Comments on: Need to Check English Teachers? Good Luck! http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/ Korea... in Blog Format Sun, 7 Sep 2008 08:10:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: jefferyhodges http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113787 jefferyhodges Fri, 19 Oct 2007 08:50:12 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113787 Robert ... I mean "The Marmot" ... asks: "how could the guy have been a priest-in-training when the Gyeonggi-do Education Department said he hardly drank?" Poor English by the Education Department. They meant that he "drank hard." It's a common error in Korea. But you're still goin' to Hell, you infidel! Jeffery Hodges * * * Robert … I mean “The Marmot” … asks:

“how could the guy have been a priest-in-training when the Gyeonggi-do Education Department said he hardly drank?”

Poor English by the Education Department. They meant that he “drank hard.” It’s a common error in Korea.

But you’re still goin’ to Hell, you infidel!

Jeffery Hodges

* * *

]]> By: Breaktrack http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113687 Breaktrack Fri, 19 Oct 2007 02:53:40 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113687 Come on Someguy, you have to understand their situation, but I agree with what you said in #23. The English education and education system in general is corrupt because Korean society is somewhat corrupt. It's the fault of Korean nationals and no one else's...like it or lump it. And yes, I know other countries are corrupt too, but how many other countries have problems with cram schools (for example) like Korea? Maybe, they should close themselves off to the world and become hermits again. They might be doing the world a favour by doing so. Come on Someguy, you have to understand their situation, but I agree with what you said in #23. The English education and education system in general is corrupt because Korean society is somewhat corrupt. It’s the fault of Korean nationals and no one else’s…like it or lump it. And yes, I know other countries are corrupt too, but how many other countries have problems with cram schools (for example) like Korea? Maybe, they should close themselves off to the world and become hermits again. They might be doing the world a favour by doing so.

]]> By: Herod http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113613 Herod Fri, 19 Oct 2007 01:06:29 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113613 If I were a school principal I would keep an eye on where my foreign teachers go on their vacations. If it's invariably to the Pedophile Belt I would start to worry. If I were a school principal I would keep an eye on where my foreign teachers go on their vacations. If it’s invariably to the Pedophile Belt I would start to worry.

]]> By: SomeguyinKorea http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113513 SomeguyinKorea Thu, 18 Oct 2007 16:54:25 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113513 BTW, I wonder how those newspapers reaction would have been if major American newspapers had printed similarly xenophobic editorials following the Virginia Tech Massacre. BTW, I wonder how those newspapers reaction would have been if major American newspapers had printed similarly xenophobic editorials following the Virginia Tech Massacre.

]]> By: Maddlew http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113506 Maddlew Thu, 18 Oct 2007 15:55:11 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113506 McGhengis, catching this guy isn't going to stem the flow of this sort of criminality one bit. For every Chris Neal there are another million out there who have more self-control and aren't littering the internet with their pictures. This isn't stopping this sort of thing and the children are not yet benefitting from all this concern, nor will more concern change things. Until they root out the problem at the source kids are going to continue to be sold to people with an appetite towards the monstrous. Pawi, ironically in this country where a man knows how many chopsticks is in his neighbor's cupboard the topic of domestic abuse and sexual molestation doesn't come up except in hushed voices in the dark. Doesn't mean it's not going on. Because of communal guilt this sort of thing isn't pulled out from under the rocks and paraded in the light of the media. If you want to pretend it doesn't occur and that somehow Korea has quarantined pedophilia from its communities then go right ahead. You also have to agree that Iran has no homosexuals. McGhengis, catching this guy isn’t going to stem the flow of this sort of criminality one bit. For every Chris Neal there are another million out there who have more self-control and aren’t littering the internet with their pictures. This isn’t stopping this sort of thing and the children are not yet benefitting from all this concern, nor will more concern change things. Until they root out the problem at the source kids are going to continue to be sold to people with an appetite towards the monstrous.
Pawi, ironically in this country where a man knows how many chopsticks is in his neighbor’s cupboard the topic of domestic abuse and sexual molestation doesn’t come up except in hushed voices in the dark. Doesn’t mean it’s not going on. Because of communal guilt this sort of thing isn’t pulled out from under the rocks and paraded in the light of the media.
If you want to pretend it doesn’t occur and that somehow Korea has quarantined pedophilia from its communities then go right ahead. You also have to agree that Iran has no homosexuals.

