English website for foreign investment, foreign workers employment and married immigrants--interesting . . .

I saw this on the Korea Times this morning,

English Legal Information Available on Web

The Ministry of Government Legislation said Wednesday that it has launched an English-language Web site to provide foreign investors, workers, students and married immigrants here with essential legal information.

Named ``Easy-to-Find Legal Information for Everyday Life,'' the site was established to help foreigners with little or no understanding of the Korean language.

The English site offers details on the three most sought-after areas where legal information is key ― foreign investment, foreign workers' employment and married immigrants.

The ministry is to upgrade the service to diversity its information sources.

The service is available at http://oneclick.moleg.go.kr.

I clicked on the link and it actually goes to the KOREAN language web page.

The link to the English page is here.

Now the only challenge is putting into PRACTICE what is written on paper . . .

The link for foreign employment info is here.

I just skimmed the site for about 30 minutes glancing at different things on it. I didn't take a lot of time to closely examine the content in terms of whether or not it is relevant to E2 Visa foreign English teachers . . . I just skimmed over what I thought looked interesting and then commented on it so please don't think that the content here has been carefully analyzed and vetted over a long period of time by an 'expert' (nope, not me) . . . I'm just killing time on New Year's day surfing the Net and tossing out some initial impressions and reactions to what I saw on the site.

I found this interesting,

Hiring foreigners who do not have the appropriate visa status is subject to a sentence of up to three years of imprisonment or a fine of up to twenty million won, under subparagraph 5 of Article 94 of the 「Immigration Control Act」.

It is unlawful to hire, or as a form of business, recommend and arrange for hiring of foreigners who do not have the appropriate visa status and doing so is a punishable offence by up to three years of imprisonment or a fine of up to 20 million won. (「Immigration Control Act」 Article 94 subparagraphs 5-2 and 6)

The "Immigration Control Act" is cited often through the parts I was reading . . . I'll have to look for that piece of work some other time and link to it.

Short-term Employment (C-4), Professorship (E-1), Foreign Language Teaching (E-2), Research (E-3), Technology Transfer (E-4), Professional Employment (E-5), Arts/Entertainment (E-6), Specially Designated Activities (E-7), Non-professional Employment (E-9), Vessel Crew (E-10), Working Holiday (H-1) or Working Visit (H-2)

- Foreign workers corresponding to any of the above categories of visa status may not work in areas other than as designated (Article 18.(2)「Immigration Control Act」).

※ Violation of the above is a punishable offense (up to 1 year of imprisonment or a fine of up to 10 million won pursuant to subparagraph 5 of Article 95 of the 「Immigration Control Act」).

- Foreign workers intending to change their workplace within the scope allowed by the visa, must obtain a permit from the Minister of Justice in advance (Heads of Immigration Office or Branch in cases where delegated so by the Minister of Justice)(「Immigration Control Act」 Article 21.(1)).

※ Violation of this is subject to a sentence of up to 1 year of imprisonment or a fine of up to 10 million won (「Immigration Control Act」 Subparagraph 5 of Article 95).

- With the exception of providing job reference under another law, no one is allowed to hire or make a job reference to any one who did not obtain the permission to change the workplace, among other permissions (「Immigration Control Act」 Article 21.(1))(「Immigration Control Act」Article 21.(2)).

※ A foreign worker who did not obtain the proper permit for change of workplace is subject to a sentence of up to 3 years of imprisonment or a fine of up to 20 million won (「Immigration Control Act」 subparagraph 6-2 of Article 94) and any one who hires such a foreigner is subject to a sentence of up to 1 year of imprisonment or a fine of up to 10 million won (「Immigration Control Act」 subparagraph 6-2 of Article 95).

I wonder if any hogwan owners and directors have actually been prosecuted to the degree cited above?

I found this interesting too,

However, foreigners corresponding to the above table subparagraph (12) [Overseas Koreans (F-4)] are not permitted to engage in any of the following activities. Not being restricted by the above does not waive any obligation to obtain specific job licenses or meet other qualifications defined for each area (「Enforcement Decree of the Immigration Control Act」 Article 23.(3)).

