Yonhap (among others) is reporting that Seoul police have booked six people who were running an unlicensed employment agency that was illegally dispatching local and foreign English teachers to Seoul area elementary schools to teach enrichment English classes. According to police, the six recruited about 150 teachers, including about 70 foreigners, starting from January 2003 by use of an advertisement is what one news report referred to as an “Internet cafe popular with foreigners.” The group was able to get the 70 barbarians into the country by forging documents that made it seem they would be employed at a “phantom” English institute they had set up. Once in Korea, the group sent them to 58 elementary schools in the Seoul area to teach enrichment English classes, collecting W800 million of the nearly W1.9 billion in fees the teachers earned. One Australian teacher taught at two or three school between March and October, earning W35 million, W21 million of which was taken by the employment service as a commission, leaving him with only W13 million. This led, in the words of the police, to a viscous circle where the teachers were unhappy and class performance suffered.
An even worse problem was that the the teachers were, by and large, not particularly qualified to teach English in the Korean school system. Of the teachers recruited, only one was an English major. 60~70 percent were arts and physical education majors. Most apparently had no idea what they were doing, and the whole affair has revealed some serious flaws in the way in which schools hire their foreign staff. Under current laws, foreigners from English-speaking nations only need a degree — any degree — from a four year school to teach English in a Korean elementary school. Most of the responsibility for hiring seems to be left up to individual schools and regional education offices that are not very efficient when it comes managing the barbarian talent pool, which is how middle men like the ones above get involved and crappy teachers hired. Anyway, it seems a review of elementary school hiring practices is in order, and this latest scandal may hasten just such a review.
6 Comments
Is it just me, or is this the saddest, most pathetic police action of all time… busting a “teaching ring.” I hope the cops were well armed when they sprung into action on this one.
Korean schools are desperate for native speakers (and generally don’t give a rat’s ass about their abilities or qualifications). Some dude found native speakers (and did not give a rat’s ass about their abilities or qualifications). This could be the lamest non-crime I have run across in Korea in recent memory.
The fee thing seems rather strange — I know several folks who do the exact same thing, but the standard is to charge 1-2 million won/teacher flat out. I have never heard of people giving 40% of their salaries to a headhunter.
> …problem was that the the teachers were, by and large, not particularly qualified to teach English
> in the Korean school system. Of the teachers recruited, only one was an English major.
> 60~70 percent were arts and physical education majors. Most apparently had no idea what they were doing,
Korea changes all-too-rapidly in most areas; at the Holidays it’s heartwarming to know that nothing has changed in THIS familiar aspect…
> and the whole affair has revealed some serious flaws in the way in which schools hire their foreign staff.
Revealed…? Is there anyone here who didn’t know all about this ongoing fiasco many years ago…?
“I have never heard of people giving 40% of their salaries to a headhunter.”
Exactly. That is what is illegal. The article clearly states, it was the recruiters who got busted for fraud, not the teachers. The English papers do a very poor job articulating information and this is one perfect example. It makes it sound like a bunch of foreign animals got caught for trying to teach English.
The recruiters charged exorbitant fees to teachers who got hired and exorbitant rates to schools. The recruiters misrepresented the teachers. They claimed their teachers were experienced teachers, when they weren’t at all. Frankly, I don’t think not enough of arrests like this are done to clean up the hagwon industry. This industry is begging to be reformed, better regulated, and the laws enforced.
“…managing the barbarian talent pool…”
I love this phrase; even though I’ve never been to Korea (& probably never will) I could see myself as a potential member of the pool.
When I sneak a peak at the cheesecake photos often posted here (& make sardonic comments about the ROK) I could be described as a “leering sneering member of the barbarian talent pool”. As such, I feel my head each day when I wake up, to make sure it is still affixed to my shoulders.
Paul, you are an English teacher? I thought you were making the world safe for democracy. Why aren’t you in Iraq, anyway? I am sure the insurgency would end the second you get there.
Cluck, cluck, Chickenhawk!
No, I’m not an English teacher, though I enjoy the study of English. To be honest my only interest in Korea is to see our troops removed from there ASAP.
I’ve enjoyed some teaching I’ve done in the past but really have no interest in encountering America-bashing ROK citizens — I’m sure any defense of my country & government that I might make to them would only confirm such Koreans in their belief in American “barbarism”. Thus my sardonic comment over my head still being on my shoulders, a reference to a traditional Oriental method of punishment for “barbarians”, currently being revived (to much popular acclaim) in Iraq & Saudi Arabia.
So — I might as well embrace right now my inevitable designation as a “barbarian”, adding it to my titles (along with “King Chickenhawk”, bestowed by you on behalf of Canada).
Chalk up my reluctance, if you like, to me being too “chicken”, and hug that admission to your chest with delight. No doubt it will reinforce even further your ecstasy over one of your greatest blogging triumphs.