Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Troll_Bait]

So, why can't Korea attract qualified English teachers? I guess one factor might be the salaries they offer. The difference in pay between a English teacher with qualifications and one who is totally without any is not that large:

http://etis.sen.go.kr/content/2-eligibility.html

Other ideas?

[Pooty]

I was in Japan with the wife last week for a trip to the hot spring Ryokan. I saw so many foreigners there, and they looked decent too...I think most people go to Japan to work. Maybe it's the culture, dunno.

[Unposter]

Korea can and does employ a large number of highly (surprisingly highly) qualified teachers.

The problem is the demand for teachers is so high here that there is a lot of, well, people you would put on the freakiest weiguk list as well.

I think part of this also has to do with the fact that Koreans, especially older Koreans, are not that aware of Western culture, have a one-size fits all mentality and are more interested in making some won than delivering a good product. I think there are also bali-bali (quickly-quickly) errors in judgement as well.

Of course, I have met a number of people who taught in Japan with a BA in anything as well. This is not a Korea only phenomen.

I also think that education alone is an insufficient criteria for establishing what is a "qualified teacher" but that will have to wait for another post.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[Troll_Bait]

[Troll_Bait]

[I_Am_The_Kiwi]

You pay peanuts you get monkeys....simple as that

[dharma bum]

because no matter how qualified you are, most koreans won't respect you as a teacher or a person - and will think you just came here because you're a loser and can't get a job elsewhere. sure, it was the perceived lack of qualified teachers in korea that probably led to this attitude to begin with, but now it's acting to make the situation worse. after all, it can be quite hard for someone who has worked hard to excel in their field to accept being seen as a never-do-well by his/her colleagues and the community around him/her - and i'm guessing this is something that leads many people to ask themselves whether they might not be able to put their credentials to better use in a country that appreciates them as real teachers and gives them the freedom they need to take advantage of their experience and/or education.

[peppermint]

Most of the people I knew who were certified teachers in western countries were completely frustrated and disillusioned by Korea' s education system. They were the ones who were most upset by the extreme "teach to the test" approach, and the corporal punishment approach to discipline that is prevalent in Korea.

[bassexpander]

1. Higher pay is an obvious answer.

Wages haven't improved in maybe 8 years, while costs have gone way up. The subway is nearly twice what it was when I first arrived.


2. The Korean Teachers Union

They simply don't want competition. They want to have their cake and eat it too. They want to call us unqualified, yet hamstring the government so that it couldn't pay what's necessary to bring in qualified teachers if they wanted to.

3. Korean culture

Put some young waygook kid with Western teaching experience in a classroom, and pretty soon there will be a conflict between what they've been taught and "the Korean way." Korean culture doesn't allow much compromise in such a situation

4. Neanderthal educational officers

Dumb-as-a-post individuals in charge of running the show can't figure out that experienced people are more valuable than inexperienced people. They are even dumb enough to trumpet this to the newspapers. Gawd, the stupidity is frightening.

[Oreovictim]

Here's my take:

First, Koreans relies on appearance too much. I've met some not-so-attractive teachers who are amazing. Then I've met some good-looking foreigners who just don't have the, uh, teaching gene. Sure, he or she has a marketable face that will look good for the school, but is that it?

Second, some of the smart foreigners know not to work too hard. I've heard other people say this and I agree: "The harder you work, the more likely your boss will treat you like crap."

Third, it's too easy to blame the foreigners. If little Park or little Kim is going to +5 hagwons every night, don't get mad at me if your child isn't doing well in English. But who am I to tell the parent, though? Maybe they need all those hakwons to prepare for those dreadful exams later on.

[esetters21]

[Paji eh Wong]

People who complain about low salaries in Korea need to look around at other countries. There are few other countries where you can actually save a substantial amount of money teaching English. Most places, you just get by. Korea's salaries are out of step with the rest of the world, in a good way.

We get paid a premium because Korea is an unpleasant place to work. Korean managers and administrators are garbage. Koreans have little interest in quality of life. Korea suffers from corruption and a general lack of respect for rule of law. I read somewhere that relations between labour and management in Korea are the worst in the OECD. Ask any Korean and they will complain about the same things.

I do think it is a nice place to live, however.

[eamo]

Korean employers don't really agree with the phrase, 'A happy worker is a good worker'.

They kind of see it the other way. If you're constantly tired and miserable, then you're working hard.

[joshuahirtle27]