3. Other activities deemed to require restriction for sake of maintaining order in the labor market or other public interest.

There is a whole list of other items described that E2 Visa holders cannot do, but it kills me that #3 is added. It is essentially a 'carte blanche' clause saying 'anything we don't like that you do is open to prosecution.'


I always like to look at how legal language is articulated when the everyday word is NOT used, like here for example.

Those invited by Korean citizens who are closer than 3rd cousins by consanguinity or 1st cousins by affinity and who have a residential address in the Republic of Korea;

consanguinity

1. Relationship by blood or by a common ancestor.
2. A close affinity or connection.

And then there are things that I totally don't understand . . .

B. Types of Activities Permitted

1) Visit, temporary co-residence with relatives, tourism, medical treatment, field trip, friendship tournaments, non-profit organizations’ culture and arts activities, attending meetings, collecting academic data, market survey, business communication, contract signing, and any other business or commercial activities under such purpose

I'm DYING to know what a "friendship tournament" is . . . lol.

And perhaps one of the most relevant entries on the site,

3.Foreign Language Instructor (E-2)

Foreigners intending to teach in a foreign language school or educational institute not lower than primary school, qualified under the criteria determined by the Minister of Justice.

※ What is the qualification as determined by the Minister of Justice?

· Persons intending to teach a foreign language in a language institute or in a primary school or higher, need to hold at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent academic background after graduation from college or higher level institute or its equivalent as a person of a country where such language is used as a mother tongue.

· Assistant teachers (persons solicited or selected by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology or education superintendents in cities and provinces, who intend to work in a primary, junior high or senior high school) need to hold at least a junior college degree; or have completed at least two years of college education after graduation; or have received at least 10 years of formal education in the language concerned and have completed two years of college education in Korea or graduated from a junior college in Korea.

I'm still working on a post that I will put up on the Korean English online 'news' discourse about 'qualified' and 'unqualified' foreign native teachers. The Korea Times is one of the worst offenders in this area . . . anyways, my point here is that it is the policy makers who set the standards for applicants who want to teach here in Korea--not the foreign native teachers, oops, I meant "assistant teachers" . . . lol, sigh.

And this is mentioned again,

A foreign worker who did not obtain the proper permit for change of workplace is subject to a sentence of up to 3 years of imprisonment or a fine of up to 20 million won (「Immigration Control Act」 subparagraph 6-2 of Article 94) and any one who hires such a foreigner is subject to a sentence of up to 1 year of imprisonment or a fine of up to 10 million won (「Immigration Control Act」 subparagraph 6-2 of Article 95).

Some of the stuff in the "Protection under labor related acts and subordinate statutes" is very amusing and I wonder where it came from because the everyday realities of social rank and power dynamics in Korea seem to be completely disconnected from the policy language here that assumes there is a cultural environment in which employers and employees can even have a negotiation about something work related . . . I mean, some negotiation takes place, but I think it's safe to say it's generally not on EQUAL footing . . .

In a culture where Confucian-based ideas of power dynamics and a system of social ranks with very clear and strict definitions of who always gives the orders and who always says yes and follows the orders I'm really confused as to how this kind of language can even exist on paper (or the Net in this case).

Principle of equality in employer-employee relation

- Work condition must be determined between the workers and employers on an equal footing based on free will.(「Labor Standards Act」 Article 4).

Principle of equal treatment of workers

- An employer may not discriminate against his (her) workers in determining their working conditions on grounds of gender, nationality, religion or social origin.(「Labor Standards Act」 Article 6).

Violation of this is subject to a sentence of a fine of up to 5 million won (「Labor Standards Act」subparagraph 1 of Article 114).

I'm really curious about this part that talks about 'annual paid leave'

Employer must grant 15 days of paid leave to workers who attended at least 80% of the work period for at least one year (「Labor Standards Act」Article 60.(1)). The period of days off work due to the workers’ injury or disease caused on the job, pre- and post-natal leaves, leaves for miscarriage or stillbirth shall be deemed as days attended (「Labor Standards Act」 Article 60.(6)).

