Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Robot_Teacher]

I understand Koreans have to pass English exams, know some English, in order to get the higher paid jobs like principal, superintendent, and other office professional positions, but I find they don't know any English. The few that know English are teaching, are a doctor, or are a KT customer service rep. Both of my principals don't speak any English and are trying to tell me that I should know Hangulmal since I'm in Korea without realizing that becuase I grew up outside of Korea, I didn't learn it. They can't wrap their brains around the thought that Hangulmal is largely unknown, unused, and not taught outside of Korea. I guess they're looking at it like the way we do with English being spoken in over 100 countries of the world. They just want to be able to chat with me at lunch, but communicate a little using a Korean teacher to translate. It really is a hard language to understand and does require much time and effort to pick it up to a conversational level, but I do lack interest in it nor interested in drinking soju with them. I find them and their soju very boring.

Is this a recent phenomenon where learning English is required to get into good uni and good job? The suits I'm talking about are in their 50's. There are many official suit and tie looking men all over the place, but they can't speak English. I understood that English proficiency is necessary for a professional position. The doctors can speak quite well, but a business president often can't such as on Gmarket. I'm saying business president, becuase the seller has a large business offering 20,000 to 80,000 items or more. They call me a lot to tell me they can't me get that American polo I ordered. 1 out of 10 did speak English. I know it's the company head, because the call is xferred upward when the rep can't solve a problem. Been trying to get some nice new clothes quite a few times in the past 2 weeks, but not scoring despite sellers listing them for sale.

[Juregen]

You are assuming that today's situation applies to those who already had the job .....


When rules chance, one cannot always use them retroactively.

Basically also the same with investments in ESL.

People assume that the current amount of money put into the ESL industry is the same. Then they look at the adults whose English isn't that good.

Timing is often forgotten when looking at cause and effect.

[cruisemonkey]

[ChinaBoy]

I believe a lot of those "company heads" on GMarket are just guys with a scooter.

I'm kind of thankful when people don't know English, as it's most likely I don't want to know what they're saying (as when you're invited to converse with them over soju).

[Yu_Bum_suk]

While a high TOIEC score is apparently a huge asset if you want to manage production of Samsung washing machines, it's far from a prerequisite in education. Our biology teacher just got promoted to a principal position and his English is definitely in the bottom 50% of teachers (though his attitude towards English education is great, and I'd much rather have that than a fluent xenophobe). I don't really see how it matters that much; how many principals in English-speaking Canada, where French is an official language, can speak French? The only principal in my district I know of who's fluent in English overseas one of the most abysmal schools in the country (a Dave's member used to teach there and can certainly vouch for this) so it's not like it's a recipe for greater success.

[cruisemonkey]

Principals don't have to fly planes or sail ships.

[Robot_Teacher]

Actually, I'm trying to learn about the history of the current merit system driving the English education push and the history of English education in Korea. Found a few interesting things, but not the whole story.

The 50 or 55 year old principal got there without being required to know any English and he/she didn't have English education while they were growing up so it's a new addition to the education merit system in the works of not more than 10 to 15 years. Just as the Korean government said in the 1960's, "Let's embrace science and technology for future development," they at some point later said, "Let's learn English to do business across borders and to gain knowledge as much valuable knowledge is in English."

It's said English education was introduced in 1883, yes over 100 years ago, but for producing a few interpreters which allowed Christianity in the door. But only 20 years ago did English began to be taught in public schools, and not until middle school, so that's why so very few over age 35 know any English words. Elementary English education must be a very new thing as I'm only the 2nd teacher my public schools have had. I understand just 5 years ago or more, there absolutely no foreigners out where I'm in Gangwondo.

Korea has been putting a lot of money and time into education since 1945 when the US Army showed up to introduce a western style PS model and develop a knowledge based economy with spectacular tech developments and financial gains. It's a true rags to riches story, but not without power struggles and much long hard work. With many of the uneducated working 7 days a week still today, I too would be highly motivated to study instead of taking time out to relax in attempt to get into a good career. I'm seeing people work 7 days a week, 12 hour days, even on official holidays such as small engine mechanics and shop keepers.

Why do I want to know history of not only Korea, but other countries? To better understand why they are what they are today and understand the people I meet in them.

[Scouse Mouse]

Your history is screwed.

The Korean PS system was introduced by the Japanese.

It is true that English education was introduced after WWII, but this was 'Army English', and most people in their 50s and 60s still recall some of that. My father-in-law does pretty well with his 'Army English' that he was taught before going to fight in Vietnam. TBH, I find the old folks who learned English in the afterath of the Korean War to be the most willing (and welcoming) English speakers in Korea.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[Robot_Teacher]

[cruisemonkey]

Spam, spam, spam, spam... lovely spam, wonderful spam. It's delicious!

Well... yeah... in comparison to the bundagae I ate last night.

[tomato]

[Robot_Teacher]

Mr. Tomato, most Koreans are not interested in learning English. It's only a big push promoted by the government; not a sincere interest on a local level to learn English and embrace Western culture. And by local, I mean everywhere as everywhere looks practically the same; just a different nonsensical layout of typical things Korean to be found in each town such as stores, schools, restaurants, and schools. This is not a cultural exchange in the classical sense.

Of course, I'm learning Korean, but I still can't speak on a conversational level. It would take a couple years to master; not 10 weeks.

Of course soju is the lowest quality brew, but I'm not going to tell them that out of respect. They can go on believing out of nationalistic pride that it's the best stuff since Wonder bread recipes hit the shores of the ROK. I'm not drinking any more than 1 shot per event as I learned it's not for me. I don't understand what joy they get out of it, becuase it's just not fun.

Hangulmal has very little value outside of Korea, especially if you don't plan on staying in Korea long term so I don't find much interest in obsessing over learning a very difficult language to communicate in, much less, speaking accurately as pronunciation is king while the sounds are tough to remember and produce. It has many vowel sounds not found in English that are very hard for me to remember and produce. This is where Konglish derives out of.

I understand how tough it is for Korea to learn English and why they don't as the language and culture is different like night from day in comparison to Western cultures despite many things appearing Western. Only a few embrace that just as only a few foreigners truly embrace Korean culture and language. It's just putting on an image of developing into a rich modern Westernized country which it's gaining new technical knowledge and financial wealth, but not culture. The festivals play short clips of all kinds of music, but I'm sure they don't grasp it, it's just a mirage of globalizing. If they appreciated these sorts of Western things, they'd play the whole song; not just a clip. There can be all this American music playing and everyone are staring at me as if I'm from the Andromeda. Well, it's not tourist central to give Korean many experiences interacting with foreigners. They're going to have to appeal more to draw an audience that will teach them on the streets in public how the world talks and thinks. This nationalism and xenophobia thing is deeply rooted as it's been going strong for many decades, but they just want to know what the world knows as to get ahead. Knowledge is power is a deeply held belief and behind the schooling which has yielded a great deal of new wealth for Korea, but not culture and taste. You have all this materialism, but a lack of understanding and appreciation for what it means.

If you thought it's a lovely cultural exchange in the classical sense, you're living in a bubble. That's too bad it's not what we'd love it to be.

[Scouse Mouse]

[tomato]