Another interview
The interview with Shane Finney at Canadian Connections went alright. You know how you just feel uneasy sometimes at interviews? I don't always but this time I did. Ah well. The office was really nice and he was friendly and legitimate-seeming, but I just felt like a tool. It looks as though he agreed to represent me (and D'Arcy though she still has to send in her resume). I was happy and excited until I got home and did some quick internet research on the Korean public school system which is what he specializes in.
From what I found at Dave's ESL cafe, working at a public school would be a lot more difficult and demanding. There are as many as forty students in the classes instead of ten or less which is how it is at the hagwons (private schools). The hours, however, are more regular and there is often a Korean teacher in there with you to provide support (which may or may not be a good thing). The pay and accomodations are very much the same except the public school is less likely to close suddenly or to withhold pay.
Besides being difficult to teach so many students, I read that it is often stressful because there are less foreign teachers working alongside you and less support in terms of ideas and dealing with culture shock. They expect you to teach these students like a REAL teacher, unlike the private schools. You have to make sure not to offend the other Korean teachers and that kind of thing.
I don't know how I feel about any of this. I don't know anything about teaching really, despite the little experience that I have. Am I cut out for that kind of situation? Do I want to put myself into that kind of situation?
Shane is waiting to hear from a school in some city that is south of Seoul ; pretty far south of Seoul, for that matter. The start date there is in mid July. My departure date keeps getting pushed further and further back! I guess I'll try to push Footprints harder, contact Canadians with Seoul (though their website keeps shutting down and they never returned my first email), and look into what else can be done. Why is this so difficult? Blake had offers falling into his lap! Grr.
Tomorrow is my last day of school!!! I have to do another simulation, this time teaching a grammar point: the first conditional. (If I suck, it won't matter.)
posted by Jessica @ 9:02 p.m.
5 Comments
5 Comments:
I don't know if this helps, but I came across this listing on the Baltimore craigslist today for an ESL job in Korea: http://baltimore.craigslist.org/edu/75028351.html
To be honest, it sounds a little sketchy, but I wonder if all ESL jobs that aren't through the public school system are sketchy?
Also, it sounds pretty far south of Seoul. However, getting around Korea is ridiculously cheap (I remember a five-hour bus ride that was something like $8) and there's a very nice (and cheap) train system. So it's easy enough to get up to Seoul every weekend or something.
Another place you might look is Linguist List: http://www.linguistlist.org/jobs/index.html Many of their jobs are college level linguist and research positions, but every now and then an ESL position slips in that you only need a BA for. I don't remember seeing anything for Korea recently, but it might be worth browsing.
Sorry, I know that both of those are pretty bad leads, but it's all I could think of.
Hope things start working out soon.
In the meantime, enjoy Mexico! (Another link that probably isn't too helpful to you: http://seadragon.typepad.com/baltimore_roll/2004/06/travels.html. That's from my trip to Mexico last summer. I was only there for a week though, and I don't even know if you're going where I went. But maybe you'll find it interesting!)
You said:
"They expect you to teach these students like a REAL teacher, unlike the private schools. You have to make sure not to offend the other Korean teachers and that kind of thing."
That's not entirely true. Hogwons seem to expect you to be a REAL and EXPERIENCED teacher sometimes, at least mine does. Should they? No. I don't think they even looked at my resume, which contained no teaching experience, when they hired me. At least where I am, they seem to have unrealistic expectations for a new teacher.
Hogwons are a good step into the teaching world though... I think.
Apparently I do more work in helping you find a job than your recruiters do.
I guy I know here, James, says that there's a few job openings at his hogwon come August. Notice how "openings" is in the plural???
Here's his website. Check it out and give him in e-mail:
http://spaces.msn.com/members/jamesjduggan/
Hi, this is Blake's friend, James
Ulsan isn't Seoul, but the community here is great.
Indeed there are two openings at my school come the end of August or so. I don't know all the details but I assume you'd be replacing the couple currently here, which means some Kindergarten (currently starting at 11:30) and have a two person apartment about ten minutes walk from the school (I'm a slow walker, it's probably closer than that).
I've been at this school for two years now and will be staying another, if that's worth anything.
Wow, it's comment city today! Thanks for your good wishes and advice. I'll look into everything that I can!
And now I'll do a real post to update you on the latest progressions...
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