Foreign teachers can be irresponsible too

Some teachers don’t take their responsibilities as seriously as they should

January 3, 2012

GIMPO, SOUTH KOREA, Jan. 3, 2012/ Troy Media/ - The directors and owners of Korean hagwons, as private education academies are known over here, have become notorious for their ill-treatment of foreign workers.

I have a master’s degree in international human rights law from the National University of Ireland and I have been teaching English as a second language in Korea for almost two years.

Searching for “Korean Hagwon” in Google, I found hit after hit reporting a litany of misdemeanours – non-payment of monies owed; incorrect processing of visas; inadequate housing and most frequently, rude and xenophobic bosses.

Unfortunately, I have witnessed several friends and acquaintances suffer such ill-treatment, so I know that this is the reality for too many teachers who come to Korea seeking positive new experiences.

No job is perfect

On the other hand, there is little written by foreign teachers about the irresponsible behaviour of many of their fellow Weygookin – the all-encompassing term Koreans use to refer to any citizen of an English-speaking country.

While it does not, in any way, excuse the treatment that some teachers are subjected to by unscrupulous bosses, it does shed some light on why many Koreans display what is perceived of as xenophobia, but what I have come to believe is mistrust based on past experience.

Recently, my American co-worker sent a text message to my head teacher which read “I’m sorry, I am going home. I have left the key for the apartment in the letterbox.” He was the third teacher to quit since May 2011 without giving prior notice. So many teachers disappearing overnight obviously raises the question – what is wrong with the school? In my opinion, having worked at the school for nearly two years now, one answer is that we are hiring the wrong sort of teachers.

Of course my job is not perfect. The working hours are far from ideal – 2pm until 10pm. Vacation time is short, only 10 working days per year, which have to be booked and fought for months in advance. Teaching 30 hours per week can also be difficult and exhausting at times.

On the plus side, my boss is decent and fair, if sometimes a little unapproachable. My Korean co-workers are friendly and incredibly helpful, my accommodation is good, the school is new and well-equipped and I have never been paid late – once even receiving an advance from my boss when I was a little strapped for cash.

But even if there weren’t all these pros to balance out the cons, the fact is that no-one held a gun to my head and forced me to sign the contract which clearly stated the working and teaching hours, and the vacation time and the rest. I had researched Korean culture in depth before I decided to move here. Since I made the decision to come here, I feel a moral obligation to abide by my contract.

The short-term effect of a teacher leaving without notice is, quite simply, chaos for those of us who are left to clean up the mess. Already working hard on our own lessons, we have to scramble to figure out who can cover which classes with minimum disruption. After this, we need to go through the departed teacher’s desk hoping they have left clear notes on what they last taught from the book, what they have assigned for homework and what tests are coming up. Then we have to continue working under these additional stressful conditions until we have found a new teacher.

For the children, it is also upsetting. It can take up to a month for students to adjust and feel comfortable with a new teacher. Thanks to the selfish actions of the teachers who have come and gone in my school since May, some of our students have had to adjust three times in six months. The negative effect on their education is so obvious it doesn’t require further detail.

It also can affect the children emotionally. Young Korean children are quick to feel affection for their teachers. When the teachers leave without even saying goodbye, I have witnessed several students in tears.

The longer-term consequence of leaving without notice is the damaging effect on the school’s reputation. The private academy industry is oversaturated and, consequently, highly competitive. Some parents devote up to 50 per cent of their monthly income to give their children an advantage in the highly pressurised and demanding Korean education system. Because of this sacrifice, they justifiably demand high standards from the school.

According to a report by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, 9.2 per cent of the hagwons registered in the city closed between February and March of 2011 – illustrating the cutthroat nature of the Korean hagwon industry.

Having such a high turnover of teachers leaving without notice is incredibly damaging to the school. Of course, the knock-on effect is that it jeopardises my position and the jobs of my co-workers, as well as my director’s livelihood. Is it any wonder, then, that, with so much at stake, directors who have been burned by foreign teachers in the past act in a way that is mistrustful and sometimes downright dismissive of foreigners?

Not really a working holiday

There are several problems with many of the foreign teachers coming to Korea. The lax hiring policy, which doesn’t require qualifications or experience other than a degree in any discipline, means that many people decide to come here for a “working holiday.” That in itself is not a bad thing – I am one of those people!

However, that does not mean we should overlook the fact that there is a serious matter at stake – the students’ education. Too many people fail to take this into account before they decide to come here and, as a result, they don’t take their responsibilities as seriously as they should.

Another issue I have been struck by is the lack of research and preparation on the part of some teachers moving to Korea. The teacher who left my school suddenly in May was unprepared for the culture shock and different way of life. From the breadth and depth of her questioning when she arrived, I could tell that she had done little to no research regarding the culture or working environment in Korea. Consequently, she was simply not prepared for the challenge of moving so far away from home.

But I believe what it comes down to in the end is selfishness. I am not suggesting that once a person has signed a contract, they should stay and spend a year of their lives unhappily. Instead, they should think carefully about their decision before they sign the contract. Once the contract is signed, they should be aware that they have given their word for one year and with that comes responsibilities to the school, the students and their colleagues.

Unfortunately, many teachers fear that if they give notice of their desire to leave, they will be punished by being treated poorly for the duration, or wrongfully denied their wages. In these cases, where the hagwon boss is willing to disregard the contract, the worker should not feel bad by doing the same. On the other hand, if a teacher has been treated fairly by the school, it seems right to reciprocate this fairness by sticking to the terms of the contract regarding a period of notice.

All we ask, contented foreigners and native Korean teachers alike, is a little bit of consideration for those who will be left behind to deal with the mess of an unexpected departure.

Related posts:

1. The perils of teaching a second language in a foreign country
2. BC teachers need a reality check on wages and benefits
3. More education courses are not the answer to bad teachers
4. South Korean teaching experience quickly turned sour
5. I’m being held captive in a South Korean school