Korean Job Discussion Forums

[daddy daycare]

Heard a rumor that the Korean government will from 2012 no longer put foreign teachers are government schools? So no more EPIK AND GEPIK ETC...

A waste of time, as the kids dont learn, due to the large numbers in the classes....

Any truth behind this?

[Epik_Teacher]

I keep hearing the same thing, have posted it and been attacked as a result. Given how expensive these programs are, their limited results (as far as I can see) and coming worldwide economic crash, I can see it happening. Korea is very dependent on exports, if that dries up, it will be worse than the crash of 1997. Hakwans will close, social spending for EPIK type programs will be slashed to the bone, etc...

[TheUrbanMyth]

As I have said before...these rumors crop up every year without exception. This is the fifth or sixth claimed shutdown. Not likely to happen (there may be a pull-back or pare down but that's all).

And in the extremely unlikely event that this does come to pass in 2012...well there's always hakwons or China or other countries including your own.

[oldfatfarang]

Not surprising. We were told EPIK would close in 2010. Well EPIK is still hiring - and still sending untrained / unqualified GET's into the trenches - with predictable results.

Sadly, no amount of tinkering with GET's wages/conditions/allowances etc can make these govt. programs give good value for money. As has been stated for years on this site: large classes, inexperienced/unqualified GET's, indifferent students/schools, co-teacher problems, unrealistic parental/student/school expectations, lack of suitable resources, cultural conflicts in educational philosophies, xenophobia etc etc, will eventually see this turkey falling from the sky.

There are merits of having a western face in a Korean public school classroom (much needed exposure to non-Koreans/culture, showing the world that Korea is serious about globalisation/ identifying with their allies/markets etc). However, playing Sesame Street Englishee with a revolving door of inexperienced GET's isn't really helping. Everyone knows it, and the money has to run out sometime.

This might seem a very cynical view of govt. English programs in Korea. However, I've taught in 5 schools here and only 2 of my 15 co-teachers would not have been able to teach a conversation class in English. Surely, our salaries would be better spent on training young English speaking Korean teachers. Incidentally, 2 of my K co-teachers had masters in TESL.

Bottom line. 'Double Manning' isn't feasible when the money runs out.

Good luck.

[winterfall]

[jvalmer]

The good ole' day were they had an average of 1 NET per town.

[Epik_Teacher]

The difference is that the economy worldwide is teetering on the abyss of crash. There is no part of the planet that will not be affected by it. Korea's crash in 1997 was bad, but they could at least export to the USA. Now, everyone is trying to export their way out of their problems, but if everyone is broke, who can you export to?

Korea WILL be affected worse than 1997, and social/education spending will be cut to the bone! And it will roll downhill to EPIK teachers.

[randall020105]

would be interesting to know where you heard this..?!? post links..!

also...OP, you didn't perhaps hear this from that boy from Mars now did you?

if so, then you'd be better off doing some lesson planning for Winter Camps or desk-warming.... that'll be more productive than concentrating on this story...

[TheUrbanMyth]

[jvalmer]

^ Seems like these crashes come around every 10-13 years. So the next one should occur around 2020.

[JBomb]

I could see the government not nuking it entirely. They are still wary of hagwons, who would clearly gain an upperhand if EPIk did ultimately collapse in terms of its ability to market itself as more international as well as being suddenly handed a huge batch of possible new recruits they could then hire on the cheap. What I do see happening is EPIK being bailed out by some sort of corporate sponsorship program. Kinda similar to what seems to have happened with Japan now that JET is history.

[earthquakez]

Sorry to offend some people but it's clear the whole system of English teaching needs an overhaul in Korea.

Experienced foreign teachers in the public schools are in many cases under-utilised and under-appreciated, inexperienced teachers, no matter how good their intentions, are simply contributing to the way we are perceived as doing this for a gap year etc.

There are Korean staff who actively block attempts from good NETS to really teach. They also provided little to no guidance on how to navigate the school system to those NETS with little or no experience of work outside their own country. I say bring on the closing down of the various public school programs. Let them have their robots, what a farce.

Hagwons are in many cases the uglier side of English teaching. Seeing all the 'No experience necessary!' ads from recruiters as if that is something to be proud of summarises just why conditions can be cut with impunity. The how low can you go attitude and the eagerness of floods of newcomers mainly from North America to scramble for appalling jobs is frankly the worst thing to happen to English teaching in Korea. Ever.

Even when NETS were being exploited in the mid and late 90s in Korea, most of them were earning around 2 - 2.4 million won per month. Think of that, it's a bit frightening isn't it that so many newcomers think nothing of earning 2 million won or a bit more for horrible hours and 'benefits' more than 10 years later. Sorry but I'd rather there were closed programs and closed hagwons so those of us who have spent a fair time doing this as our career will stop being affected by all this.

[TheUrbanMyth]

[jvalmer]

[TheUrbanMyth]