Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wylies99]

Migrant Housewives Picked to Teach Kids
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/02/117_40255.html
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter

Migrant women who have settled here after getting married to Korean spouses will be able to teach multiracial children starting in September as part of the government's efforts to raise them as bilingual speakers.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SOME) said Wednesday it had selected 80 migrant wives as candidates for special teaching courses over the next six months at Seoul National University of Education (SNUE), the first program of its kind.

``They will undergo intensive training to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to teach children,'' the office said. ``Successful candidates will work at primary schools in Seoul as after-school class instructors, offering supplementary lessons including Korean language, culture, and back-up lessons on regular courses.''

``The population of multiracial children is rapidly increasing in Seoul, but recent research has found they perform worse academically than others due to their lack of knowledge of Korean language and culture,'' said Hong Sung-hee, the SMOE official in charge of the project. ``Multiethnic children are valuable assets to our society, with ample potential to become competent individuals armed with fluent foreign language skills. We expect the program to play an important role in raising them as valuable human resources.''

The office estimates the number of multiracial households in Seoul at 2,186 as of last April, more than double from 2006. The office plans to expand the program to foreign parents from next year.

The candidates are 20 from Japan, 18 each from China and Mongolia, six each from Uzbekistan and Russia, four from Kyrgyzstan, two each from the Philippines and Thailand, and one each from Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan.

``Most migrant housewives are less educated than Korean women, but 14 percent of candidates have masters' degrees, 36 percent have teaching certificates and 45 percent have teaching experience,'' Prof. Won Ji-sook of SNUE said. ``We expect this program to boost public awareness that both immigrant women and their children are valuable members of our society.''

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[Smee]

Good idea. The situation is probably a little different in Seoul, but I know down here foreign brides go crazy from the boredom, from being stuck at home with nothing to do. Teaching would give them a reason to feel proud of themselves.

[wylies99]

[T-J]

[Kimchi Cha Cha]

Good idea. I'd like to see it expanded down to Jeollanam-do where there's now a large migrant housewife population, many are Filipinas speak great English. I know of a few Filipina teachers who are already teaching in hagwons.

[skeeterses]

[Smee]

Well, yeah, Korean teachers should be learning how to deal with biracial kids, and who's to say they aren't doing a good job in that area? Just looks like some students have fallen behind with their Korean and need extra help. Maybe some students are very low level, then, that they need an instructor who speaks their native language.

[betchay]

[wylies99]

The "utilizing bored housewives"part is fine, but my point was that not all Korean teachers know how to deal with biracial students. Instead of addressing that issue, this seems to be a way to push it off on foreigners.

[michaelambling]

[wylies99]

Agreed. This is all about the money.

English = $$$