Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bosintang]

I think a look back at the Asian ESL industry could make an interesting case-study someday. Does anyone else here feel like they are in a twilight zone? People scraping by day-to-day so the can afford to spend ridiculous amounts of money to cheats, scam-artists, and opportunists, who then in turn hire incompetents, eccentrics, lowlifes, dropouts, and more opportunists to educate their children. It's a completely bizzarre world, and on one hand I'm humoured by it, and on the other hand I'm almost ashamed to be a part of it.

I'm exaggerating of course, but it's hard to deny that our situation is twisted.

Anyways..no more late-night ramblings from me tonight!

[matthews_world]

Yeah, I've been interested in the history of the ESL industry for a long time if some folks would care to enlighten.

I know the first teachers were missionaries many moons ago.

Hungarians or some other European group, I believe, settled in Korea a few hundred years back.

[fandeath]

I am always amazed at how man Asians seem culturally blind and cannot identify teachers who are "incompetents, eccentrics, lowlifes, dropouts". It is also strange that they allow them to tutot their kids unsupervised after only 1 meeting.

Anyway, I agree, it is certainly a unique place.

[Blind Willie]

[Ihavenolips]

Bosintang,

If you are curious about the Asian ESL industry the following two articles are a good place to start. The October link talks about how ESL industry developed in Asia as well as Korea. The November link documents how education has evolved in Korea.

The ESL industry in rather new really. One hundred years ago there were a few travelers, diplomats, wayward soldiers, and Chritian missionaries that stumbled around Asia; farting on bar stools, pounding booze, and teaching English. It took the development of jet travel to actually bring westerners to Asia for large scale teaching. The ESL industry really starting kicking in during our lifetime - starting in the late 1970s and evolving from there. Its rotting carcass has been twitching into spasms and mutating every since.

http://www.ajarn.com/Contris/kenmaynovember2004.htm

http://www.ajarn.com/Contris/kenmayoctober2004.htm

[mack the knife]

Don't know much about the ancient history, so to speak, but I've racked up 6 years of experience here and this is what I've seen. In my area there were 3 English hogwons in 1999: SLP, ECC, and Wonderland. Now, there seem to be 3 in every building. A bunch of half-assed places went under after the AFC in 1997, but plenty have returned to take their place.