Does this mean that hogwan teachers are supposed to be given 15 paid vacation days a year??? I wonder . . .

Restriction on dismissal

- The employer may not dismiss workers without justifiable cause (「Labor Standards Act」 Article 23.(1)).

※ What are dismissals based on justifiable cause?

I think a lot of the content about dismissal has more to do with factory and manual labor workers than it does in relation to foreign English teachers.

I noticed a search window on the site and typed in "health check," "medical check," and "criminal background check" and got nothing in terms of results related to foreign English teachers and the E2 Visa process . . . .

Anyways, I guess the website is a STEP in the right direction.

J

I was sitting at my desk surfing the Net and blogging and writing emails that were ungodly long when I realized that while it was cold outside it was also a nice day--so I got out of the apartment and walked in the general direction of Julianne's middle school where she was finishing up winter English camp Day 3.

On the way there I saw a typical sight in Korea--the fruit truck selling stuff next to the side of the road.

Further down the road I decided to take a pic of this exercise fitness clinic that I've seen several times because I find it very 'interesting' that they have what appears to be an African tribesman on a massive poster above their clinic. How this is advertising their services is a leap of cultural imagination and advertising that is beyond me.

It may also just plain have nothing to do with the fitness clinic at all. It could have been put up by a previous tenant for another kind of business . . . or maybe the building owner took a trip and blew up the picture he took while on vacation and put it on the side of his building--who knows . . .

This little shop is a doggy hair salon. Julianne walks up and down this street every day while coming to and from her school. She'll occasionally drop in and play with the dogs for a few minutes.

I took a pic of this 'establishment' because the name makes me laugh every time I see it. "Sexy Shocking" . . . lol.

I find it interesting to see what types of buildings and institutions in Korea look almost exactly the same as American and Canadian things. The post office here looks almost like it could be found in America or Canada.

I like the building in the center background because the texture of the bricks, and its colors, are simply different than your typical pale yellow giant box shaped apartment buildings in Korea.

The back gate looking onto the middle school Julianne teaches at.

There is this massive wall that surrounds the school like a fort or prison . . . a little too 'institutional' for my tastes . . . but what do I know . . .

I wonder if the wall is some kind of reinforcement for the ground/foundation the school is built on because the elevation is higher than the street level where I was standing. Construction in Korea has to deal with building on angled slopes and the sides of hills and mountains a lot.

I really liked the tree's colors against the blue sky.

I walked into the school and found Julianne's office but she had gone out for lunch with another foreign teacher and her primary Korean co-teacher . . . doh! So much for surprising her by dropping in . . . so after calling her and finding out when she would be back from lunch I wandered around enjoying the wonderful aroma that the girls lockers give off . . .

I decided to take a pic of the source of this aroma . . .

This middle school actually had really good English signs for each classroom and type of office--I was impressed that there were no signs like, "Sex Counseling Room," that I've heard about from friends who work in the public system, lol.

I had to take a picture of this washing station in the hallway for one simple reason: there is a BAR OF SOAP on the counter! It's been very rare in my own experience, and from what I generally hear from other foreign native teachers, to see soap consistently available for students to use to wash their hands after using the bathroom . . . I'm told that efforts are being made to correct this issue but haven't really heard much from foreign teachers to confirm that the general soap and hygiene situation has changed much in the public schools . . . I'm keeping my fingers crossed though.

Julianne is doing a Fantasy Island themed winter English camp where the girls make their own island. They have to make a map of the island (seen below), and then a flag, money, etc etc.

And the girls have been very true to the Korisney aesthetic that generally seems to dominate a lot of the culture in Korea. Take a look at the top right corner of the island's map . . . lol.

I'm kind of shocked that Dokdo didn't somehow find itself integrated into the creation of a fantasy island map--lol, wink wink.

