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Started by Hoser McRhizzy, December 10, 2011, 12:18:03 AM

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Hoser McRhizzy

disclaimer - might belong in rants

[ANNOUNCER-VOICE!]
Are you a 20-something white person from the U.S., Canada, England or Australia with a useless bachelor-of-something-or-other degree?  Mom kicking you out of the basement?  Retail not worthy of your obvious gifts?  Fired from your lawnmowing gig for harassing the nanny?  In short, are YOU considering a profitable ESL career in Korea???



I'll bet you heard you could get round-trip airfare (on schwanky Korean Air), a free apartment for a whole year and 2,000$ per month to be an "English conversation teacher" in Korea.  I KNOW!  Sounds fair, right?!  You should be properly appreciated and deserve to be compensated for your amazing ability to speak your own language and pronounce the letters V, Z and R.  Probably heard about all the awesome girls who are just dying to be Your Korean Wife too, right?
GIFSoup
^PSST!  They all look exactly like this and think you're a really cool guy!^

No training?  No Problem!  Just like Canadian women throughout the 70s and 80s became legal midwives by logging delivery hours catching mexican newborns at the border, even though they were technically COMPLETELY UNQUALIFIED to be anywhere near other people's dilated vaginas in their home country, YOU can clock a year's worth of classtime AND have people bow to you on a regular basis, even though you've never taught anything to anyone in your entire life.

Pretty awesome!

[/ANNOUNCER-VOICE]

Or... at least that's been the deal sold to 'western' guys and girls for the last 20-some-odd years...  UNTIL!  

http://asiancorrespondent.com/71534/seoul-schools-will-not-be-re-hiring-foreign-teachers-in-2012/

In short -- looks like no more public school placements in Seoul.  And if Seoul is trail-blazing here, the rest of the country will probably get on board pretty quickly.  And what this means is... well yes, China's probably getting a massive influx of over-entitled under-qualified white kids demanding to play teacher next year, just like Korea did after Japan's ESL trade calmed down.  But much more than that, it means the avenues for talentless failures young people 'finding themselves' to make a buck off their elite whiteness English are continuing to dry up.  As a former SK English-monkey Alumnus, this gives me a very warm and fuzzy one.



... actual educators everywhere in the world, sweet mother of fucking god, you KNOW I don't mean you, right?  please don't make me e-prime this.
It feels unreal because it's trickling up.

Nephew Twiddleton

One of my friends is actually doing this right now. I wonder what she's going to do if she gets the boot.
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Hoser McRhizzy

OSHI  I should have been clearer.  People just aren't going to get re-signed is all (and that's IF the news doesn't change again by tomorrow).  So, if she's on a year's contract with a public school, she'll work to the end of her contract.  Then, maybe her school will help place her in an "international" school or an english-only school (which aren't losing their funding for foreign teachers), or she can try to find work in a hogwan (a private academy).

She can look for ESL work elsewhere.

No one's getting tossed out of their apartments tomorrow.

Is your friend teaching at a public school in Seoul?
It feels unreal because it's trickling up.

Nephew Twiddleton

Quote from: Hoser McRhizzy on December 10, 2011, 01:03:39 AM
OSHI  I should have been clearer.  People just aren't going to get re-signed is all (and that's IF the news doesn't change again by tomorrow).  So, if she's on a year's contract with a public school, she'll work to the end of her contract.  Then, maybe her school will help place her in an "international" school or an english-only school (which aren't losing their funding for foreign teachers), or she can try to find work in a hogwan (a private academy).

She can look for ESL work elsewhere.

No one's getting tossed out of their apartments tomorrow.

Is your friend teaching at a public school in Seoul?

She's not in Seoul, but some other city. I kinda didn't really hear the details, since it was kinda like, "one of my closest friends is going to be in Asia for a long time. I'm going to miss the hell out of her." She left shortly after my birthday.

The depth of friendship is mutual- we're exes, but very good exes. She made me promise that she would be one of my groomsmen (She thinks Villager is the shit), despite lack of... manliness. And we spent 5 weeks in Europe together (around my 23rd birthday, which was spent in Inverness, Scotland).
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Hoser McRhizzy

Quote from: Nph. Twid. on December 10, 2011, 01:13:48 AM
Quote from: Hoser McRhizzy on December 10, 2011, 01:03:39 AM
OSHI  I should have been clearer.  People just aren't going to get re-signed is all (and that's IF the news doesn't change again by tomorrow).  So, if she's on a year's contract with a public school, she'll work to the end of her contract.  Then, maybe her school will help place her in an "international" school or an english-only school (which aren't losing their funding for foreign teachers), or she can try to find work in a hogwan (a private academy).

