During my time here in Korea I have had both good and bad experiences. Unfortunately, the majority of my bad experiences took place at my school. I was overworked and felt much tension in my work place on a daily basis. I found myself on numerous occasions having to defend my rights when my employer tried to violate my contract. When I did so, my employer saw it as complaining. This made going to work quite a challenge at times. Despite the many injustices and frustrations I experienced at my work place I enjoyed teaching, and formed great friendships amongst my students and my co-teachers. My co-teachers were all very kind, helpful and supportive. We enjoyed sharing lesson ideas as well as personal stories and laughter. The companionship we developed helped us to stay strong when we felt down about our situation at the school. I also owe a great deal of gratitude to my Recruiter Alistair. Alistair is very professional and familiar with the board of education and who knows how to approach difficult situations. Most importantly, his priority is always the well-being of his teachers. If I ever had an uncertainty or faced a problem at my school, Alistair would make time to call me or even meet with me in person to discuss the matter at hand. Alistair is very efficient and always followed-up to make certain that problems were addressed and properly dealt with. Alistair did everything he could to make sure I was comfortable at my work place. I felt well cared for by my recruiter. There are many differences between Western and Asian culture. There is a lot that I like about Korea nevertheless there are also things I do not like. My advice to you would be the following. First, you must learn to be flexible and adjust to the differences. Remember that your contract is your safe guard. Secondly, if you ever have doubts about what your employer is asking from you, go back to your contract and speak with your recruiter. Thirdly, if you ever encounter a bad experience, do not allow it to become an overall generalization of the Korean culture or Korean schools. Like anywhere in the world there are good people and bad people. I believe that my teaching position presented me with many challenges. However, I also developed many teaching skills and had many opportunities to try various teaching techniques and develop my own style and I am grateful for this. I came out with a positive outlook on ESL teaching. I truly enjoy ESL teaching and will return to Korea and do it again. I will simple do so at another school & only with Alistair as my recruiter.
Chantal