Later on, after Julianne was finished, we headed towards GS Mart to pick up New Year's Eve supplies . . . I still really love to see the mountains that are almost always a part of the skyline in Korea.

I actually went and stood in the middle of the road to get this picure--I didn't think it was all that dangerous but Julianne made a comment or two . . . lol.

Standing next to GS Mart I snapped these two shots trying to figure out the best aperture setting in order to bring the distant details of the mountains into a higher degree of clarity . . .

Well, time for a short nap before Julianne and I enjoy our first New Year's Eve together.

Happy New Year!

J

Why am I surfing the Net and blogging when I could be OUTSIDE?

I'm going outside. I'm not chained to my desk in a public school like I have been in the past. I can use the exercise--damn right--and it's nice outside.

J

Korea Times and its reprehensible cartoons

Someone seriously needs to explain to the staff at the Korea Times why making cartoon pictures of human rights atrocities and attempted 'genocide as self-defense' is ethically and professionally disgusting.

Israeli Strike on Gaza

J

Yang Yom Galbi BBQ in Korea

Julianne and I went to one of our favorite galbi bbq restaurants for dinner. I want to put the proper spelling and names of all the different foods I took pics of but I'm too tired right now to consult a dictionary--plus I always get some of the names confused (especially 'gochujang' and its different types) even after all of the time I've been in Korea. I was spoiled during my first 3 years in Korea by always eating with Korean teachers who would order for me, or being with other expats whose Korean totally blew mine away . . .

Anyways, yang yom galbi is probably my favorite bbq meal in Korea. This is the outside of the restaurant we went to.

I, of course, brought along my camera. I think the pics I took tonight of the different Korean foods are some of the best that I've been able to take with my SLR on the manual setting. Some of the 'basics' of aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and other stuff are things I'm actually starting to get a handle on though I still have a long ways to go and a lot to learn.

kimchi

yang yom galbi

This meat is marinated in a sauce that is totally awesome and in my opinion beats sangyapsal and other bbq galbi. It is usually brought to the table on a tray with tongs that you use to put it on the bbq.

You cook the meat until it's almost ready . . .

. . . and then use scissors to cut it into smaller pieces.

This picture is a great example of one kind of culture shock a lot of foreigners have when they first eat bbq in Korea. The cooked pieces of meat are still on the bbq and yet the next strip of meat is put on to cook on the same surface and in close proximity to the cooked pieces of meat . . . I'm pretty relaxed about the whole thing now but when I first arrived in Korea I was a bit freaked out.

onions

Some people eat them as they are, and others put them on the bbq to cook a bit. You can also put them inside the lettuce leaf that you use to wrap up the piece of galbi you're eating.

sauce and sea salt

You pick up a piece of galbi and dip it into the sauce, and then dab some salt onto it. Then you can eat it as is or wrap it up with a piece of lettuce after putting whatever other items you want into the wrap.

gochuchang

This is the less spicy or hot kind that is seriously almost better, well, in many ways it IS better than ketchup--which says a lot because I LOVE ketchup. You dab some of this onto a piece of galbi and eat it as is, or wrap it up in the lettuce. Julianne and I will sometimes also put some on our rice which totally makes most Koreans do a double-take, lol.

Soup--molten lava hot soup.

The infamous hot green pepper that Korean men will always try to get foreign men to eat to prove and display their masculinity and virility. There are some people who believe it helps boost stamina and 'vigor'--I think it's just a case of men trying to prove they're men by doing dumbass stuff in front of each other, and any women present . . .

Two people can eat all of this food, plus two bowls of rice and two individual size bottles of Pepsi, for 20 000won--wow. Restaurants also generally give free refills on kimchi, gochuchang, lettuce, and green peppers.

