Korean Job Discussion Forums

T-J · Joined: 10 Oct 2008 Location: Seoul EunpyungGu Yeonsinnae

How do you feel about the 23 year old basket weaving major who recently posted here on Dave's about how to avoid the drug tests and how to get around the criminal background checks, teaching your child?

I'm not saying there are not great people out there doing a great job, I'm not even trying to imply that these people are more than a minority in the teaching community here in Korea. However, we have all seen the posts from time to time.

So my question goes out, are the standards tough enough?

Countrygirl · Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Location: in the classroom

If you make the standards any tougher you'll just have more illegal teachers.

It's the people who are doing the hiring that should change their standards.

But what does trying to bypassing immigration requirements have to do with having kids in public school?

T-J · Joined: 10 Oct 2008 Location: Seoul EunpyungGu Yeonsinnae

Ruraljuror · Joined: 08 Dec 2007

Haha I've thought about this too T-J...I plan to meet and talk to my kid's English teacher...I don't think it's necessary to make any kind of veiled threats, I imagine just knowing he's going to have a fellow foreigner as a parent keeping an eye on him should be enough to keep him on the straight and narrow. I think that would scare anyone fresh off the plane...it certainly would have freaked me out.

But ultimately, it don't think it matters much. Your kid doesn't really have any need for an English class (I'm assuming he must be fairly fluent for his age if he has an English speaking father) and spending an hour a week with a great teacher wouldn't make him much better and spending an hour a week with a bad teacher wouldn't make him worse. Unless you are concerned for his safety in a poorly managed classroom...and if that's the case, you a) overly concerned and b) have an extremely poor regard for native speaking teachers.

As for making the standards tougher...I'm not sure what else they could do short of requiring certification. And since I do not now nor have I ever held teacher certification, I would be greatly opposed to this. I suspect that the diploma and background checks catch alot of the bad apples. When you meet your kid's teacher you are probably going to realize that he or she is a nice person, totally overwhelmed, but learning on the job every day and trying to do the best they can.

I wouldn't stress about it too much.

CentralCali · Joined: 17 May 2007

If I ever have children, there's absolutely no way I'd subject them to the Korean public school system. And it's not because of the caliber of the foreign teachers, either!

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

Countrygirl · Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Location: in the classroom

Chamchiman · Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Location: Digging the Grave

Countrygirl · Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Location: in the classroom

SHANE02 · Joined: 04 Jun 2003

I think it's a bad idea to put my daughter in a Korean public school. I would never put her into a school before I met all her teachers and observed them teach.

T-J · Joined: 10 Oct 2008 Location: Seoul EunpyungGu Yeonsinnae

Countrygirl · Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Location: in the classroom

polonius · Joined: 05 Jun 2004

One thing I have accepted because of working as a manager at a large academy, (boy could I tell you some mind boggling stories that would make you cringe) I will certainly be going to every Parent/Teacher meeting. As I plan on living in a small city in Canada and being a French teacher, I will have certain ties to the Board of Education in that city. While I have more faith in the Canadian Boards of Education to filter out bad seeds, I certainly had my fill of poor teachers throughout my schooling. Were it not for my mother, who was a principal in the Board, some of those teachers would have continued working and damaging young children.

I can't blame some of the parents here in Korea for demanding a little more. However, they are partly to blame, in that the boom of the English industry forced the hiring of many unqualified people.

Ukon · Joined: 29 Jan 2008

My co-teacher yanked her daughter from a hagwon that had a strict, uptight B**** for an foreigner hagwon teacher....from what she told me.

Goku · Joined: 10 Dec 2008

lol I'd inspect my foreign teacher from head to toe to make sure he wasn't a pot head before allowing my child to go to that school.

Quite frankly. Most of the posters on Daves scare me. AND I think I scare some of the posters with my extremely harsh and draconian standards I use with the kids.

I always put myself in the shoes of parents.
Asking questions like:
Would I want this guy teaching my kid?

70% I'd say no to an FT (and 90% I'd say yes to the Korean teacher). Most of the K-teachers I've seen are pretty normal and resemble teachers back at home. Middle age women with children that lecture for 20 minutes, and then everyone fills out worksheets. But then most of the FT teachers I meet are like "whoa". It's not because they are men who are middle 20's ... or maybe it is?

I don't want someone who has no teaching experience, degree, or even plan for a lifelong commitement to teaching.

Just some dude with a college degree teaching my kids. Unless he plans to become and stay a teacher and this just isn't some short term commitment for money then I'll think otherwise.