Korean Job Discussion Forums

[LL Moonmanhead]

More than half of the native-speaking English teachers in South Korea quit after six months or so on the job, challenging the effectiveness of language immersion programs installed nationwide, a report said Wednesday.

The report submitted by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to the parliament showed 57.6 percent of the native instructors ended their contract after six months last year, up from 46 percent in 2008. The rate already reached 66.1 percent as of end of July this year.

About 22 percent of them quit to study or because they find other jobs, while an average of 15.4 percent left without prior notice, the report said.

To save spending on overseas education and create a better English-speaking environment, elementary, middle and high schools have been hiring native English speakers to assist Korean teachers in classrooms. According to the ministrys data, about 80 percent of schools nationwide have assigned language assistant teachers this year, a sharp surge compared to 48 percent in 2007.

The report also revealed wide gaps in the dropout rate of the English-speaking teachers, the size of their manpower pool and the number of certified staff among South Koreas provinces.

The dropout rate was highest in the southern industrial city of Ulsan at 90 percent, while it was below average in Seoul and adjacent metropolitan areas.

The student-teacher ratio also widely differed, ranging from 1,552 students per instructor in Daegu to 778 to 1 in Seoul.

In some regions, less than 30 percent of hired native English speakers had certification from their home country, the report said.


Courtesy of Yonhap News.

[jonpurdy]

Living in Ulsan, I find it hard to believe that 90% of people leave at the six month mark or before. Perhaps it's correct, it just seems like a ridiculously high number. It implies that nine out of ten people that I know would leave after six months.

From what I've seen and experienced (within public schools, anway) many people are staying for a second and third year (such as myself).

[BigBuds]

[northway]

Seriously? I haven't known a single person who has quit their job.

[liveinkorea316]

[Junior]

How incredibly predictable.

[bobbybigfoot]

These numbers don't seem right at all. Grossly inflated to make us look bad, IMO.

[sigmundsmith]

[matthews_world]

[Xylox]

Pay day is coming up, which means its almost time to pull a runner. I'm sure me peacing out will punch up that percentage up 9 or 10 points.

[WadRUG'naDoo]

And "quit" could also include "fired."

Anyway, if more people are quitting, it doesn't look good on the employers.

I wonder if teachers are being treated more poorly now with more and more of them coming.

[oldfatfarang]

These statistics could be used to can the govt. G.E.T. programs. Many of us expect funding for these programs to dry up - sooner or later.

15% runners. I'm not surprised. I switched schools this year - and experienced many of the problems I've read about on daves (but never experienced myself). Frankly, given the unhelpful treatment from the POE, and blind indifference from my school - I should have run.

But Korea's archaic visa system (E2's are basically indentured) meant it wasn't financially viable for me to just walk away from this school. I've got the K experience to tough it out - but I can see why others just get up and go.

Is it me - or is there a definite hardening of attitudes towards GET's these days? At my previous schools I was always treated as a welcome guest - and valued teacher - nothing was a problem - everything was smoothed so I could ajust and get on with teaching. Any problems I did encounter always came at the very end of the contract. However. that's definitely not the case now (for me, at least).

Given my experience this year, I'm surprised the runner percentage isn't much higher.

[ippy]

hang on, which is it? 34% or 58%?

[nomad-ish]

[oldfatfarang]