Korean Job Discussion Forums

[flicknut]

I'm writing a paper which compares the Korean teacher licensure process to the American system. For a Korean teacher to get a license to teach in a public school, I heard that s/he must pass a comprehensive national exam after graduating from university. I also heard that about 90% of them fail and never become public school teachers. Is this true? If so, could you point me to a source?

If this is not correct, how exactly does a Korean teacher get a license to teach in a public school? Thanks!

[Jake_Kim]

http://article.joins.com/article/article.asp?Total_ID=4168814 and related articles from Joong-Ang Ilbo linked at the bottom, all in Korean.

(I haven't got a clue regarding your proficiency in Korean, but you're the one doing research on a Korean system.)

The term for national recruitment exam is '임용고시', elementary school teachers are designated '초등교원' (as opposed to colloquial '초등학교 선생/교사'), middle- and high school teachers '중등교원'. As far as one is qualified for teaching, a license ('교원자격증') is issued. But to be able to get a teaching job in a PUBLIC school, one must pass the competitive national recruitment exam.

Competition ratio has been rising over the years, now up to around 20:1 if not exceeding. Accordingly the pass rate is then 5 percent, more or less.

[misher]

I have a few students that are Public school teachers. From what I've been told it is ridiculously competitive. It makes "competition" back home look like nothing.

A PS teaching position is highly coveted. GOod pay, pension and security. Not to mention Korean PS teachers generally don't have to play the role of "social worker" for kids from broken homes with one arm tied behind their backs.

Many Uni students know this and thus pursue education hence the ridiculous competition.

[jvalmer]

If a teacher doesn't pass the national exam there is always the private school option. I'm not talking about hagwons, but private schools, to the outsider they are basically the same as a public school. Private schools have a tendency to favor hiring former students, relatives of past/current staff members and a chunk of cash (at least in the past). If one does manage to get hired without some kind of connection they will have to get past the 3 years on a probationary contract, then they are as set as public school teachers.

Thing to note is that public schools do hire teacher that haven't past the national exam. But they are on a contract basis. I'm not sure if public school are allowed to hire them full time after those few years of probation.

[jvalmer]

[waynehead]

I have some co-workers taking the exam this year (next Saturday, I believe). They're contract workers at my school in Seoul. They're saying the odds are something like 40-1 this year, but this is Seoul.

Oh, and one of them showed me some sample test questions to ask my opinion. They're pretty much the opposite of easy.

[ssmith]

A couple of my Korean friends are taking the test and for one it is her fourth or fifth time. The test is extremely competitive. For example, in the Gyeonggi province thousands are competing for 38 positions. Even though you may be an expert in the English language one tiny mistake can be the deciding factor and make it look like you failed, but in truth got 95%.

[morrisonhotel]

My friend is studying English education just now. She said that they've just cut the number of places for new intakes in Seoul to 35.

[SinclairLondon]

Public elementary school jobs here are the Korean version of heaven with 70 virgins.

[Who's Your Daddy?]

The Korean system seems better in that it's difficult to get licensed but you'll get a job. In Canada too many people can get the license but there's no job.

[oldfatfarang]

[liveinkorea316]

The reason the exam is so competitive is because the exam is not a criterion referenced exam. It is ranked.

Think of the difference between the IELTS exam and the TOEFL. They seem similar but the method of marking them is very different.

In the IELTS exam you are marked pass or fail on each question and then your score is added up to get a total percentage which is translated into your bankd score of 1-9.

Seems logical right? But is not what happens on the TOEFL.

If you sit TOEFL your paper is marked then you are ranked from first to last along with all other test takers in that intake. Then you are assigned a level from 1 - 120 according to your rank. The number of people given each level is based on statistical analysis of prior exams.

The upshot is that if you catch a year with many other excellent students you are better off taking the IELTS because your mark will reflect your skills. But if the other test takers are poor then you are better of with TOEFL.

In practice however they are almost similar due to the vast numbers of people taking the TOEFL their test is pretty reliable.

Back to the Korean education tests now. They are run like the TOEFL not the IELTS. Your score is not important, it is your ranking. There are only so many positions available and the applicants far outnumber the positions. So when your test is marked you are ranked. The top couple of thousand people get in the rest fail. Simple. You may have a higher score and fail this year and get a lower score and get in next year.

It is a system which forces competition into overdrive. Most people don't like it but cannot conceive of a better system. The same argument goes for the 수능 and the 고시생 exams which are for university entrance and Government office employee hiring. Students are forced into relentless competition with eachother and the exams are almost exclusively multi-choice. Students hate these exams with a vengeance. But if you ask hem to suggest a better alternative they cannot. This is because any alternative presents the opportunity for corruption, cronyism, nepotism and favouritism. In Korea they have the words 혈연, 학연 and 지연 to express the over-favouritism shown by people towards their family, school alumni and hometown in public and corporate situations. People are more afraid of 혈연, 학연 and 지연 than they are of rank-ing forced exams because at least the ranking forced exam is fair and transparent. Even if it is brutal.