|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
charlieDD
Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: Seoul, Korea
|
 Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2007 6:21 pm Post subject: "Unemployable" ESL teachers blah blah DEBUNKED |
 |
|
You hear it all the time on this forum and there in Korea, ESL teachers being referred to as unemployables, people who cant' get a job back home so they come to . . and stay . . in Korea to teach because they can't go back home and get a job.
Well, I've just returned the U.S.. I am with a university program, teaching in the ELI and the GESP ( Graduate English Studies Program ).
And, among the 22 teachers who make up the ELI and GESP, nine ( 9 ) of them have taught in Korea at some point in their careers.
I believe the vast majority of teachers who come to teach in Korea, it is simply for the experience ( and, unfortunately, too often it ends up being a bad one ).
With that said, all of the 9 teachers in my program who have taught in Korea, including myself, have taught in other countries as well: Japan, Taiwan, China, Middle East, Africa, Europe and South America.
Last edited by charlieDD on Sat Dec 29, 2007 7:21 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Atavistic
Joined: 22 May 2006
Location: How totally stupid that Korean doesn't show in this area.
|
| Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2007 6:31 pm Post subject: Re: "Unemployable" ESL teachers blah blah DEBUNKED |
|
|
| charlieDD wrote: |
And, among the 22 teachers who make up the ELI and GESP, nine ( 9 ) of them have taught in Korea at some point in their careers. |
Helllllooooo. Don't you know?
They WERE unemployable BEFORE Korea.
But the power of Mr Kimchi, with a touch of help from Friend Soju, made them employable.
Korea, Sparkling! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Milwaukiedave
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Location: Goseong
|
| Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2007 7:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Yeah..sounds like something coming out of Steve McGarrett's mouth. The same guy who has lived in Asia for over 10 years. Sounds like irony to me. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MissSeoul
Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Location: Somewhere in America
|
| Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2007 8:58 pm Post subject: Re: "Unemployable" ESL teachers blah blah DEBUNKED |
|
|
| Atavistic wrote: |
| charlieDD wrote: |
And, among the 22 teachers who make up the ELI and GESP, nine ( 9 ) of them have taught in Korea at some point in their careers. |
Helllllooooo. Don't you know?
They WERE unemployable BEFORE Korea.
But the power of Mr Kimchi, with a touch of help from Friend Soju, made them employable.
|
Yes, lets call that kimchi power  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Milwaukiedave
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Location: Goseong
|
| Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2007 9:01 pm Post subject: Re: "Unemployable" ESL teachers blah blah DEBUNKED |
|
|
| MissSeoul wrote: |
| Atavistic wrote: |
| charlieDD wrote: |
And, among the 22 teachers who make up the ELI and GESP, nine ( 9 ) of them have taught in Korea at some point in their careers. |
Helllllooooo. Don't you know?
They WERE unemployable BEFORE Korea.
But the power of Mr Kimchi, with a touch of help from Friend Soju, made them employable.
|
Yes, lets call that kimchi power |
I knew something was stinky....it has to be the kimchi. LOL |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PGF
Joined: 27 Nov 2006
|
| Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2007 9:11 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I'd have to say that a large majority of foreigners in Korea could not find a position back home that pays what they are getting here. This is from the mouths of several Canadians, Irish and Brits living in my area.
Unfortunately, a 3 year degree from XYZ U in Canadia does not go far in Canadia.
Sucks, but there is some truth to it according to the teachers I talk to. "Why are you here?", is usually answered with, "money" or "there are no jobs back home".
If you are employable back home, like I am, just ignore the comments.
Me, I burnt out after 10 years in a good job, took too many Asian studies classes in uni and wanted to try something different while exploring a new culture and was pushed by a former professor to teach in an asian country.
Most of the FTs I've met here are good people. A lot of them are really young. For most, this is their first job. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
|
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 1:48 am Post subject: |
|
|
| PGF wrote: |
I'd have to say that a large majority of foreigners in Korea could not find a position back home that pays what they are getting here. This is from the mouths of several Canadians, Irish and Brits living in my area.
Unfortunately, a 3 year degree from XYZ U in Canadia does not go far in Canadia. |
Right. It's called an entry level job. Yeah. The pay sucks. It sucks starting at the bottom as a media buyer at an ad agency or as a stringer for the CBC or doing tech support. But unless you're a total d ick, you get promotions. You get new job offers, you acquire skills and command a higher salary and gain status and perks. There's not much promotion going on in the hagwon industry.
