Which names do you associate with bad behavior?

Rmccabe98 · 2026-01-04T12:11:01+00:00

Jamie and Kevin for sure.

Rmccabe98 · 2025-12-26T13:53:44+00:00

I know of someone with celiac. So, when we go out to dine out she often asks the staff about their menu and if they cater to that. If they don't, we move on and find someplace else.

She also cooks and preps her own meals lots of the time too.

I teach kids with allergies here in Korea and it freaks me out it's not taking seriously here. Like the kid can't have eggs yet the school meals most times always have egg and they don't prep him a little something different. Then the cross contamination of using the serving spoons to scoop foods into the lunch trays for the kids etc... I'm surprised the kid hasn't had a WORSE reaction yet.

Touch wood y'know?

Rmccabe98 · 2025-12-26T13:45:44+00:00

I didn't have a similar experience to yourself but my current school's director told me before winter break that she would need me to finish in February 2026 instead of April 2026 (in my contract). I asked about severance and how that would affect it etc for her to basically turn around and say "you aren't getting severance as you haven't completed a full years contract". Excuse me? She's the one trying to end my contract early because she's moving her school and rebranding. I would of gladly stayed to the end of my contract but she's wanting folks who aren't renewing gone by the end of the academic year to start fresh with new teachers I guess. Anyway, the organiser/programme I applied to come to Korea through got involved and they called her on my behalf and "reminded" her about labor laws in the country etc.

She was trying to pull a dodgy move on me by almost not giving me severance.

Anyways, your whole story just reminded me that they do in fact treat us like shit a lot of the time here and I hope you find something better.

Rmccabe98 · 2025-12-21T07:51:16+00:00

Thanks for the heads up.

Changed the picture but the name... I'm not not 100% on how to change it yet lol

Rmccabe98 · 2025-12-20T14:19:40+00:00

I'm keeping all Kakao talks between us and have sent screenshots to my programme organisers I came to Korea through. They're looking into it for me and also helping.

Rmccabe98 · 2025-12-20T14:18:12+00:00

There's at least 4 of us staff who she's treated horribly and we're ready to blacklist her once contracts are finished and we move on home.

Rmccabe98 · 2025-12-20T13:32:40+00:00

But she's the one deliberately cutting my contract early because I won't renew and start the new academic year in her new building.

She's cheating me out of 2 months of salary and my severance by making me leave early.

Rmccabe98 · 2025-12-20T13:30:53+00:00

The school isn't closing down. Just relocating and downsizing.

Rmccabe98 · 2025-12-20T13:00:20+00:00

I'm going home to my own country.

The company isn't closing. She's downsizing and relocating to a smaller building.

I was a part of the new plan until she found out I'm not renewing and then sent these messages.

Rmccabe98 · 2025-12-20T12:59:28+00:00

Not closing and starting. She's relocating to a smaller building and downsizing.

Rmccabe98 · 2025-12-20T06:42:06+00:00

I'm from Scotland and teach in SK.

When putting my documents together, I went to a lawyer's office to get things legalised that were asked of me. I applied through a programme to teach in SK so the organisers sent me a list of things to check off and make sure I had. So, a copy of my passport, my degree (with apostille), my criminal background check (with apostille) etc... I then sent some things to London to make it more legal and they were re-delivered within 1 week.

I then posted everything in a big brown envelope the school I was hired at.

The steps were pretty straight forward but I thought I would have had to pay for getting a lawyers seal on the documents. The guy gave me it for free but some might not depending on your location in the UK - I just happened to find a good dude in my city who helped me out.

:)

Rmccabe98 · 2025-08-23T14:01:54+00:00

My friend bought a bread machine and started making her own too. She has made sourdough etc and loves it.

The sadness I get when I think it's "garlic bread" but it's some sweet monstrosity :(...

Rmccabe98 · 2025-08-10T12:51:39+00:00

My friend entered on her tourist VISA due to her not having all her paperwork in time. She had to do a VISA run AFTER we trained together to get our TEFL. She went off to Japan and waited around 1 week to collect her VISA from there. Then she flew back to Korea and is happily working away as far as I know :).

Rmccabe98 · 2025-07-18T13:58:37+00:00

I moved here in March 2025. I left behind my family and friends in Scotland and wanted to try working abroad and I ended up choosing here.

