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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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 Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 4:04 am Post subject: |
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| Whirlwind wrote: |
| LOL. Yes, I'm sure people in Korea are "threatened" by the TALK program(which will probably fail anyway). Sure, I'm "threatened" by that 1.5 million won/month. I'm "threatened" by living in the sticks. I'm "threatened" by those that have to live with a Korean family. My,my...filled with fear/envy here. Korea goes on and on about teachers having credentials. You must have transcripts....sealed...within 6 months. You must verify and re-verify your degree. They act so concerned that teachers be qualified. Yet, the TALK program gets a free pass. 2 years of college is fine. You don't need a degree. You don't need transcripts. They probably don't even have to deal with the criminal background check or health check(don't know). It really is pretty stupid. |
Sums it up quite nicely.
join me, if you really are a foreign teacher (doubtful) then you would feel the same way. |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 4:27 am Post subject: |
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Why do you guys think the TALK people stay in home stays?
I talked to a TALK teacher, and he said he stayed in a home stay for one night sometime during their 1 month orientation. But, now he has his own place to stay in. |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 4:32 am Post subject: |
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Different recruiters have posted that the TALK program involves home stays, and it's even mentioned in the article posted by the OP-
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White feels especially grateful to the home-stay family he's living with in New Jeju city.
"Mr. Lee is a generous host for having me in his home with his wife and three children," he said. "I can only imagine it's like having an extra child around. I don't know where anything is or how to get around much.
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Join Me
Joined: 14 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 4:42 am Post subject: |
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| wylies99 wrote: |
| Whirlwind wrote: |
| LOL. Yes, I'm sure people in Korea are "threatened" by the TALK program(which will probably fail anyway). Sure, I'm "threatened" by that 1.5 million won/month. I'm "threatened" by living in the sticks. I'm "threatened" by those that have to live with a Korean family. My,my...filled with fear/envy here. Korea goes on and on about teachers having credentials. You must have transcripts....sealed...within 6 months. You must verify and re-verify your degree. They act so concerned that teachers be qualified. Yet, the TALK program gets a free pass. 2 years of college is fine. You don't need a degree. You don't need transcripts. They probably don't even have to deal with the criminal background check or health check(don't know). It really is pretty stupid. |
Sums it up quite nicely.
join me, if you really are a foreign teacher (doubtful) then you would feel the same way. |
Ah man, you got me figured out. Actually I am the PR rep for the TALK program.
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MissSeoul
Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Location: Somewhere in America
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| Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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| oskinny1 wrote: |
| Whirlwind wrote: |
Gee, Mr. Join me, chill out. I never said I was rich. I'm just a poor guy. However, I know that I won't be teaching ESL at 51, I won't be making such a paltry wage as this guy(what is the going rate for talk? Like 1.5 million/month  ) , I also won't be subjected to a daily inspection of my personal life by my "host" Korean family along with the endless rigamarole of how good I can use chopsticks or whether kimchi is too spicy for me. If you are teaching ESL in Korea(the joke of the ESL world) and you are making little money and having to livee with a Korean family, I would say that you made some mighty bad choices in life. People who are over 50 should definitely not be teaching ESL, especially in Korea. Just my opinion. Now, please take a valium and relax. We are all entitled to our opinions. 'kay? |
I had a friend in the Czech Republic who was 65 and taught for almost nothing. He lived in an apartment that would make any of the one rooms in Korea look like a penthouse room in Vegas. He loved every minute of it. He had money and a house back in his home country but wanted to experience something different.
Why is teaching EFL (ESL isn't what he nor you are teaching) only a young person's game? He obviously doesn't care about the money and wants to learn about Korea more than most of us.
So what do all of you that are harping on him think of Peace Corps volunteers? Many are in their 50-60s, living in horrible conditions and making $3000US a year. |
Well said.
It's not all about money, these people worked all their life for being successful career and earned enough money to live comfortable life, then they look back their life, want to do something meaningful things before too late. They don't care about money and they enjoy what they are doing. I know one doctor who was a department head at university hospital in America now working in poor Africa, he is not there for money and he enjoy what he is doing, he is late 50's and he wanted do meaningfull things before he get too old/or too late. |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 8:32 pm Post subject: |
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Some of you who are praising a program that pays 1.5 for living in a rural area and being in a forced home stay situation should check back in a few months when the TALK program has less than 50% of those "teachers" remaining in the program. Once they discover what the rest of us make per month, they will want more money. 
Besides, if YOU won't work for 1.5 in a rural area with a forced home stay, then why is it such a great idea for others? |
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Young FRANKenstein
Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:29 am Post subject: |
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| Join Me wrote: |
| I think you need to consider a lot of the hassles we experienced in the past few years were the result of President Roh's anti foreign administration and their obsession with vilifying foreigners and blaming us for all of Korea's ills. |
I've been here a lot longer than that, and there have ALWAYS been hassles of one kind or another for us. Roh had nothing to do with most of them. There have been all kinds of incidents over the years to blame us for, both real and imagined. |
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Join Me
Joined: 14 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 3:52 am Post subject: |
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| Young FRANKenstein wrote: |
| Join Me wrote: |
| I think you need to consider a lot of the hassles we experienced in the past few years were the result of President Roh's anti foreign administration and their obsession with vilifying foreigners and blaming us for all of Korea's ills. |
I've been here a lot longer than that, and there have ALWAYS been hassles of one kind or another for us. Roh had nothing to do with most of them. There have been all kinds of incidents over the years to blame us for, both real and imagined. |
I hear you but I still disagree with you. Throughout the five years I have been in Korea President Roh permitted open hunting on foreigners (everyone from English instructors to investment firms that dared to make a profit) by anyone in his administration and more importantly the media. I am not saying he was the first to do this I am just stating he was the most recent.
