Co-teaching in Korea

If you are teaching at a public school in Korea, there is a VERY large, and legal chance, you will be teaching with a co-teacher. Some people have reported teaching with as many as 26 co-teachers and others have reported teaching with as little as one. I personally have four and it works out quite well.

At the EPIK orientation, kind of a teacher bootcamp for Korea before we were placed in our schools, we got to hear a lecture about the different types of co-teachers we would experience in Korea. The person speaking had boiled it down to a few categories (including the mother, the translator, etc.) and left it at that. I am here to tell you that there are many more types that were not covered in this lecture. Below I have dissected my personal experience with co-teachers:

The Mother:
Pros - This co-teacher is a unique creature. Obviously she is a woman and obviously she becomes your Korean mom. She takes care of you, makes sure everything is going well for you, takes you places in her car, and brings you little snacks all the time. She is your care taker and makes you the son or daughter she never had.
Cons - Like we all know, parents like to get a little too involved in your life. This is no different with your new Korean co-teacher mom. She will want to know what you did last night, what time you went to sleep, if you drank at all, where you went, and why you aren't eating enough. She will also have plenty of advice for you. Just take it with a grain of salt.
Tips - Keep it to yourself. I can't tell you to lie, but they don't need to know EVERYTHING you are doing,

The Translator:
Pros - everything you say in class is translated.
Cons - everything you say in class is translated.
Plus, when you run out of time in class, you will get blamed for making an activity too long.
Tips - This one you just have to roll with. If they have a less aggressive personality, you can maybe mention to them not to translate everything. If they don't, just roll with the punches.

The New Kid on the Block:
Pros - This co-teacher will hear you out, let you take the leading roll in class sometimes, and often take your suggestions into consideration.
Cons - Sadly, there are more cons than pros with this type. These types of co-teachers are new to the teaching scene, and probably new staff members at your school. Long story short, they have something to prove to their older coworkers. These teachers will, without fail, crituque inbetween most classes, point out every mistake you made, and demand that classes be as perfect of a performance as a broadway musical. They will also stress out about EVERYTHING, thanks to that whole "I need to prove myself" mentality. In my opinion, these are the worst kinds of co-teachers to have.
Tips - Stand your ground and be assertive as much as possible. Tell them what you want to do. You will lose a lot of battles with these co-teachers, so "rolling with it" is advised when a discussion about a lesson seems overly stressful for them (you will be able to tell when it is overly stressful by their English skills deminishing before your very eyes). Trying to win with these co-teachers is next to impossible so really try and let as much stuff go as humanly possible.

The General:
Pros - These co-teachers have been around the block and have seen a thing or two. They have years of experience and lots of wisdom for you to learn from (no matter what level of teaching you are at). They know how to roll with the punches and how to make stuff up on the fly if a lesson requires it.
Cons - These co-teachers can take it over the top when it comes to disciplining the kids. These co-teachers want order in their classrooms and they WILL get it...even if that means stopping the lesson for 40 minutes.
Tips - Again, just roll with it. When they start yelling at the kids, zone out. There isn't much you can do about it so just let it go.

These are not the only types of co-teachers in Korea. These are just the types that I have seen personally. As I encounter, and hear about other types, I will update this post. Hope this has helped!