Korean Job Discussion Forums

[kalbi]

****Please vote even if you find this unlikely.***

Working/living in Korea has its challenges but what would you do if suddenly ESL jobs dried up and you had to leave Korea?? What if there was an economic downturn here and all ESL jobs disappeared in a matter of 6 months??

I know that this seems far-fetched.... BUT....no one thought the gravy train in Dubai would have ended either. Over 100,000 expats have lost their jobs with the economic downturn in Dubai and have had to return to their home countries. The article linked to below explains the challenges faced by one such expat who formerly lived/worked in Dubai.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34762339/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/page/2/

[Olivencia]

Mom and Dad......can I come back home?

[djsmnc]

I wouldn't be on the list of non-essential employees. I'm just that good.

[crossmr]

Many koreans will tell you that ESL is like food. Regardless of the economy it is seen as a necessity. During a good economy they want to expand business prospect abroad during a bad economy they want to make themselves more marketable.

Doesn't mean the industry is bullet-proof here, or that you'll always be able to command plane tickets, apartments and 50,000W/hour privates, but the industry isn't going anywhere.
Those who want to work will be able to.

[Thiuda]

Jobs don't just disappear, the market simply becomes more competitive. So, while you still have a job, work on improving your qualifications; do a cert, diploma or an online MA. You'll become a better teacher and more employable.

[itaewonguy]

I don't see the market disappearing, but I do see it shrinking one day!
wont be long before Korea goes the extra step towards obsession with English and switches its school curriculum to full immersion or full English.

If it goes full English.. then School teachers, which is still a desired occupation for koreans will have to have high English scores, and be fluent speakers.. if this happens then we will see probably 90% of hakwons close down and turned into Korean hakwons..
centers will open for teaching English to adults, or people who wish to enter the education market as teachers so natives will probably be teaching there.. but children hakwons as we know it.. will be no more!
so the korean students will learn Korean in their houses growing up, and study English in public schools, and then mothers will send their kids to Korean hakwons for better education in Korean... that means the 40.000 teachers currently in Korea legals and illegals.. will be packing their bags!

ohhh or forced to work for Gpik under not so good conditions..
Im sure every public school with have a foreigner there for something..
but thats about it.. so the market as we know it will be no more..

my crystal ball tells me that china will follow in the foot steps of korea and having a booming hakwon business for English.. so don't worry folks
there will still be a boss to exploit the native! hahhhaha I just don't see it happening in korea 30 years from now..

[Olivencia]

Full immersion or full English? Maybe...but don't you think the thought of it would be a stab in the heart in regards to their strong (misguided?) cultural identity with their langauge? Just wondering.

[nautilus]

I see the market here fading gradually as schools replace natives with fluent Koreans. Although.. it will take some time, because they are not good at utilising resources effectively.

At my school there are 2 teachers with excellent (and I mean outstanding) english. Neither of them have been given the english teaching job due to staff politics. Instead, they keep throwing teachers at it who can barely string 2 words together.
There are also many very fluent koreans who would do a great job and want to teach, but they can't get in because the new qualification exam is impossibly difficult.

[VanIslander]

English language teaching in Vietnam or Indonesia or any of a number of countries with a thriving ESL industry in Europe and South America.

[mc_jc]

Several years back, there was an article in either the Korea Herald or the Korea Times in which stated that the two biggest, multibillion-won "recession-proof" industries in Korea are ESL and prostitution.

[kalbi]

OP here...I agree that this scenario is very unlikely.

However, this is meant to poll the options of teachers rather than the likelihood that this could in fact happen.

I must say though that while I agree ESL would be very recession-proof, and many Koreans think ESL to be like food, if the choice was between food on the table and ESL, food would win out.

[mc_jc]

[cdninkorea]