Does teaching in Korea give a false impression of the profession?

[Jennybee]

     I'm more professional in Korea than I was teaching back in the States. Korea is a great place to teach. There's also a lot of opportunities and people actually want you.... while back home you are just a number.

[Gunpojohnny]

I agree that teachers in our own countries work harder than many of us NSETs do here.  My father was a teacher and worked late most nights and was involved in extracurricular activities on weekends... HOWEVER... at least in the United States (depending on which state) teachers are compensated for their hard work.  In New York they are making a hell of a lot more than any of us will EVER make teaching in Korea.

 I've attached a PDF from the NYC Department of Education with their salary schedule from 2008.  It's quite suprising... here's an excerpt: 

New York City Teacher Salary
The New York City Department of Education offers extremely competitive salaries to newly hired teachers. Salaries are based on prior experience as well as academic coursework and degrees earned. Starting teacher salaries range from $45,530 (bachelor's degree, no prior teaching experience) to $74,796 (bachelor's degree, Master's degree plus 30 credits, 7.5+ years teaching experience). Teachers who have a Master's degree but no teaching experience will start at $51,425. With annual increases plus increases for additional coursework, teachers’ salaries will rise to the current maximum of $100,049 per year over time.

I've lived in NY my whole life, and I know it seems like a really high salary, but you need to make that much to survive there. If you take the 45,530 salary and take away what it costs to rent an apartment in NYC; you'd be making right about what we make here. The cost of living is mad. Also the cost of getting to work everyday will cost you. It's over two dollars for the subway and if you want a car the insurance will destroy you. I took a pay cut to come to Korea, but I feel extremely comfortable living on what I make here. So far I love it!

My mother is a teacher and makes about 90,000 a year. NY also taxes you like CRAZY. Since she has kids to support she still struggles. It's crazy to think people can struggle at all when they're pulling 90,000 a year. Madness!

[eemneedah]

The reason for this discussion is because many of my friends who started teaching for the first time when they came to Korea have suddenly decided they want to be teachers. They love the children and feel inspired, which is wonderful, but many are jumping on the bandwagon and suddenly want to get teaching degrees and become teachers, using teaching in Korea as a sole example of what the profession is like. I feel it is a little misguided.

People who've studied Education degrees, taught in their home countries or in other foreign countries (in Asia, South America, Europe, etc.) in what ways do you feel being a teacher in Korea gives a false OR accurate experience of teaching? I find it's a very watered down experience compared to the administration and actual planning that goes into being a teacher in home countries. I can only speak for myself, so feel free to enlighten and elucidate, but in South Africa where I obtained my Education degree and taught at a high school I was never paid overtime, often had to work on Saturdays and Sundays (marking, setting papers, meeting students to rehearse the school play, coach sport, etc.) I earned roughly the same amount as I do here and I can honestly say that being here makes it feel like 1/8th of the work I did back home. I know the situation is similar in the States and other countries. This is not to belittle the work we do here, a lot of us work very hard and feel exhausted at the end of the day - but it's still not nearly as complex.

If we could illustrate good comparisons between being a teacher back home (and taking on roles like Head of Department,  Vice Principal and Principal and sports coach, etc.) maybe we could assist in people making more informed decisions.

P.S. This discussion is not for people who want to go on about how we're not supposed to be real teachers here anyway, etc. It's for people who have a background in Education to have an intelligent discussion. People with parents who are teachers will give sound ideas too.

First of all, if you have studied education, then you'd probably have an idea of the ESL classroom. That being the case, you should have a good idea of what you were getting into before you came.

Those who didn't study education are the ones who probably had no idea what to expect. Those are generally the people that are targeted for working in Korea because the job is not a teaching job, but a teacher's assistant job, no matter how fancy they use the terms in English. This isn't a teaching job (assuming that you are at a hagwon or public school). Even I knew that.

So to answer your question, I am very interested in what your idea of being a teacher's assistant is supposed to do and how that doesn't live up to your expectations. If you are talking about a "profession" as in a "career" there is no career in most jobs for teaching English in Korea. There are a few at private schools and universities, but generally, an E-2 visa is a temporary thing, not a career tool.

I am honestly not sure what you thought you were getting into. My idea of what you are implying is that this job isn't what you wanted. Seems as if you wanted to work hard and are paid too much. Teachers in Korea make a LOT of money compared to their counterparts in the US, and I guess also in South Africa, from what you say.

I understand that your experience is different, but you have to remember that we are not here to be teachers, as you would be at home. You are here as more of an entertainer. That is the job. Even the recruiters admit that quite often, and the contracts prove that.

You are probably trained to deal with children in the classroom, but even more so, you are trained to take nothing and turn it into a lesson plan. You are also probably taught how to create an enviroment that is geared towards learning and you probably had some kind of power and respect in the classroom. But this isn't your country nor your culture. The rules are different here.

I know it sounds really off putting, my sayings, but the sooner you accept it, the easier life is here. I had a lot of problems myself my first year and a half, but now I am very comfortable with what I do and I love my job and I love teaching the students with what I have been given.

Sorry dude you've completely missed the point. Entirely. I'm not in the least bit disappointed in teaching. I knew exactly what teaching here would entail, it lives up to my expectations very precisely. What I'm saying is people here are basing their ideas of what it is to be a teacher solely on their experiences of being an ESL teacher in Korea. They studied business, archeology, anthropology, etc. and came here to teach for the culture and experience and are now thinking 'hey this is easy and well paid and look how much free time I have, I'm going to study education now and be a teacher!' What I've asked people to offer is their opinions based on being teachers back home. Everyone has been very informative and so far the consensus is teaching here does give a false impression of how hard teaching actually is in one's home country. Please read posts properly before accusing people of complaining, projecting, etc.

[Morticae]

I'm a little confused.

Who actually thought that teaching would be the same back home in their countries?

It's pretty much a given that it would be different!

That said, perhaps I have one of the more "realistic" experiences offered here for a non-uni job. There's no co-teaching that goes on at my school. I'm responsible for my own lessons based on my own ideas, classroom management, sometimes even attendance. So, having no real teaching experience in my home country, I know that if I do go back and snag up a MEd that the experience wont be the same... but a lot of the skills and traits used here will be used in any other teaching job. Creativity, the ability to get a message across, planning, classroom management... etc.

[firebreaker]

NETs in Korea don't do nearly as much work as they would in their home countries. I'm willing to say the politics are about the same anywhere, but the administrative work is pretty much non-existent for NETs.  Actual time teaching and time put into preparation for class.. etc. depends on an individual basis, but generally speaking, we are expected to do a lot less.

If you are comparing teaching in Korea with teaching back home, then I think it's a fair argument to say that expecting the profession to be the same is definitely giving a false impression. However, if you compare teaching English in foreign countries, particularly Asia, I'd say it is a pretty accurate impression. The difference is the professionalism of the employers and co-workers.

One of my personal philosophies here is that, "There's the world, and then, there's KOREA."  It has yet to be proven otherwise. HAHA