Really new - need help

[lotte world]

Ok, it's pretty bad, but don't worry that you are doing a bad job.  You are essentially unsackable, as it is a lot of effort to get someone else in.  Coupled with the language barrier things may seem worse than they are.

I am hoping some elementary teachers will chime in with specific lesson plans and tricks that work, but really 1&2 grade are little balls of energy that you cannot hope to control (so don't have a downer on yourself when that's when in fact, you can't control them).

If you want to quit then go ahead.  I recommend that you don't, but here's the 'right' way:

Hand in notice.  Check your contract for the procedure, but it's usually 60 days.  During that time you will work as normal and be paid as normal.  Your school might be extra frosty to you during that time.  You won't get a letter of release, so you can't transfer your visa.  You'll have to reapply with new docs and leave the country at some point (you might be able to do everything in your notice period and pop across to Japan which counts as leaving and re-entering).  If you leave before the six-month mark you may have to pay back some airfare, check your contract.  You will also not collect severance or money for your flight home.  I'm glossing over the details, but that's the general idea.

The other way is a "midnight run", but really you have to be in dire straits for that.  Your situation is bad, but not threatening, and you might just be able to turn it around.  I have known people in a worse funk than you, wanting to go home, but they took control and rode it out.

To do a midnight run you simply leave.  Tell no-one.  Pack your bags.  Go to the airport.  Fly home.  Next day your school will be surprised and angry that you are not there, but you on the other hand are happy and relieved because you are not there.  Best time to do this is pay day, or the Friday after pay day (gives you a weekend to get clear).  Withdraw the cash.  Leave.

Don't do a midnight run if you can help it.  It looks bad all around, especially for the other foreigners, but I would never criticise anyone who actually did it as it's usually a last resort in a dreadful situation.

[zombifiers]

Yeah, I wasn't planning on running. But now I'm wondering... how am I supposed to get my criminal background check if I don't go home? I would have to get re-fingerprinted, right? Unless there's a way to just get another copy from the FBI without new fingerprints somehow... does anyone know about this?

How do you know that I won't get a letter of release? Do public schools just not do that?

I know that in my contract it says I have to give 30 days notice, and it doesn't matter when I leave (6 months or no), I HAVE to give ALL of my airfare back no matter what.

[peasgoodnonsuch]

As far as I know, you need new fingerprints. You can get them at any police station in Korea, no problem. Print off the form from the FBI website and get at least 2-3 sets taken just in case.

I don't know about a letter of release. I was under the impression that you can find a new employer and have your visa transferred. Check your contract, the Korean immigration website and the Korean Labor Board website to get real facts. Asking people might get you some truth mixed with helpful misinformation.

Don't worry about your vice principal seeing your riotous first/second graders either. It may actually help you in the end. If he/she sees that you're struggling they may eat your co-teacher's head but not yours. And it may lead to you getting a co-teacher for that class or maybe even cancelling it. I would also suggest you ask your school if you can shorten the 1/2 after school class to 30 minutes. It would be more manageable.

[TDC troll]

I am in Pocheon also .
Are you at the Wangbang Elementary?
I heard they were getting a new teacher.
I can help you out , been in here a long time.
 
I'll pm you my cell #
Do you have a cell yet ?

[zombifiers]

No I'm at Sin Bong-- I don't know where Wangbang even is. And I don't have a cell phone yet; still no ARC.

One last question, guys. Do you think it's unwise to email my GEPIK coordinator about my apartment? I mean, I know that Koreans have big hangups with people who have "problems" mentally, and I don't want them to think I lied to them. This is something new to me. Because, like, If nothing else, it's my apartment that's going to do me in and maybe even cause me to run if it gets bad enough. I had another panic attack last night at 2am, and then I had one AGAIN just now as I was lying down for a quick nap. I can't live like this. I've never had panic attacks before, and they're scary.

[0mnslnd]

You could have found/planned 20 lessons in the time it took you to write this!

 :o  :o   So much for the OP trying to get a better life here.

I usually strongly discourage people to work at hagwons, mostly because of the lack of vacation time, but...@zombifiers... in your case, I'll make an exception. If things really don't work out, and you choose to run, get a new recruiter ( a trustworthy one, this time) and get a hagwon in a bigger city where you feel safer and get to meet more people (foreigners and Koreans) .

In your case, for your first year in Korea, dealing with less students per class,6-8+-, will make things way easier when it comes to learning the language and gaining teaching experience.

Good luck

[0mnslnd]

Oh, and another thing. If you choose to stay there, don't hesitate ONE MOMENT about asking GEPIK / your school for another apartment if you don't feel safe there.

In most cases, schools don't pay a deposit,or "key-money" for apartments because they are trusted by the real estate.

If they bitch and moan about getting you a safer apartment, its because they are too lazy to do the paperwork.
Insist on a place where you would feel safer (if you decide to stay in town but move to another apartment)
and ask for a place with a CCTV surveillance, digital lock, the works.

Nothing surprises me anymore

[zombifiers]

Just got off the phone with my recruiter. He says that the school is ready to fire me and that I need to step up my job performance A LOT. His advice was to hand in my resignation on Monday and then really try to win the school over so that they give me a letter of release; he said he'll help negotiate to get me the letter as long as I do my part to make the school hate me less.

