[EDLING:1372] Korea: Native English Teachers Receive Higher Salaries

[Francis M. Hult]

The Korea Times

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200603/kt2006031917583411970.htm

Native English Teachers Receive Higher Salaries

By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter

A 25-year-old American staying in Korea is recently weighing various options 
for an English instructor position offered by many private English institutes.

She is an American national and a graduate of Harvard University, which is a 
perfect background as a native English instructor in Korea.
She didn¡¯t expect much when she first applied for a temporary job teaching 
Korean students in an English language institute.

But she is being unexpectedly welcomed by private English institutes, 
regardless of her prior experience as an instructor.

Nowadays, many native English speakers are increasingly in demand in Korea as 
provincial and municipal governments vie to establish English immersion camps 
and schools are trying to hire instructors as part of strengthening their 
English education programs.

Particularly, the institutes in southern Seoul, better known as Kangnam _ an 
affluent business and residential region _ are struggling to hire English 
speakers who are graduates of Ivy League universities in the U.S. and other 
English-speaking countries, to appeal to students and their parents who demand 
high-quality instruction.

``Recently, many native English-speaking instructors, who are under-qualified, 
are causing problems for the institutes. Some foreigners return to Korea only 
a few weeks after breaking contracts and start working again. Many institutes 
are seeking ways to hire qualified teachers to raise educational 
standards,¡¯¡¯ an institute official said.

Well-qualified instructors are paid much higher than less qualified 
instructors, according to the institutes.

On average, English instructors with academic degrees from IVY League schools 
earn about 4 million won a month, double that of regular English native 
speakers.

However, not only Ivy League graduates but also regular foreign teachers are 
enjoying rising wages due to a soaring demand for native English teachers in 
schools, English immersion camps and institutes. 

Native English speakers are now paid about 2.2-2.8 million won from an average 
2 million won earlier.

However, the rise in their salaries is likely leading to the hike in tuition 
fees in the institutes.

``It might be inevitable that institutes raise tuition fees if the salaries 
for foreign teachers are on the rise,¡¯¡¯ an institute official said.

According to the Ministry of Justice, the number of foreigners with an E-2 
visa, a one-year work permit visa issued to foreigners working as English 
instructors, rose from 10,822 in 2003 to 12,000 last year.

However, the estimated total hovers around 30,000, including illegal foreign 
workers with tourism visas.

As demand for foreign teachers continues to rise, their salaries increase too.

Worse, the government¡¯s crackdown on illegal and unqualified foreign 
instructors, which was stepped up last year, also pushes the salaries up.

The government clamps down on unqualified foreign instructors, as they work 
for the institutes without even a reference check.

Under the current law, a foreigner can start over with a new E-2 visa in 
another workplace after the previous work visa becomes null.

An English immersion camp, which will open in Paju, Kyonggi Province next 
month, will pay about 2.7-2.8 million won a month each for about 140 foreign 
instructors.

They will also be provided accommodation and flight ticket fees.

An official of the camp said that the salary is expected to go up if it hires 
qualified teachers with English education academic backgrounds and teaching 
experience.

A local teaching material company, Woongjin Think Big, is currently recruiting 
foreign teachers with incentives such as tour packages around Korea every two 
months.

The company will operate an English immersion camp in Inchon, just west of 
Seoul, after remodeling Changsin Elementary School.

``Then, the total cost of hiring teachers will be higher than other institutes 
because the cost includes the tour packages,¡¯¡¯ a company official said.

In other non-English speaking countries, the English teaching job market is 
very competitive. 

Most schools and other institutions require teaching experience from a 
reputable institution for a certain number of years.

Most candidates are expected to teach sample lessons or complete grammar exams 
before hiring decisions are made.

But in Korea, there is less focus on proving teachers¡¯ skills and capacity 
since an English education boom in 1997 has brought an influx of foreigners 
eager to teach and earn money, combined with Korean parents¡¯ enthusiasm for 
English education. 

chungay at koreatimes.co.kr 

03-19-2006 17:58