Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Whistleblower]

I was reading The Korea Times whereby Busan Education Department want to replace native teachers with (wait for it) ... Koreans who speak English to improve communication.

http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/09/117_10750.html

Busan Questions Efficiency of Foreign Teachers

By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter

BUSAN _ Busan education authorities are pessimistic about the effectiveness of native English speakers teaching English classes.

``Although many schools want to hire native English-speaking teachers, they can't afford to do so due to financial difficulties. Additionally, they are currently in need of teachers who can speak both English and Korean,'' a Busan education office spokesman said Thursday.

In the wake of this problem, the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education plans to employ foreign spouses of Korean nationals or Koreans fluent in English as assistant teachers at elementary and secondary schools starting next month.

It is Busan's first official trial in hiring non-English native speakers as assistant teachers. The teachers will be required to teach a maximum of 14 hours a week, prepare extra teaching material and lead programs such as the ``English-only zone'' and ``English library.''

Some English teachers in the biggest port city welcomed the regional government's decision. ``Many children have difficulties with English native speakers as most foreigners cannot speak Korean. I think one-way classes will not work for quality English classes,'' a teacher in Anrak Middle School told The Korea Times.

The city education government will recruit a total of 10 bilingual assistant teachers and dispatch them to several schools for a three-month trial. The results of the pilot system will decide whether the system will be expanded to all schools in Korea's second biggest city.

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[Mr Crowley]

Sounds like their dream is to hire only gyopos. That would probably be true for all of Korea.

[inkoreaforgood]

I think the second sentence says it all.

"Although many schools want to hire native English-speaking teachers, they can't afford to do so due to financial difficulties."

Money marked for the foreign teacher is being spent on other things, or quietly pocketed, and they'll hire others for a third of what they would have to pay for a FT.

[cubanlord]

[vox]

[Boodleheimer]

i heard that native teachers aren't inefficient; they're drug-using pedophiles. has anyone else heard this?

[Unposter]

Is it me or does it seem like there is more anti-foreign feeling in Busan than in Seoul?

1. If they used co-teaching appropriately, there would be very few if any language and cultural problems.

2. There is absolutely no way you are going to get me to believe that a foreign teacher is more expensive than a Korean teacher.

3. I always wondered why the Korean Ministry of Education decided to first put FTs in elementary schools when FTs are most needed with advanced learners rather than true beginners. I always assumed it had to do with their sense of heirarchy and credentials (as well as a concern that high school students would waste too much time on English conversation and not enough time preparing for the college enterence exam) rather than pedagogical principles.

It is sad that Koreans seem so interested in being fluent in English yet they cannot seem to get a coherent strategy for achieving it.

[Hanson]

[Unposter]

Maybe, I was a little over the top on this. FTs probably make a little more than a KT right out of university. But, an experienced KT does make more than a FT. From what I've come to understand from talking to various public school teachers, a KT with about 10 years experience makes at least 40 million a year. And, according to a recent post by RR, KTs top out at about 80 million a year. This is definately much more than a FT could make!

But, my question is why would Busan care? They don't have to pay for FTs. They get funded by the Ministry of Education not with local money. From what I have read here, the Ministry of Education pays each school 50 million won for each FT for a year. I would estimate that a FT costs a school between 36 - 40 million a year. That leaves at least 10 million won a year, a local school could pocket.

Plus, FTs tend to teach more hours than KTs so no matter how much paper work, the KT has to do, Korean public schools should be able to get their money's worth out of the FT. And, many FTs work multiple schools in a district.

My guess is that Busan has had more difficulty finding teachers and rather than admit that they shift the blame on to the foreign teacher.

I teach public teachers at the univesity I work for. Most of them do not like working with FTs. They do not know how to relate to them. There can be age differences in addition to cultural differences and most do not want to loose face to the FT in the classroom. So, either they just let the FT do whatever he or she wants or they butt heads with them. I think most would rather not have to deal with one at all. I am sure this is also one of the "real" reasons why Busan is crying about things.

I must admit that I've heard some funny and cringeful stories about FTs from them in terms of what FTs like to do in the classroom and say about Korea to their co-teachers. I heard about one teacher who would teach Spanish during English class and claimed that it would help their understanding of English since their were so many words in common. FTs who bully their co-teacher by constantly complaining about their pronunciation to the point the KT was terrified to open her mouth.

Nonetheless, throwing the baby out with the bathwater is not the answer. There are many benefits to having FTs in schools.

If it is really so expensive, all you have to do is give the FT the same amount of money as a Korean of similar experience including all bonuses and extras the KT teacher recieves and I am willing to bet the farm that the FT would be happy. Over time, it could be a nice haul!

[Paji eh Wong]

[Sincinnatislink]

[Mr Crowley]

Public school native English teachers don't get retirement, respect, and >>>> that Korean public school teachers get.

[bosintang]

[bosintang]

As for the OP:

I can't say I'm surprised, and I've predicted something like this many times. The idea of placing native speakers in Korean public schools has been a managerial fiasco from the start. There are so many hurdles in the way of placing foreign teachers in public schools to make these programs work, yet they are just too incompetent or unwilling to tackle them.


I pulled this from a link discussed on another thread.

[Woland]

There is a certain amount of evidence to show that they are. See:

Shin, J., & Kellogg, D. (2007). The novice, the native, and the nature of language teacher expertise. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 17, 159-177.

Here's the abstract: