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Otus
Joined: 09 Feb 2006
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 Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 7:20 pm Post subject: Are university institutes that great? |
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I remember reading similar information on the U.S. embassy website years ago and wondering what they were talking about. I notice a similar thing appears on the Canadian embassy site:
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The major universities in Seoul, as well as some provincial universities, operate language institutes. Many of the students are enrolled in university but the majority are businesspeople. The hiring standards of these institutes tend to be the highest in Korea: most instructors have master's degrees in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and years of teaching experience. The pay, status and benefits offered by these institutes also are among the best in Korea. As a result, there is a very low staff turnover.
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This does not connect with anything in my 12 years experience. Holding a uni department position, even at a good university in Seoul was remarkably better than working for the uni institute. The institutes did not differ from hagwons in many ways and their treatment of teachers could be even worse sometimes. They would hire anyone with a BA that had the right look for them. The K 'administrations' seemed to become more closely 'related' to each other over periods of time and did not usually have much background in education - they were (somehow) "business people".
On the other hand, the departments would give very light schedules and pretty much leave the teachers alone if they didn't cause problems. There was no stupid hierachy or chain of command - only what was necessary. Although foreign teachers were always trying to mess this system up to their own demise.
Can anyone actually recommend a uni institute that lives up to the reputation that the embassies post about them? |
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Young FRANKenstein
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)
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| Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:25 pm Post subject: Re: Are university institutes that great? |
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| Otus wrote: |
| Can anyone actually recommend a uni institute that lives up to the reputation that the embassies post about them? |
You'd have better luck asking for proof of W's genius. |
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kangnam mafioso
Joined: 27 Jan 2003
Location: Teheranno
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| Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 6:06 am Post subject: |
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when i worked for a uni, they required all native english instructors (there were about 20 of us) to teach for-credit classes in the english department (writing, conversation and listening) and also teach additional classes in the university institute to the general public (adults).
so the standard contract was for 15 hours a week of for-credit classes and then 3-5 hours a week of paid overtime in the uni institute. i didn't mind it -- it was good extra money and the institute classes were mostly free-talk style conversation classes that required very little prep and no grading.
instructors were also required to teach 1 month during winter and summer vacations in the institute programs. this still allowed for more than 10 weeks paid vacation and good extra money.
not sure what it would be like to teach only at the university hogwan ... maybe a little better than you're average kiddie hogwan and more reliable about pay and so forth. i think they require just as many hours (30) and you might have split shifts depending on whether the institute catered to adults and/ or children. |
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