goo_stewart

I think wages will increase for the better places, some of the sweat shops will go under due to lack of teachers maybe. I just feel that there will be a change because there will certainly be less teachers coming here due to the new regs. I could be proved wrong, I guess we will see in the next few months.

Just my feelings on the subject, I have no specific insights (or the usual 'friends' in Immigration/government that members of Dave's ESL/Thai Visa always seem to have!)

jimbo

Well get some Damnit!!

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jimbo

Backlash on stronger E-2 visa rules


The chief education officials of 16 major cities and provinces called for further easing of the new visa rules for foreign teachers, which they claim impede the recruitment of English teachers.
The request was made during their meeting with Minister of Education, Science and Technology Kim Doh-yeon. The two-day conference ended yesterday.
Despite the surging demand triggered by the government's initiative to enhance public English education, the strict rules of qualification for the E-2 visa has made it difficult to hire native speaking teachers, they said. The regulations took effect Dec. 15. English teachers applying for the visa must be citizens of English-speaking countries with at least a bachelor's degree. Applicants must submit a criminal background check and health data, including HIV-AIDS and drug-test results.
The government has already eased some of the regulations. The validity of the criminal background check has been extended and applicants will no longer be required to test for marijuana use.
The chief education officials also called on the government to reinforce the roles of the department dealing with foreign teachers at the National Institute for International Education Development, so as to systematically recruit, manage and retrain them.
They asserted that increasing the number of foreign assistant teachers was imperative to bridge the regional divide in education levels, which was highlighted following the basic skills test taken by seventh-graders nationwide on March 6.
During the meeting the officials discussed an array of pending education issues, including the ministry's planned tasks for this year.
Minister Kim said that the government would coordinate with relevant organizations on its plan to invite English-speaking ethnic Koreans and foreign students who major in Korean studies as English instructors to teach after-school English lessons in rural areas from as early as this summer.
Ethnic Koreans or foreigners who volunteer to teach in Korea for between six months and a year will be given a chance to experience Korean culture, Kim said.
The ministry has yet to decide on the details such as the qualifications, selection process and how many will be selected. It plans to recruit the volunteers through Korean embassies and Korean student associations abroad.
The new visa rule was introduced amid widespread unease over the credibility of foreign English teachers. A series of foreign teachers have recently been arrested, including Christopher Paul Neil, a Canadian English teacher who taught here for four years.
He was arrested in late October in Thailand, on charges of molesting children in Southeast Asia.
The government transition team in January announced English education plans aimed at enhancing students' conversational skills by teaching students English exclusively in the language.
The government also plans to recruit 23,000 TEE (Teaching English in English) teachers over the next five years.

By Song Sang-ho

(sshluck@heraldm.com)





2008.04.04

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Lizara

I do hope they mean volunteers as in people who offer to take the job, and not volunteers as in unpaid labour... cause otherwise I'd say that plan is even less well thought out than the one about the new visa rules.

jimbo

I think they are talking about real volunteers Liz!

I've heard rumours that they are very much counting on the missionaries to fill those positions.... and that the Western "church," is considering an allowance of missionaries WITHOUT Korean language skills, so.....they just might fill those spots.

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goo_stewart

This article is interesting, I do feel that things are changing. Give it time and the folks that run this debacle will change the rules back to how they were, as they have realised that people are going to other countries instead (Chine, Vietnam etc.).

My director met with all the other directors in the area last week and they are getting up a petition for the ministry to change things as they are feeling the pinch in recruitment. Already the money has increased by 100,000 Won on last year.

MisterStretch

I hope this leads to other changes as well, like not working in at least one of the holiday camps each year.

I'm already looking for a new gig for the fall if I can't have enough time off to see my family. If I renegotiate here for another year it will be with a raise and guaranteed time off, not the measly two weeks that EPIK contracts offer.

phuketbound

^2 weeks for EPIK? Yikes, I'll remember not to apply with them. The Seoul public board (SMOE) now offers four weeks of vacation. It usually works out to two weeks in the summer, and two in the winter. Do you have to do a summer and winter camp as well?

MisterStretch

I just negotiated myself a sweet deal. I think the EPIK contract follows the 'hogwon, two-week' policy and I let it be known I wasn't keen on re-signing if this is the case and my contract isn't up until December 2nd. As I'm very well liked by student and admin I went to the table on the this one.

I now will teach a two-week camp at the beginning of summer break, giving me three weeks in the LoS with my family.

I'll get 2-3 weeks over Christmas/New Year...they pay for my ticket to LoS and return to Korea in January for 3-week camp and then I'm off all the month of February when I will return to the LoS and the family again.

I get 9 days in May, CNY and Chuseok in addition to all of the little days that my students are on a trip, testing, whatever that I don't have to work.

soijetcornergirl

Good for you!

Unfortunately, too few foreign teachers in Korea actually have the confidence and courage to do what you did to isure being treated fairly by an employer. It is also my impression that we will be seeing more of this in Korea as the teacher shortage grows daily. One would be very foolish to accept a "minimal" salary and benefits contract these days without at least attempting to have the employer sweeten the pot; and I don't mean just throwing in a bottle of soju at the signing!

phuketbound

Definitely great advice for newbies!

Sounds like you got yourself a sweet deal!!

MisterStretch

Not only that but I like the people that I work with. They're helpful when I need something and I've picked up two evening 'doubles' that now kick me over 3.0 million.

Soijetcornergirl has the pulse on this one, I think. As hiring becomes more difficult experienced teachers can negotiate themselves some better deals.

WhatsGrammar?

Amen

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