or the other. That's both exciting but also quite scary.

Choices, choices.

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CPR Lessons!

Update (Sept. 22, 2007 @ 8:47pm)

Eeeek! I have to announce that there is no update because I had to miss the CPR training.

Oh well, maybe next year...

-------------------------------

This is just completely random but cute. I was heading off to lunch today after finishing my morning class. I saw some students from our EMT department with tables set up and a dummy laid prone. One of the students was practicing CPR on it.

As soon as they saw me I heard them whisper my name. I'm a pretty popular instructor, and I immediately picked up the pace. I knew they were coming after me. However, in heels I couldn't bust out into a full sprint.

One very determined student caught up to me. Her English wasn't very good, so we muddled through in Korean. They'd set up the tables to get people to sign up for CPR training sessions in two weeks. She told me it would be free for me because I'm an instructor there. I said "what the hell?" and signed up.

They were also set up in front the building where my office is located. Specifically, there were students from my class there who tried to get me to sign up too. I told them the date and the time, so they got off my back.

This is going to be interesting because it's the student(s) who'll be teaching me.

In two weeks I'll update the blog with my ExpatJane Learns CPR post ;)

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Ethnic Bias Seen in South Korea Teacher Hiring

And here it is, racially biased hiring in English language schools in Korea, that side of ESL teaching that I don't have much negative experience with because I teach on the college and university level. Thanks for blogging it Joe, I've been so busy that I missed it.

I know it's here and Mike and I discussed it in our podcast titled Being Black in Korea.

Good for us ("us" being blacks) NPR took the topic on in this piece: Ethnic Bias Seen in South Korea Teacher Hiring.

It's only about 5 minutes long and cuts right to what the problem is: igonorance among Korean parents who have the power to pull their kids out of these schools, hagwons, should the teacher be black. Since these schools are motivated by profit they avoid hiring blacks or other minorities. White skin regardless of anything else is what's valued (and probably why I end up avoiding most foreigners here...it's just not a diverse or very interesting crowd.)

This is the thing though. I've noticed that there are a lot more blacks coming here. Due to my blog and the podcast, I've gotten a few emails from other blacks asking questions. I know that I posted something on the most popular ESL forum in Korea and the answers I got from whites I knew just couldn't be true (as they were ALL negative and ALL completely over the top.) I took it upon myself to dig deeper. I ran net searches and found some black people and, wouldn't you know, their stories were completely different. It's due to the advice of other blacks here that I should come, that sealed my decision.

Which is why I stress in the podcast that blacks really must make an effort to speak to people who've lived it first-hand. The bias against blacks isn't just with Koreans. I think a lot of white teachers encourage it here either intentionally or out of ignorance, for various reasons. I mean let a white person tell it and Koreans have pitchforks, tar and feathers waiting for us here. There is racism in Korea, no doubt. I've touched on it and other bloggers in Korea have too, but it's not with the hate that comes with it back home.

I do think a steady stream of blacks who show up to work, do a great job, end up liked rather than hated opens the door for more of us. The fact is the demand is so high that there is no way it can all be filled with whites. Plus, I've noticed that whites sometimes have a harder time adjusting as it's usually their first time ever having to deal with racism and stereotyping directed at them. That loops back to one reason why they assume that it just MUST be harder for blacks. Instead, they don't recognize that blacks have dealt with racism their whole lives. It's not new for us. It's new for them.

When people ask me, I try to give them my perspective and point out that my situation is different and I have no first-hand experience with hagwons. Although I do have experience with an English camp that saw my resume first, extended the offer and when they saw my picture said "um, no thanks." Because I was working at big name university at the time, I thought it was more funny than problematic. I did let the lady have it because had she read my resume she would be able to tell by my extracurricular activities that I was most likely black. I was secretary of the Black Law Students Association in law school and I didn't edit it off my resume on purpose.

That points to another problem here, superficiality. The rankings of my alma maters completely blinded her to reading my resume in detail. Basically, I look great on paper. I know this works in my favor at times, especially on the college and university recruiting level, but it's still irksome in situations like this. There is really no excuse as that was right at the top along with other things like publications and honors from school. Had she just taken a minute to read it, she would have tossed it aside and not wasted my time. My habit, at the time, was to apply electronically which meant I provided a link to my photo.

