Korean Job Discussion Forums

[luminousstar]

Just out of curiosity, are kyopos ever hired by public schools?

[Hater Depot]

I knew three last year.

[BigBlackEquus]

I know a recruiter that was trying to hire a gyopo for a PT middle school job. Pay was 30,000 won per hour.

The job is gone, though.

[Kimchieluver]

EPIK hires a lot of gyopos.

[SPINOZA]

I know three - 2 guys from the U.S and one girl from Australia...a ��, a �� and an �� respectively.

[spark05]

Me, although I don't work there anymore. I also have 3 gyopo friends who did/are.

[luminousstar]

I don't really want to go through the EPIK program.....Anyways...how are the working conditions of the EPIK program?

[Pandora]

I've got a question: Is it assumed that gyopos also speak Korean?

[luminousstar]

I would guess that about 80% speak Korean also..

[jvalmer]

Most would expect kyopos to at least understand alot of what they are saying and be familiar with the culture. Most wouldn't expect kyopos to be that fluent when speaking, strong at speaking Korean but not fluent.

[UncleAlex]

It appears the number of schools seeking Gyopos is increasing steadily.
I think many employers feel more comfortable with them because of their
racial and ethnic identity. And perhaps Gyopos tend to grieve less than
non-Korean native English teachers and stoically put up with all the abuse
and neglect on the employer's part. I'm unsure whether they alternate
between English amd Korean when speaking in the classroom, but for the
sake of the students, who need English immersion, I hope not. A bilingual
conversation class defeats the whole purpose of our being here. I have
spoken to Korean parents who prefer non-Korean English teachers for
their kids because they fear Gyopos will use Korean in the classroom. I
have witnessed inexperienced Gyopos engage in that harmful practise.
Unfortunately, in a public school where I had worked at, the Korean staff
preferred that Gyopos use Korean in the classroom to explain grammatical
points, which of course the students should recognize for themselves by
practising the language. Even non-Korean native English teachers must
put up with the Korean co-teacher's insistence that regular translation be
employed in an English conversation class - an approach which is a proven
failure but an ideal method of teaching English among Korean pedagogues.

[spark05]

Most of the gyopos that I know who worked at public schools were asked to pretend they don't speak Korean to the students. Personally, I was asked not to speak Korean and when the kids asked if I did, my co-teacher always said I could understand a little bit, but that was it. I'm fairly fluent, but pretty much illiterate (reading/writing). However, I did speak Korean with the teachers/staff about 75% of the time. The VP at that school said they wanted a gyopo because they thought it would be easier for the teacher to be a part of the school - and they did try to finagle the contract a bit. They wanted me to work more than 22 hrs/week (w/o overtime pay) in return for a generous vacation during breaks. But my experience laden friend was with me during the meeting and he told them no way so they rearranged the schedule so I would only work 22 hrs/wk.

[UncleAlex]

Well, I'm glad to hear that your co-teachers had preferred that you use
only English in the classroom. However, I am disappointed that they would
rather speak to you in Korean than in English. The teachers themselves
should take every opportunity they have to practise speaking in English.
Alas, among most of the ones I have worked with these past eight years,
English isn't personally interesting for them. It's simply a subject that they
can teach. And the way this second language is presented in the classroom
one would think they were teaching an applied science like chemistry.

[ameroak]

luminous,

Are you a Korean raised in another country by Koreans (gyopo) or are you an Overseas Adopted Korean (OAK-Korean raised by a foreign family, typically of Caucasian background)?

[Neil]

I knew a Korean American girl who had a good job at an elementary school, she was fluent in Korean but said it was in her contract she had to hide that from the students. Which would probably be easier said than done I reckon. Surely if kids were talking about you, your body language would give away that you understand them.