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Whistleblower
Joined: 03 Feb 2007
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 Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 11:47 pm Post subject: One-Stop Service for Foreign Teachers Proposed |
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So everyone is starting to crawl out of the woodwork by trying to offer more for foreigners in Korea that teach English. Nice to see that this article also highlights the arduous application process to get an E2 Visa. So do we need a one stop service to cater our needs? Will it really help foreigners? What is the difference between this and ATEK? Just a case of pot, kettle, black?
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One-Stop Service for Foreign Teachers Proposed
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
Top educators Thursday proposed that the government open a centralized office to provide a one-stop service for foreign English teachers.
The suggestion was made by top educators in 15 cities and provinces in a meeting with Education Minister Kim Do-yeon in Gangwon Province, Thursday.
So far, each school and city or provincial education office has to, by itself, check backgrounds of foreign English teachers and verify their degrees as well as settle all problems with foreign nationals. However, Most provincial education offices, except for those in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province lack resources and manpower to handle affairs linked to recruitment, visa issuance and other welfare issues for native English teachers, they said.
Both education offices and foreign teachers have yet to establish communication networks. A network linking both local and foreign teachers is yet to be institutionalized.
As foreign teachers have been recruited through multiple channels, it was hard to get unified information and data about them.
Currently, the National Institute for International Education Development (NIIED) is undertaking such tasks as a body under the Education Ministry. The NIIED has English Programs in Korea or EPIK under its wing and EPIK has managed a system that deals with foreign teachers at elementary and secondary schools since last year.
The educators in the cities and provinces are asking the government to ``expand the functions of the EPIK'' for more efficient management of affairs involving foreign teachers.
However, EPIK has been unable to cover all native-English speaking teachers due to a shortage of manpower and budget. More than 4,000 foreign nationals teach English at public schools and education authorities plan to increase the number of teachers.
``I agree that governance of foreign teachers is almost nonexistent now, and that the government has good reasons to provide a centralized service for foreign workers,'' said Tony Hellmann, spokesperson for the Association for Teachers of English in Korea (ATEK).
``I think that an association of volunteers like ATEK could work with the government to provide them valuable information and consultation that they could use to make well-informed decisions,'' he added.
Also, the 16 educators proposed that the education minister ease rules on English teaching visa or E-2 visa so that anyone who is able to teach English can apply for the teaching positions. They also made the same suggestion to President Lee Myung-bak, last January.
Currently an English teaching visa is issued only to citizens from the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa. However, the head of the Korea Immigration Service said in an interview with The Korea Times, last January that he has decided to change the rules in agreements with other involved ministries including the Education Minister and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry announced that it will invite ethnic Koreans overseas or foreigners majoring in Korean studies to be provided as native English speakers volunteering part-time teachers at schools. ``It would be also good opportunities for ethnic Koreans and foreigners who are interested in Korea to visit here. We will give priorities to schools in rural areas to have those teachers,'' said Oh Seok-hwan, the ministry official. |
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Suwoner10
Joined: 10 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 11:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Both education offices and foreign teachers have yet to establish communication networks. A network linking both local and foreign teachers is yet to be institutionalized. |
Seems to me as if the Koreans got the idea to establish communications from ATEK or whatever it's called, and are stealing their ideas in a way. Not that that's a bad thing.
Soooo much bytching about Korea from us could be eliminated if they would have a single place we could go and "get set up"--visas, hopefully phone, banking, etc.,
So the Koreans want credit for these ideas, fine, as long as they get implemented... |
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moosehead
Joined: 05 May 2007
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| Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:03 am Post subject: |
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| Suwoner10 wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Both education offices and foreign teachers have yet to establish communication networks. A network linking both local and foreign teachers is yet to be institutionalized. |
Seems to me as if the Koreans got the idea to establish communications from ATEK or whatever it's called, and are stealing their ideas in a way. Not that that's a bad thing.
Soooo much bytching about Korea from us could be eliminated if they would have a single place we could go and "get set up"--visas, hopefully phone, banking, etc.,
So the Koreans want credit for these ideas, fine, as long as they get implemented... |
right, uh huh, Ks are going to look out for the FT's interest 
where've you been??
perhaps this is WHY someone wants to form a FT's org? so Foreigners can look out for Foreigners? or at least intercede once in a while?? |
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IlIlNine
Joined: 15 Jun 2005
Location: Gunpo, Gyonggi, SoKo
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| Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 4:21 pm Post subject: |
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They already have this in Songtan and her name is Sally!  |
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