Korean Job Discussion Forums

[freewill]

Here's something from the currently popular "Freakiest job applicant thread ..."

Ya-ta Boy

[Gamecock]

As a person with a B.A. in English (writing emphasis, not lit), I pretty much agree with you. At my university all English majors did have to take 2 required grammar classes and a linguistics class that almost no other majors voluntarily jumped into. I have found this knowledge to be of definite help as a teacher here. However, I think for most Korean employers it's all about style over substance and the fact that one's degree says "English" looks good. At the hogwans I worked at, the boss was quick to make my major known to all the parents and prospective customers.

I once worked with a great teacher who was a sculpture major. To be honest, if I were an employer and I saw that on a resume before meeting him, I'd probably shy away too. It's a harder sell in the increasingly competitive Korean ESL market...

[Missile Command Kid]

[jajdude]

I don't know how people get degrees without learning to write adequately. I suppose a lot of students really don't need to learn to write well. It's a bit sad to have a degree and not be able to write a decent page or two on a given subject.

There's a stereotype that English majors are not good at math or science, and that those in the sciences do not write well. Someone with a half-decent education should know a good bit of both, or be able to learn without too much trouble.

[Gamecock]

I actually found, even after sitting through grammar classes, that I really learned and truly understood the mechanics of grammar by studying Latin in University. Because basic grammar comes naturally to native speakers, at least those who are active readers, the rules and "why's" of grammar are rarely understood to them.

I believe one of the greatest weaknesses in American education is the lack of emphasis on learning a foreign language. As well, more than even having a knowlege of writing and linguistics (although important), I think that not having studied a foreign language is one of the greatest weaknesses of many ESL teachers in Korea. If you have never SERIOUSLY studied another language you are limited in your ability to teach English to non-native speakers, at least on more than an introductory level. As well, understanding the work and processes involved in learning a language helps give you perspective, empathy, and patience.

[bosintang]

[Omkara]

[Mack]

A couple of linguistics courses, including grammar/structure were compulsory with my BA English. I alo did one or two extra non-compulsory linguisics courses. I actually thought of all the Literature as linguistics rather than a separate area of study. The Literature was all about analysing the way English was used - in great detail. Doing that for three and a half years gives you a much higher level of understanding about English than before you do it. I have worked with teachers who have not been able to answer students questions or answer them inadequately or misleadingly. Not usually English majors.

[trinity24651]

Isn't studying a foreign language a must in American colleges? I had to...

[Lao Wai]

Hey Missile Command Kid,

I have to take a minute to defend psychology majors. I know that when I did my BA in psychology I had to write a lot of papers using APA format. My professors were nazis about grammar and with the general flow of our papers. My friends from other disciplines who took psychology courses couldn't believe how picky the profs were. When I started taking other classes and wrote papers in those classes, I always did extremely well. I did especially well in my anatomy and physiology class (which I had to get special permission to take because I was a stoopid arts student.)

A number of my friends were business students. I couldn't believe the marks they got on their crappy essays, considering their writing was not so great. But, in those cases I think the profs were marking the ideas the students put forth rather than the grammar, etc. I'm not knocking business students.

[Missile Command Kid]

[Ya-ta Boy]

[freewill]

[rothkowitz]

Why Women's Studies?

[PRagic]

I'd hire someone with a degree in chemistry with a foreign language background over an English Lit. major, especially for hakwon jobs. Actually, major aside, I always make it a point to look at whether or not an applicant has studied a foreign language past the sophomore level...even TESL majors. It's one thing to study the theory, but it's another to actually be on the learning end of it. They'd be better bus drivers here if they all had to ride one to work.