Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dbee]

Does anyone find it interesting that just as the big boys weigh into the ESL industry in Korea (English Villages), the news media start painting hogwon teachers (which most of us are) as 'paedophiles', 'sex-fiends'.

I think it's a simple bid by the chaebol to stake their claim to a 4billion dollar a year industry ... move over mom and pop hogwons, let the big fish feed !!

These English Villages, (some of which are still being built) are owned by a media conglomerate. The same one that owns the Korean Hearld et al... (and maybe MBC)

I think that the foreigners are just being used as pawns here, and are being caught in the cross-fire between the hogwon associations and the mega-corporations that run and own Korea...

(I know that English villages have foreign teachers too, but they are all supervised and teach under totally different conditions ... the subtext here is "don't trust the whities". I think it strikes a chord with narrow minded Koreans and thus is an extremely effective marketing tool).

[Smee]

From what I understand of things, I agree. Government initiatives against the hagwon haven't worked, so this is just a way to control the English education industry. And we know how EPIK worked out.

I'm sure there are students genuinely interested in these immersion programs, and I sincerely hope they find what they're looking for. (Saw an article for one with a model English-only town). But how many EFL students take advantage of immersion opportunities that already exist: either in the intentional Americatowns or in the de facto expat headquarters. Not many, I gather, and we all know how big Koreans are on change.

[rapier]

Is it just me, or has the general level of respect for esl teachers in Korea dropped over the past 2.5 years I've been here?
Students used to always bow-no longer. Instead they sometimes come out with terrible opinions obviously passed to them from parents.
Koreans always gave a hearty nod of approval when I mentioned I was an English teacher. Now they just give a jokey nod.

We are already insatiable sex monsters out to sexually abuse all the children in our care, steal Korean women, fake degrees, and losers who can't get jobs in our home countries. Whats the next mass media frenzy?

[animalbirdfish]

The "Big Boys/Girls" (Pagoda, YBM, Jung-Chol, etc.) already control a hefty segment of the EFL industry here.

I do, however, think that a time will come when parents of hagwon students realize that they've been paying money into a black hole and getting little or nothing in return. At that time, they'll either A) raise hell and demand certified, qualified teachers in the institutes, B) figure out a way to change the public schools so as to avoid the "necessity" of hagwons, by changing the schools to total immersion, for example (imagine how well that'd go over in such a nationalistic country as Korea), or B) sit back and complain but do nothing as in the past.

Personally, I vote for 'B,' although it might put me out of a job. If learning English is really the goal (and I don't mean for the TOEIC test), then why not teach math, science, history, etc. in English? Start with the kindergarten kids of, say, 2007 and thereafter educate 'em in English. I wouldn't do away with Korean education, obviously, but English would be right there alongside it.

[crazylemongirl]

I think those english villages are a way to bring in non degree people and pay them less.

I really wish that they would stop these grand schemes and direct the money back into their public schools to reduce class sizes as Korea has the largest classes in the OECD.

[Smee]

I do think it will take more than a few years (for classes to be taught in English). The Ministry of Education revamped their cirriculum (sp) in the 1997 and set up a system of a slow introduction of English beginning in Grade 3. They'd set the amount of words learned, the maximum number of words per sentence, etc. It hopes to increase the communicative competence of students. (The alphabet isn't taught until the second year).

This slow pace "can" be helpful, I think, especially when just starting out (and if paired with an understanding of the cadence of a language, learned from listening, watching TV, etc.).

But Korean teachers complained about it for three main reasons.
1) They feared English was being emphasized too much, at the expense of other subjects, and to the detriment of their Koreanness (anomie, identity crisis, etc.)
2) Korean teachers are overworked as it is. Designing English-language lesson plans were too much for many.
3) The Korean English instructors felt unqualified to teach these courses, seeing as how they never had much need for communicative skills in school or on the job. One third grade teacher said "I am not good at English at all, and I have to teach English. I really feel sorry for my students who have to learn English from me."

SK ranked 110th internationally on TOEFL scores, so I really have no idea what's going on there.

(There's a chapter called "Language Planning in Korea" in the book Language Policies in Education: Critical Issues if anyone is interested. That's where I got the elementary school info.)

[desultude]

[dutchman]

[jaganath69]

[Smee]

Regarding prestige, what do you all think "looks" better (or will look better once these villages catch on): a hagwon, or a language village?

I think that quantity seems to be most important. Over half of Korean kids attend some type of hagwon, and of those two-thirds go to two or more. Yet, by and large, the results don't seem to be showing themselves. I think there's still the status attached to "education," or at least the act of attending one or two extra schools. If villages become homes away from home on each and every weekend, then yes, perhaps there'll be a widespread change.

But I'm with OP: right now it seems like another trend, one among many instances of throwing the spaghetti against the wall . . .

[panthermodern]

My boss once had an idea to open an All English Bookstore / Coffee shop / Bar and wanted to hire English Staff only and have a Hakwon upstairs.

The Staff would teach plus spend a few hours a week either selling books (daytime) or tending bar (nightime) only in English. Give discounts for students and actully have some of the classes in large booths in the bar.

I thought this was a great idea, but Immigration said that vias would be impossible.

How would these folks be licenced and/or visaed?

[phaedrus]

[crazylemongirl]

[animalbirdfish]

[McNasty]

dbee wrote: