Korean Job Discussion Forums

[betty74]

Hi everyone,
Aside from teaching I do a little freelance writing. I thought the situation in Daejeon was interesting and did a little research and interviewed a person involved in the campaign. Since he gave conflicting answers to some of what I've read here I was hoping for some feedback from all of you. I'll paraphrase some of his answers and statements to make this easier:

He said there are 3000 hogwons in Daejeon, but only 300 are qualified to hire foreign teachers.
What makes a hogwon qualified?
A: There are certain levels they must teach.

Do a lot of teachers teach privates on E2 visas? Is it a big problem?
A: It is a very big problem. The problem is with tourist visa holders.

"Foreign teachers who are working for the schools, they get paid well, but they want more. Teachers compare the money they could make."

"The law is the law, they are not following the law from our government."

"The problem is the teachers don't pay taxes on that money."

Do you think the problem is mostly with people on tourist visas or is it a big problem with E2 visa holders taking students from your schools?
A: It's not different in your country. Teachers can't work a second job and teach privately. (I haven't checked yet, but I'm fairly certain this not true in the states.)

ABout the banners...a lot of foreigners felt they were racist...
A: The only foreigners that felt they were racist were ones who are teaching illegally, those are the ones who are doing illegal jobs.

"It doesn't say every foreigner, just the ones who are doing illegal lessons."

What did you mean that foreigners are dangerous when in Korean homes?
A: It doesn't say that. They translated Korean into English wrongly.
What does it say?
A: It just says illegal.....they touched...
Who did they touch?
They touched the students when they do the private tutoring...that was on the news...of many cases of it, there's many cases of that...
It was on the news? There are many cases?
There's one..
There's many cases or only one?
It's very serious.

"It's not foreigners, Koreans and foreigners are caught together. "

"The school association is letting the people know the truth."

A lot of teachers claim that the same schools that have these banners are doing illegal things like not paying their taxes...(no answer)...pension and medical?
A: We are looking for those schools who do illegal things.

And then we mysteriously got caught off. Just wondering what you all think before I start writng. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[cbclark4]

Go get 'em!!!!!!!!!

cbc

[BuHaoChi]

.....

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[wylies99]

He admitted that 90% of the hogwans are illegal (no license) hogwans? Wow. Who is he?

[betty74]

He didn't say illegal, he said not qualified to hire foreign teachers. Does that mean they just have Korean teachers, or hire foreign teachers anyway? In the Herald article he said when a hogwon loses their foreign teachers it puts them out of business. So how do 90% of the hogwons in Daejeon stay in business if they have never had foreign teachers? He would not admit that the hogwons did anything illegal, when I pressed him we got disconnected. He said it was the teachers who were doing illegal things, most importantly, not paying taxes to the Korean Gov't for the privates they are teaching.

[icicle]

[quote="betty74"]Hi everyone,



Do you think the problem is mostly with people on tourist visas or is it a big problem with E2 visa holders taking students from your schools?
A: It's not different in your country. Teachers can't work a second job and teach privately. (I haven't checked yet, but I'm fairly certain this not true in the states.)


quote]

I am Australian and teachers employed permanently by government schools with permission can take a second job ... which could be tutoring ... The permission would not normally be given for tutoring your own students ... but there are some programs which do have teachers doing this in their own school ... Teachers who are employed casually as teachers can work more than one job ... which could be a mixture of work for schools and tutoring ... or another job ... No restriction on that ...

Icicle

[BuHaoChi]

....

[garykasparov]

It goes further than qualification issues because teachers are pressured to work before they obtain status of sojurn. Pursuant to the Immigration Control Act, a foreigner can't work until he or she has obtained status of sojurn. Korean Immigration should be active in doing checks on schools in Daejon. In addition, many schools force employees into working prior to obtaining their status of sojurn through hints of dismissals without justifiable reasons. If the teacher complies with the law and refuses, he or she is often labeled. The teacher goes through a tough year as a result of complying with Korean Law. Hagwon owners in Daejeon are just as guilty as teachers.

[betty74]

I am a teacher, I plan to put focus on the illegal acts of the hogwon owners as much as I can. This is about racism, and what I was told only fuels the thet fire. For the most part, I don't think esl teachers in Korea commit a lot of illegal acts, and certainly not as many as the hogwon owners they work for do. I thought the things I was told were insulting, and know they are blatant lies. A hogwon owner concerned about the gov't not getting their fair share of taxes? I know not all hogwon owners are bad, but there are alot of them out. I have no experience in Daejeon, but the owners involved in this campaign don't seem like the gov't charity workers they are representing themselves as.

[jvalmer]

Not all hogwans teach english. Most hogwans focus on other subjects like math, science, music, rubic cube solving... almost any subject you can think of.

[pocariboy73]

[Hollywoodaction]

Based on the information I have, as long as taxes are paid everything is a-ok with the law in Canada. Many substitute teachers tutor students. I'm not 100% sure, but it might also be possible for full-time school teachers, although I would doubt many would bother as they've got plenty of work on their hands as it is. My mother, a retired college professor, did tutor a student (one that wasn't enrolled in her classes). The college even introduced them, set everything up. As for university teachers, I know for a fact that there are plenty of university music professors who give music lessons to kids.

[Woland]

I think the big point to make is that in the US, and I'm certain in most other countries, people control their own visas.

There are student visas to the US that do not permit work or restrict where you can work. There may also be work visas that operate in the same way. But I'm certain that many visas are such that you can get another job if you want, and it is entirely your business as visa holder.

The hakwon owner controlling the teacher's visa helps them control supply in the marketplace and thus drive up the value (so-called) of their product. Private teaching challenges this, but a better challenge would be to call for teachers to be able to control their own visas. That simple change in the law would result in more pressure on hakwons to shape up than anything else.

But hakwon owners vote and give money to politicians, so don't hold your breath.

[Hollywoodaction]