I read a story by someone who had experienced a situation where the discrepancy between the actual situation and the imagined (hoped for) situation has led him to be in an impossible situation of trying to do his job.
Should he let go of the job, and lose money? Should he stick around and keep the lie alive? Should he try to assuage the employer/parents to reduce their expectations?
The first thing he should get answered is how this situation came into existence.
It starts with a little lie, the boss is trying to keep the students in school, so to keep the parents happy, he wrongly informs them of their ability to perform. Parents do not have the ability to even guess to how far this information is correct, and since believing is easier, keep insisting everything is alright.
There is of course an inevitability. There is going to be a moment where the card house crumbles. So in a last ditch effort, let’s hire a super star teacher who can solve the problem in a couple of weeks.
Another inevitability is that the teacher in question will not be able to perform the hoped for results. The teacher will become the scapegoat. The teacher will get screwed and his reputation tarnished.
The only solution is to walk away.
If you ever get into such a situation, you already know that the employer is a liar and a cheater, and will do anything to keep his image/cash flow intact. Walk away. Look for another job immediately, before the situation forces itself unto you and you allow other people to control your life. This is probably what separates the independent minds from the dependent minds. You can already see a few steps ahead of how this situation is going to resolve, and you take the measures to avoid the backlash of the situation. You Get Out. People afraid to change the unattainable equilibrium will end up with all the pile of poo on their lap, and will pay the price in their future employment.
I am always amazed how people get themselves stuck in situations, simply because they did not want to challenge the status quo. You need to stand up for yourself, commit to your agreements, but walk away the instant you experience that the other party is not keeping up to their agreements. Especially the inexperienced ones who come over get themselves stuck in the mud. The experienced lifers in Korea have established simple rules (red flags) that will allow them to walk away from a situation before it explodes. The inexperienced are still too trusting and need to develop some serious grit in a very short time to be able to take control of the situation.
Slavery is no longer practiced in South Korea. You can walk away, just the same as they can fire you if they think your work is inadequate. It doesn’t have to get messy.
