Question & Answer

Why did you make this website?

In America, I would be considered a whistle blower for revealing gross misconduct. In Korea, I am considered a nonconformist. Only in Korea am I treated as a miscreant because I choose to speak out about injustice. I often felt the need to write about my experiences and what I saw occurring to me and others on a constant basis; it was my outlet when Korea provided no other way to cope.

I wrote this to tell others, lest they find out the hard way, like most. People have to be warned.

When and how did you begin the blog?

I was writing randomly throughout the year as a way of de-stressing. I probably began around the 3 month point; that’s when the newness wears off and the realization kicks in. It is also when the stresses begin to overwhelm you. It’s not culture-shock, mind you; it’s how everything is so deceptive and illogical when working at a school in Korea.

The blogging began as a letter to the next native English teacher at my school and grew into two separate blogs. I think that writing a letter to the next teacher is such a simple gesture, hell, any introduction is better than none when you first come to Korea.

Nothing says welcome to Korea than being thrown into teaching a classroom, without any preparation, while you’re still jet lagged. Orientation is worthless, not to mention the fact that it should given soon after you arrive not at the 4 or 8 month, or even later, mark – by then, it’s even more useless.

It shouldn’t be Korean teachers meeting you when you first get off the plane, it should be the last native teacher at your school. But, schools would rather hide their inadequacies than correct them. They’d rather have their teachers ignorant than knowledgeable; new people will work hard when they first arrive, until the realization hits them – nothing matters here. Teaching English in Korea is a vicious cycle.

Are all schools bad in Korea?

No. Some are better, but spinning the wheel of misfortune is not a great way to spend the next year of your life. Many differ in various ways, but a lot of similarities exist in the mistreatment of native teachers.

Are you well educated?

Yes. I have a B.A. and a M.S.

Would you suggest coming to Korea?

No. Go teach somewhere else, where your efforts might actually be valued, where people are true to their word, where you are treated well, where you might be trained, to a country that is diverse. You will be happier elsewhere even if you have less money to show for it.

Do you think Korea will get better?

No. Not in my lifetime. It will take a very long time for Korea to change for the better. That’s not just my opinion, that’s the opinion of my mother who is full Korean.

Why didn’t you leave earlier if you hated it so much?

I came here with someone and wasn’t going to leave without them. They disliked their job as well, not as much as me, but that’s not saying much. I came to mainly pay off student loans, in a poor U.S. job market, and I managed to do that albeit at a cost. Even if I wanted to leave, leaving your job mid-contract in Korea is not easy or recommended; it’s similar to running for the border – don’t get caught, don’t come back. Who wouldn’t want to leave their sweatshop though?

Like most people, although it’s traumatic, the thought is generally one of “well, I’ve gotten this far and there’s only so much left to endure before I get my end-of-contract bonus.” There are a bunch of ‘native teachers’ that are just ‘vegging’ in Korea. They don’t have any growth prospects here, they don’t gain any skills, they don’t find Korea to be that interesting, they are purposefully kept idle (seat-warming for at least half of your workday), they aren’t acknowledged, and they don’t exist in Korea; they can’t wait to leave. Korea is successfully promoting its anti-tourism campaign through the mistreatment of native teachers.

Did you research about teaching English in Korea before you left America?

Yes. But, it was, apparently, not nearly enough. Good blogs detailing the ins and outs of teaching ESL in Korea are barely starting to appear. There are many disgruntled people that post on Dave’s ESL, but they don’t seem to have cohesion – I wish they would each create a blog about their experiences instead of letting their ideas and thoughts vanish within the depths of a forum or possibly censored therein. It’s one thing to flame a forum, it’s another thing entirely to create a blog explaining various details.