Korean Job Discussion Forums

[marlow]

When a Korean says a foreign teacher is unqualified, what do they mean?

Recently in Jeollanamdo (I think) there was some article that said 70% or some high number of foreign teachers were unqualified. I don't know what this means.

Is speaking English the basic qualification, or is it something (or some combination) from the following list:

1) a four year degree (Immigration's arbitrary standard)
2) a TESL, TEFL, CELTA
3) a master's
4) extensive experience (various levels, more than 3? years)
5) teaching certificate from your home country
6) a Ph.D.
7) a fake degree
8) high school diploma
9) dancing and singing ability
10) ownership of clown suit including red nose

I don't know what is meant by qualified. I'd think that if the employer and students are happy, and the students are improving, then the teacher is "qualified". I don't buy into the home country teaching certificate thing since the majority of Korean teachers don't have the qualification either. I'd say most foreign teachers are definitely qualified to teach in Korea.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I'm sure that of those of us who teach children, less than 10% are qualified to teach ESL to the same age groups in our home countries. It really all comes down to what one makes of one's job over here.

[MarionG]

I keep seeing this business of "a teacher's certificate from your home country.' If your home country is the US, that's something of a problem, unless you are prepared to leave your current job...

First, to the best of my knowledge, there's no such thing as a US teaching certificate, only state certitificates. And in most states, your state certificate is lost/cancelled when you stop teaching. So unless you taught in the current year or are currently teaching, you won't have, in most cases a "US teaching credential."

I did have a teaching credential at one time, and taught in the California public schools...but I wouldn't have been willing to teach a year in North Carolina, where I was living when I decided to come here, in order to get the credential...

[Fishead soup]

Who cares

[Ya-ta Boy]

I have the same problem as the OP. There was a piece in the Chosun Ilbo this week saying 'qualified' teachers won't be allowed to get an E-2 visa, then it went on to say it was because of the recent pedophile issue. I think the translators are struggling with finding the right word.

I think what they are trying to say is the old regulations should be enforced more strictly. I haven't heard anything about raising the educational qualifications yet.

[marlow]

[Fishead soup]

[tob55]

Immigration determines the baseline qualifications for people coming to this country to work as EFL - ESL instructors. Those requirements are determined based on what they feel is necessary for someone to come here and assist.

As a trained educator, I have never had much issue with what immigration requested since I had been teaching for more than 19 years before I came to Korea. Someone with a legitimate BA/BS MA/MEd/MS or higher qualifications, with or without teaching experience can most likely be accepted as an employee in this country. That was the rule up until the pedophile situation. In all likelihood, immigration may well begin to look at changing its policies concerning who can come and teach, but they will be hard pressed to make enormous changes since it will mean more than 75% of the people who would apply to come here will no longer see it as a possibility IF immigration begins asking for teacher certification.

I taught as a certified and licensed educator in the USA for 19 years. My license to teach expired about a year ago, and unless I am working in a school district in my home state, I cannot get another 5 year license to teach. That's okay for me, because my goals are to do something else in education that takes me away from full time classroom involvement, but for immigration it might make a difference.

Someone in another post mentioned national certification from the USA and that is okay, but everything in the States is time based because they love having teachers pay renewal fees for another license. I think it would serve Korea well to bring people in here and if they truly want them to make a difference, make it possible to get some kind of Korean licensure that validates those who have been invited to live and work here.

We seem to be seeing immigration twist and pull and change rules to suit whatever is going on at the moment. It would make sense if they truly wanted professional people among them to make it so they have a national license of some sort with Korean recognition. This would eliminate the whole issue. I asked my co-teacher the other day when I was asked to verify my degree for the 5th time since being here, "How many times has your degree had to be verified." She replied, "never since I became a teacher"

The system is designed so Korean educators are free of this kind of discrimination because the system is designed to be able to verify their qualifications. You would think if they can do it for Korean nationals then they should be able to do it for the percentage of people living and working in this country as foreign nationals...

I know this may seem to be a rant, but really the whole qualification thing could be put to rest if someone at immigration or in the Ministry of Education would turn on the lights so they can see the picture more clearly...

[Unposter]

Tob55,

Totally agree with you.

My suspicion is that they just don't understand English enough to "check our degrees." So, they hope that with everytime they re-check the degree, they may see something they missed before.

Horrible and annoying.

[Duke]

From my experience and some of the teachers at my school............................ A Heart Beat

[anyangoldboy]

Doing a good job is qualified

[Saxiif]

[Steve Schertzer]

[Ya-ta Boy]

[twg]