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SHANE02
Joined: 04 Jun 2003
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 Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 3:12 pm Post subject: English teachers not exploited: Canadian Envoy |
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To the best of his knowledge, rife exploitation of English teachers by unscrupulous school directors does not exist in Korea, and there does not seem to be a need for a designated liaison for disgruntled English teachers at the embassy, Canadian Ambassador Marius R. Grinius said in an interview with The Korea Herald.
"I do meet a lot of teachers and I have yet to meet somebody that said to me, 'I have a really serious problem.' It hasn't happened to me yet," said the ambassador.
https://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2007/03/21/200703210017.asp |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 3:23 pm Post subject: |
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OMG- that is truly scary! The Canadian Ambassador is out of touch with reality!
Not one teacher has come to him with a problem? That's a load of BS.
No wonder we (teachers) have so little help here in Korea. Those who should be watching out for us have, ahem, OTHER PRIORITIES.
He needs to spend less time running the beer tap, and more time taking care of the needs of his citizens. |
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JeJuJitsu
Joined: 11 Sep 2005
Location: McDonald's
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 3:36 pm Post subject: |
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| He meets a lot of teachers, and not one has had any serious problems? What does he consider a serious problem? A hagwon boss beheading his teachers? Sure, if that's the standard, move along people, nothing to see here... |
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inverse_narcissus
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Location: Masan / the pub
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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| It soudns like teh Esteemed Gentleman from Canada needs to spend some time hanging around these boards. I think he'd change his tune pretty sharpish once he read some of the horror stories. |
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heeckan
Joined: 10 Sep 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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That's funny.
But seriously; of course he hasn't spoken with many teachers who have work-related problems... When you phone the embassy with a problem, you land up talking to some lacky who picks up the phone and just gives you contact information for a bunch of lawyers. They don't take your information down or do anything to help you. Do you think this lacky goes in and bothers the Ambassador with these problems? I think not.
He's got ostrich syndrome... if he doesn't see it, it doesn't exist. |
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plutodog18
Joined: 01 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:00 pm Post subject: |
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For all of my Canadian friends:
I truly feel your embarrassment for the statements of this ignorant civil servant.
And if this is not enough to write your MP and get out and vote next time around, then I guess you get what you get.......
<------shakes his head as he walks into the sunset |
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JeJuJitsu
Joined: 11 Sep 2005
Location: McDonald's
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:01 pm Post subject: |
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| plutodog18 wrote: |
For all of my Canadian friends:
I truly feel your embarrassment for the statements of this ignorant civil servant.
And if this is not enough to write your MP and get out and vote next time around, then I guess you get what you get.......
<------shakes his head as he walks into the sunset |
This Ambassador's quote is so unbelievably stupid. Is he related to George Bush? |
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gsxr750r
Joined: 29 Jan 2007
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:03 pm Post subject: |
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Is this the same Canadian ambassador who "one-upped" the American ambassador?
At least one (I assume) Canadian was so proud of this, he made it a post earlier. Kind of funny how it all turned out, eh?
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=81383
Wow.... |
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mrd
Joined: 02 Nov 2006
Location: fluorescent-filled paradise
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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Oh please, he IS in touch with reality. Foreign English teachers make more money than the average Korean family, and yet they are the biggest group of selfish, greedy and ignorant whiners in the country.
Let's admit it: it's an easy job with great hours and great pay with excellent opportunties to make tons of extra cash. If you don't let yourself get taken advantage of you won't. You can't always hide behind a union or a government and expect them to solve all your problems.
Last edited by mrd on Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:18 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:17 pm Post subject: |
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If the people on this board feel they are being taken advantage of...then go there and complain. Whining about it on a message board isn't going to change things. I doubt he reads this. So the next time a Canadian teacher gets ripped off he should go to the embassy. If enough people do that then maybe things will change.
But if you can't make the effort to go to the embassy...don't expect things to change or for these sleezy business practises to be noticed.
He was at the luncheon...did a single one of you go there and complain about how Canadian teachers are treated? He says no. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Peter Mackay is the current minister of foreign affairs, right? Perhaps a few letters to him would be in order. |
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Milwaukiedave
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Location: Goseong
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:38 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm not Canadian, but I do disagree with him that there is a problem. The real issue is how involved can they get. Even the US Embassy states on their website they can't get involved |
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Whistleblower
Joined: 03 Feb 2007
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
The Korea Herald
Almost all of those interviewed by The Korea Herald have experienced some sort of exploitation as a foreign teacher. Problems brought up ranged from the refusal of the school to pay their salary, to violence in the classroom, to outright racism.
One teacher said that she had been teaching university classes of up to 40 students, and "one student had been actually crawling in and out of the window during class to go talk with his friends, and after I kicked him out of class he freaked out and threw his desk at me. No one from the school disciplined him ... it was all up to me. There was a complete lack of professional support."
Greg Snow from St. Johns, Newfoundland, said, "My friend went to school one day only to find that the doors had been padlocked. It turned out that the school was so far in debt that they shut the school and fled to China." |
People should read the whole article and not make up their own conclusions from a summary. |
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SHANE02
Joined: 04 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Whistleblower wrote: |
| Quote: |
The Korea Herald
Almost all of those interviewed by The Korea Herald have experienced some sort of exploitation as a foreign teacher. Problems brought up ranged from the refusal of the school to pay their salary, to violence in the classroom, to outright racism.
One teacher said that she had been teaching university classes of up to 40 students, and "one student had been actually crawling in and out of the window during class to go talk with his friends, and after I kicked him out of class he freaked out and threw his desk at me. No one from the school disciplined him ... it was all up to me. There was a complete lack of professional support."
Greg Snow from St. Johns, Newfoundland, said, "My friend went to school one day only to find that the doors had been padlocked. It turned out that the school was so far in debt that they shut the school and fled to China." |
People should read the whole article and not make up their own conclusions from a summary. |
These are people interviewed by the Herald. This does not take away from the fact the thne envoy is out of touch with reality. |
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JeJuJitsu
Joined: 11 Sep 2005
Location: McDonald's
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| Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 6:06 pm Post subject: |
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| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
He was at the luncheon...did a single one of you go there and complain about how Canadian teachers are treated? He says no. |
Very true (even though I think you are an idiot 99% of the time). What a blown opportunity. Not a single teacher had the cojones to say anything? |
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