I've never felt so helpless. I don't know what to do. I'm trying my best, here, and I want to succeed and do well, but...

My one co-teacher is on my side. She surprised me today by going off on a huge rant about how she hates the way the school is run and managed, she hates the head teacher's attitude and approach to things, she thinks that the school's methods are completely detrimental to teaching and learning English... She sees how I'm struggling, but she can't help, because she gets overloaded with work that the head teacher just doesn't feel like doing, because the entire school is managed like crap. She said that she's worked at four other schools before coming here (and she just started in March), and she's never seen anything like this before. She wants the two of us to work together to speak up and try to make changes to the English program, but now that I've been told that I'm about to get fired, I'm afraid of doing anything at all. It sucks a lot because now I want to help my co-teacher, too, and to hand in a resignation feels like abandoning her.

You know what's really messed up about this whole thing? I've learned from my co-teacher and another Korean teacher that the head teacher tells the principal and the vice principal that she helps me every single day, that she's with me and trying to make sure I do well... BULLSHIT!! She's just flat-out LYING to them! She'll stop by my class OCCASIONALLY, MAYBE once every other class to just poke her head in and yell, or she'll just rush in and usurp my entire lesson. But she talks herself up and then talks me down. I think she's trying to get rid of me, honestly.

[lotte world]

They can't "just fire you".  They have to follow a set procedure, and then they have to give notice.

Call GEPIK on Monday.  Also Google for ATEK, they might be able to help (or might have something helpful on their website).

Good luck- and don't worry about this over the weekend, just relax and have a fine time.

[zombifiers]

Thank you so much. :) I'll do all of those things. But no promises about relaxing over the weekend, haha. I don't know if I can pull that one off.

[0mnslnd]

I was wondering... how are things over there. Did you figure out what you're gonna do?
Hope some of it got sorted out?

[zombifiers]

Aww, thanks for checking in. :) I contacted GEPIK and didn't really get a response, so I just kind of took matters into my own hands.

The deed is done.  I handed in my resignation today. My recruiter said that he still has all of my documents and he'll give them back to me no problem, so even if I don't get a letter of release from my principal, I should be able to do a quick visa run in Japan if/when I get hired at a new school. I feel better, knowing that. I hope that I'm headed for greener pastures. I really, really do. My final day is July 12. So, shopping around for a private school begins now.

I said to my co-teacher today, "I hope that the next person who comes in is someone that the school really likes and can help you fix this messed up English program." She looked at me for a second and then replied, "You know, it's funny. That's exactly what [your predecessor] said to me before he left."

Not gonna lie, it feels pretty bad. But between my two-faced head teacher, my awful after school classroom conditions, my apartment that gives me attacks, and my stalkers... I knew I couldn't stay. I'm not ready to give up on teaching, though, because all that crap aside? I really enjoy my classes and my kids.

[master pandemonium]

Life is too short to deal with that kind of mess. I could never imagine working such a job in Korea. It is tough enough dealing with the daily rigarmarole here, but to throw a stressful job in there...uh, no. At that rate, I might as well be slaving away back home. It would be more beneficial for me. As for you, OP, congrats. You did the right thing. In fact, I would say that you've been too nice about the situation. They should be thanking you for your restraint.

[TDC troll]

Good luck .

[Happyhan]

Did you end up finding a new job? I hope you found something better ^^

[Troglodyte]

I guess this is an old thread by now, but just in case it's useful to you (or to someone else later), here's my advice.

Don't resign unless you have all your documents ready for another visa.

If you have all your documents ready then you can resign and give them a day's notice. They can't deduct anything from your salary except the flight and starting bonus (if you got those).

You don't have to go home to get a new visa. You can get one in Japan.

You don't need the school to cancel your visa. You can do it yourself. You can go to an immigration office and tell them that you quit. They'll give you 14 days to leave the country. OR you can can your visa when you exit the country (which is what people usually do when they pull a runner). In case you do it at the airport (or at the ferry port if you leave by boat) then make sure to hand in your ARC.

Public schools very very rarely (pretty much never) give an LOR. It's a policy.

Don't trust recruiters. They work for the school and are looking out for the school's interests more than yours. (And they're looking out for their own interests most of all.)

You don't need an ARC to get a cell phone. Any company can sign you up for a prepaid plan. Most won't though, so you need to go to a company that specialises in prepaid. You can find them in most towns. There are a bunch of them in Itaewon near the subway station.

If you're here in Korea you can get more job offers, for better jobs, faster and much easier than when you apply from abroad. Being able to go in for an interview counts for a lot AND you can go check out the school and apartment before accepting. Employers also like it because they know that you can essentially start working tomorrow (although it will take about a week or week and a half to get a visa issuance number. Then the school pays for you to go to Japan to get the actual visa.


If you're in a rough situation, get out. Don't tough it out any longer than you have to.

Always come to Korea (or elsewhere) with a complete extra set of documents.

If you have to wait for documents but don't want to stick around Korea then go to Thailand or Vietnam. Schools there don't care much about visa and jobs are aplenty.