Monday, March 9, 2009
Yes, it's certainly troubling that 18% of teachers at international schools aren't licensed, if that figure is accurate. However it was too bad to see an article that should have been about the deteriorating conditions at international schools brought about by lazy hiring and lowered admission standards that allow practically any Kim, Park, and Lee in, instead focus entirely on foreign teachers. Why not find out why the schools are hiring unlicensed teachers? After all, who's bringing these teachers in? Unfortunately, the paper didn't choose to pursue that angle. "An Indian teacher who has worked at international schools here said he witnessed many unqualified teachers at the schools." Really? That's what you've got? That's your source? Ass. And why barely any exploration of why 34% of Korean teachers at these schools are unlicensed, or "unqualified" if you will? So not only are Koreans using the backdoor to sneak their kids in, they're apparently using it to get teaching jobs as well.
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8 comments:
I taught at a private school in Ontario, Canada and wasn't required to have a teaching license. Are international schools basically private schools? I thought they were, although that may not make a difference as I don't know what the standards are anyway.
If you're not satisfied with the quality of instruction at a private school, can't you just go to a public school and save some money?
I've never looked into working at an international school, but the thing I always heard on the internet was that you needed certification back home. So, maybe the complaint is that parents assumed teachers had it. Still, the beef shouldn't be with the foreign teachers, as if they're pulling a fast one on everybody . . . they should be looking at the schools doing the hiring.
I work at an International School and some people are considered teachers on their visa but they are actually Counselors, Specialists and other positions that do not and, at most times, should not require certification.
I'm not disputing that schools need to follow certain standards but we need to consider what these statistics mean and whether they are accurate.
What is 'licensed' and what does it mean to be qualified? Most teachers were hired legally and accepted through immigration... isn't that the current qualification.
The man seemed upset in his opinionated article. Where does this 18% come from and why is he upset? It's funny, foreign teachers with Korean teaching qualifications can not even teach in Korea. Korea only accepts foreign degrees and TESOL is not enough to work in Korea.
E2 Denied: Korea's Universities, Government Not On Par
http://blog.esldaily.org/2008/02/12/e2-denied-koreas-universities-government-not-on-par.aspx
Yep, you're preaching to the choir here. "Unqualified" is one of the English words I hate to hear most in Korea, right up there with "sexy."
So Korea will gladly take your money (and at inflated foreign student tuition levels) to train you to be a teacher, but they won't hire you once they have.
That's a new one on me. That's fucked.
Then again, maybe they are fully aware of how fucked their own teachers are, so are quite aware of how low quality their education is. Yeah, that makes more sense. Of course they'd only accept a foreign degree in that case.
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