Yeah, when I started fresh out of university in 1991 I was making 21K a year and working like a dog. In 2000 I was making 60K and had a corner office with a mountain view. Oh well. I think it's great you can graduate, come to Korea, pay off your student loans, and then go back to Canada debt free and start in an entry level job without having to shell out $300 a month for your student loan. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
shaunew
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Location: Calgary
|
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 1:52 am Post subject: |
|
|
Why do you always spell Canada like this? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PGF
Joined: 27 Nov 2006
|
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 2:10 am Post subject: |
|
|
| shaunew wrote: |
Why do you always spell Canadia like this? |
Typo? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
PGF
Joined: 27 Nov 2006
|
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 2:23 am Post subject: |
|
|
| mindmetoo wrote: |
| PGF wrote: |
I'd have to say that a large majority of foreigners in Korea could not find a position back home that pays what they are getting here. This is from the mouths of several Canadians, Irish and Brits living in my area.
Unfortunately, a 3 year degree from XYZ U in Canadia does not go far in Canadia. |
Right. It's called an entry level job. Yeah. The pay sucks. It sucks starting at the bottom as a media buyer at an ad agency or as a stringer for the CBC or doing tech support. But unless you're a total d ick, you get promotions. You get new job offers, you acquire skills and command a higher salary and gain status and perks. There's not much promotion going on in the hagwon industry.
Yeah, when I started fresh out of university in 1991 I was making 21K a year and working like a dog. In 2000 I was making 60K and had a corner office with a mountain view. Oh well. I think it's great you can graduate, come to Korea, pay off your student loans, and then go back to Canada debt free and start in an entry level job without having to shell out $300 a month for your student loan. |
In part. But from what these guys are telling me, there are no jobs available in Nova Scotia, Canadia or Toronto, Canadia. And living in the England is cost prohibitive. And, the Ireland just doesn't have a lot of jobs (from what the leprechauns tell me).
This is from the FTs in my area, not me. I don't know shjit about the job situation in other countries. I do know that a college grad in the states could easily get an entry level job in the states and work their way to a decent salary.
The last guy I worked with is 25 and from Manchester. His resume contains 3 years of restaurant work and one year teaching in Korea. My experience tells me this guy will never have a decent job in his home country. Paying off student loans? The brits and canadia people barely have to pay for their education...... It costs next to nothing to get a BA from the UK or canadia.
IMO |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tzechuk
Joined: 20 Dec 2004
|
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 2:27 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I was offered a job by Goldman Sachs before coming here, when I was straight out of a master's degree. I came here because of my husband, not because I couldn't get a job back home. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SCE2AUX
Joined: 15 Dec 2007
Location: Daegu
|
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 3:11 am Post subject: |
|
|
| shaunew wrote: |
Why do you always spell Canada like this? |
Because "Canadia" is the proper spelling of the home country of people who call themselves "Canadians." People from CANADA are properly called "Canadans," just as people from my home state should be called "Floridans."
Silly, isn't it? I'll call them Canadians and their nation Canada as long as they don't refer to my countrymen as "USAians" or "AmeriKKKans" etc. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
safeblad
Joined: 17 Jul 2006
|
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 3:35 am Post subject: |
|
|
| PGF wrote: |
I'd have to say that a large majority of foreigners in Korea could not find a position back home that pays what they are getting here. This is from the mouths of several Canadians, Irish and Brits living in my area.
|
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
tzechuk
Joined: 20 Dec 2004
|
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 3:38 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Are entry level jobs in the UK now less than 1200 quid? I'd be surprised if it were. 7 years ago I was offered �2,000 a month, plus living-in-London expenses. MOST people I know from the UK tell me they come here and in effect take a pay cut but they come for the experience they cannot get back home, which is very true. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
caniff
Joined: 03 Feb 2004
Location: All over the map
|
| Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 3:52 am Post subject: |
|
|
| SCE2AUX wrote: |
| shaunew wrote: |
Why do you always spell Canada like this? |
Because "Canadia" is the proper spelling of the home country of people who call themselves "Canadians." People from CANADA are properly called "Canadans," just as people from my home state should be called "Floridans."
Silly, isn't it? I'll call them Canadians and their nation Canada as long as they don't refer to my countrymen as "USAians" or "AmeriKKKans" etc. |
It's 'Floridians' dude. Holy jumpin' Jesus, are there a bunch of chimps here or what?
I lived near Orlando, FLA for a year. I don't recommend it.
Pretty freaking sad when I have to school somebody as to what there OWN state's people refers to themselves as.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
