PM_Your_Nudes_Please , 9 months ago (edited 9 months ago)

For the unaware: There’s something fairly common in Korea, which translates to something along the lines of “Night Run”. People will hear that and go “oh okay, I guess they’re going for a jog?” But it’s actually referring to teachers’ tendencies to ghost overnight. Things are so bad in S. Korea that teachers feel the need to just vanish. It’s one of those Underground Railroad “don’t tell anyone you’re planning it, even your closest friend” type of thing. And yes, it’s so common that they have a specific phrase for it.

Teachers are leaving their entire lives and livelihoods behind, taking only what they can fit into a carry-on duffel bag. They’ll go to extreme lengths to cover their tracks, up to and including buying a plane ticket in cash on the same day that they’re leaving. They won’t even buy a plane ticket in advance, because they’re so afraid someone will find out about it. There are even apocryphal stories that Korean immigration/customs may try to stop fleeing teachers, and will even call the school if they find out you’re a teacher that is attempting to flee. All because the teaching situation in S. Korea has left them feeling so powerless that they believe fleeing is their only solution.