Your ESL Job: Keep a Watchful Eye

Dangers, contract disputes, misrepresentation, and other things to be aware of as you consider an ESL position.

Jul 16, 2006

Whether your embarking on your new career as a TEFL teacher or just wrapping things up, get the facts regarding what you are owed before you sign on or off from your job.

Getting a job overseas is both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. So many possibilities exist as well as so many things that can go wrong. Inevitably, the successful experience depends on how well informed you are prior to departing.

Aside from the general things, getting to know the culture you are moving to, maybe taking a language course to help you ease into your new home for the year, or even visiting the society that you are thinking of working and living in before you actually make the big move are all great ways of making the right decision.

ESL Contract Pros and Pluses

However, there are aspects that are not as always straightforward as they may seem to be. When I worked in South Korea I worked for one place in particular, Kids' College in Yunhee-Dong, that seemed to have all the answers but provided none of the evidence to support them. The most important thing you may find yourself considering before accepting a job is the contract that the school or hagwon sends you for you to sign and return.

These contracts tend to outline everything one would expect in an employment contract. They are informative and indicative of the environment of the hagwon or school that you will be working for in South Korea. Nevertheless, keep in mind that just because it is written down on paper doesn't mean that it is iron clad. Often it is thought that such things as contracts are flexible for your employer, whether they want to re-negotiate your contract or add responsibilities to your daily work load or perhaps even graver, dispute payment of salaries.

ESL Contract Cons and Minuses

The same, however, does not apply for you. Whether you wish to find new employment, demand payment of salary, or even keep your work load at the same level as it is you may find that when trying to get your employer to see things your way you may be in for a headache. Employees in South Korea are expected to be subservient to their employers. A Confucian hierarchical system is still very much in place today where employers often expect and do get away with outlandish behaviour towards their staff, particularly towards other South Korean employees.

It is not uncommon for South Korean hagwon owners to place the blame of losing clients (i.e. children and or adolescents) squarely on the shoulders of their Western Teachers. One woman who worked at Kids' College in Yunhee-Dong became a victim of this. Having arrived from the United States in July 2005 to a class of less than 5 students, she later lost her job in September 2005 because the remaining children were pulled out of the school to be reunited with their classmates at their new school!

Making Choices

It is in essence a double edged sword so to speak. If you are a great teacher and the mothers of the children who are in your class are especially happy with your work you may find yourself being pressured by both your employer and these same parents to remain for another year. If you do decide to stay, but in doing so decide to take on a job opportunity at another hagwon, don't be surprised to find many of your old students joining your new class.

Mothers are both the back bone and final word in many of the future of many hagwons in South Korea. Relentless, they can be your greatest ally or frankly your worst enemies. As a result you may be wrongly fired or wrongly made to feel pressured to stay at the same school by your employer. In the case of the young woman who worked at Kids' College in Yunhee-Dong, Mr. Kim, the employer actually helped her get a new job working with adults over an hour outside of Seoul.

There are many things to look out for when deciding to move to South Korea, thus join me next week for more helpful information on what can be either a positive or negative experience for you... depending on how well you navigate through the bureaucracy of it all.

The copyright of the article Your ESL Job: Keep a Watchful Eye in English as a Second Language is owned by Mario R. J. Corbin. Permission to republish Your ESL Job: Keep a Watchful Eye in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.