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Julius
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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 Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 8:38 am Post subject: Wanted: native english speaker |
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Wanted: native English speaker
Korea Times, March 18th
By Lee Hyon-chol
My students have occasionally attended some unusual English classes.
A guy from England helped the class last year. His English is fluent with the refined accent of England, authentic English. The municipal assembly has provided the students a native speaker teacher of English since 2002.
Because of a tight budget, however, one native teacher is responsible for two schools. That means half the weekdays were available for teaching in the two schools.
On Mondays and Tuesdays, he went to another middle school and on Thursdays and Fridays to my school. He got paid more than $2,000 plus accommodation and extra money for his extracurricular activities. Some Koreans invited him to free lunches out of the curiosity that speaking with native English speakers would upgrade their status.
This year the students were unable to listen to the authentic English until a guy from England arrived in late May. He was somewhere in India when he found himself without any money at all. He heard from a traveler there about a story of how easily a native speaker of English could earn a fortune in Korea. That is how he decided to visit Korea to teach English or to make money.
He had a beard when he arrived. Being asked why he had a beard, he answered he would not like to seem too young. He said he was just 26 years old. He did not have much experience in teaching. Curiosity made the students concentrate on his classes for a while.
Many trials and errors took place in the class. This makes his classes a fuss. Strangely enough, I later found that he was reluctant to write on the blackboard. I did not know why. His reluctance was attributable to his bad spelling and grammar on the blackboard several times, which he quickly erased.
Late in December, he left Korea for India to retrieve the motorbike. He asked his friend to keep it until he returned. He said he will continue his travels around Southeast Asia and Australia that he could not finish when he first started.
Now he could afford to resume the trip with the money he earned and saved in Korea. He left a few weeks ago for India. I think he is somewhere near Indonesia or Australia. He left an impression of how easy it is to get a job in Korea only if from England, America or Canada, and countries where they speak English as a native language.
I think we cannot be too careful to seek and invite native speakers of English. Sometimes unqualified native English speakers teach in Korean schools. My suggestion is they take a test to distinguish whether or not they can write the correct sentences and spellings.
If he finds himself again someday without any money during his travels, please do not visit this country again before he can correctly write sentences and spell in his own language.
He needed to learn basic English grammar. He should know that the right spelling and grammar are two common areas through which learners can access English.
The writer is teaching in Changwon, South Geyongsang Province. Contact him at [email protected].
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2012/03/137_107175.html |
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Julius
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 8:47 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Sometimes unqualified native English speakers teach in Korean schools. |
You don't say.
Particularly when Koreans hire based on appearance- and actively discriminate against people with qualifications. 
| Quote: |
| My suggestion is they take a test to distinguish whether or not they can write the correct sentences and spellings. |
My suggestion is that you take responsibility for the E2 requirements of your own country.
If you want better qualified and experienced teachers, raise your hiring standards, pay more, and provide a professional working environment. |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 9:13 am Post subject: |
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Unfortunately there are no paper requirements that assure quality. Belief in such simple solutions is actually one of the problems in finding qualified personnel for any position and why socialism is often supported and always fails. Many would-be teachers with teaching degrees and English credentials are the worst teachers. The hard reality is that each teacher has to be evaluated, hired and fired individually. There are no group decisions - discrimination based on membership in a group - that will yield optimum outcomes.
In order to secure the best possible teacher for each position requires keeping the pool of available applicants and replacements as large as possible for the initial hiring process by not setting limits and by eliminating limits that already exist and reduce the pool for silly reasons (old DUI convictions on a CBC for example) and means that we should make it easier to dismiss those teachers who prove unqualified and incompetent as teachers or worse, those unable to perform as employees or unfit as human beings to work in any employment setting despite their credentials. |
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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| Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:51 am Post subject: |
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| Koreans do not really care about qualifications until it is time for propaganda. They hire with extreme discrimination. Such is life in a place with limited "human rights." |
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plchron
Joined: 26 Feb 2011
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 12:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Does this guy realize that he made a bunch of grammatical mistakes in is article. Too bad s/he didn't have a better teacher.... |
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Skipperoo
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
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| Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 1:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Hold the phone, TEFL attracts scruffy backpackers?! |
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sirius black
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 2:10 pm Post subject: |
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| sojusucks wrote: |
| Koreans do not really care about qualifications until it is time for propaganda. They hire with extreme discrimination. Such is life in a place with limited "human rights." |
+10 points to Gryffindor.
Author is blaming the wrong guy. Assuming the guy's resume said he was hanging about in India backpacking, etc. and not working what do you expect?
Also, Korea's habit of choosing teachers based solely on a picture. Not to mention limiting the teaching pool to just seven countries (what about the Caribbean, Bermuda, etc. for a start). First, there are more than 7 countries who speak english. Second there are tons of other teachers who have great english speaking and teaching skills from places such as the Philipines as well as Europe.
