Korean Job Discussion Forums

ceesgetdegrees · Joined: 12 Jul 2007

Why the hell do public schools employ teachers to teach english who can't speak the fucking language? A new geezer rocked up to my school today, fresh out of the army- me-Hello, nice to meet you, how are you?
him- huh? please, slowly speaking, i no speaking english.

I taught 4 classes so far today from 3rd to 6th grades and just blocked the dude out, i'm sick of this crap GEPIK! The really weird thing about this is that he isn't a home room teacher, he is employed as an english teacher.]

Lucky for my students i have my crap together enough to not need him to do anything, GEPIK!...your system is shambolic.

frankhenry · Joined: 13 Mar 2007

Agree!

nomad-ish · Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 7:26 pm Post subject:

yup, i've got a couple co-teachers that know very little english. 1 of them will try a bit around me (but not in class), the other will just say "ok" to everything i say to her (because she was no clue what i'm saying..) it gets annoying after a while

renzobenzo1 · Joined: 08 Sep 2007 Location: Suji, Yongin

yeh it's a joke really. English teachers who can't even string a sentence together.
On of them told me obe of the reasons they choose to teach English is that there are far more vacant jobs available in that subject than anything else on the market.

halfmanhalfbiscuit · Joined: 13 Oct 2007 Location: Seoul

I guess they're primarily employed to teach test English and you're employed to,in part,raise their spoken English level?

Can depend on what the school is willing to pay.

My last public HS in Kyonggi,the first 6 month KT had a Canadian MA in applied linguistics and was basically fluent.Her replacement,nice chap but not public school certified and his English level was a tad wanting.

ceesgetdegrees · Joined: 12 Jul 2007

SHANE02 · Joined: 04 Jun 2003

It sounds pretty common. So how do English teachers get hired if they can't speak English? Is there no interview?

LateBloomer · Joined: 06 May 2006

Korean school management types who speak little to no English hire them.
My vice-principal hires teachers at my school. He's a nice man but couldn't utter a simple English sentence if his life depended on it.

Lao Wai · Joined: 01 Aug 2005 Location: East Coast Canada

Ha! I wish it was the same in Canada with teaching French. Here in New Brunswick, in order to teach regular French in a public school you need to get a designation of 'advanced' on the Oral French Proficiency Exam (which is usually administered by a native French speaker). If you are going to teach French immersion, you need t achieve a level of Superior on the exam.

Every time I go to a new school (subbing), they always ask (with a rabid gleam in their eye) 'Can you speak French?' and I sigh and answer 'no'. The truth is, I can speak passable French but not enough to get the appropriate level on the oral French exam. There is a major shortage of French teachers in this country at the moment.

P.S.-The kids in regular French classes (core French) barely know any French at all. I asked one kid 'what's red en francais...he replied 'uh...orange?'.