The superintendent Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education explains that the city plans to hire not only native speakers, but English speakers from other Asian nations. Assuming for a moment that this is not just a ploy to import cheap labor, it might just be a good idea — I’ve heard it said the best teachers of language are NOT native speakers, but rather those who have learned it fluently as a second language.
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I have been wondering for a long time when the flood gates between here and India open and they come in here by the barrelful to do a better job than a handful of people from places with better dental clinics.
I suspect the local market will take to Philippine instructors more than Indian. Just a guess, though.
Regardless, I’ll bet SMOE hasn’t thought of this: that the fresh-out-of-uni whiteys that come here don’t really have emigration on their minds. Most come alone, stay a year or two, and leave alone.
Citizens of the Philippines or India who get work visas in Korea are much more likely to set about trying to set themselves and their family members up here permanently.
Which is all OK by me. I just doubt that SMOE has thought of it.
It’s okay to assume it, Robert. I bet a hundred bucks that that’s part of the equation.
Teachers from the US/Canada/South Africa? $2,300 min.
Teachers from all other Asian countries? $1,300 min.
That’s a no-brainer for them,and them candidates will gladly suck up that opportunity with gusto.
“I’ve heard it said the best teachers of language are NOT native speakers, but rather those who have learned it fluently as a second language.”
Actually, no. The best teachers are the ones who, above all else, teach in accordance to their students’ real needs.
If they get the same pay and benefits as a “western” teacher, I’ll believe it isn’t one.
But knowing the EFL industry, they’ll be lucky to not have to buy their own board markers.
I hope they get paid better than the Russian employees at the English villages. “Heeeere izzz yorrrr teeket.”
Hiring capable Asian speakers of English is a good thing. Koreans can expect to encounter more and more EFL speakers in the future, and an added exposure to different varieties of English - native or not - should be beneficial. As there already exists a great deal of discrimination - gender, race, age, nationality, you name it - in the English teaching market here, I would not be surprised if Asian teachers find themselves getting shafted on pay or other job conditions.
#6 - There are Russians working at English villages? I wonder if a Russian working as an English village ticket taker can rake in as much as a fairy, knight, or princess at Everland?
Asians…I wonder if they’ll hire female models from Uzbekistan. I can see the job interviews. “Hankuk-mallul balli balli hagoshipoyo.” I don’t think I could compete with that.
A couple of scary things…
1) How are they going to determine the level of the foreign Asian’s English ability. I doubt they will be able to establish a successful system.
2) Brothel owners and human traffickers I hope you are paying attention… another back door just opened for your recruiting. First the “entertainment visa,” now this one.
The Author Kang Shin-who writes…Currently, the Korean immigration authority doesn’t issue English teaching visas (E-2 visa) to those from Asian countries such as India, Pakistan, Singapore and the Philippines where English is used as an official language. However, some of them who are married to Koreans are teaching English at schools with their residence visa.
Well then, why doesn’t the author go see to it that Immigration do their job and bust em? They could fine the Hagwon while they are at it for employing them!
Bust them? For what? Anyone with a residence visa is entitled to work anywhere they like, and that includes an English institute if they so choose.
Incidentally, I saw a recent story about the new fad in Japanese education, which is emulating Indian education, if you can believe it. The Japanese, I suppose, are impressed by the Indians English ability. Actually, though, I think most educated Indians have to be more than bi-lingual, and are familiar with many of the major languages of the sub-continent, and thus have a good understanding of language learning and teaching.
The Western English teachers out there probably don’t have too much to worry about, though, since Koreans have such a strong preference for “Native,” or ‘white’ English speakers. And, this is why you can see Russian and other white English as a second language speaking actors on Korean TV - Koreans use ethnicity as the flawed standard for judging someone’s English ability - since they have no other means of evaluation.
#11,
Yes, their employment is of no concern to the Immigration office. With a residence visa they are entitled to work in the same positions as Koreans granted they have the qualifications. Question is, are they qualified? It’s up to the Ministry of Education to decide if they should be investigated…but to target them only? They’d find themselves with a lawsuit. They’d have to investigate all the hagwon teachers if they want to do a widespread crackdown, and they simply don’t have the resources to do that.
I’ve heard it said, too, but there is no objective evidence supporting this belief. Being a great teacher is SO MUCH MORE than understanding all the quirks of English grammar simply because you learned it as a second language. This is especially true for teaching children, as young learners acquire grammar through good modeling, not jargon-loaded explanations. There are research-based best practices in teaching languages, and none of them have anything to do with whether or not the teacher is a native speaker.
There are research-based best practices in teaching languages, and none of them have anything to do with whether or not the teacher is a native speaker.
Spot on!
BTW, the US imports foreign teachers under the Visiting International Faculty (VIF) program to teach in public schools that have trouble recruiting or retaining American teachers or teach subjects like math, science, and ESL. There are many more foreign applicants than positions, and competition is rigorous. We have several Latin American VIFs in our district ESL program.