Regardless of what Koreans think of President Lee, I think he has made some notable improvements for foreigners in Korea already. Yes, many will wonder how I can say this after an entire summer of anti foreign beef protests but the bottom line is Lee put his arse on the line to make sure Koreans honor this commitment from the trade agreement with the USA and I respect him for that. I also think President Lee is part of the reason you don't see articles (on an almost daily basis as was the case when Roh was in office) about the evil foreigners and how we are all a plague on Korea. Roh was a piece of...$%#@* Hopefully President Lee proves playing the anti foreigner game (Japan doesn't count) whenever you can get a way with it isn't the way to go. |
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Unposter
Joined: 04 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 7:23 am Post subject: |
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It was under the Roh Administration that F visas expanded. Roh got rid of the Family Census laws which prevented women from being heads of households allowing "foreign" men married to Korean women the same rights as "foreign" women married to Korean men. This was a huge step that greatly benefited a number of English teachers.
Also, it was under Roh that elementary schools opened up to FTs. This has also proven to be a big benefit for most FTs.
I think LMB's ideas about English immersion are heading in the right direction. I think this will also be a big benefit.
But, I worry about LMB's ideas about changing to an American style health care system. While none of this has passed yet, it will most likely lead to much higher health cares costs for FTs.
Also, one of the provisions of the free trade agreement that has not gotten a lot of press is that Korean pharmacudical (sp?) companies won't be able to make knock offs of non-Korean medicines. This will also greatly increase medical costs.
Anywya, Roh was not all that bad for FTs and not everything LMB wants to do sounds good (at least to me). |
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oskinny1
Joined: 10 Nov 2006
Location: Right behind you!
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| Posted: Tue Sep 16, 2008 7:29 am Post subject: |
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| wylies99 wrote: |
Some of you who are praising a program that pays 1.5 for living in a rural area and being in a forced home stay situation should check back in a few months when the TALK program has less than 50% of those "teachers" remaining in the program. Once they discover what the rest of us make per month, they will want more money.
Besides, if YOU won't work for 1.5 in a rural area with a forced home stay, then why is it such a great idea for others? |
Can't you get this through your thick skull? Some people are doing it for the experience, not the money. Not everyone thinks like you do, some people are happy to live with a family and see the real Korea. You can go hang out in Itaewon all you want, but it isn't for everybody. |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:04 am Post subject: |
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| oskinny- So you teach in the Talk program? Are you enjoying it? Like the homestay? Do tell. |
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oskinny1
Joined: 10 Nov 2006
Location: Right behind you!
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:53 am Post subject: |
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| Where did I say that I work for them? |
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cruisemonkey
Joined: 04 Jul 2005
Location: Hopefully, the same place as my luggage.
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:53 am Post subject: |
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| Join Me wrote: |
| Notice how quickly the pot test disappeared once Lee was in office. He knew there was no way he could get enough Canadians over here with that hurdle in place. |
What? Migooks don't smoke pot?... the biggest pot-heads I've seen in over three years in K-land were: Irish, English and Kiwis. |
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Cheonmunka
Joined: 04 Jun 2004
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 3:38 am Post subject: |
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Funny, in South Australia you can have three plants to yourself legally, yet from what I saw, so few people smoke it (or flaunt the smoking of it) there compared to what I know of Kiwis in NZ.
Same for Oregon. That place should attract thousands of immigrants. Why doesn't it? |
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Join Me
Joined: 14 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 3:47 am Post subject: |
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| Unposter wrote: |
It was under the Roh Administration that F visas expanded. Roh got rid of the Family Census laws which prevented women from being heads of households allowing "foreign" men married to Korean women the same rights as "foreign" women married to Korean men. This was a huge step that greatly benefited a number of English teachers.
Also, it was under Roh that elementary schools opened up to FTs. This has also proven to be a big benefit for most FTs.
I think LMB's ideas about English immersion are heading in the right direction. I think this will also be a big benefit.
But, I worry about LMB's ideas about changing to an American style health care system. While none of this has passed yet, it will most likely lead to much higher health cares costs for FTs.
Also, one of the provisions of the free trade agreement that has not gotten a lot of press is that Korean pharmacudical (sp?) companies won't be able to make knock offs of non-Korean medicines. This will also greatly increase medical costs.
Anywya, Roh was not all that bad for FTs and not everything LMB wants to do sounds good (at least to me). |
Foreigners may have benefited indirectly as the result of some of Roh's actions but that certainly wasn't his intent. Prior to Roh the rights of women in regards to their own families were archaic. I think he had little choice but to make these changes and they weren't made for the benefit of the small, small minority of foreign men that marry Korean women.
FT foreign English instructors in the public schools? Nice work if you can get it but again, I am sure we were the last ones Roh thought of when he made this change.
If the cost of pharmaceuticals rise as the result of the FTA, so be it. Intellectual property rights should be protected. |
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