Korean Job Discussion Forums

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

Do nearly all foreign teachers receive basically the same contract in pulbic schools? Consider the following:
1. What is the starting salary at a Korean public school for a foreign English teacher with an M.Ed. and 3 years teaching experience?
2. What is the starting salary at a Korean public school for a foreign English teacher with an M.Ed. and 10 years teaching experience?
3. What is the starting salary at a Korean public school for a foreign English teacher with an M.Ed. and 15 years teaching experience?
4. What is the starting salary at a Korean public school for a foreign teacher with an M.Ed., 20 years teaching experience, and some knowledge of Korean?
5. What is the starting salary at a Korean public school for a foreign teacher with an M.Ed., 20 years teaching experience, and fluent in Korean?

Will they all have about the same starting salary? Will they all teach the same number of hours? Will they all have the same benefits and perks?
For example, consider GEPIK:
GEPIK Qualifications
Level One
A Teacher's Certificate for elementary or secondary school with at least two years of full-time teaching experience at accredited institutions .
An English education certificate as TESOL/TEFL comprised of a minimum of 100 course hours with at least two years of full-time teaching experience at accredited institutions.
A Master's degree with at least two years of full-time teaching experience at accredited institutions
http://www.gochang.es.kr/gepik/web/qual.php
Working Condition
salary:
2,300,000 won per month (Level 1),
2,000,000 won per month (Level 2),
1,800,000 won (Level 3)
http://www.gochang.es.kr/gepik/web/condition.php

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Just think, a foreign English teacher may be more qualified to teach English than a Korean English teacher. A foreign English teacher may have more experience teaching English. A foreign English teacher may have more professional degrees and credentials.

Who receives a higher salary? Who receives tenure until retirement age?

Teachers in Korea have guaranteed tenure until they reach the mandatory retirement age.*
What is tenure? Tenure: The status of holding one's position on a permanent basis without periodic contract renewals: a teacher granted tenure on a faculty.
Dictionary.com
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tenure
* Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers: Country Note: Korea by John Coolahan, Paulo Santiago, Rowena Phair and Akira Ninomiya. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development,
Directorate for Education, Education and Training Policy Division
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/26/49/31690991.pdf

Cheonmunka · Joined: 04 Jun 2004

However, in NZ any teacher seeking a public school position must first hold the post grad. teaching diploma taken from a NZ education college to be certified to teach NZ public school.
Taken reciprocally, all things being equal, we would also have to attend the college of ed. here to receive our Korean credentials in order to work within any Korean public school.

The Man known as The Man · Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 1:13 pm Post subject:

Real Reality is like John the Baptist before the beheading.

mack the knife · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: standing right behind you...

This is what I've been pointing out all along. Foreign teachers work just as hard (or harder) as their Korean counterparts, but we don't get those fat bonuses.

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

It's like as if the Korean government only wants FTs to stay a year or two and not be able to do much, isn't it?

As for the whole 'credentials' business, it's a bit of a farce. My brother-in-law has taught in Alberta for seven years and won teaching awards. To re-qualify in BC it looks like he may have to re-do his practicum. On the other hand, when I lived in Missouri it was possible for anyone with a BA to get a job in a desperate school district and obtain a teaching licence after two years of part-time study and on-the-job training. I would be qualified to teach at many private schools in the US or CECEP in Quebec. To enter a post-grad secondary school teaching certificate programme in BC I would first have to make up some under-graduate credits in certain subjects, despite having an MA and having done most of the course work for a PhD.

Lets look at what we bring to the table:

- We can speak English; most Korean teachers can't.
- We can properly edit teaching and test materials; most Korean teachers can't.
- We can prep students properly for things like speaking contests and interviews; most KTs can't.
- We can do listening excercises without the aid of A/V devices; KTs can't.
- Most westerners who have been teaching for a while have much more dynamic teaching methods than most Korean teachers - just stand outside some KTs classes if you wish to see this first-hand.
- Many FTs have TESL certificates of various kinds that very few KTs could obtain. The best English teacher at my school needed me to help him cheat his way through a high-intermediate on-line English course.
- Some of us also work extra hours and participate in many extra-curricular activities.

I think that the starting wages at public schools are generally fair for people with little or no experience (and they're actually higher than that for new, untenured KTs at my school). However, if Korea wants carreer FTs it will have to do better than provide newbie, interm wages.

Unreal · Joined: 01 Jul 2004 Location: Jeollabuk-do

I just checked our new schedule at my high school and worked this out

31 Korean teachers teach an average of 11.8 hours per week
6 Native speakers teach an average of 17.8 hours per week
Native speakers teach 50% more classes than Korean teachers at my school but make less money.

The two English native speakers do most of the same things that the Korean teachers do, while the other native speakers (Chinese, Japanese, Spanish) are assistants. Some Korean teachers have to begin teaching earlier and finish later than us but not all. Those who do are higher on the payscale and in line for promotions

Here's my list:

Korean Teachers:
testing
marking
journals
some teachers are designated to plan events
dealing with the administration
got their teaching license
damn fine housing provided for those the principal deems deserving
teach half day every second Saturday

Me:
testing (same)
marking (same)
journals (same)
no planning of school events
barely ever see the administration
don't have a BEd
air ticket every year
no housing provided...just 300,000 won per month and a "good luck finding your own place without any key money."
teach half day every second Saturday (same)

Frankly I don't see much difference at my school to justify the Korean teachers getting paid more than me. Also the ones that work more get more opportunities for promotion. There are few promotion opportunities for me even though I do extra work on weekends as well.

steroidmaximus · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Location: GangWon-Do

I_Am_Wrong · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Location: whatever

Many of the arugments placed in this thread have absolutely nothing to do with the post made by the OP.

The op's post is about one foreign teacher's contract vs. another foreign teacher's contract and the problems associated with it. The problem is a result of blanket contracts that are used by gepik, epic, smoe, gunpo etc.

The contracts do not take into account more experience than two years despite the fact that a teacher with 10 years experience should be making much more than a teacher with 2 years experience.

The contracts do not take into account the differing responsibilities of various schools. Teacher A has twelve years experience and a Canadian teacher's certificate. He/she teaches 20 hours a week, is responsible for some testing, responsible for speech contests, and must mark journals and homework. Teacher B has two years experience and a tesl certificate He/she two teaches 20 hours a week and has no responsibilities other than class. With the current contracts they will both make the same amount of money.

It's not only the non-differentiation of credentials but also the non-differentiation of schools. I'm sorry, but a foreign elementary school teacher in Korea does not work as hard as a foreign middle or high school teacher. However, the same contracts are used for elementary, middle, and high school!!! I have my own classroom to be maintained and cleaned. I prepare all of my own lessons and materials and cannot rely on a teacher's guide. My co-teachers answer to me when in my classroom as I'm the teacher and they're the assistant.

I taught in an Elementary school and have a lot of friends that still do. The average situation has the korean teacher planning the lessons and preparing the materials. The foreign teacher gets to read books, surf the net, drink mega coffee etc. while not in class. The foreign teacher has no responsibilities over a classroom or classroom discipline. It doesn't get much easier that an Elementary school gig and it's an absolute joke that they share the same contract as I.

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

I_Am_Wrong · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Location: whatever

laogaiguk · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Location: somewhere in Korea

rawiri · Joined: 01 Jun 2003 Location: Lovely day for a fire drill.

[quote="mack the knife"]This is what I've been pointing out all along. Foreign teachers work just as hard (or harder) as their Korean counterparts, but we don't get those fat bonuses.[/quote]

You are so full of crap mack. I and most teachers i know of in gepik work nowhere near the hours the korean teachers do. I have about 10 minutes of prep to do before each class and thats it. Give it up already.