I know it will anger some because I don't appear to aggressive on it (don't let my placid words here fool you), I'm an optimist and I think it's getting better because I'm seeing more people who look like me here. I also know that getting aggressive here will rarely get you the result you want. As they say, when in Rome...

Even though people over at Mike's blog tried to argue with me on the point, I'm still very much convinced that Koreans have a faster learning curve when it comes to racism. They get past it much more quickly that we give them credit for. I hope that continues.

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Working Hard In Korea

Ah flibber flabber fruck!

I guess that's my blogger version of swearing, which, in person, I'm very good at. For some reason unless something just really irks me, I keep a handle on it when I blog.

Okay, I've been interning. I'm getting my on vacation butt handed to me daily simply because it's a lot of work. Anyway, it's for academic credit, and I don't graduate if I don't do it. Plus, the person I'm working for is doing me a huge favor, and I'm very conscious that my reputation will be affected by how I perform, so I'm doing my best. I'll cease whining about it now. I just miss my blog, and I don't have time to write much.

Anyway, the good thing is, most of the time, I get to work from home and it's Internet-based. This morning I had to do some research and found this article at the Choson-Ilbo's website about some foreigners who are on TV here.

It seems that the stars have gotten some notoriety, and they're making guest appearances elsewhere. Now I know this is pretty much common back home and I'm from L.A. You'll see shows intentionally cross-pollinate stars for cameos or other unique moments. However, here it's a big possession deal. Er, psst! Producers...it will get people not watching to tune into your show!

Are ‘Global Talk Show’ Regulars Too Famous?

The KBS 2TV “Global Talk Show” is going through a rough patch as regulars become stars. Saori Chang, a Japanese woman who has attracted much attention for her idiosyncratic way of talking, is in dispute with the show’s producers over her decision to stop appearing on the show. According to the producers, Chang signed an exclusive contract that forbids her to appear on shows by other broadcasters between March and September, but she has simply stopped turning up.

Chang recently signed with an entertainment agency and is appearing on other variety programs including MBC’s “Sunday Night Show.” Producers of “Global Talk Show” said, "Although we can’t prevent Saori from making contract and working with an entertainment agency, it is an apparent breach of the contract that she appeared on another broadcasters' program without any consultation with us." They added it was “an issue of basic trust” and they are considering their response.

But Fun Factory, the artist management agency Chang signed with, tells a different story. Fun Factory says it informed “Global Talk Show” producers of the new contract they signed with Chang and got the green light for her to appear on the other network. But two days before the shoot, the producers changed their minds and insisted Chang cannot appear elsewhere. “It’s absurd for the ‘Global Talk Show’ producers to say Saori breached the contract. We asked them in advance and notified them of her schedule,” Fun Factory said.

This is not the first problem with the regulars. Ha Hwang Haiyen from Vietnam left “Global Talk Show” and started appearing in a soap on KBS. Regulars Eva Popiel, Junko Sagawa and Lu-vada Dunford appear in various commercials and campaigns thanks to the popularity they won by appearing on the show.

Producers are worried because the trend waters down the show’s original purpose of providing a view of Korea from ordinary foreigners living here. “Global Talk Show” producer Lee Gi-won said, "It might benefit the show when the cast turns into stars. But it’s important to have guests who aren’t accustomed to Korean culture and don’t appear on other shows, given the special nature of the program." The producers say there is no perfect solution but they will try to change the format by rotating a new cast of regulars.

“There is no reason for us to prevent the cast from going into show business. Saori’s case became an issue because she broke the contract without consulting us,” Lee said. “If Eva and others decide to appear in soap operas, they will naturally be dropped from the show, but I wish them success.”

Unfortunately, this is common in Korea, at least it is as a foreigner where your employer views you literally as their possession. It can be very frustrating because you know the value, not just income-wise, but overall for collaborating and working with others. I had to resign from a job once where they rolled back on a promise to let me work elsewhere for my vacation. I won't get too deep into it as it was a long time ago, but I worked this out when they hired me. However, my error was not getting it in writing upfront. Anyway, it was minor, and with the help of fellow law school alumni my transition went just fine. Yes, they tried to hold out on the release letter...but I got that taken care of.

Like me, I'm sure the ladies will do fine if they move on. I'm not saying that people shouldn't be held to exclusive contracts, but, in the case of TV personalities, it's more common to share. It's just a irksome to hear that, even at this level, there is this possession mentality.

Good luck ladies.

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