Korean Job Discussion Forums

[alistaircandlin]

Is SMOE not renewing contracts for all middle and high school teachers from Sep. 2012? I heard something about this earlier this week.

Have all you people working for SMOE been told by your schools this week that your contract is finished from September?

[posnew]

I heard that SMOE was starting to reduce the number of schools starting with high schools and next semester it will continue with middle schools.
I know a SMOE teacher who had his contract end this spring at a high school and got transfered, because the school has lost its funding.
It seems like teachers can still renew, but they may be transfered if they do.
But then I also know they they have an international high school where teachers are still working. So maybe some special schools are keeping NSETs where they rest are getting transfered or just not renewing.

[wallythewhale]

Indeed. No more NSETs in HS starting March. No more in MS starting August. And possibly no more in ES starting next March.

I'm working for an ES at the moment and am looking for a job elsewhere. Heard Hong Kong is fabulous!

[Underwaterbob]

[Swampfox10mm]

Yup... It is an employers market for another few years.

[jurassic82]

This is old news. I work for SMOE and it is true no more NET for High Schools and I am guessing Middle Schools come fall. I am not sure yet how much truth there is to all NET being cut from middle schools. There is an election this fall and things could change. From my 5+ years here in the "Land of the Morning Calm" is that things are less than calm. They will say one thing one week and change the next.

I really don't see all the public schools in Seoul cutting all foriegn teachers, especially Elementary schools where in my opinion NET are the most effective. It makes more sense to cut them in High School where most of the students are trying to learn English to do well on their college exams. For this kind of studying foreign teachers make less sense because less time is needed on teaching speaking and more on grammar and test taking skills. I think this sucks but it is the way in most Korean High Schools and Middle Schools. I guess we'll have to wait and see but I see many elementary school and middle schools keeping foreign teachers but possibly they will have to get money from elsewhere in order to do it like with what happened with GEPIK.

[Luciddreamer]

[iggyb]

[jurassic82]

[iggyb]

What level school do you teach at?

From what I've read and heard, Korean elementary school teachers tend to keep control of the class whereas in middle and high school they tend to stand back and let the FT do as he or she likes.

I've also rarely read someone say the Korean teacher uses English most of the time when teaching.

In my case in elementary school, they give me 10-20 minutes per class (1/2 to 1/3rd of the class time). 1 teacher interfered and limited what I could do to a great extent. With both, I have to stick to the limited material the textbook offers each lesson. No room for outside material or projects that take up multiple classes. Both of my CTs use Korean 98% of the time.

[ironclad80]

What about GEPIK? First I heard they will get more funds for NETs in the fall, then I heard they won't. I think my school knows about as much as me. I wish I could get an answer, I feel stuck in limbo now, don't know if I should start looking for another job now or prepare to stay for another year....

[iggyb]

There is an election at the end of the year. The schools don't know what is going to happen season to season right now.

[ironclad80]

[iggyb]

No, the regular year. I believe the election will be held in December. If the opposition wins the presidency, we can expect a big rollback in the current administration's education policy, and getting a FT in every school was a major part of his early policy when he took office 5 years ago.

[Mix1]