Korean Job Discussion Forums

Juregen · Joined: 30 May 2006

Are you telling people not to make money, best way they can?

Are you telling people they can't do it because they didn't study how to teach?

I can understand that you feel diminished in your efforts to go for an actual degree in education, but most people who come here, come for the easy money to pay off their debts. They are often also the ones ending up, constantly, to a glass ceiling of remuneration and possibilities.

Prove that you are better then others, compete with them on the market, and quality will ensue victory.

Do you think because I studies Economics and Business, I should be a manager? I do what I want to do and feel like the best options at the time of my choice. No one is going to tell me otherwise.

If South Korea had no trouble in attracting sufficient qualified English teachers, trained in education, this problem would simply not exist.

You are sitting on a very tall horse, you are.

Skipperoo · Joined: 05 Jul 2010

Malislamusrex · Joined: 01 Feb 2010

happiness · Joined: 04 Sep 2010

10 years+ in and ive thought about it, but honestly, my speaking Korean has gotten me into more doors than an advanced degree. The uni gig, I cant do, too bad, but theres still good and great jobs out there. In Korea, I think those two are more important.

of course, Im only talking about the situation here...

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 4:34 am Post subject:

[quote="AlastairKirby"]The OP needs to let us in on his situation.

Why so angry?

I'm not a certified teacher. I have 3 years experience in Korea. But at the moment that counts for nothing. Young graduates from America are getting all the jobs.

But that's the game in Korea. It can be annoying to see people taking their life and jobs in Korea for granted...

However, where is the incentive not to? Why shouldn't people just come here to screw around and get drunk? It hardly ever gets punished.

Most people reach a point in their lives when they start to take themselves and their work more seriously. The majority of people coming to Korea just aren't at that point in their lives.

But in my case Korea made me want to change and start taking teaching seriously.

I don't have a time machine and can't go back in time to change my Film degree to an Education degree. Don't hate on people for not knowing what they wanted to do with their lives at 18 years old.[/quote]

Fair enough (bolded part). However, since those wild 18 year old days what did you do to improve as a teacher when you did choose to do that? Did you take classes? Perhaps a certificate in pedagogy, andragogy, second language education (online or in house)?

As an employer, the original degree in film studies is not a big deal, its what the person did after they chose teaching as a career (if thats the choice that was made) that matters.

AlastairKirby · Joined: 29 Aug 2011 Location: UK

[quote="PatrickGHBusan"]

joelove · Joined: 12 May 2011

I didn't read the thread. Sorry, but having an education degree means next to nothing other than an interest in education. That's all it is. I sat through many useless classes to get one. The philosophy or sociology of education.. are you kidding me? Nonsense, absolutely useless. Getting the degree made me stupider except for one or two brilliant educators who knew all this. Those guys were good. The others could have jumped off a cliff and made the world a better place. Haha, not really, they were nice enough and just doing their job. Still: crap really. Why did they waste my time and money with horse manure? I don't get why they don't, or didn't in my case, focus on actually preparing you to deal with students. Kids. That is what matters. What to do in a classroom. Not Piaget or Dewey or whoever. Pisses me off. What we needed was years of classroom training, not reading garbage. It takes a decade or more to have a clue, in my opinion, unless you are somehow good at this teaching thing. And many without teaching credentials are good. And many with teaching credentials suck.

Birder · Joined: 21 Oct 2011

joelove · Joined: 12 May 2011

Good post. The only thing I have a small issue with is putting the word 'teacher' in quotes. Why does anybody do this? Oh yeah, I know why. It's the better than thou syndrome. God help you if you suffer from it.

I had a problem with my "doctor" so I needed a "lawyer" ---

Christ, most people suck at their jobs. True?

Anyway, use quotes or the just as awful "so-called" if you must. For some reason we have strange ideals for people who teach kids. Didn't at least a few of your teachers in high school suck? I sure had a few who had no business even being near a school. I had some great teachers too. It's very confusing.

If you are in a classroom and your job is to try to teach something, then you are a teacher. That's all.

Perhaps we ought to start using "parents" too.

Honestly, I don't mean to sound like a jerk, though I probably do, but I also take my job seriously. And I am tired of hearing people denounced without fair cause. This is not an easy job, for many of us. I work at it every day. I honestly do. And I hope someday I can call myself a teacher.

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 9:15 am Post subject:

[quote="AlastairKirby"]

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2011 9:18 am Post subject:

silkhighway · Joined: 24 Oct 2010 Location: Canada

A B.Ed. is a cash grab and a brutal way of controlling teacher supply. Virtually every teacher will be made or broken based on their classroom management and their organizational skills (time management especially), which you receive virtually zero training in during your B.Ed. except maybe an in-class seminar.

PeteJB · Joined: 06 Jul 2007

Richard.
Branson.

Business knowledge doesn't always come from a professors mouth.

ed4444 · Joined: 12 Oct 2004

I think the OPs anger is misdirected. It should be at the Korean "system" for lowering the requirements needed to be a teacher here.

Instead of trying to raise the standards of the packages in order to get experienced teachers (note i don't use the word qualified because it is a loaded term), the Korean system keeps putting bureaucratic barriers in place instead to attempt to filter out "undesirables".

However this does not work because it puts everyone with similar qualifications on the same playing field regardless of experience. So, many cash strapped schools take the short sighted approach of hiring the cheapest candidates that can pass the requirements (i.e fresh grads who look attractive).

So, whenever Korean people start badmouthing ESL teachers here, I just smile and say its your own fault. If you hire fresh grads, of course they will just party and enjoy themselves.

The proper way to teach English in Korea would be to recruit experienced teachers from any country, offer competitive conditions and to implement a hiring process that checks references and past performance instead of just paper qualifications.

Lonewolf · Joined: 02 Feb 2003

The OP is just upset they couldn't get a job in their home country. So now they are hating on people whom the Korean government found eligible to teach. I have put in my dues over the many years I have been here. I have done many demo classes as well as Tesol/Tefl courses. I have a degree in business and a degree in computer science. I chose to be here because I was offered the job and I am still getting job offers. I have years of in the classroom experience now who is more qualified some fresh out of college kid or someone with years in a public school classroom teaching? Don't be hating because you can't measure up. Just enjoy doing what you are doing and enjoy life. The only big difference between a business degree and a teaching degree are 4 classes and they are all on methodology. And some are in class teacher training. To get the Tesol or a TEFL you have to study and know Methodology and have in the classroom experience. OP watch whose feet you step on.