Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wylies99]

[kiwikid]

I heard about this last June/July or sometime around then. There was an EPIK meeting in Seoul to explain the new Epik handbook for this year and the plans of the educatoin department etc. The meeting was for Korean teachers to get them up to date about EPIK. I went along with my co-teacher and the school money man ( day off school and a trip to Seoul on a friday afternoon...yippee). I was the only foreigner there and the meeting was in Korean. When I wasn't dozing off my co-worker translated some of the information. So, I was told that they are going to phase out all foreign teachers from public schools. I did hear 2010 but i'm not sure if that was when it was to be done by or if that was when they were going to start. To better perpare Korean teachers for teaching English they are going to increase the number of foreign teachers in Education universities from 2 to 10. This got me interested thinking I might want to move into Uni teaching so I started asking the local uni if they were going to be hiring more for next year...no...Jump to 2 weeks ago, the local Uni gets a huge lump sum of $ to increase the foriegn teachers from 2 to 7 in preparation for the 2010 goal. I was thinking about applying but decided to stay where I am. Which turned out to be a good decision because the Uni decided not to hire anyone just yet because it's too rushed. So if you want a Uni job, start looking for advertisements from Education universities maybe for the 2nd semester next year.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Over the next decade about we can count on numerous revisions and plans to try to 'solve' the helpless situation of English education in Korea under-achieving. This will likely include both increases and decreases to how many FTs they want. About the only thing we can be sure of is that it will laregly fail because:

- a lack of selection will mean they mostly get rookies who don't know what to do.

- a lack of incentives will prevent more experienced FTs from sticking around.

- what we do will be largely ineffective because it won't be included in a graded curriculum.

- no matter what we do most KETs will continue to drone on at their classes in Korean, ensuring less English communication the more 'advanced' students get in their studies.

[yeremy]

I don't want to get in your face, but I wish to disagree with your post that Korea does not have a history of cultural exchange with the outside. I have a question for you, Julius. Where do you think 자짱면 comes from and how did it come to Korea? And what about the Chinese characters 한자, which make up a significant part of the Korean language? How did they come to be adopted from the Chinese language? I think that Korea does have a history of cultural exchange with the outside from fighting Asian pirates from the, to the Chinese, to Hideyoshi's INvastion, which some say was linked to Hideyoshi's wish to snag Korean pottery technology and potters to take back to Japan, to the Japanese Occupation, where some historians argue that Japan modernized Korea, and on to today. If you look, I believe the evidence and the facts are there to support the claim that Korea did have a cultural exchange with the outside, albeit in a very Korean way. But, did Korea always have a very open exchange with the outside world, perhaps not and maybe that was what you were getting at.
To give you another very recent example, I just bought a Samsung car from a Korean car dealer. It drives and handles very well, but the car is basically built upon Japanese technology from the Nissan auto group. C'est la vie. I love the car. But even Hyundai cars have a significant infusion of, yikes, Japanese technology and know how. So the next time people here rail against Japan and Japanese goods, I will defer because I like my car and don't want to give it up. Respectfully, Y

[The_Conservative]

[Ilsanman]

Not good examples. 漢字 and 짜장면 were not necessarily things that Korean people loved and accepted with open arms. More likely, they were forced down their throat by the much stronger China.

As far as the Samsung car goes, stealing or copying technology (with or without permission) is not cultural exchange. It's an idea by Samsung to make money.

[dogshed]

[jeffkim1972]

[Young FRANKenstein]

[Young FRANKenstein]

[Pyongshin Sangja]

[cruisemonkey]

The Ks are conspiring to eliminate foreign English teachers by attrition.

By 2010, I'll have smoked and drank myself to death. At what they're paying me, and the cost of vices here (relative to 'home') I can't afford not to.

[joebj1178514]

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Get back to work, Number Two Son.

[Julius]