Korean Job Discussion Forums

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

Ministry wants legislation to set bonus payments
New draft legislation was announced by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development yesterday. It wants to introduce a teacher evaluation system, a plan that has met opposition from the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union.... Until last year, teachers received bonuses without regard to merit, but only on the basis of their job title. The ministry has tried to change that, but met union resistance. The ministry ordered 16 local education offices not to accept bonus money that some members of the teachers' union have been returning in a bid to sabotage the system. So far, about 6,000 members of the union have returned cash totaling 64.2 billion won ($66.8 million).
by Yang Young-yu, JoongAng Daily (September 4, 2006)
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200609/03/200609032322576509900090409041.html
64,200,000,000 won / 6000 members = 10,700,000 won per member bonus
or
$66,800,000 / 6000 members = $11,300 per member bonus

Rteacher · Joined: 23 May 2005 Location: Western MA, USA

Teachers Unions in the U.S. also heavily resist any kind of effective evaluating system that would reward teachers for merit and get rid of some of the bad teachers... According to the 20/20 report by John Stossel, entitled "Stupid in America", teachers unions are largely to blame for retarding the progress of public education by resisting charter schools and protecting unqualified teachers. I saw part of the show - which was broadcast last Sunday evening on AFN Korea, and it struck me how similar in mood (minus the war paint...) the demonstrating teachers in the U.S. were to union demonstrators in Korea...
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Stossel/story?id=1500338

JeJuJitsu · Joined: 11 Sep 2005 Location: McDonald's

huffdaddy · Joined: 25 Nov 2005

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

Teachers Try to Give Back Cash
Members of the teachers' union yesterday tried to return their bonuses to protest a planned teacher assessment system, but education authorities refused to accept them.

The union said they have collected 75.8 billion won ($78.9 million) from more than 80,000 teachers and educational workers since June.

To improve teaching quality, the government is paying 10 percent of teachers' bonuses in three grades according to their assessed productivity. In practice, however, all teachers were given full bonuses.
By Kim Rahn, Korea Times (September 14, 2006)
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200609/kt2006091418023210510.htm

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

When school boards stop arguing about teaching evolution or Intelligent Design (or any other silly notion) in the schools, then I'll start listening to criticisms of unions.

One year our school board was convinced by a John Bircher to send back the increase in school funding from the state as a 'political statement about taxation'. The result: no cost of living increase for the teachers. AND every year after that, the teachers would be one year behind all the other teachers in the state because funding is based on the previous year.

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

huffdaddy · Joined: 25 Nov 2005

ajgeddes · Joined: 28 Apr 2004 Location: Yongsan

The problem with teacher evaluation is how it's done. By all logic, the only people that can really evaluate a teacher's classroom ability are the students. Would you put your chance at $10,000 into the hands of students?

prince of hockey · Joined: 03 May 2006 Location: busan, south korea

It seems that some English co-teachers here are going through the same as the Korean teacher. The "winners" of this contest will be paid 100,000
won more per month next year, if they continue teaching in South Korea, and the loser with the lowest score has to redo a TESOL course of 60 hours at his or her own expense.

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

red dog · Joined: 31 Oct 2004

hellofaniceguy · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: On your computer screen!

I would seriously doubt anyone returning 10 grand! Even 1 grand!
I'd bet that if some did return it...they would find a way without losing face to get it again!
You know koreans.....it's a game with them...no no no..I don't want it.....no no no....but hey..."force" it on them and they'll take it.

huffdaddy · Joined: 25 Nov 2005

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

I agree. University professors are evaluated, too. Constantly. They receive student evaluations every semester comparing their performace and ability to other professors in their department and all professors university wide. They also write peer edited journal articles, which reinforce the need to stay on top of the latest theory and methodology.

Rather than student reviews, however, I believe that primary and secondary ed. teachers should be required to attend professional development workshops. Students are too immature to provide necessary feedback, parents are too emotionally involved, and review from outside sources is cost prohibitive. These teachers are teaching the same thing year in, year out. They know their material. What they should demonstrate, however, is participation in professional development that helps them keep pace with how students learn.