Korean Job Discussion Forums

[itaewonguy]

So they want their kids to learn English.
Some schools or parents think that Canadians and Americans sound the same.
They don�t want British English speakers, but they will accept Canadians JUST because they are next door to America.
They want their kids to speak like an American has that rolling R sound blar blar...
But I don�t get it; they will take any American with a passport or Canadian...
So someone from Newfoundland or someone from ALABAMA is preferred just because their passports are from those countries...
if you teach vowels or phonics wont it sound different?
isnt that the big issues with the parents??

Is the object of English to educate these kids so they can read write and speak the ENGLISH!
Are parents really that DUMB that they think if my son is educated by a non north American he will not be a native speaker? Or he will not be accepted for the work position?
Also parents and adults are going to studying to New Zealand and Australia is large numbers these days. Yes it�s cheaper but mainly because they are English speaking countries... but they will still prefer to study from a North American???
Is this preference of North American teachers that has been here since early 90�s just a trend that started years ago and hasn�t died out yet due to ignorance in mothers...?

One hand they hate Americans and chant YANKEE GO HOME! But they will embrace an American in their home to teach their son!!
Koreans select New Zealand as the most favored country to emigrate too, but they don�t want to learn English from one.
Read writing, spelling, etc... All English is English� OHH but the big thing is speaking.
They all want the kids to sound like he is a NATIVE! They want him to be American.
Then why don�t they HIRE KYOPO TEACHERS MORE!! They should be higher in DEMAND no questions asked... marketing or what ever! They speak American and Korean!! American perfectly with no ACCENT!!!
but nooooooooooooo most schools want put them first on the list!
some do hire but they are no perfered over whites! hypocrites!!!
Also I don�t get it...
If little Ms Kim studies English with a New Zealander or Australian what�s the problem?????
Where is this going??
She grows up she goes for a vacation to Canada~ what she can�t read the paper? She can�t make a conversation?
Comes back to Korea. What she can�t work for a foreign company? What she can�t speak English??
Don�t the parents understand that their child WON�T ever sound like a 10 year old American boy!!!!!!
Ohh I want my son to be NATIVE!!
Really marry a foreigner!!!! Ohh no can�t ever do that I will be embarrassed and my family will never allow it!!!
Blar blar�

Anyway answer this question are they hypocrites or not!!!???
Or am I just bitching for nothing! And non North Americans have no right to teach English in this world????

[Jasmine]

They're idiots if they think their son or daughter is going to speak English with a North American accent by attending a hagwon who's teachers are from NA.

Korean children will speak English with a KOREAN accent - duh! It doesn't matter who their teacher is...their language skills aren't developed enough to pick out a British accent from an Australian one. It's like foreign teachers trying to hear the difference between Korean accents from Kangnung and Cheju do - it ain't gonna happen!

But you can't tell them...grrr!

[Stunted Wookie]

Excellent posts...
I figure you have probably hit most points bang on.
Kinda crazy the attitudes (in general) about the nationality bias; how many times have people heard that 'the mothers' don't want the school to hire a NZ or Aussi; or something foolish like that?

[simulated stereo]

Well how about this for hypocrisy(not related to teacher preference though). Some parents push and push their kids to learn English, yet when the kids speak English at home the parents get pissed off at them for not speaking "their language". Sounds crazy, I know, but I've seen it happen. Also, years ago I had a kids class and all the students had to write English journals. One kid wrote her English journal in the same notebook that she used for her Korean journal for elementary school.Her teacher wrote a note to her about how a Korean journal is a "precious thing" and shouldn't be cluttered with English words.

[billbile]

One thing I have heard is that foreign companies, including American ones, if they want to interview Koreans for positions with them, use British or Australians or staff with 'peculiar' accents to Koreans (if they have any handy) to conduct the interview. This is because its the way they can really tell if that candidate is sufficiently able to communicate in English or not.

Which does make sense, I mean it's a fat lot of good for an international company to have an employee who can only understand Americans when they speak English, and nobody else...

[gang ah jee]

my favourite is seeing enthusiastic, capable non-north americans get passed over for jaded, dysfunctional, alcoholic teachers on the basis of passport. same goes for what happens to non-white teachers.

I have an idealistic hope that schools who hire for nationality will get what they deserve.

[Pyongshin Sangja]

G A J, are you talkin about me?

[William Beckerson]

[mokpochica]

[gang ah jee]

[dogbert]

Why the complaining? In many other parts of the globe, there is a definite preference for English teachers from the British Isles -- North Americans are at a decided disadvantage.

[gang ah jee]

[denz]

[dogbert]

[hojucandy]

i have always worked way out here in the ansan area so maybe things are different to seoul, but i have never encountered any preference for NA teachers over NZ and Aussie. in fact nearly all th eeteachers out in this neck of the woods are Aussies or Kiwis.

the school where i now teach is a very small school. i am the only native speaker - and i am an Aussie. there is only one Korean English teacher too and she lived many years in Canada and speaks English with a distinctly NA accent. but she is leaving and her replacement is a Korean woman who lived 5 years in Australia! Whoopee!! we will be an all Aussie-English hagwon!!