Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sojusucks]

You're going to love these. Some new horror stories about just how bad things are getting in public schools in Korea.

[sigmundsmith]

I think many positions (not just public schools) have gone down hill. Since the over supply from the States of people wanting to come here, naturally the Korean apparatus is really starting to go way out there is regard to what second language education entails and who they think should be the one's standing in front of the students.

Hagwons are the lowest of the low (generalization). They have always been known for mistreating and manipulating their foreign workers (its even worse for the Korean teaching staff). But now it may be getting worse.

Then you have the alluring public school system. The idea initially was good, having a FT on the faculty but now many FT are seen as not a trophy but an obstacle or unnecessary item in the system.

Then of course you have the university jobs. The higher ups think that the best people to teach are those with PHD's and many of those who come over don't last.

The problem is that the Korean powers are starting to revert back to the Korean method thinking that it is the best. The problem is that they have gone about it the wrong way. Instead of quality they have gone for quantity thinking that this would guarantee improvement in the language classroom. Now that they see that that hasnt worked they view the FT as even a more unreliable, useless item that is a non-contributor to the process.

Koreans need to hire professionals who are designed to make improvements in their education endeavors and not take the old philosophy that they instigated way back when.

The horror stories will continue to grow and probably get worse. And then you will have more families sending their children overseas to learn English. The thing is they dont need to do this. They need to listen to SLA professionals as to how best to instigate appropriate methods rather than the traditional methods, or the way Koreans think that the blue eyed blonde hair fresh graduate with really no interest in educating Koreans as the ones that are in the classrooms.

[iggyb]

I've heard that SMOE will not be hiring new high school FTs this year - in part due to changes in the college exam - but also due to what Koreans think of the value of the FTs.

I think there are valid criticism of FTs. Some of them about attitude. More of them due to the fact they are hiring people with no experience - and then often not giving them conditions in which they can learn and adjust.

I think a major part of the problem, however, is the Korean system's poor managment of what it has.

Now that I've experienced the public schools, I think aspects of it typify how the often good intentions in promoting English education have gone awry.

The elementary school textooks and material we use show that the people who made it put a lot of effort and money and thought into doing it.

The variety and range of activities also shows the people who put it together had some idea about contemporary language learning theory.

Which makes me slap my head as to WHY the books move at A DEAD SNAIL'S PACE!!

It is such a collasal waste!

A waste of the time, energy, and money it took to produce the material.

And an almost criminal waste of the last few years of prime language learning time for these young kids.

Then there is high school. After the young kids, who are language learning animals at that age, are treated like they can't learn more than a few words a week, they start the idiotic preparation for one huge test -- by -- learning English in Korean.

To step back, though, I have been around Korea for about 14 years, and even though the push to learn English has not been terribly efficient or well implemented, you can see some successes.

The Korean youth you meet in the street today can use the language much better than they could back when having foreign teachers in hakwons was a new thing.

That is a good thing. I started in Korea teaching adults who were pretty pissed off they had spent so many years of their lives learning English only to be almost completely unable to use it.

[iggyb]

Part of what I meant in the last comment, but did a crappy job saying, was that I can't be too down on the average foreign English speaker brought over to Korea when I look at how the Koreans have handled what they have total control over.

High school teachers teaching English in 95% Korean is a no-brainer. It should make absolutely no sense to anybody. But that is the way it is, (and I bet the government push to force TEE is one of the big reasons Korean teachers are getting more down on foreign teachers).

And I've talked to a lot of high school teachers. I've pointed out research and experience that shows if the students learn to be communicative in English, they will make a high score on the Korean SAT. But they won't buy into it. It was a frustration in my last job.

With elementary school, it is like I mentioned above: Why in the world are their expectations for what the kids can handle so incredibly low? It is nonsensical considering everything that is said about language learning (outside of Korea).

And I've watched a lot of elementary school teachers too, and I do give them credit for having a better idea about language learning than secondary teachers, but a majority of them are just fine with the pace of textbook and see no reason to supplement the material -- (by making their own lesson plans and locating and collecting material then testing it out and modifying it as needed).

That is why I'm happy with my primary co-teacher. She's only been doing this for 3 months, but she has recognized the inadequacy of the textbook and started building up a supply of other material and looking for ideas to prepare the students - especially the 5th and 6th graders.

[PatrickGHBusan]

Just where are these "stories" coming from?

[cert43]

Thank God

[thegadfly]

[Julius]

[Illysook]

I thing most FT's try very hard to do right by their students but it's not like the schools put very much into us. For 2 years I got a whole lot of nothing and now that I'm taking the CELTA course, I've got bad habits to break. Echoing? I'm guilty! Not grading my language? Guilty! Getting lost in the middle of a lesson because a student had a very specific grammar question...that was me. That 3 day GEPIK orientation was worth about what I paid for it. I think that my powerpoints were a little prettier afterwards but that was about it.

[PatrickGHBusan]

[creeper1]

[PatrickGHBusan]

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

I gave it my all at my PS. I did extra curricular-activities, helped students with their homework or hagwan homework during prep periods, started a storytime group, graded tests, gave oral exams, made English comics based on the lessons, judged speech contests, decorated themed bulletin boards, baked delicious treats for the staff (which were devoured,) etc...

Sometimes it's just a crapshoot and you get coworkers who stink. I'm not saying that every foreign teacher with coteacher issues is in the right�I'm sure that there are plenty of bad NETs as well�but sometimes there's no pleasing people. I sure as hell tried, and went above and beyond what was asked, and for naught. They didn't treat me horribly, but they certainly weren't nice.

After 2 years at the same public school, I left for a hagwan and I love it. My boss is a darling woman, most of the kids are really motivated, and I no longer have to deal with coteachers who want to teach a curriculum that moves at a snail's pace and is riddled with errors.

[litebear]

What's this "Coming Soon" rubbish? Just post them FFS.

[Julius]