Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yaya]

A plan by South Korea's new Government to make English the medium of instruction in schools is a big worry to New Zealand educational institutions and international student agents.

Koreans have become the mainstay of the international student market in New Zealand since the number of Chinese coming here dropped markedly.

But this looks likely to change following the Seoul Government's announcement.

It plans to provide 4 trillion won ($5.5 billion) to employ 23,000 English teachers, train new ones and increase resources to help Korean students learn the language, including building new libraries stocking English language books.

"It is going to hurt us," said Bruce Cunningham, principal of Belmont Primary School on the North Shore.

"For most schools on the North Shore, a large portion of our international students would be Koreans and we depend on them for our locally raised funds."

The number of fee-paying students at Belmont School has plunged from 29 in 2003 to just two this year - both Koreans.

"Our school's income from international students dropped from $114,000 in 2006 to $66,000 last year," Mr Cunningham said.

"Funding from the Government is not enough to keep us in the black, and whether we like it or not we are dependent on the money these foreign students bring in."

Takapuna Grammar has 130 international students, which is nearly 9 per cent of its roll. Rangitoto College has 187.

International student agent Do Hee Seoul said Korean student numbers looked set to decline further.

"Already the Kiwi dollar is very high, so Koreans are choosing preferred countries like America, Canada and Australia over New Zealand," she said.

"With the changes, more will likely choose to stay home. Already, they are making it harder for students wanting to leave Korea to study overseas by imposing tests and exit interviews."

The United States is the most popular study destination for Koreans; 62,400 were enrolled in colleges and universities there last year.

About 15,000 Korean fee-paying students are enrolled in NZ schools.

The announcement by the new Lee Myung Bak-led Government in Seoul, which assumes office on February 25, is aimed not just at reducing the numbers of Korean fee-paying students overseas, but also encouraging those already in NZ and elsewhere to return home. So far, it seems to be working.

Barely four months after 14-year-old Joanna Kim came to Auckland to learn English, she received a call from her mother asking her not to extend her visa when it expires in two months but wait for the Korean Government's final plans, to be announced in March.

"In Korean schools, sometimes the English teacher uses Korean to teach English, so we'll never learn - that is why our parents think it's best to send us overseas,"Joanna said.

"But my parents say the new Government will be changing that and employing more English teachers, so maybe it is a good idea to go home."

* LANGUAGE MATTERS

Korean parents are prepared to invest heavily in English lessons for their children, believing it will give them an edge in gaining employment both in Korea and overseas.

According to the Samsung Economic Research, the English education market is worth close to $20 billion a year there, with each family spending an average of 700,000 won ($937) a month on their child.

International student numbers in New Zealand have declined from 126,919 in 2002 to 93,421 in 2006.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=243&objectid=10491920

[Chris Kwon]

Are the accents there as bad as Australia's? Cuz theres some Australians I can't even understand, poor students if so.

[moff12]

I went to those schools, times have changed though, there weren't any Koreans when I was there.

As for the accent, we pride ourselves on being the most difficult to understand. Actually, a lot of people I have met here don't believe that English is my first language. One Korean guy actually told me that my English was 'quite good'.

[OneWayTraffic]

[Typhoon]

I hope there is no preference for accents in the future as it appears the bulk of teachers will be from India, Pakistan, The Phillipines and other countries where accents tend to be a little on the incomprehensible side. The future of English education in Korea is going to be very interesting. I guess we will finally find what is more important in English education. Quality of teachers or quantity of teachers.

[itaewonguy]

[Cheonmunka]

It's no wonder people are choosing the US. Not only for the exchange rate but also some major issues with NZ.
I took the time to follow thru a case with a lawyer working for the Pastoral Care of International Students because of this: A family from Korea had enrolled their two children in an elementary school in Christchurch. They signed a contract for one year's tuition at the public school. During the first term there were issues of bullying, albeit it was within the Korean community in that the other kids were Korean, but still the kids felt bullied. The mother attended a meeting whereby the principal suggested looking into things. After time the mother was unsatisfied so she gave two months notice that they won't be returning in term three and requested a refund of the two terms remaining in the school year. Each term was 5000 dollars tuition fees per child. They said that would be no problem - that there were "international students lined up to get into the school." When it came time to return the fees, the school pulled out the contract and said, "Nope, no return of fees."
The lawyer felt there was a case to answer so she proceeded with it.
In the end the mother got back 500 dollars as part of a fine for a lack of care in some aspect of the way the care was managed.
Do you think that is fair? Does it reflect the good ole' Kiwi way to take twenty thousand dollars from a family, contract or no?
Whether or not you might think it is I now recommend to families that they send their kids to the States.

[hari seldon]

[OneWayTraffic]

[Rapacious Mr. Batstove]

It's no joke that New Zealand public schools use foreign students as a deliberate cash cow. Thats how the principal of`my old school used the wealth gained from the income of foreign students to open her own foreign language school and run away with her lesbian lover.

I'll buy you a beer if you tell me the school. It was big headlines in 96.

[SHANE02]

It's not going to make much difference. These principals are over-reacting. A few hours (if that) of English class taught by god knows who, will never come close to immersion in the language.

The new govts. plan for English testing in high schol may actually encourage more overseas study,

[Horangi Munshin]

One of the reasons there are a lot less Chinese students in NZ these days was the lack of care previously mentioned. Not just bullying but host families not giving a damn about their live in $tudent$.

A friend in Korea has kept asking me to look after her daughter (i.e homestay with us) when we move back to NZ. She either has to go with her to NZ or she has to find someone to be her daughter's legal guardian.

[mindmetoo]

If NZ is worried, they don't know Korea.

1) This measure will fail. Korean teachers won't want to do this. End of story. What happened to their plan of rotating Korean teachers through western countries to learn English?

2) Parents will still be happy to have white people teach their kids and will always view Asians teaching english as second best.

[SHANE02]

[TexasPete]

Ugh...the K-gov plan will NEVER be better than studying abroad in an immersive environment. It's so much more than just learning the language. One of my students from last year told me about spending time in NZ and how much better she thought things were down there than in Korea. She even gave a speech in English about it during the city's English Festival.