J

A Foreign English Teacher's Reflections On 3 Years of Teaching in a Korean Public School English Program

This is a post that I've been sitting on for quite a while now . . . I wanted to think about whether or not it would contribute to helping improve the public school education system here . . . and I think that the perspective of one native English teacher's 3 years of teaching in middle schools, a high school, a training center where I was a homeroom teacher for the six month intensive English teacher training program for Korean middle and high school English teachers, after school elementary, middle, and high school level programs, and summer and winter camps for all levels . . . I think that the perspective offered based on these experiences might provide some kind of insights into the fundamental issues that native English teachers face on a daily basis.

Below are questions from a survey sent out by a Korean English teacher as part of a survey that I do not know all of the details about. The primary motivation I had when I wrote out my responses to the survey below was one of trying to IMPROVE the 000 English program where I used to work--not simply to criticize it.

Criticism combined with suggestions for improvement should be seen for what it is: a genuine passion for quality teaching and education, and for the students of Korea to find the success they work so hard to achieve in their classrooms every day.

1. Did you have any experience in teaching area before you came to Korea?

(I left this one blank because I'm not going to put my resume on my blog).

2. When you arrived for the first time, did you get training?

No. The 000 English Program orientation (in 2005) was very poor to nonexistent. The orientation took place over 3 days, but was really only for about 4 hours in total. (Also, consider how effective training and orientations are within the first 48 hours of arriving after a 16-25 hour flight—jet lag is a factor not considered in the orientation schedule). It consisted of a 30 minute video in KOREAN LANGUAGE about 00000 city and the 000 English Program (no translation was offered).

The native teacher brought in to speak to us, for about 2 hours, had no interest or motivation to prepare a proper orientation speech and materials. No teacher training, teaching resources, co-teaching methods, or any other kind of training related to teaching was given. His advice and commentary on Korean culture and living in Korea was also brief and lacking in specifics like how to get a cell phone, information about food, and basic banking . . . you would think an information package, or websites, or something would have been presented for new teachers to look at but nothing was given.

The orientation program has evolved quite a bit since then. During the end of 2005 and into 2006 and 2007, 00000, and some other foreign teachers developed power point presentations, gathered tourist pamphlets and other information (subway maps, etc) for when they gave the orientation for new foreign teachers—but this was done on their own time and generally with no instructions or requests made by the 000 English Program leadership.

The native speaker orientation presentation lasts only 3 hours (during a week to 10 days orientation period), and is not specific to level of foreign teacher (i.e. elementary, middle, and high school).

Later on, 00000, rewrote major portions of the orientation manual for 00000 to include bookstore directions, teaching book and resource lists, teaching websites, and information for TESL/TEFL training courses offered on websites, and information on the KOTESOL conference offered every year at Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul. He updated the manual to try and address the needs and wants of new foreign teachers in terms of teaching, teaching training and resources, and life in Korea. The 000 English Program office did no research into what foreign teachers were struggling with. No surveys were given, no meetings with opportunities to communicate issues were scheduled, and no plan was in place to support the new teachers upon arrival, or throughout their contract time in the 000 English Program.

As an orientation speaker I attended one orientation, for example, that was more like a photo-op for 00000 city hall where some city hall reps came and practiced their English speech giving skills, and tried to recruit foreign teachers to participate in their programs. New foreign teachers were taken on a tour of the city—none of which was helpful to any of the foreign teachers. Seeing the sport’s stadium, Korean war memorial for t00000, and other tourist sites did not help them see the places they wanted to like grocery stores, the English Language Teaching bookstore . . ., how to navigate the subway, where to eat, how to shop in the grocery stores, etc. The native teachers located out on 00000 island were pretty much forgotten in terms of anything being related to them.

In 2006 and 2007, a few professional development and foreign teacher training workshops were organized by 00000 city hall and the 000 English Program office (after 00000, 00000, and some other foreign teachers kept pushing the 000 English Program directors to do more training and development days). But the 00000 city hall foreign teachers workshop day speakers generally lacked the experience, training, and qualifications to present teacher training and development presentations to the some 150-200 foreign teachers who attended these sessions (one teacher had only been in the country for 6 months, and had no clue what he was talking about. He showed a video about co-teaching where he told a story to students who were not speaking English at all, and his co-teacher was nowhere to be seen—good example of co-teaching!).

