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Radius
Joined: 20 Dec 2009
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 Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 5:57 pm Post subject: Teaching in Korea: The New Fad |
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| I can't believe the people that are coming here to teach English. Browsing Facebook, I was shocked to hear an ex-gang member I was acquaintances with back in high school is planning on coming to Korea now. Then another friend I haven't spoken to in a while is teaching in China I come to find out. I think teaching overseas has just become the official new fad. This can't be good, and I don't like it. I would say: People stop telling an promoting teaching here! But I think the word is already out there in the open and there's no stopping it. |
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Stalin84
Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Location: Haebangchon, Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 6:16 pm Post subject: |
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Oh god, I implore you to go to rural Nova Scotia and ask people if they know anyone who taught in Korea. Chances are, everyone will have a friend/relative/cousin/nephew etc. who has taught there.
One time I was walking in Hagwon-ga, Anyang and someone punched me in the back of the head. It was my old RA from university. I had no idea she was in Korea.
Another time I went into a Subway restaurant in Yeongtong, Suwon and overheard a foreigner talking about my university in Canada. I asked him if he graduated from there and where he was from. Turns out, he grew up down the road from me and remembered me from when he was working as a cashier in a convenience store and I (about five years old at the time) used to come in and ask for free ice cream.
This has happened to my friends too. One of my more social friends got to the point where if someone from her hometown/university recognized her in Seoul she'd just stop for a second to ask what was up. She wouldn't even be surprised.
The thing is... this isn't recent. It's been like this for the past five years, at least. It is happening more now though, I agree.
About your ex-gang member friend... if he was smart enough to finish his degree and escape his past with a clean criminal record, then he is probably all grown up and not privy to that sort of behaviour anymore. |
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3DR
Joined: 24 May 2009
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| Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 6:20 pm Post subject: |
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Until the economy picks up, it will continue happening. People who are having trouble finding work right after college, or maybe just need a break from the cubicle life are finding out that life aint so bad in Korea.
Minus the cultural issues and family, you have pretty much everything you can have back home. |
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recycledartgirl
Joined: 15 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 5:14 am Post subject: |
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| Yup. Everytime I talk to my parents on skype they tell me about another one of their friends' children who just got a job teaching English in either Korea, China, or Japan. It's the economy. Until it picks up, college grads are gonna keep comin' over here. Why not? The pay is above average, it's good work experience, and what else are we going to do with our lives? It's a win-win all around... |
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Radius
Joined: 20 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 5:15 am Post subject: |
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| recycledartgirl wrote: |
| Yup. Everytime I talk to my parents on skype they tell me about another one of their friends' children who just got a job teaching English in either Korea, China, or Japan. It's the economy. Until it picks up, college grads are gonna keep comin' over here. Why not? The pay is above average, it's good work experience, and what else are we going to do with our lives? It's a win-win all around... |
Except for that little thing called job competition.. |
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sluggo832004
Joined: 04 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 7:04 am Post subject: |
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I kinda fall into that category. I had no idea that you could even teach ESL in other countries. I always assumed you had to know the language to teach it. I am a US teacher now and I always wanted to teach on military bases. I got tired of dealing with these idiots in the states.
But to teach on a military base is very competitive, and a friend recommended the EPIK program. I was like "Korea??" "Why would I want to go and teach in Korea??" But she said it was pretty cool and you could travel and stuff so I said why not?
So initially I wanted to teach on military bases, but Im doing EPIK as my alternative plan. We'll see how it works out. And this economy is pretty rough in the US. I mean highly qualified teachers are having a hard time find a job. |
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Sector7G
Joined: 24 May 2008
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| Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 7:12 am Post subject: |
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| sluggo832004 wrote: |
| I kinda fall into that category. I had no idea that you could even teach ESL in other countries. I always assumed you had to know the language to teach it. |
........same here, or at least be a certified teacher , which I wasn't. I remember thinking it was a scam when I first saw it on Monster.com 3.5 years ago. |
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Junior
Joined: 18 Nov 2005
Location: the eye
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| Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 7:32 am Post subject: Re: Teaching in Korea: The New Fad |
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| Radius wrote: |
| People stop telling an promoting teaching here!. |
The Koreans set up recruiting stations and advertised in the U.S. Thats why the influx ocurred.
Korea had a historic chance to raise the bar and improve the quality of teachers and english education here. They should have made a TEFL cert a requirement.
Instead, predictably, it did the worst thing and hired everyone based on age and looks. |
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Epik_Teacher
Joined: 28 Apr 2010
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| Posted: Sat Dec 11, 2010 8:04 am Post subject: |
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It doesn't matter, with current trends, the "Golden Era" of teaching English in Korea are nearly over. Big cutbacks coming soon and lots of hakwans going belly up, just like in 1997. Only much, much worse! Looking at the current crop of duds showing up, it probably needs to happen, anyway!
