Quitting Seoul Metro
An English teaching associate of mine sent me quite the message detailing the reasons why she won’t be continuing working with SMOE after her year contract. It’s an interesting read. Keep in mind that her situation is HER situation and does not necessarily reflect a general opinion. Every SMOE work placement is different. That said, I can identify with many of her complaints.
I’m not leaving Korea. I’m leaving SMOE. As a certified, experienced high school English teacher from Canada, I am finding this job to be an insult to my qualifications and experience. I took this job thinking that it would be a good way to do what I love while indulging in another interest: travel.
I have many reasons for leaving that have been building up over time, but when it came to vacation days, that was the last straw. But let me start at the beginning.
1. I started at my school completely isolated from the staff. I was stashed away in my classroom because they thought I would like that more. I was introduced to my coteachers, and that was it. I was not introduced to anyone else at my school, so now when my new coteacher asks me about teachers, I have no idea who he is even talking about. Talk about welcoming a new staff member.
2. My coteachers were lovely, BUT. Yes, but. They confronted me one day in mid October telling me I was teaching the wrong lesson. Yes, I was AHEAD in the textbook. Instead of telling me they spend 3 weeks on each lesson, they assumed I magically knew, but let me teach 2 lessons ahead of where they were and then told me that the students didn’t understand. Well, I don’t really see how that’s my fault.
3. It was smooth sailing for a while, until the new term started. I was told that I would now be sharing my classroom (I had to argue to get a desk in the office) with the nurse teacher. No problem, I said. Well, there was a problem when I showed up on the first day of class and she had taken all my stuff and thrown it in a disorganized pile in a cabinet. When I asked her where it was, she told my coteacher that she had to move my “mess” (piles of papers? How is that a mess?) and when I expressed my frustration, I was berated for my “anger” towards her. I explained the difference between frustration and anger but my co didn’t get it. So I just caved and apologized. Nurse teacher has since told me in a tone of voice like I was a simpleton and/or a bad child that I’m not allowed to leave a pile of scrap paper in the classroom, she’s taken down all my bulletin boards and replaced them with her own, and has hidden my class schedule under hers, because apparently mine in English is unsightly. Has she been berated for her behaviour towards me? Not in the slightest. I’ve also had racist remarks made about me to the STUDENTS by one of the PE teachers, and had a drunk coworker insult me and foreigners, throw an unlit cigarette at me, and tell me to come sit in his lap. Was he berated for this shockingly racist and sexist behaviour? Of course not. I, however, was for telling a coworker that I was unhappy that she threw my resources in a heap and didn’t ask or tell me where they were.
4. I was told that I am not allowed to correct the student’s behaviour. I told them that when students are shoving me around when I’m trying to break up a rowdy playfight in the middle of class and the coteacher is not paying attention, I am damn well going to tell them to stop it. Since this discussion, I have sunken into total apathy when it comes to bad behaviour. They want to allow it, I”m not going to argue, but just count the days until I’m done teaching.
5. General feelings of being a resource or a puppet instead of an actual teacher have been really driving me towards the job search. The system that SMOE has created for public school ESL teachers is really flawed. I’m made to feel that it’s my fault when the students don’t understand me, when in fact some of my coteachers (mostly the 3 subs I’ve had this year, my regular coteachers are actually quite good at their jobs) don’t translate or help me in any way, including with discipline, even though I was told I should leave the discipline/correcting bad behaviour to the coteachers.
6. My district is trying to breach my contract by telling my school that I cannot take my home leave that is in my contract until winter. I said “it’s in the contract.” After a discussion with my coteacher where I outlined the days I could go home (there’s no reason I can’t leave from August 3-22, I won’t be teaching then anyways) he told me that they’d give me their “final decision” after the renewal process is done. It is now June 17. The chances of me getting a good flight home after SMOE takes their sweet time dealing with the process are slimmer by the day. My coteacher thinks I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that I’m going home in winter. Instead, I’ve applied for other jobs and have been offered an amazing position with a Canadian run private school in one of the commuter suburbs.
SMOE has made a comment that they want to hire more experienced, certified teachers. I am both of these things and am disgusted with the way they run this operation. I would not stand for this treatment in any country, regardless of cultural differences. If they want professionals, they need to be prepared to treat us like professionals
Stray,
I hear you loud and clear on the treatment of foreign teachers. Believe me when I say we’ve all been there – virtually every teacher I’ve met that’s managed to hit the one-year mark has done so despite any number of things that might cause an ordinary person to go insane.