]]> By: SomeguyinKorea http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113505 SomeguyinKorea Thu, 18 Oct 2007 15:51:54 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113505 ...'sick' as in 'unwholsome, morbid, sadistic'. I wouldn't want anyone to misinterpret my previous post. …’sick’ as in ‘unwholsome, morbid, sadistic’. I wouldn’t want anyone to misinterpret my previous post.

]]> By: SomeguyinKorea http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113501 SomeguyinKorea Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:53:01 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113501 "(and pædophile DVD’s) for sale in Khao San Road." No, tell me you are kidding. That is sick. “(and pædophile DVD’s) for sale in Khao San Road.”

No, tell me you are kidding. That is sick.

]]> By: McGenghis http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113482 McGenghis Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:11:27 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113482 I'd say that so many people seem more concerned about fending off potential Visa problems rather than thinking of the children, but then again, what are you to do? Send them money? Stuffed frogs? Real ones, with the skin still wet? How are you going to make THAT happen? The Buddhist monk, who was hit in the face by some random jerk, was asked by his assistant why he didn't fight back, or at least do something. He basically said that it wasn't his problem. I’d say that so many people seem more concerned about fending off potential Visa problems rather than thinking of the children, but then again, what are you to do? Send them money? Stuffed frogs? Real ones, with the skin still wet? How are you going to make THAT happen?

The Buddhist monk, who was hit in the face by some random jerk, was asked by his assistant why he didn’t fight back, or at least do something. He basically said that it wasn’t his problem.

]]> By: seouldout http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113480 seouldout Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:00:58 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113480 So I reckon we'll soon be seeing fake background check documents along side the phony diplomas (and pædophile DVD's) for sale in Khao San Road. Nifty. So I reckon we’ll soon be seeing fake background check documents along side the phony diplomas (and pædophile DVD’s) for sale in Khao San Road. Nifty.

]]> By: Smee http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113477 Smee Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:45:40 +0000 http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/10/18/need-to-check-english-teachers-good-luck/#comment-113477 There was a thread on Dave's, since pulled, where Peter Jackson talked about how he got out of giving a background check. The schools themselves aren't doing much in the way of vetting their employees. Granted, if the government and its school districts have lax regulations, it won't motivate private schools. But we have a case here where several levels were asleep at the switch. As others have said, an orthodox criminal check likely would have turned over nothing (and these are easy enough to fake anyway). But having a system where previous employers aren't contacted or considered---and vice versa, as the places I've worked in Korea can't be used as references back home---leads to trouble. It's easy to make things look damning in hindsight, and now on Dave's there are lots of posters coming out of the woodwork, quoting his posts, and saying "I knew something wasn't right." The truth is, there was no way to know, and sometimes people slip through the cracks. It'll be interesting to see what, if any, new regulations are put in place, but I don't see the resources available for an effecient, reliable method of background checks (hell, they couldn't even verify our degrees properly the last time around). There was a thread on Dave’s, since pulled, where Peter Jackson talked about how he got out of giving a background check. The schools themselves aren’t doing much in the way of vetting their employees. Granted, if the government and its school districts have lax regulations, it won’t motivate private schools. But we have a case here where several levels were asleep at the switch. As others have said, an orthodox criminal check likely would have turned over nothing (and these are easy enough to fake anyway). But having a system where previous employers aren’t contacted or considered—and vice versa, as the places I’ve worked in Korea can’t be used as references back home—leads to trouble.

It’s easy to make things look damning in hindsight, and now on Dave’s there are lots of posters coming out of the woodwork, quoting his posts, and saying “I knew something wasn’t right.” The truth is, there was no way to know, and sometimes people slip through the cracks. It’ll be interesting to see what, if any, new regulations are put in place, but I don’t see the resources available for an effecient, reliable method of background checks (hell, they couldn’t even verify our degrees properly the last time around).

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