Korean Job Discussion Forums

Bingo · Joined: 22 Jun 2006

I never could figure out why Korean hogwan owners don't care about the negative impact they are having on their country's image. For a people who are so sensitive about how people view them......

Only problem with this article (from more than a year ago) is that it makes us look like the future leaders of the West. Embarassed

Otherwise, he hits the nail on the head.

http://www.asianpacificpost.com/portal2/4028818208a0ac650108b6a2586f0076_Unforeseen_dangers_of_Korea_Hagwon_culture.do.html

ontheway · Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 9:37 pm Post subject:

One big problem with the story is that it is flat out wrong. The number of foreign English teachers in Korea in 2005 was closer to 20,000 rather than the 5,000 mentioned. The number has, and continues to, increase. The number of job postings is indicative of the strength of that market. The hogwan market is still growing and expanding because that is where Koreans actually learn every subject. The regular schools teach next to nothing.

jay-shi · Joined: 09 May 2004 Location: On tour

twg · Joined: 02 Nov 2006 Location: Getting some fresh air...

These can't be right...

Treefarmer · Joined: 29 May 2007

don't agree with that article that we are teh elite

for most teachers in my experience, if we were future leaders of business etc we wouldn't be in korea

wo buxihuan hanguoren · Joined: 18 Apr 2007 Location: Suyuskis

"The number continues to increase"

Please explain this statement. As far as I can see, there are more jobs here than like 5 years ago, simply because there is a lack of foreign teachers. China is paying better (and let's face it, 99% of Westerners would choose working in China any day over working in Korea), added to which, Vietnam is paying well these days, good god, the number of teachers coming to Korea may be the same, but the number of people staying here after there contract is done is far less, and for obvious reasons (if you can't see it, then you deserve to be here, year after year).

ontheway · Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 8:06 am Post subject:

Public schools are hiring more and more native English speakers every year. It is a government program to increase English in the schools.

English hogwans continue to increase in number, and the number of native English speakers employed in those hogwans is also increasing.

Therefore, the total number of foreign, native English speaking teachers in Korea is growing day by day. Naturally, the number of job openings is growing along with the growth in the total number employed. The market is expanding rapidly, wages are rising, working conditions are getting better, and more and more teachers are coming to Korea.

The relatively small number of problems exposed on Dave's, in public schools, private schools and hogwans, is not slowing this tide. Most teachers encounter few problems in their time here.

cerulean808 · Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Location: Seoul

buxihuan hanguoren

The_Conservative · Joined: 15 Mar 2007

We're the elite....hahahahah

If that is true, I fear for the future of the West. (looks at the freaky waygook thread).

If we WERE the future we'd be back home climbing the corporate ladder.

The article sounds like it was written by an English teacher with a swollen head caused by being able to find a job that paid him well simply to speak English. When he goes back home, he'll soon find that he's just another face in the corporate rat race...assuming he finds a job there.

just because · Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Location: Changwon - 4964

Thiuda · Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2007 6:25 pm Post subject:

jmbran11 · Joined: 19 Jan 2006 Location: U.S.

The_Conservative · Joined: 15 Mar 2007

jmbran11 · Joined: 19 Jan 2006 Location: U.S.

Well, I'm heading back in a few days to climb the so-called corporate ladder. However, I'm not sure that people working in the corporate world necessarily "affect change" any more than quality teachers, who do shape the minds of the future. I absolutely believe that my colleagues now have as much of an impact on the world as my future "corporate" colleagues will.

ontheway · Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 7:04 am Post subject:

OK Thiuda, I will use your post as my source. Your post says that there were 5000 foreign English teachers in April 2005 - that would be the number that came in the first 3 months of 2005. 5,000 teachers arriving in 3 months times 4 makes a 12 month year and makes 20,000 teachers. My guess would be that the people writing the story got the stats wrong and didn't understand what the info given to them really was.

Maybe Real Reality can give us some other real numbers.