[KS] EPIK

Sun Sep 20 22:39:41 EDT 2009

There's lots to contend with in these remarks, but for now let me just clarify that what I am suggesting is not to garnish the wages of the many foreign (or Korean, for that matter) ESL teachers in Korea who are the foot soldiers in the advance of English into Korea, but rather to tax the ESL industry -- I confess I don't have stats to hand as to the annual dollar-value of profits in this industry in Korea -- as a way of compensating for the opportunity cost to efforts on behalf of the Korean language and Korean language promotion policy (again, both domestically and abroad). And a further point would be simply to contrast the often obscene amounts spent --both by individuals and by governments -- on ESL, with the pittance that gets spent on promoting Korean (again, both domestically and abroad, and both by individuals and institutions). 

As for the elitist charge: if it is elitist to suggest that most people are wasting their time trying to master Korean and teach English at the same time, so be it. The problem is, I have yet to see anybody who has actually done this to a high level (DLI/FSI 3-  in all four skills) in a reasonable amount of time (less than 10 years). 

The point was not to somehow slam people who have no choice but to teach ESL while trying to learn Korean, but to lament a system (little or no funding for KSL, and the fantasy on the part of many Koreans and Korean institutions that KSL should somehow be a profitable affair just like ESL) that forces them to do so. 