Another of the workshop sessions that was intended to offer co-teaching methodology was so poorly planned and presented that it was unbelievable. The Korean English teacher/presenter told personal stories about her experiences with a native teacher. It was mostly about their time OUTSIDE the classroom, and had no concrete methods or techniques for co-teaching: her primary message was to develop your personal relationship with each other—that’s it.

The other presenter was from an English Village and had not been told he was presenting for middle and high school foreign teachers—he was not even told the correct information about who his audience would be. So his well-prepared materials for ELEMENTARY foreign teachers was presented to the wrong levels of foreign teachers who sat there and tried to be patient because he was put in a very unprofessional situation by the organizers of the training.

2-1. How long was it for?

- see above

2-2. What was it about mostly?

- see above

2-3. How much do you think it helped you teach?

Not at all.

2-4. Do you think you need to get training more regularly?(e.g once in a month)

IF, and only IF, the instructors given the task of 000 English Program foreign teacher training have the proper credentials and experience. Bringing in outside instructors or professors (Korean or foreign) who have no public school teaching and co-teaching experience is usually foolish, although top level teacher trainers with a Master's degree in TESOL, some teaching experience early in their careers in public school, and who have a talent for teacher training in TEFL could be useful. Also, teacher trainers who have been trained in the ICELT British Council program would probably be able to offer competent and relevant training to foreign teachers as they are currently running programs in Seoul out of their offices for Korean English teachers.

Korean English professors generally have no experience teaching in public schools and therefore should (almost) NEVER be brought in to do teacher training for foreign teachers and their Korean co-teachers. This is often overlooked by the organizers of lectures and workshops for foreign teachers. There are a few Korean English professors who specialize in the ESL/EFL fields, and have something to offer in teacher training workshops, but they generally work in Seoul and do not travel to 00000. They also have fees that are likely outside the budget of the 000 English Program.

2-5. What else would you like to add to the training?

New foreign teachers arriving in 00000 should be offered a SIGNIFICANT discount (at least 50%) to do a TEFL or TESL 100 hour online instructor certification course. It would be even better if they were offered a 100% refund if they complete the instructor course and SIGN a TWO year contract—this would prevent people from taking the free training, and then leaving after only working one year. If they quit or leave after only one year, and they’ve signed a two year contract, the office can deduct the cost of the instructor certification from their final month’s pay/or bonus month salary for completing a one year contract.

A video library should be created (I put this idea to 00000 in 2007, but they were too busy and overworked to get it going) of all foreign teachers and their co-teacher teaching in elementary, middle, and high schools in the 000 English Program. ONE video ONE class per semester. ONLY TWO PER YEAR. If the 000 English Program office did this they would then have a library from which they could draw videos to show new foreign teachers during their orientation, and also to show foreign teachers during workshops and teacher training days to show them different styles of teaching and co-teaching. This would also be helpful to Korean English co-teachers as they could see the Korean co-teacher’s methods too.

All foreign teachers who are willing to go to the KOTESOL conference at Sookmyung Women’s University in October every year should not have to pay for their ticket to get in. It should be paid for by the 000 English Program office, and their primary co-teachers should have to attend too. The foreign teachers have to pay for their own travel expenses and hotel, so the 000 English Program paying for their ticket to enter the conference should not be seen as a luxury. Also, the foreign teachers come back with resources and training that benefit the 000 English Program, some of that should be supported by the 000 English Program office.

If outside instructors/professors are brought in to do teacher training they need to have the proper credentials and relevant experience. This means that their fees will not be cheap, but the investment is worth it if the 000 English Program wants to improve the training and teaching abilities of the instructors it employs.

A website for the 000 English Program where foreign teachers are required to upload ONE lesson per semester, two over the whole year, that they have designed and tested in their classes, and then edited after teaching, should be created. This website, if all foreign teachers uploaded 2 lessons per year, would then become a great resource for all foreign teachers in the 000 English Program.

