Leaving . . . but Not on a Jet Plane
Posted by Andrew | Filed under Commentary, Living in Korea
After five and a half years in Korea, it's time for a change . . .
Regular readers (and there do seem to be some of you) of this blog will know by now that while living here in Korea may often be nice, it's also often frustrating. Nowhere is this more obvious than when a foreigner decides it's time to up sticks and walk, in this case from one job to the next, for whatever reason.
I first encountered this in a previous employ in Taiwan. Once you leave (or make it known that you have decided to leave), you are almost persona non grata: the Boss won't talk to you or even (in some cases) allow you onto the premises just to say "hello" to the people you used to work with. When I decided that I was fed up with the last place in Taiwan, I had amassed a huge load of toys (plus flashcards) that I used to use in the lessons with the kids (and spending otherwise boring free time at the weekends making a fresh batch of your own flashcards can be highly therapeutic, by the way), so I thought: "Ah! I can give them to Miss Woo (the Boss at the time), and the kids can still play with them when I'm gone!"
Errr . . . no. Miss Woo was cordial but declined the offer, which I found hard to understand. She also seemed to make it clear that my presence was no longer wanted! So I gave the whole lot to the lady who owned the University Hall of Residence where I had been staying, who had a little daughter whom she wanted to learn English, and she was amazed. But the people there were always very kind to me, so why shouldn't I be kind to them, too?
This is an unfortunate trait among East Asian employers that anyone intending to come here for an extended period should be aware of: once you signal to them that you intend to leave, your usefulness to them has ended. They also now have the expense of getting someone new in to replace you, the cost and effort of which is perennially unwelcome, especially as they now have to go through a recruiter (because they often do not have the linguistic ability to interview people, for example), and this costs them an arm and a leg. And then there's immigration . . .
I will write more about this shortly, but the potted version is that I have come to another of those sad times in my life where I have to say some kind of "goodbye" to my little friends, just at a time when I have started new classes with fresh elementary kids (and just at a time when they have made it perfectly clear that they prefer me to one of the other guys here). This time I am determined to do things that I never thought of before. I have to pop up to the local E-Mart today for a new printer cartridge, and I intend to get a wad of business cards (the cheap perforated type you print yourself) and give one to each of the kids. Hey, cheap's my middle name, didn't you know that???
I also have my own Yahoo Group, to which they will be invited, so they need never lose contact with me again. It has been rather idle for the last few years because I have been so busy, so it will be good to dust it down and make better use of it.
So I am now making plans for the new future. Unfortunately it may not be possible to stay here in Kyungnam (South Kyungsangnam Province), where I have been living all this time, because I dithered about making the decision and missed the opportunity; my new recruiter tells me that I will probably have to accept a new post in North Kyungsang, but that's only a short train or bus ride, so I can still show my face here sometimes. I have a number of "projects" which will also keep me involved in this area.
And now . . . time for a long walk. But the exercise is good for me!
Tags: employment, job, Korea, teaching
2 Responses to “Leaving . . . but Not on a Jet Plane”
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bestboardgamesusa.blogspot.com Says:
July 8th, 2016 at 10:47 pmWe are glad to see you!
Guys, need your hel or perhaps advice. Question for individuals who pplay table games.
What game can you recommend for a child with a view to its
development? Many thanks. -
Andrew Says:
July 15th, 2016 at 6:36 pmLOL I’ll have to think about that one!
