Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Lucas]

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2013/09/116_143107.html

^ This article is not about EPIK - but, I think ESL teachers here in Korea are rapidly going to the bottom of the pile of priorities.

So (if/when) EPIK ends what is your game plan?

It could end sooner than you think....

[Airborne9]

Native Teachers are not that a high priority for anybody and never really were. We are only one part of a education budget, which in itself is only one part of a bigger government budget.



Nobody really knows. its your best guess. My guess is that its not going to fully end. It will be reduced, which is happening now in some areas. Different areas will probably have enough money to keep "qualified" teachers working at multiple schools. When is this going to happen? 3 years ago, according to some people with the inside knowledge on this board. If the article you posted is anything to go by, probably soon. Having said that. I am with GEPIK and my co-teacher was told that the school has gotten funding for an NET next year feb 2014 - 2015 (i'm leaving anyway so it doesn't bother me that much what happens) but it seems its business as normal for some areas.

[Squire]

Just one more year for me please!

I suppose one option would be having every NET see each of their classes only once a week. Maybe go even further and divide students by levels so only the better classes have their NET lesson every week. The kids that benefit most would have their weekly exposure to a foreigner, and the kids that have barely even mastered their own language or can't sit down quietly for a whole lesson can go and waste somebody else's time

[12ax7]

Consider yourselves lucky, it's nearly October. By now, we should have had at least 2 or 3 media-fabricated scandals about "low quality English teachers". These have popped up like clockwork every fall for as long as I can remember.

With that said, you probably don't need to worry. There have been rumors of massive job cuts in at least 4 years. Keep in mind that a considerable percentage of people don't renew their contracts and end up staying for just a year (which the media naturally interpreted as meaning they were all fired, not that they simply didn't want to stay in Korea). So, if jobs are eliminated, it will be by attrition. They simply won't replace teachers who have left.

[Weigookin74]

[NohopeSeriously]

The public school system will be eventually collapsed into ruins. Strictly based on my experience, there's a lot of talks about the PS system being more impossible to fix compare to last year.

[Nolos]

[UncleAlex]