Korean Job Discussion Forums

STP · Joined: 09 May 2005

Scott in HK
curious to know how the HK ESL market is different from Seoul. If I may enquire, what made you decide to come to Korea.

joe_doufu · Joined: 09 May 2005 Location: Elsewhere

The real problem with China is you can't convert your money back into foreign currency. I would take a job there if I could afford to because (1) they speak a useful language that i want to learn and (2) there is the possibility once there of finding some kind of a meaningful job and (3) the chicks are hot and (4) i think the students are probably a lot better.

SuperFly · Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Location: In the doghouse

lastat06513 · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 2:52 am Post subject:

Wait and see what happens after the Olympics in '08
Thats going to be the tell-all as to what happens in China
They will either pull it off without a hitch or fall flat on their face.
Also, I think that China can't hold out on currency talks for very long, especially with a big fight with the US and Europe COMBINED....I think China would yield soon and when it happens, it would make the Euro-Dollar comparison look pale

Cheers!~~!

Scott in HK · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 3:15 am Post subject:

The HK market is of course much smaller and mostly it is people who already live in HK that fill the jobs as ESL teachers. A lot of kindergarten work...some cram schools...the NET program (gov sponsored program to put native speakers in high schools...)

Came to Korea because my wife's parents needed someone to help them out and my wife's sister lives in Japan. So we came back with our kids and plan to stay until the oldest girl finishes grade school...or about 8 years...

Paji eh Wong · Joined: 03 Jun 2003

Ya-ta Boy · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Established in 1994

ChimpumCallao · Joined: 17 May 2005 Location: your mom

SHANE02 · Joined: 04 Jun 2003

A good teacher has so many skills; patience and imagination to name just two.

There will allways be jobs in Korea for E.F.L teachers, because untill Koreans start to really see and use English in their "real world" it will be just that......a foreign language.

Len8 · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Location: Kyungju

Most teachers in other teaching positions in foreigen countries consider ESL teachers the losers of the teaching profession. By the same token though I still don't mind working as an ESL teacher.

Universities know our worth too, but it will probably take the education system another 20 years to find analternative and better way to teach English conversation to university students.

Students watch the news, and form their own opinions of the "foreigen English teacher". Some whom have excellent English teachers already have an opinion and no amount of news and media hype will change what they think.

Ideally Korea should open the floodgates and let anyone in who is a fuent English speaker regardless of his country of origin. They wont do that though, because it would offend their sense of self importance to be taught by people they consider inferior.

Ryst Helmut · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 7:26 pm Post subject:

STP · Joined: 09 May 2005

Joe_Doufu
the chinese currency can be converted to the US dollar at a fixed rate, so there are no issues on "getting your money out". This is what's causing all the hoopla recently, the US is bitching that the chinese are keeping their currency fixed at a rate far to low and it gives all their goods a competitive advantage on international market. The US want the chinese to allow their currency to float (flexible exchange rate sysytem) and presumably their currency will appreciate vs the US dollar and most other currencies. This will happen eventually, however it will be the Chinese that decide there not going to be bullied by the US and their current account deficit which the rest of the world, specifically the Asian central banks have been funding for several years now.

If anything the US dollar will continue to weaken next year and eventually the Chinese will allow a float and their currency will strengthen considerably.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

$500 a month in China would provide a fairly decent life. Who would work for that? Well, who would spend a summer back packing through Europe or Australia or riding their bike across Canada? People with time and a zest for something different. Some might think of it as a working holiday. If China is the future, being paid $500 a month at age 23 to get some hands on experience with the Chinese people might be considered a smart future career move. These consultants and international business people can only do their job because Koreans and Chinese have learned English. Where do they learn it, save from lowly ESL wetbacks? Maybe Korea would like to start hiring people with a B.Ed and hagwons can then pass the cost along to their customers?

I'm sorry there are bad teachers in Asia and they hurt the image of white people. But it's a bit like if the airline industry hired drunks to fly planes. You know, don't blame people who enjoy beer. Blame the industry for not having standards. People who want to earn money to booze and bone Asian woman will find Korea fertile ground. The government and hagwons need to raise the bar. You can't ask the unqualified and unemployable to select themselves out of the running any more than you can ask Koreans who want to flout Canadian and American immigration laws to simply not to work illegally in North America.

In terms of bad teachers slipping through the system, as has been pointed out, your own writing abilities are highly suspect. If you're not just some Korean troll, aren't you worried your own students will soon find out you're unqualified to teach English to high level university students?

He said that he thought ESL teachers where rapidly becoming the wetbacks of Asia.

"Where" should be "were".

Apparently there are tones of whiteys in China teaching????

It's either tons or tonnes. And please, multiple question marks? Are you a 12-year-old girl on IRC?

no way that an ESL teachers pay is going to keep pace.

Should be "ESL teacher's pay".

I have notice over the last 12 months

Should be "I have noticed..."

I'm now at a University and I have really notice a change in attitude from students and I'm guessing its due to a lot of the bad press.

The u in "University" should be lower case. Again "notice" should be past tense. "Its" should be "it's" ("it is due").

I'm just repeating what this guy said, I'm sorry if it offended anybody on this site.

Comma splice.

He made me like such a loser, said that he and the other white guys in Asia with legit jobs are tired of coming across all the deadbeat ESL teacher out here, it was embarrassing to them, having to explain to Chinese and Koreans what a bunch of jokes we are.

Should be "He made me feel like such a loser".

"all the deadbeat ESL teacher". Make teacher plural.

The rest is just a huge run on sentence. You write like a Korean middle school student.

This guys argument

Should be "This guy's argument..."

He had some very persuasive argument that I wasn't really able to counter.

"Argument" should be plural.

I'm the first to admit that I don't belong on a university staff list and neither does 90% of the other uni teacher I've meet.

Should be "I've met." Jesus, dude. You keep demonstrating you have a Korean middle school student's understanding of tense.

at a rate far to low

At a rate far TOO low.

The US want the chinese

Should be "The US wants the chinese..." Countries and organizations are singular.

it will be the Chinese that decide there not going to be bullied by the US

"There" should be "they're" or "they are".

In sum, you're either a Korean troll or you're 100% correct in your assessment that you're unqualified for your university teaching position. However, don't blame the hostile attitude manifested by YOUR students on OTHER ESL teachers. You might point that finger a bit closer to home. Maybe they realize you're a substandard teacher?

Paji eh Wong · Joined: 03 Jun 2003