She can look for ESL work elsewhere.

No one's getting tossed out of their apartments tomorrow.

Is your friend teaching at a public school in Seoul?

She's not in Seoul, but some other city. I kinda didn't really hear the details, since it was kinda like, "one of my closest friends is going to be in Asia for a long time. I'm going to miss the hell out of her." She left shortly after my birthday.

The depth of friendship is mutual- we're exes, but very good exes. She made me promise that she would be one of my groomsmen (She thinks Villager is the shit), despite lack of... manliness. And we spent 5 weeks in Europe together (around my 23rd birthday, which was spent in Inverness, Scotland).

She sounds very nifty.  I have a few friends over there, too.  And in Japan, Georgia (srs esl market) and China.  The announcer bit and nod to race-analysis was meant to poke fun of both at the gross recruiters from the 90s as well as a bunch of winnar-type guys I remember from when I was there.  If I offended you on behalf of your buddy, my apologies Twid.

And speaking of the news changing again, there's one story from a day after the first saying, "No, just the high schools in Seoul!" and another from a few hours ago saying, "the ministry of education's decision is being reconsidered," while there are still outlets saying, "No one's getting re-signed."  So take this news with a giant salt lick.
It feels unreal because it's trickling up.

Nephew Twiddleton

Quote from: Hoser McRhizzy on December 10, 2011, 01:29:01 AM
Quote from: Nph. Twid. on December 10, 2011, 01:13:48 AM
Quote from: Hoser McRhizzy on December 10, 2011, 01:03:39 AM
OSHI  I should have been clearer.  People just aren't going to get re-signed is all (and that's IF the news doesn't change again by tomorrow).  So, if she's on a year's contract with a public school, she'll work to the end of her contract.  Then, maybe her school will help place her in an "international" school or an english-only school (which aren't losing their funding for foreign teachers), or she can try to find work in a hogwan (a private academy).

She can look for ESL work elsewhere.

No one's getting tossed out of their apartments tomorrow.

Is your friend teaching at a public school in Seoul?

She's not in Seoul, but some other city. I kinda didn't really hear the details, since it was kinda like, "one of my closest friends is going to be in Asia for a long time. I'm going to miss the hell out of her." She left shortly after my birthday.

The depth of friendship is mutual- we're exes, but very good exes. She made me promise that she would be one of my groomsmen (She thinks Villager is the shit), despite lack of... manliness. And we spent 5 weeks in Europe together (around my 23rd birthday, which was spent in Inverness, Scotland).

She sounds very nifty.  I have a few friends over there, too.  And in Japan, Georgia (srs esl market) and China.  The announcer bit and nod to race-analysis was meant to poke fun of both at the gross recruiters from the 90s as well as a bunch of winnar-type guys I remember from when I was there.  If I offended you on behalf of your buddy, my apologies Twid.

And speaking of the news changing again, there's one story from a day after the first saying, "No, just the high schools in Seoul!" and another from a few hours ago saying, "the ministry of education's decision is being reconsidered," while there are still outlets saying, "No one's getting re-signed."  So take this news with a giant salt lick.

No offense was taken, I actually found it very amusing, but I also started thinking about Erin's future and what she might do with the situation as it is. She has a hefty dose of wanderlust, so it might not be a bad thing anyway.
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Hoser McRhizzy

Quote from: Nph. Twid. on December 10, 2011, 01:41:06 AM
No offense was taken, I actually found it very amusing, but I also started thinking about Erin's future and what she might do with the situation as it is. She has a hefty dose of wanderlust, so it might not be a bad thing anyway.