All these mistakes has been a boon for many of us. However, Koreans have to blame themselves where they let ajumas with a limited and often biased view of the outside world have a huge say in who gets hired in hogwons and private schools. In the west we leave it up to the people who study education for a living and other experts. Parents trust the experts in the west but in Korea the parents, mainly the mothers, have the biggest say. A$$ backwards but you get what you pay for.
They could even spend some of the millions they spend on teachers each year by simply offering the best of college students who major in english and want to teach to spend a school year or two in America, Canada, Oz, etc. Its done now but on a wider scale and base it on academic scores and not cost as now if you're from a poor family but have good grades its too much to be an exchange student. Even use the Philipines more for experience. |
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edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 2:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Funny, his first crime against teaching the writer mentioned was having a beard. Nothing to do with experience, qualifications or ability. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 3:37 pm Post subject: |
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| sirius black wrote: |
[
All these mistakes has been a boon for many of us. However, Koreans have to blame themselves where they let ajumas with a limited and often biased view of the outside world have a huge say in who gets hired in hogwons and private schools. In the west we leave it up to the people who study education for a living and other experts. Parents trust the experts in the west but in Korea the parents, mainly the mothers, have the biggest say. A$$ backwards but you get what you pay for.
. |
Well "hogwons" by and large have nothing to do with education but profit...they're a business and as such the customers (the ajumas) have a huge say...just like every other business. |
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flakfizer
Joined: 12 Nov 2004
Location: scaling the Cliffs of Insanity with a frayed rope.
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| Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 4:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Wanted: native English speaker...to proofread this article. |
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pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 4:25 pm Post subject: Re: Wanted: native english speaker |
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| Julius wrote: |
Many trials and errors took place in the class. This makes his classes a fuss. Strangely enough, I later found that he was reluctant to write on the blackboard. I did not know why. His reluctance was attributable to his bad spelling and grammar on the blackboard several times, which he quickly erased.
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I would be interested to know where he got his University degree. |
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crisdean
Joined: 04 Feb 2010
Location: Seoul Special City
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| Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 5:25 pm Post subject: |
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| edwardcatflap wrote: |
| Funny, his first crime against teaching the writer mentioned was having a beard. Nothing to do with experience, qualifications or ability. |
I often joke that I'm the worst teacher in Korea and I have a beard. hmmm... maybe I actually am the worst teacher in Korea. |
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fosterman
Joined: 16 Nov 2011
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| Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 5:39 pm Post subject: |
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The demand is to high to fill for qualified teacher to come.
most foreigners just come here for 2 years to pay off their student loans and then go back home and start a career. I don't think foreigners want to spend more money on qualifications or spend more time in school studying just so they can come and work at Ding Dang Bong hakwon in Cheonju , sungbong dong for 1.9 million with a ratbox for an apartment and 9 hours of teaching children who dongchim you. |
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Kimchifart
Joined: 15 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 6:27 pm Post subject: |
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If he finds himself again someday without any money during his travels, please do not visit this country again before he can correctly write sentences and spell in his own language.
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Kimchifart
Joined: 15 Sep 2010
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| Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2012 6:30 pm Post subject: |
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| sirius black wrote: |
| sojusucks wrote: |
| Koreans do not really care about qualifications until it is time for propaganda. They hire with extreme discrimination. Such is life in a place with limited "human rights." |
+10 points to Gryffindor.
Author is blaming the wrong guy. Assuming the guy's resume said he was hanging about in India backpacking, etc. and not working what do you expect?
Also, Korea's habit of choosing teachers based solely on a picture. Not to mention limiting the teaching pool to just seven countries (what about the Caribbean, Bermuda, etc. for a start). First, there are more than 7 countries who speak english. Second there are tons of other teachers who have great english speaking and teaching skills from places such as the Philipines as well as Europe.
All these mistakes has been a boon for many of us. However, Koreans have to blame themselves where they let ajumas with a limited and often biased view of the outside world have a huge say in who gets hired in hogwons and private schools. In the west we leave it up to the people who study education for a living and other experts. Parents trust the experts in the west but in Korea the parents, mainly the mothers, have the biggest say. A$$ backwards but you get what you pay for.
They could even spend some of the millions they spend on teachers each year by simply offering the best of college students who major in english and want to teach to spend a school year or two in America, Canada, Oz, etc. Its done now but on a wider scale and base it on academic scores and not cost as now if you're from a poor family but have good grades its too much to be an exchange student. Even use the Philipines more for experience. |
There's a simple solution: they should make a recognised 100 hour teaching certificate (not an online one, but a CELTA/certTESOL) part of the E2 requirement. They probably shouldn't aim any higher than that qualifications wise. They are dreaming if they think PGCEs are going to find the teaching experience in this country in any way fulfilling. The biggest problem here is the attitude of students and class sizes. Both are appalling. |
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