Well, should South Korea ever decide to demand actual qualifications to teach English here, prospective instructors might want to take a look at apparently emerging English market north of the 38th:
For decades after the 1950-53 Korean War, North Korea’s government deemed English a language of the enemy and banned it almost entirely. Russian was the leading foreign tongue because of the communist regime’s extensive economic ties with the Soviet Union.
Now, years after the rest of Asia went through a craze for learning English, North Korea has belatedly discovered the utility of the lingua franca of international affairs. But the pursuit of proficiency has been complicated by the reclusive regime’s fear of opening the floodgates to Western influences.
Almost all English-language books, newspapers, advertisements, movies and songs are still forbidden. Even T-shirts with English slogans are not allowed. There are few native speakers available to serve as instructors.
Haltingly, though, the government has started making changes, sending some of the best students abroad to study and even admitting a small number of British and Canadian teachers. Elite students are being encouraged to speak with foreign visitors in Pyongyang at trade fairs and other official events to practice their English — contacts that once would have been considered a serious crime.
According to the Educational Testing Service of Princeton, N.J., 4,783 North Koreans took the standardized test for English as a second language, or TOEFL, last year, triple the number six years earlier.
Might be a bitch getting onto Dave’s ESL Cafe, national intranet and all, but might be worth a shot. Read the rest of the piece — it’s fascinating.
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What’s next? YBM Pyongyang and ECC Hamheung?
ESL demand up in North Korea
The Marmot posts about N. Koreans going googoo over English and links to an article in the L.A. Times. An expatriate living in Pyongyang who is involved with the nations Englishlanguage programs said English had replaced Russian as the …
I look forward to the North Korean hakwon blacklist. “They did not pay me for overtime. Did not pay on time. And they pulled out my fingernails and put me in a prison camp for five years.”
Even T-shirts with English slogans are not allowed.
So I guess Star Fucker is out of the question?
I guess since the US soldier who defected no longer holds the monopoly rights to teaching American English, the market is wide open…
Most of the North Koreans I have met have had horrible English skills. Even those who had professed to be “educated in English” said they could not really understand me.
Now, I know I might come off muddled on occasion but if the truth be told, I have quite an easy accent. After teaching ESL for 4 years i’ve aquired quite the neutral tone.
Methinks they are just the “study phrases in a book” type of students.
If anybody knows of anybody who taught in North Korea as an ESL teacher please let me know at graveline.matthew@gmail.com.
I am a journalist with the Korean Herald and I am doing a story on the ESL industry in North Korea.
Thank you!