Thanks.  :)

btw, if you're in touch with her and she's looking for information on what's going on, it looks like this blogger's put together everything that's come out over the past few days and he seems to really know what he's on about.

http://populargusts.blogspot.com/2011/12/smoe-native-speaking-teacher-budget.html
QuoteThe high school cuts are already a done deal. The question is whether budget cuts to elementary and middle school NSETs will be passed. SBS was unclear on the source of such cuts, but the Hankyoreh reported that the 4.9 billion won cut to elementary and middle school NSETs was a decsion of the Seoul Metropolitan Council (while the original 4.4 billion won cut to high school NSETs had already been decided on by SMOE when they submitted their proposed budget). Whether these cuts were a figment of SBS's imagination (though a Seoul Metropolitan Council member does say on camera that "in August 2012 and February 2013 native speakers will be gone from middle and high schools"), or whether they are indeed proposed and the council is waiting to see the public's reaction remains to be seen. To be sure, the budget hasn't been officially passed yet, and the official budget won't be announced until this weekend or early next week, or so I've been told.

And as always, it's nice to see the media and elected officials selectively interpreting statistics (in regard to the survey that was done) in order to back up their assertions that NSETs have a 'low effect' or that the "students' satisfaction rate dropped." And no where in this is the mention of the free lunch program - but then I suppose the progressive city council might turn a bit red if one were to suggest that low-income children's only access to native speakers was being taken away in order to give free lunches to the middle and upper classes. It's not exactly the kind of wealth redistribution I would expect from leftists, to say the least.

One thing is for certain - it would seem the GEPIK cuts were not an aberration, and NSETs are likely on their way out of public schools (though who knows what effect the campaigns for the national assembly and presidential elections next year will have).
It feels unreal because it's trickling up.

Nephew Twiddleton

Quote from: Hoser McRhizzy on December 10, 2011, 01:55:06 AM
Quote from: Nph. Twid. on December 10, 2011, 01:41:06 AM
No offense was taken, I actually found it very amusing, but I also started thinking about Erin's future and what she might do with the situation as it is. She has a hefty dose of wanderlust, so it might not be a bad thing anyway.

Thanks.  :)

btw, if you're in touch with her and she's looking for information on what's going on, it looks like this blogger's put together everything that's come out over the past few days and he seems to really know what he's on about.

http://populargusts.blogspot.com/2011/12/smoe-native-speaking-teacher-budget.html
QuoteThe high school cuts are already a done deal. The question is whether budget cuts to elementary and middle school NSETs will be passed. SBS was unclear on the source of such cuts, but the Hankyoreh reported that the 4.9 billion won cut to elementary and middle school NSETs was a decsion of the Seoul Metropolitan Council (while the original 4.4 billion won cut to high school NSETs had already been decided on by SMOE when they submitted their proposed budget). Whether these cuts were a figment of SBS's imagination (though a Seoul Metropolitan Council member does say on camera that "in August 2012 and February 2013 native speakers will be gone from middle and high schools"), or whether they are indeed proposed and the council is waiting to see the public's reaction remains to be seen. To be sure, the budget hasn't been officially passed yet, and the official budget won't be announced until this weekend or early next week, or so I've been told.

And as always, it's nice to see the media and elected officials selectively interpreting statistics (in regard to the survey that was done) in order to back up their assertions that NSETs have a 'low effect' or that the "students' satisfaction rate dropped." And no where in this is the mention of the free lunch program - but then I suppose the progressive city council might turn a bit red if one were to suggest that low-income children's only access to native speakers was being taken away in order to give free lunches to the middle and upper classes. It's not exactly the kind of wealth redistribution I would expect from leftists, to say the least.

One thing is for certain - it would seem the GEPIK cuts were not an aberration, and NSETs are likely on their way out of public schools (though who knows what effect the campaigns for the national assembly and presidential elections next year will have).

I've had minimal contact with her since, due to time zone (she did take time out to send condolences for my grandmother, since they met and they both liked each other) but I'll drop her a line and see what it's like on her end and see what her mood is, and link appropriately.

Thanks for this, Rhiz
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Cain

To be honest, I'm always somewhat surprised the ESL market is so large in Asia, China aside.  Most SE Asian countries have a) insane bandwidth, and b) teenagers not adverse to picking up a bit of foreign culture, and that alone usually ensures a basic working knowledge of English.

The post-Soviet States I can see being a much more lucrative market, if properly tapped.  I know when it comes to international school recruitment, China and Russia/Central Asia are the two big markets everyone is trying to establish a name for themselves in.  Additionally, it is students from these two areas who show the most variation in language skill.  Europeans, South Americans and so on tend to be at a decent conversational level, whereas a Chinese or Russian student may actually have almost no functional English, regardless of what in-country testing (a notoriously corrupt process anyway) might say.  They might also be completely fluent, it's just the actual tests seem to not be a good indicator either way.