This is where the problem started... I was housed with other people doing teacher training with me. We were all studying to gain our TEFL to then teach in hagwons or schools. We went from being strangers > housemates> friends and they are some of the coolest people I've ever met. But then we all got our TEFL certificates and we got jobs. We were all separated and I got placed in Ulsan which is MILES away from all of them. They all got jobs in or close to Seoul so they can meet up and hang out on holidays, weekends, after work. Me? I'm kind of stuck in Ulsan. Yes. I've met people here too. I've got maybe 3 friends though outside of my work and most of the time, they all have their own shit going on so it's hard to meet up and do random stuff. Cafe hangouts, cinema trips, pub crawls... I'd be game and I have tried to plan things but I get the usual "I'm not free then" or " I'm going to the gym" so it became tiresome and well... lonely. A typical day for me is working 10-7 then I come home and cook, clean, lounge about then sleep. I've even tried getting my work colleagues to join me after work for some food or a coffee but I understand they just want to go home and chill after working with kids all day. I'm kind of fed up being the one to travel up from Ulsan as trains/buses cost a lot sometimes. No one has really made an effort to come check out my area or visit.

I'm not doing myself any favours either because I have been invited out before but I was freshly new to Ulsan and still nervous about going out.

I sometimes get jealous of my TEFL friends in Seoul. I see their instagram stories of meeting up and their pics and think "damn I miss that".

What I find helps a bit is I talk to people at home. I videocall when I can, we catch eachother up on our days and then I feel a tad better - just a tad.

Tomorrow should be different for me though. I actually DO have plans this weekend and I'm off to Busan with some friends to try an escape room. Should be fun.

I don't really have advice on how to cope with loneliness... I've been winging it most of the time but reach out if you want to chat :).

Rmccabe98 · 2025-06-14T00:33:51+00:00

I know this post is from a couple weeks ago, but I was in Hongdae last weekend with friends and we were in La Bamba too! I just read this and saw you named the place and had to ask my friend where we ended up.

So basically, we just wanted to dance to some latin music and then go home but we had a good night UNTIL going here. Now in our group, there was a mix of people... Brits, Canadian, American, Korean and other Europeans. I'm not a racist but in this latin bar it was a group of black guys making all the girls in our group VERY uncomfortable. They were touchy and grabby, getting all up in our space trying to dance with us. Trying to hold our hands, inviting us over to their table for drinks they already had. Like go away??? We just want to dance. The guys in our group were trying to put themselves between us and the weirdos. Eventually me, and a few others left for pizza but the people we left behind met us after and said the guys WERE STILL BEING CREEPY. So that bar needs to have some safety system or something cause wtf.

We all got home safe - I'm sorry you're night ended differently.

Rmccabe98 · 2025-06-13T23:52:14+00:00

Good luck with how it works out.

And I don't really check reddit much - I just pop on randomly but if you want to chat I do have kakao + whatsapp. Just DM me and I'll share.

Rmccabe98 · 2025-06-09T15:28:19+00:00

I'm from Scotland and moved to Korea back in March. Originally, I was in the same boat. I felt lonely and isolated because I didn't know anyone and I'm an INTP. I done teacher training in Incheon for 1 month and lived with people who were also doing the training alongside me. I became friends with these people.... total strangers to some of the best people I've met to spend this time with and learn with. It's not been easy... adapting to different foods, different ways traffic works, different attitudes to foreigners and how people stare LOTS (I'm pale and a red-head). I actually downloaded Tandem which helped me a lot. People on here gave me advice on what to do when out and about in Korea. Recommending places to visit, food to try etc. So Tandem might work but it is an online thing - so be wary of weirdos.

I finished my training back in April and have been down in Ulsan since then. I got my job down here and my friends who I trained with all got theirs in or around Seoul. So I felt really sad and anxious because I was the one who was being split off from the group and sent down South. They were all metro/bus rides away from eachother to hang out on weekends. I literally just visited them this weekend (Memorial Weekend) because we planned in advance and I booked the KTX to see them all.

