Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Vagabundo]

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2010/12/181_77318.html

I have no personal comment, what Koreans want to do with their educational system is their business and no one else's.

What I will say is that I have yet to meet a Korean English teacher who could conduct a reasonably decent English class all in English, though this really depends on the "standards" one sets.

for e.g. one of my coteachers spent 5 months in Canada, I find her English very good to excellent for a foreign speaker. However, even she will make mistakes (albeit fairly small ones) of the variety that no native speaker would make.

which begets the argument of whether this really matters for students, especially beginners.

If Gepik's idea of Korean English teachers teaching in English are the Korean teachers they trot out for some presentations during their orientations and workshops, then I'd have to say this would be a very sick joke. (perpetrated on the students)

(though their gyopo coordinators and such are wonderful)

I'd say overall, good news for Gyonnggi hagwan owners!

[sulperman]

One of my co-teachers speaks what I would consider to be 97% fluent English. Occasional mistakes, but speaks with perfect confidence in both English and Korean. Could move to an English speaking country and get a job teaching at any school without skipping a beat.

But I can hear her classes from my office- she speaks 99% in Korean in class, every class. Why? I don't know. Maybe it is to benefit the slower kids at the expense of the higher level kids. It's the same style as those EBS shows that teach English almost entirely in Korean. But she did her open class entirely in English. It sounded awesome.

I don't pretend to get it. And I don't think that having a foreign teacher in the classroom once a week for 45 minutes maybe 30 times a year makes much of a difference either.

In short, nothing really matters.

[Vagabundo]

well, if it's the same teacher, then it would be twice a week, but I take no issue with your point.

the coteacher I referred to is the same, to the point of her intentionally pronouncing English words with that heavy Korean "accent".

When I once asked her about it (her pronunciation is excellent for a Korean) she said if she pronounced the words correctly the students would have a lot more trouble understanding her.

Even taking into account that it's a technical school with many (very) low level students, I had a hard time swallowing that one.

[Catfisher]

[Vagabundo]

btw.. at least some of Gyeonggi's English teachers are the teachers whose scores weren't high enough to get into SMOE/Seoul.

so into GEPIK they went, even though some of them actually live in Seoul and wanted to work in Seoul.

of course, even lower scorers got sent out into the "other" provinces.


(of course, we don't really know what the Korean "test" for English teachers is like, what it entails and how prognostocative it'd be for who's make a good English teacher)

[sulperman]

[Catfisher]

[ThingsComeAround]

Posted this earlier today only to see mods clear it off.

Don't know if my title was offensive, but the topic was relevant.

Anyway, this does suck and Kang Shin Who loves it. (maybe he got his figures right this time)

+1 to Hagwon Associations

[bobbybigfoot]

There are very few truly bilingual Korean teachers in Korea. Most should not be teachers, or at least not primary teachers.

[creeper1]

Well looks like they are going to keep the native teachers in elementary schools. This is probably a good idea given that so much of language aquisition occurs in these years.

[Catfisher]

[Junior]

Only genuine blondes will be hired from now on.

[Catfisher]

[Junior]

[Bibbitybop]