With that said, I’m not precisely where the grass is greener. I’d be happy to recommend my current employer (no idea if they’re hiring, but I can at least get you a name – just e-mail me privately), but few hagwons, public schools, or even universities are likely to meet a reasonable person’s idea of professionalism.
hey-
just wanted to say that i’m an smoe teacher as well and sympathize with many of friends complaints. however, if the vacation issue is the final reason she has decided to quit, you should tell her that because she works for smoe and is a government employee, they will not only foot the bill for the ticket, no matter how much more expensive it becomes between now and then, but she will also get preferential placement from asiana/ korean air, and, in some cases, they may even bump another passenger to get her a seat. at least that’s what we’ve been told. i’ve been on the teacher’s council for two years so i’ve had to deal with this issue quite a lot. anyway, not saying she shouldn’t quit, just that she know that beforehand.
If that Canadian run private school in the commuter suburbs school happens to be called CIS (Canadian International School), you might want to tell her friend to reconsider. I’m just sayin’.
Asking someone to sit in your lap is sexual harassment. Having someone throw something at you is harassment/ abuse. Report these incidents to the labor board. There are laws against this in Korea.
The problem isn’t SMOE (though it has it’s problems) but your particular school. I teach at high school in Korea (not SMOE) and I have none of your problems.
1. I have desk in the staff room just like everyone else.
2. I consult with the Korean teachers to find out what they’re covering every week. If I can’t find them in time I ask the students.
3. This is absolute BS – I wouldn’t stand for it.
4. I can handle discipline as I see fit.
5. Temp. teachers can be a nightmare to work with, but did you try to do anything for them? Did you offer to write part of the test? Did you insist students pay attention when they were talking if they were in the classroom at the same time? Did you give them notice of what you wanted translated?
6. This is more unfortunate BS.
Basically, I wouldn’t smear SMOE with such a broad brush because there are both great and horrible schools it deals with. Best of luck at the Canadian school.
The main problem I see. Is that the hire foreign teachers and plop up us in a school.
The people working there have had no briefing or consulting on how to interact and work with a person from a foreign land. It is all based on their instincts and now-how…which gets lost in translation.
I too struggle with many of these things but not as severe.
I am trying now to make the job more of what it ideally should be. Trying to trust my coteacher and the system.
It’s hard. But I want to get this job right even if the environment is crap.
I work for GEPIK which isn’t that different I guess. But in myarea the city cares about the teachers and gives us consulting workshops.
Glad to hear you didn’t give up on Korea.
Your experience sounds very, very much like mine, and I was at a series of rural schools in Jeollanamdo. So, it’s not SMOE, that’s just how the system works in Korea, sadly.
I’ve been with SMOE for the past 4 months working at a technical high school. I experience the same or similar problems everyone is facing. I am at the point where I am considering to write a letter to send up the SMOE ladder. Maybe some of the heads at SMOE will kick some teacher ass at my school. I think I have nothing to lose as I have no plans to renew.
I know it’s been said in one way or another already, but it really sounds like you just got a bad placement. After recently completing my first year teaching with SMOE, I can honestly say that I have been showered in respect by my fellow co-workers and my school. SMOE cannot control the actions of all that they govern just because they are the umbrella.
Unfortunately, some of the things you have endured were perpetuated by childish people (regardless of yours or their backgrounds). It should be a common human characteristic and prerequisite for a working environment to treat every co-worker with respect.
I have to tell you though that having spent 5+ years in the working world (not teaching) before moving to Korea has taught me that no initial contract/employer mission statement, interview, training seminar, etc. I have ever seen or attended has painted an accurate picture of the reality of the job and working environment. Of course it is in the nature of organizations (for their benefit of course) to flower up their depictions of the working environment they provide. That being said, a lot of the things you are describing are merely realities of working with others with varying temperaments, talents, and convictions. Don’t let yourself fall into that mindset of the “deserving westerner” that is too often heard on the blogs, forums and other bitching posts on the internet.
Maybe we all came to Korea to achieve a different outlook – that can hardly be done with you trying to view things from the scope of your homeland.
oh…damn… this was a bit of a downer. Sorry. It is also a bit scary. I am hoping she’s exaggerating, or that this place is an extreme example of how ugly things can get, or that maybe it was her attitude towards her environment and people around her… cuz it can be. Sometimes we are our own problem. Sometimes I am not aware of how I may be coming out to people. HOWEVER if this is more reality than imagined, then I don’t know, I might end up getting kicked out or going to jail b/c I don’t have the best temper when having a cigarette thrown at me and asking to sit in some one’s lap.