Let me get this straight…the same country that’s asking all foreign English instructors to get backgrounds checks is now going to open the floodgates for thousands of non-native instructors to come to Korea and teach? I’d love to see how immigration is going to check the records of these E-2 applicants. The dummies at immigration haven’t even caught on to the “Pass the 50,000,000 won in the bank account game” that many of our fine African “businessmen” in Itaewon have scammed.
This plans reaps of potential abuse, cheating, black mailing, and anything else your dirty minds can think of when Mr. Hangwon Man realizes he has COMPLETE control over his subjects. Do you hear that Maria from the Philippines? Either we go to the yogwan tonight, or somebody’s ass is going back to Manila.
cmm…I’m doing a variation on your #2.
BTW, if you think instructors from the Canada or the US play up their resumes–if not outright lie, I can’t wait to see what Patel from Pune or Maria from Luzon writes to get a job paying a year’s salary in two months.
For all the “We are the World” people out there..yes, YES, non-native instructors can be great teachers. Happy?
However, the socio-linguistic elements that your average red-blooded–fill in your native English speaking country in here–conveys during the learning experience is very important, and prepares many of the good speakers to do what? Yes, get a job and sell their crap to North America and the EU. (No China?…Koreans are already studying Chinese and have enough Korean Chinese to do interpreting…especially for late night business rounds at the room salon in Beijing. WhooHoo!)
Aren’t Korean students already learning English in the Philippines? Would be a fun place to study, and inexpensive, too.
Colonel Kilgore’s like an eccentric painter that can only produce his masterpieces in the dead of night, after the rest of his time zone has gone to sleep.
Colonel Kilgore is probably a wanted sex criminal back in his home state.
People like him give expats in Korea an EARNED reputation.
I think I read him write, to paraphrase,
“having sex with the 21 yr old neighbor, it’s her choice, right?”
yeah, I guess. But don’t you think if this was what usually went down when whitie moved next door, Korean ajushi would be more hostile over any whitie, oh say, within a decade?
yeah, I probably think so. Especially if some minority of dudes left ” bye love, i have AIDS” letters.
Pretty close!
http://www.rjkoehler.com/2008/.....ent-129984
#17,
I knew kids who went there about 10 years ago. There were fewer Koreans going there to study English in those days, so it was a choice destination for the more adventurous ones who were serious about improving there English skills. One of my friends isolated herself in a small town outside of Manila, away from other Koreans, for over a year. She returned speaking English and Tagalog quite well.
I wonder if the schools who cater to Koreans in the Philippines will now have a hard time keeping their teachers.
wjk wrote…
“Colonel Kilgore is probably a wanted sex criminal back in his home state.
People like him give expats in Korea an EARNED reputation.”
Yes, YES…you’ve finally figured it out. I’m just another sex criminal from back home living in Korea like the other thousands of foreigners living in Korea. We’re all Christopher Neals running around having criminal sex. Can’t fool you, Inspector Clouseau.
As for your references, please look up the words ‘facetious’ and ’sarcastic’. If I recall, I was saying that human trafficking was evil. I think it’s absurd to think Korea doesn’t have a prostitution problem, and to condone this obvious fact with people saying that “Americans are being prudish” .
By the way, I like most EXPATS in Korea and did not know that all had a reputation as sex offenders. I’m glad I know where you stand.
Also, I’d like to thank Linkd for the masterpiece comment. Yes, it is true that I stay up late when I have too much work to do. I pop into the M-hole for a comment. Next time, John Boy, I’ll make sure I write my masterpieces at an earlier time before you feed the chickens and shoe the horses.
I’m sure my comments won’t please everybody. However, I like his blog quite a bit and thought more people should contribute…instead of becoming another Dave Sperling’s ESL Cafe with a group of clickish Korean wonks trying to make a name for themselves for their own blogs.
Make a deal…if you don’t like my opinion, please refute with something intelligent besides a racist “He (white guy)is a sex offender back home.” Spare me the middle school ad hominems.
Mian hae…’this blog’
colonel kilgore, by the tone and content of your comments, you may be my doppelganger, though i’m sure you don’t have as ugly a mug as i do.
i usually don’t post comments because i frequently don’t have the energy, as i’m too busy smoking blunts all morning, hitting ON middle school girls who hang out at the restaurant downstairs in the afternoon, shooting up the ice before hitting IT when the wondergirls wannabes finally succum(b) to my wily charms in the evening, taking care of my wife and her korean friends’ “needs” until midnight before heading to the local room salon to peddle under-the-table viagara to korean men AND give the shag-a-rific sluts there the rogering they don’t reliably get from the aforementioned viagara-hazed men.
time to go. weekends are usually my busiest time.
therefore, sir, i’m glad to see your comments because i’ve no time to post my own.
It is being done just to save money. Some non-native speakers are good, but many others really have no place to be attempting to teach English.
On my last day at the last Hagwon I worked I met the Filipino Canadian ‘teacher’ who was my replacement. I couldn’t understand a bloody word she said, her accent was so fucked up!
That day with the kids we, ate some pizza, introduced her and played some scrabble. Her greatest contribution was the word “graid”! That women has no place in any educational environment, unless she’s the student.