3. When you arrived at the school for the first time, did you get enough information about what you were supposed to do from the school or a co-teacher?

No. No orientation or training is provided to schools and co-teachers. Co-teachers are not required to attend the orientation that foreign teachers attend—and even if they were the quality of the orientation may not be high enough to be useful or relevant to the school/co-teacher.

Co-teaching methods and training are absent, and if present generally don’t seem to be level appropriate, meaning they can’t be used in elementary schools, or middle/high schools due to the differences in teaching styles, curriculum, and type of school.

Co-teachers often (not all the time) see the foreign teacher’s English class as a waste of time as the content is not tested, and the students also often don’t care and see the class as sleep time, play time, or ignore the teacher time. Conversation needs to be integrated into the grading structure of the English classes, but this pre-supposes the native teacher having the necessary training and experience required to design tests and evaluate students—often they do not know how to do this, and have no training or experience in this area. Asking an untrained foreign speaker to suddenly perform like a professional teacher, AND test designer, evaluator, textbook and lesson plan designer/editor is INSANE if no training is offered—which is generally the case all too often. Even professional teachers with licenses and experience are not expected to design original quality lesson plans—they use textbooks designed/written/tested/edited by PhDs in education—not, for example, a 25 year old recent graduate of BIOLOGY (not even the subject of English let alone ESL/EFL training) or some burned out hogwan foreign teacher looking for an easy job, or my personal favorite the “tourist-teacher” who only wants to party and travel around Asia . . .

4. Do you get enough information about your students, classes or what is going on in your school?

No. Often the native teacher is the last to know any information related to their OWN CLASSES. When tests are scheduled for students in their classes, national test days, school schedule changes, teacher business trips that cause their co-teacher to be absent . .. the list goes on and on. Some, SOME Korean co-teachers are AWESOME and make efforts to communicate this information, but sadly they are in the minority.

5. Do you have to make your own teaching materials and lesson plans or does the co-teacher tell you what to do?

It seems to be black or white, yes or no. Some co-teachers try to dominate the native teacher with the Korean style of teaching (meaning, it is based on the testing system which is radically different than most western cultural styles of education) which is not a communicative language teaching style, and the foreign teacher has many problems. Most of the time, from stories I’ve heard from hundreds, (literally over 3 years of phone calls, emails, and conversations, I’ve heard that many stories), the Korean co-teacher is so busy/stressed, and/or lacks the English language skills and the talent for teaching/training/experience in teaching methods that support teaching conversation and speaking, and designing lesson plans—generally most co-teachers leave the native teacher completely without any effective support in the production of teaching materials and lesson plans.

6. Is your co-teacher cooperative and helpful to you?

In my 3 years of experience in the 000 English Program, I would say 40% of co-teachers were helpful, and 60% ranged from ineffective and unhelpful to the extreme of outright damaging the teaching quality in the classroom and overall education.

7. What kind of teaching methods do you use?

I prefer using task-based learning methods and teaching. I follow the principles of TEFL teaching as opposed to TESL (Korea is an EFL environment).

8. What is the hardest part of being a native teacher in your school? (e.g cultural difference, the relationship with co-teacher or students. Feeling isolated…)

A general lack of the education system in Korea supporting the presence of native teachers. We are at best eye-candy used for photo opportunities, and used to expose students to foreigners. If the education system was serious about using foreign teachers in its public schools the testing system would be altered to test speaking abilities and conversation. It would not hire unqualified native speakers (who do not have TEFL/TESL/CELTA, or a valid teaching degree and experience). It would not put foreign teachers in classrooms with Korean co-teachers without giving both the foreign and Korean teachers real and REALISTIC (as opposed to idealized and theoretical concepts) teacher training on how to co-teach. And the list goes on . . .

9. Do you think your work is too much?(e.g too long working hours, too many students, too many levels, too much extra work..)