RK

> While I am sympathetic to Ross King's view that English is overdominant in Korea, and have addressed the issue in print myself in the past (see link below), I find his elitism rather astonishing (or should I say somewhat typical for certain members of this List?). Not all of us live happily and obliviously ensconced some rarified ivory tower, and find ourselves compelled to support ourselves in any way we can.
> 
> I personally feel I learned far more about Korea and Korean culture and society teaching ESL students at Hanyang and Oedae during my first year here than I would have in a Korean language course back home in the States. My daily in-depth discussions with them were a crash course in many of the major issues of the day, and a fascinating window into this society. After that experience, I found myself keen to devote more of my time and energy to the study of Korean culture, including the Korean language. What's wrong if other Westerners choose to follow a similar path?
> 
> As for tithing or garnishing wages from the salaries of native EFL instructors here on the Peninsula, what a ridiculous and myopic idea. As a professional critic who has published 5 books about Korea but can't even get emails or phone calls returned from the Korea Foundation due to their elitist disdain for non-academic critics and other writers, I'm sure they'll do quite fine without living off the labor of individuals such as myself and other native ESL instructors here. 
> 
> Indeed, I'm sure they would find such an indignity quite beneath them.
> 
> A link to the article mentioned above:
> 
> http://www.kingbaeksu.com/bbs/view.php?id=bug&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&keyword=speak%20english&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=456
> 
> Regards,
>        Scott Bug, Insadong
> 
> 
> 
> --- On Sat, 9/19/09, Ross King <jrpking at interchange.ubc.ca> wrote:
> 
> > From: Ross King <jrpking at interchange.ubc.ca>
> > Subject: Re: [KS] EPIK
> > To: "Korean Studies Discussion List" <koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>, "Korean Studies Discussion List" <koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
> > Date: Saturday, September 19, 2009, 4:15 AM
> > English is a powerful and expensive
> > commodity in Korea, and Korea is in the process of selling
> > its collective soul to/for English. 
> > 
> > If I had a nickel for every student in the Korean language
> > programs I have overseen who has come to me and said "I'm
> > off to Korea to learn Korean, and plan to support myself
> > teaching English," only to come back 1, 2 or 5 years later
> > with little or no progress in their Korean, I could retire.
> > ESL is a seductive mistress for Anglophones (heck, even for
> > non-Anglophones).
> > 
> > As a matter of policy, I decline to write letters of
> > reference for Korean Studies and Korean language students
> > seeking employment in the ESL industry in Korea, and also
> > decline to return calls or emails from the many ESL
> > recruiters who routinely contact me asking for victims for
> > their schools and programs. 
> > 
> > The ROK should introduce an ESL tithing system -- some sort
> > of tax on profits made via the ESL trade --with proceeds
> > going to the Korea Foundation or some such organization that
> > funds the pathetically few and woefully underfunded programs
> > trying to go the other way down what should be a two-street,
> > and thereby recoup at least some of the opportunity cost
> > represented by the billions of Korean dollars poured down
> > the ESL drain. 
> > 
> > A pipe dream, I know... 
> > 
> > RK
> > 
> > > Date: Wed Sep 16 06:18:18 PDT 2009
> > > From: "David Scofield" <D.Scofield at sheffield.ac.uk>
> > > Subject: [KS] EPIK
> > > To: "Korean Studies Discussion List" <koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
> > >
> > > As with any English teaching position in Korea, EPIK
> > is not without its
> > > pitfalls. 
> > > 
> > > >From the US Embassy, Seoul website:
> > > 
> > > EPIK
> > > "These fairly new, Korea-wide, government-sponsored
> > programs place native
> > > English speakers in every school district in Korea and
> > present a unique
> > > opportunity for the adventurous to live away from
> > popular tourist centers. 
> > > While recruiting and training appear to be performed
> > quite professionally,
> > > teachers living and working experiences vary
> > considerably.  Some are welcomed
> > > with open arms and treated extremely well. 
> > Others, arriving in areas where the
> > > program has been forced upon reluctant, under-funded
> > schools, are greeted less
> > > warmly and face significant challenges winning over
> > ambivalent  or
> > > antagonistic  Korean counterparts.  Housing,
> > benefits, reliability of pay, and
> > > access to ombudsmen are steadily improving, but still
> > have a long way to go."
> > > 
> > > http://seoul.usembassy.gov/t_types.html
> > > 
> > > Two major issues in the EPIK program that seem to get
> > flagged up most frequently
> > > relate to class sizes and contact hours.
> > > 
> > > 1) class size - teaching in the Korean public system
> > often means teaching to a
> > > regular sized Korean class - potentially 30-40+
> > students per "English
> > > conversation" class, many with widely varying degrees
> > of English competency.
> > > 
> > > The program indicates that teaching is conducted with
> > the aid of a Korean
> > > teacher, but this is not always as straight forward as
> > it sounds. In many
> > > schools the resident Korean English teacher may not
> > speak English. 
> > > 
> > > 2) contact hours: instructors are required to teach 22
> > hours; however, it is
> > > important to note that this refers to in class
> > instruction time and does not
> > > include class prep (which can be formidable in classes
> > with 30+ students). 
> > > 
> > > As well, the contract should be read extremely
> > carefully as overtime, for
> > > example, may be required and not necessarily
> > voluntary. As well, you can be
> > > asked to work at any location and this may include
> > being 'farmed out' to a
> > > private institute for evening work. The 'market value'
> > of foreign native
> > > English instructor is far greater than 20,000/hour
> > ($16.40/hour) O/T pay
> > > offered creating an arbitrage opportunity for school
> > principals to broker the
> > > foreign instructor to local private institutes. This
> > is not necessarily a
> > > regular occurence, but I did encounter EPIK
> > instructors during my years in
> > > Korea who spoke of this.
> > > 
> > > As well, while the work week is set as Monday to
> > Friday, the contract also
> > > states that if the total teaching hours are below 22,
> > you may be required to
> > > work beyond the scope of a normal work week (incl.
> > Saturday/Sunday) -
> > > remuneration for "non-instructional" overtime is set
> > at the equivalent of
> > > $4.95/hour (excluding tax).
> > > 
> > > The contract also stipulates that "training and
> > orientation" are unpaid, but it
> > > further indicates that training may not be limited to
> > the initial
> > > orientation... 
> > > 
> > > There is similar built in ambiguity concerning the
> > housing provided. This, the
> > > contract indicates, will be "as deemed sufficient" by
> > the employer, with
> > > furnishing limited to "bed, table, closet, range,
> > fridge, washer, and tv."
> > > Further, "the employee shall not request or demand any
> > other appliances or
> > > furniture..." The employee is also responsible for all
> > utility and maintenance
> > > fees and any other applicable taxes incurred during
> > the residency.
> > > 
> > > Korea can be a wonderful place to teach, but the
> > English teaching market is not
> > > for the faint of heart. Any prospective
> > teacher/instructor should do as much
> > > background checking on schools/programs as possible
> > before departing, including
> > > reviewing the sometimes jaundiced views of the
> > resident ex-pat blogging
> > > community. 
> > > 
> > >
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > --
> > Ross King
> > Professor of Korean and Head,
> > Department of Asian Studies, 
> > University of British Columbia, 
> > 
> > and 
> > 
> > Dean, Korean Language Village, 
> > Concordia Language Villages
> > 
> > Mailing address: 
> > Ross King, Department of Asian Studies, UBC
> > Asian Centre, 1871 West Mall
> > Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
> > CANADA
> > 
> > vox: 604-822-2835
> > fax: 604-822-8937
> > 
> > 
> > 
> 
> 
> 
>

--
Ross King
Professor of Korean and Head,
Department of Asian Studies, 
University of British Columbia, 

and 

Dean, Korean Language Village, 
Concordia Language Villages

Mailing address: 
Ross King, Department of Asian Studies, UBC
Asian Centre, 1871 West Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
CANADA

vox: 604-822-2835
fax: 604-822-8937