Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Newbie]

First off, let me state that, yes, I know there are a lot of excellent Korean and foreign teachers of English.

Having said that, there are also a lot of crappy teachers, on both sides. Yet it always seems that the foreign teachers are the ones getting blamed for the problems of the ESL industry. I ask: what about the Korean teachers? You know, the ones that don't know the difference between "fun" and "funny"; or the difference between "excited" and "exciting"; "appointment" vs. "plans" and so on and so on. Then there are the Korean teachers that barely speak any English while conducting a class.

Sure, it's easy for Korean media to rag on foreigner for "not caring about Korean students" and for being nothing but "Wal-mart rejects", but hey, they should look at the crap ass job so many Korean teachers do.

So what's worse: a Korean teacher who sucks-ballz at English but at least "cares" about the students, or a foreigner who can actually teach English but is only here for the money?

[Captain Corea]

I'd prefer not to work with either of them.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I would guess that around 75-80% of FTs are rookie teachers in the EFL industry. As bad as some of them are I don't think they could possibly be worse than newbie KTs with no experience, either.

If you don't take experience into consideration it depends upon what they're good at. Preparing for standardised tests? Teaching practical English? There's a world of difference between the two.

[europe2seoul]

In my country, all teachers are natives. However, their major is X as a foreign language - that's what they were studying for after high-school as their undergraduate degree. Most, if not all, went to X country for a few years to learn even more and take X country's government courses for X language education, etc....say in Oxford (the First Certificate thingy) and stuff.

Thus, most kids that join language schools, which have a good and structured program with appropriate books and tehniques to teach foregin language, after finishing coursework of 6-7 levels (each level = 1 school year) are fluent to almost-fluent in the X foreign language.

Most popular X is English, German, Italian, Spanish and French. E & G being most popular.

All that being said:

In Korea most foreign teachers majored something else and are here to earn money, pay off the debts and see how it is to live as an expat. Enjoy their 20s, write and/or travel, score with someone from the opposite gender and the like.

In Korea language schools are also not professional enough to really offer a good program tailored to population they are trying to educate and are in pure money-making business, with no concern about results. I do not know about US foreign schools, Goethe Institute, or that French Allians France (sp?)

Same can be said for Japan.

Any you know what - it's pathetic...how come central/eastern europeans, russians learn English, albeit most keeping their accents, and Koreans can't? Its not Koreans - its a total lack of language education.

You all would be better off if you gather up, invest each 2,000,000 won and start your own normal school...when results are shown and people see your kids actually speak, read, write and understand the language - I think economically you will be well off...

[Ilsanman]

I think about this: How many schools have curriculum designed by foreign teachers? How many schools employ foreigners and actually give them some power over the way the school is run? How many schools employ foreigners and treat them like an English speaking machine?

If we had power over schools, then we'd be more to blame when students leave or when the school fails. Since we don't, I think most blame goes to the K Teachers.

K Teachers are better at teaching for tests. But what good is that?

[europe2seoul]

[jdog2050]

[Ilsanman]

It may be the way toget a job, but it is also the quickest way to lose your job...cheat or study only for atest, and after passing, that person has no skills. Not even enough skills to do his/her own job.

[RACETRAITOR]

I think Korean teachers are more instructive to Korean students, but foreign teachers leave more of an impact on their lives. Yes, there are severe flaws inherent in both sides.

The only thing I blame for the epidemic of bad education in this country is market demand.

[SPINOZA]

If you ask any Korean in this country what "juseyo" is in English, they will reply "give me". Who's responsible for this manifest absurdity? Sure as hell not the native speakers, so I assume it's the four-eyed kimchi muncher with the questionable eyelids.

My Korean co-teachers have been teaching English for a long time. I like them personally and don't wanna be too harsh, but seriously, their painfully slow speech, their elementary errors, their poor pronunciation - it's a joke. In Britain, French teachers, German teachers....they knew a lot of that language. You could just tell by the pace, by the confidence. Korean English teachers cannot even construct basic English sentences. I can only presume that if any old Johnny Korean shows up at a Korean 'university' and says "I learry rike Eeenger-renduh" they'll give him a degree in English and he can start teaching right away.

Is it fair to assume most NSETs are here for a year, for a year's adventure? Most of them don't really know what they're doing. No, the job's not rocket surgery, I agree, but they speak way too fast, they don't think about what they're saying and doing, their heart's not truly in it. But it's hardly their responsibility that a country in East Asia will fly them in, fly them home and line their pockets just for being fluent in their native language without even so much as a CELTA.

[Donkey Beer]

The difference is this:

Bad Korea Teacher= often doesn't speak or understand English and has no classroom authority

Bad Foreign Teacher=speaks English and has no classroom authority

[mnhnhyouh]

[Scott in Incheon]

[Alyallen]

[Yu_Bum_suk]