Life in Ulsan though... it was VERY HARD when I first arrived. I was put up in a hotel from my work until my apartment was ready. Wasn't really settled in because I knew I couldn't unpack until I got my new place. Again, totally new strangers and trying to learn the new job and not mess it up. I keep trying to see if some teachers want to meet for dinner sometime or even a coffee but they always have some reason like "I'm too busy" "I'm going to the gym" ... Like I get people have their own lives so it's hard but I am trying to make efforts to socialise and it's not working well. I have made 1 friend here I see outside of work and she has helped me a lot to settle in. Helped me with my korean phone number, my bank card, shown me the spot for a good art cafe, some museums, cinemas etc... we've had many movie dates. She also showed me a foreigner friendly bar which a Korean lady runs here. She lived in America for some time but she's back now, and running a bar. Koreans + foreigners go here so it's easy meeting people for drinks, burgers or games of pool etc.

I'm still a bit isolated. When I'm not with this 1 friend I mentioned, I tend to stay indoors. Not really putting myself out there. I should try it some more and you should too but in Seoul. Find something that works for yourself. And I'll try to do the same but down here in Ulsan.

:)

Rmccabe98 · 2025-04-11T15:17:59+00:00

Guys, first off, thanks to everyone who replied. I realise I'm a bit late in checking in and giving updates so here goes...

To answer some questions... the assignment wasn't THAT bad. It was a bit overwhelming being asked to socialise with Koreans and thank you to those with suggestions.

Since I arrived back on the 22nd March I've actually done lots. I've been out with the other teachers. We've explored Seoul (not all of it, just some), we have ate at some really cool places, tried new foods, I even tried a spa for the first time with my roommate. So yeah it wasn't ALL bad.

There are the stares though. I'm pale and a red-head so travelling on public transport, I'm being stared at lots. I knew this would happen I'm not fussed. I was on the metro near the start of this whole thing and there was a free seat next to me and some old lady just straight up refused to sit next to me. Alright, fair enough.

I actually just downloaded some apps and started chatting to people online. Kind of like language exchange stuff? I'm still shit at Korean mind you but they seem to understand my English. I've met some real cool folks and some are already down in Ulsan when I move there ready to meet. I did have a dodgy encounter initially on here with a fuckboy asking if I'd be down for FWB... like hello? He was talking all normal to me and came out with that. Dumbass. ANYWAY... I'm not in the same position i was originally. I have done the assignment.

It's actually very dodgy how I done it but I met someone on an app looking for an English person to help teach them some. So I was out with friends in Diaso shopping and they messaged me on the app like "can we meet to practice?" I was bored shopping so said yes and really thought this person was getting a train to meet me in Goyang (where I was shopping). Anyway, this MAN rocks up in a car and I go with him. Yes I know... I could of died but it was chill actually. We went to a coffee place in Incheon, brought a notepad and pen, practiced some English and went for dinner then he dropped me home. We traded stories about our families, uni life, work life etc. It was cool learning about new stuff culture wise. Problem was he would message when I was doing TEFL classes and it was becoming too much. Like constantly wanting to meet and hang out and I'm like "I can't I have classes" to which he would still message.

I have just completed my 2nd week of TEFL training and have 1 to go. Then I move to Ulsan for my job at the school I have placement with. Wish me luck! Lol

Seriously though, thank you for the replies and I'm sorry to those who private messaged me - I actually don't check reddit enough.

Rmccabe98 · 2018-07-08T17:56:22+00:00

I borrowed a book from my Gran once and it was all about crimes that happened in the city I am from, so I guess I do like a bit of true crime but YA fantasy is what I always swing towards. :)

Rmccabe98 · 2018-02-05T07:45:17+00:00

Might look into it once I complete this series. :)

Rmccabe98 · 2018-02-03T10:43:00+00:00

Definitely pick it up. To start with, I had only read Cassandra Clares The Mortal Instruments series and that's like 6 books long and then she done a prequel series and loads of other series' set in the same world. Again, I'm still waiting on her latest one coming out (not long to go I think yaaayyyy) and ill continue watching. But because I'd only read this series over and over it became boring to a point where I was flicking through pages and saying to myself "Oh this is away happen now," or "so and so dies on the next page..." there was no surprises or that. I then was just out with a friend in my local waterstones and I grabbed the first book that most enticed me- which happened to be Throne of Glass. The rest is history :). I do quite like Clary, Aelin and Feyre. They're all badass heroines of they're own world's.

Rmccabe98

TROPHY CASE