Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Derrek]

I have seen a lot of people talking about TEFL/TESL/TESOL courses lately -- myself included. Many on here seem to hold the opinion that a "certified" TEFL/TESL/TESOL course with a practicum is, "what many schools require."

I have found this to be false, in terms of Korea.

In fact, I have found such statements to be nothing more than mere speculation and popular belief propagated by proud CELTA holders, mainly. I might even go so far as to say that such rumors are eagerly fueled by companies who charge in excess of 1.5 million won for thier course, and want to create panic in hopes of growing their enrollment.

Let's take a moment to examine two types of universities, based on the current crop of job ads, shall we? As you can see below, many schools don't even quote having a TEFL/TESL as a requirement. They talk about TEFL/TESL related experience, in many cases -- but NOT ONE even mentions a TEFL/TESL/TESOL with practicum as a requirement. The ones who include wording even remotely similar actually want someone with at least an MA or higher in TESOL, etc.


These are all of the University positions I could currently find listed on Dave's ESL within the past month (this being a peak hiring time for many universities). Exhibit A shows schools who prefer more than a BA+TEFL/TESL. Exhibit B shows that many other universities DO NOT make a TEFL/TESL part of their requirements. In fact, you will find that a few of the Exhibit A jobs don't even state needing a TEFL/TESL at all, either. I have included them in Exhibit A, merely based on the fact that they seem to prefer a higher-level candidate:


Exhibit A (prefer more than a BA+TEFL/TESL)

Korea National University
1) Qualification
Minimum 4 year teaching experience required with the possession of one of the following;
(1) MA in TESOL or English, English Literature and Linguistics
(2) Teacher's Certificate for English teaching

Kyungpook National University
QUALIFICATIONS
1) Native speaker of English
2) Bachelorís Degree
3) Previous EFL teaching experience, higher level of education (MA, Ph.D.), TESOL Certificate and/or ESL/Linguistics-related degree preferred.

Kyung Hee University
Tenure Track Professor Position
Liberal Arts, English Department
Qualification: Ph.D. in English Literature

Catholic Univ. of Korea
Qualifications:
1. A Master's Degree required - TESOL or related field preferred (e.g., Applied Linguistics, Communication, Linguistics, etc.)
2. A native speaker of English.

Woosong University
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
MA in TESOL or a related discipline (Applied Linguistics, Education, Educational Psychology, Curriculum Development, Critical Studies, Educational Technology, English Composition); experience in syllabus design; and, at least one year of EFL teaching experience.
Candidates with a B.A., significant experience and evidence of professional development in the field of TESOL will also be considered.


KAIST University, Daejeon (proofreading job -- PT)
3. Qualifications
- A Masters degree is required
- M.S. or M.A. in TESOL /TEFL preferred
- Experience in proofreading preferred


EXHIBIT B: Schools who don't care specifically about if you even have a "cerftified" TEFL certificate. Only one even mentions TEFL, and they call it a "degree", which is probably thier error.

University of Incheon
** Qualifications
- Teaching experience required.
- B.A. or higher, preferably in English and/or TESOL-related discipline.
- F-2-1 or F-4 visa holder(s) preferable


Sungkyunkwan University
2, Job Requirements
-Should speak fluent English and Korean
-Should deal with OA software, such as MS office and Hangul
-Candidates with experience in secretarial / administrative works are preferred.
-B/A,B/S or higher degrees are required.


Yeungnam University
A minimum of a four-year college degree is required, with advanced degrees and experience being highly regarded
Documents Required for Application:
- Resume (date and country of birth, contact information such as e-mail, cell phone, or home phone number must be included)
- Self-Introduction letter
- Recent photograph
- Copy of you university diploma
- Copy of TESOL / TEFL degree





In closing, I would like to add that I can recall only seeing 2 Universities in Korea that ever stated needing a "recognized" TESL/TEFL/TESOL degree. Actually, I can vouch for only one: Hankuk University. The other one was, perhaps, Seoul National University, however I believe their preference was, at minimum, a Masters Degree.

Also, I'd like to state that it is my opinion that all of these quickie courses: CELTA, TRINITY, TEFL International, Online sites, etc. -- should be considered as merely a "feather in your cap." Schools should not use them as a barometer for hiring. They are merely 1 month crash courses that can teach you a few things you might not already know. As one can see from the above job ads, most universities don't regard them as being anything required. They would much prefer someone with a true education/qualification, such as an MA in the field of TEFL/TESOL/TESL.

Can you learn some things from these courses? You bet! If you want to increase your education, go for it. Having a teacher watch your classes and comment on them is great. But do you really need to pay a "trainer" 1.5 million won to do that, when you can find other qualified teachers to watch you and comment? Or, you can view their classes and learn too?

Should the TEFL/TESL/TESOL be considered a requirement? No. It is my opinion that if these courses are to be considered as a requirement for a job (and as you can see, they currently aren't) there should be a national standard set. I would like to see exactly that -- a nationally approved and operated course that is required for jobs like mine (GEPIK-type positions). Teachers would have to take this course to up their salary.

These courses are, in my opinion, just not worth investing in AT ALL unless you KNOW YOU NEED IT for a specific position or salary improvement.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

Most Koreans have never heard of TEFL/TESOL/CELTA. People that think they need it here are the Euros without degrees that use them to get jobs in SE Asia. BA's are fine for most uni jobs here.

That said, SNU now hires people that have several "feathers in their caps." The perception of CELTA/DELTA (the only reputable program out there) is improving, even in Korea.

[Derrek]

[Pyongshin Sangja]

I dunno about anything other than CELTA, though. Without some sort of international governing body, anyone can hand out TEFL certificates.

[schwa]

Folks looking into public school jobs though might note that a 100-hour course might be all they need to jump up a pay bracket. An extra 2 or 3 hundred thousand a month -- do the math.

[Derrek]

[Naruto]

It may not be REQUIRED, but since in Korea the more "feathers" you have the better the pay, placement, etc.

[Neil]

These courses are 4-6 weeks and there's a limit to the useful information you can learn in that time.

I did the CELTA not because I wanted to get more money but because I was coming over here with no teaching experience and I wanted to see if teaching was something I enjoyed before making a year long comitment.

It was worthwhile for me as a newbie to see what I was getting myself into but I really wouldn't recommend it to an experienced teacher. Indeed many of the experienced teachers on my course dropped out and wasted several hundred quid because they couldn't handle the critical evaluation of their classes.

[Derrek]

[Pyongshin Sangja]

I think the best thing I can tell you is that Korean unis are oooold school.

They like to see foreigners with degrees from famous universities. If you are on their list, they will eat out of your hand.

Korean uni admin. see TEFL blah, blah as just another unregulated hagwon if it ain't from a very short list of schools.

It won't hurt, but your energies might be better spent elsewhere.

Public school experience in Korea, smiling and bowing and some knowledge of the scientific language of the lovely people of this sainted peninsula should go a long way towards getting you into a Korean uni, if that's what you want.

[bosintang]

[Kimchieluver]

I agree. I bet there are tenfold certified teachers that do well in the CELTA course than certified teachers who flunk out. CELTA respected yes, the Holy Grail no.

[Neil]

Maybe "couldn't handle" were a poor choice of words. The point I should have made was in a situation where in some cases the students had more teaching experience than the instructors a little tension and disagreement over the critical evaluations is inevitable and I was actually agreeing with the point that the CELTA isn't the be all and end all of courses.

Too many people on this board are defensive and over sensitive over the slightest thing.

[Derrek]

[bosintang]