That is, if you can consider anything in Korea "Golden." |
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Privateer
Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Location: Easy Street.
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 12:53 am Post subject: |
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| recycledartgirl wrote: |
| Yup. Everytime I talk to my parents on skype they tell me about another one of their friends' children who just got a job teaching English in either Korea, China, or Japan. It's the economy. Until it picks up, college grads are gonna keep comin' over here. Why not? The pay is above average, it's good work experience, and what else are we going to do with our lives? It's a win-win all around... |
It's good work experience? |
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yesman
Joined: 15 Sep 2006
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 2:12 am Post subject: |
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| recycledartgirl wrote: |
| Yup. Everytime I talk to my parents on skype they tell me about another one of their friends' children who just got a job teaching English in either Korea, China, or Japan. It's the economy. Until it picks up, college grads are gonna keep comin' over here. Why not? The pay is above average, it's good work experience, and what else are we going to do with our lives? It's a win-win all around... |
It's most definitely not win-win if supply starts to exceed demand and benefits/pay decrease, a la Japan. In the long run, teaching English overseas will not be a panacea to economic woes at home. |
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misher
Joined: 14 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 7:19 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
Until the economy picks up, it will continue happening. People who are having trouble finding work right after college, or maybe just need a break from the cubicle life are finding out that life aint so bad in Korea.
Minus the cultural issues and family, you have pretty much everything you can have back home. |
I hear ya.
I actually disagree with the entire "wait until the economy picks back up and things will be back to normal" type of argument.
In my opinion the vast majority of the jobs here teaching kids can be done by young, recently graduated BA holders and according to Korean society, it is all that the current industry needs. I believe that many of this generation of Americans, Canadians, British are in absolutely no rush to get into a company and sit at a desk for 40-50 hours a week. They want fun and adventure and teaching in Korea is a perfect place to do it. The economy back home being weak of course has contributed to the recent flood of native English speakers into Korea but I also think that regardless of the economy becoming strong again, recent uni grads will still flood in. Maybe not to the extent that we are seeing now, but I'm not getting my hopes up that everything will return to 2002/3/4. The word is out that teaching in Korea is a pretty good gig and most have great experiences here like myself and tell their friends.
People in Japan are not waiting for the economy back home to strengthen so the market can return to its glory days. They know those days are over. The word got out. Korea, although not exactly the same I believe will be not that different in the next 5-10 years providing they still want us. |
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Konglishman
Joined: 14 Sep 2007
Location: Nanjing
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 7:11 pm Post subject: |
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| sluggo832004 wrote: |
I kinda fall into that category. I had no idea that you could even teach ESL in other countries. I always assumed you had to know the language to teach it. I am a US teacher now and I always wanted to teach on military bases. I got tired of dealing with these idiots in the states.
But to teach on a military base is very competitive, and a friend recommended the EPIK program. I was like "Korea??" "Why would I want to go and teach in Korea??" But she said it was pretty cool and you could travel and stuff so I said why not?
So initially I wanted to teach on military bases, but Im doing EPIK as my alternative plan. We'll see how it works out. And this economy is pretty rough in the US. I mean highly qualified teachers are having a hard time find a job. |
Why aren't you considering international schools? |
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sluggo832004
Joined: 04 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 7:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Konglishman wrote: |
| sluggo832004 wrote: |
I kinda fall into that category. I had no idea that you could even teach ESL in other countries. I always assumed you had to know the language to teach it. I am a US teacher now and I always wanted to teach on military bases. I got tired of dealing with these idiots in the states.
But to teach on a military base is very competitive, and a friend recommended the EPIK program. I was like "Korea??" "Why would I want to go and teach in Korea??" But she said it was pretty cool and you could travel and stuff so I said why not?
So initially I wanted to teach on military bases, but Im doing EPIK as my alternative plan. We'll see how it works out. And this economy is pretty rough in the US. I mean highly qualified teachers are having a hard time find a job. |
Why aren't you considering international schools? |
I didnt know about them either. lol
But I am ready to leave my current school already, and most international schools I assume start in August.
But I will try to apply for them next year. Im sure they are pretty competitive as well. |
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Who's Your Daddy?
Joined: 30 May 2010
Location: Victoria, Canada.
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| Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2010 7:33 pm Post subject: |
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Canada seems to becoming the new Philippines.
Sometimes I start thinking, are we really that much better than the Filipinos over here working? At least they're making a good wage vs. their home house prices. |
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