I think the teaching workload of 22 classes per week is acceptable. But the general teaching job environment and situation become very stressful when all of the other variables begin to effect the foreign teacher. For example, lack of communication of information connected to the foreign teacher’s classes. Lack of support within the classroom while co-teaching. Lack of support from co-teachers in producing teaching materials and lesson plans. Too many summer and winter camps being asked of foreign teachers with very little planning time for lessons (sometimes as little as a a couple of days to a week or two) and little to no warning of the camp’s details (usually also for no or very little extra pay). Too many different levels of students/classes when the teacher only sees them once a week OR LESS puts unrealistic demands on the native teacher but this is seen as “fair” by the schedule organizers due to pressure from Korean parents to have their child get time with the foreign teacher, and classes being put together by co-teachers with students who are false-beginners all the way up to near native speaker ability--how can a professional teacher put together a class like that and give it to a foreign teacher and expect any kind of quality learning and teaching to take place . . . and so and so forth . . .

10. Do you think your opinion is well accepted?

No. Foreign teachers are generally seen as outsiders and complainers who don’t “understand” Korean culture and the education system. This is used to nearly 100% to dismiss any and all suggestions/constructive criticism/problems raised by foreign teachers (most of the time). The fundamental structure of the Korean education system is one of competition, not education, and it is maintained in this manner to allow the upper class rich and elite families to send their children to S.K.Y. which guarantees they continue their status as the elite of Korea. As long as students must use hogwans to compete within the public education testing system that relies too heavily on rote memorization of facts there is no real possibility of reforms being made, let alone a foreign teacher who has been in the country for a year or less being listened to when they try to share their opinion.

Another major factor tends to be simple ignorance. If the listener has never traveled to an English speaking country, had some training or exposure to the education systems there, they cannot comprehend the problems that foreign teachers see and are trying to communicate about. If the listener has not had up to date, quality teacher training, and education administration training and experience, they also cannot understand the problems foreign teachers see. When the native teacher is saying that the snow should be white, and it is green, and the person he/she is talking to thinks the natural color of snow is green . . . communication becomes impossible.

In Korea, the general consensus on the education system with the people who have the power to change it seems to be that the snow is green.

11. Do you think you are actually helping your students learn English?

During my public school teaching experience I think I helped the students learn some pronunciation techniques, some English culture, and a little bit of conversation skills and ability. But generally I think that with all of the problems in the education system, testing, scheduling in schools (seeing them once a week or less), and teacher/co-teacher training issues—no, I don’t think I helped them as much I could have IF the school/education system were structured on the fundamental assumption that schools are for education—not simply competition centers set up to support the development of the youngest generations of the rich and elite to take over, and to prepare the rest of the students to work in the middle and lower classes.

12. What would you suggest for bettering the relationship with your co-teacher or English class?

Co-teachers need to attend their own orientation. One in which they learn about western culture, and how to communicate and understand their native teacher in a context which recognizes that power flows in TWO directions—unlike the idea that the senior social rank always has the power—this fundamental difference in reality views causes many problems.

Often, Korean teachers expect the foreign teacher to follow Korean cultural ‘rules’ (which rarely seem to be clearly defined, and seem to often simply be defined as whatever the Korean teacher wants or needs in the moment). COMMUNICATION means information is sent and received—it goes two ways. Often, in Korea, ‘communication’ means SAY YES, and do what I want you to do.'

Better multicultural sensitivity training for both foreign and Korean teachers. Better Korean language, culture and history orientation for native teachers when they first arrive.

Workshop days where BOTH co-teacher and foreign teacher attend together.

13. Are you satisfied with your work conditions and your school? If not, what aren’t you satisfied with? (e.g too short day offs. too little salary…..)

Salary is no longer competitive in the larger picture of Korea and its different provinces and English programs. See 00000 province and its better vacation and salary structure.

There needs to be a limit on how many camps you are asked to do during summer and winter vacations. Or, better yet, make them voluntary, and have extra pay scales for camps written into the contract.

14. Any comments for the school, co–teacher and the office of education.

Nope. It’s pretty much all said in the above sections.

"And that's all I have to say about that." Forrest Gump

J