tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12891742.post5388382534017050035..comments2023-10-07T20:28:03.744+09:00Comments on I Got 2 Shoes: TurnoverJellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17527405263030519383noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12891742.post-3608068500709201322009-04-08T18:44:00.000+09:002009-04-08T18:44:00.000+09:00Is this sort of high turnover common at children's...Is this sort of high turnover common at children's schools? Can't the expat teachers help with the interview process by screening candidates for their English skills? <BR/><BR/>I realize that that might be a hopeless prospect: I've noticed a real hierarchy among Korean teachers when it comes to language proficiency: the general assumption is that the linguistic badasses teach at the university level, and people of lower skill levels teach correspondingly younger age groups.<BR/><BR/>There is, of course, no real correlation between a kid's age and his English proficiency; the Cheongdam Institute (a top-rank hagwon chain in Seoul and elsewhere) is evidence of this: you've got kids who are mad-fluent in English despite little overseas experience, studying TOEFL-style problems as <I>sixth-graders.</I> (The insanity of making your sixth-grader study TOEFL is fodder for a separate comment. Don't get me started.) <BR/><BR/>In other words, it'd be nice if Korean bosses more frequently found and hired people who are both competent teachers and competent English speakers. It'd also be nice if prospective teachers didn't wander around with the thought that, "Oh, well, my English isn't so good, so I'll just have to apply for a kiddie hagwon job. No one'll care about the state of my English there!"<BR/><BR/>(The truth, of course, is that the foreign colleague probably has a blog and writes occasionally about his/her Korean coworkers' many linguistic faux pas-- cute, grating, or otherwise. Ahem.)<BR/><BR/><BR/>KevinKevin Kimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01328790917314282058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12891742.post-15127624993950237002009-04-08T11:57:00.000+09:002009-04-08T11:57:00.000+09:00I had to laugh at your experience with turnover at...I had to laugh at your experience with turnover at your school. For the past few weeks my school has been trying to hire another Korean teacher. The first made it 3 days before she decided that she couldn't speak English well enough to work with us. The second made it one week. The latest new teacher made it 3 hours. I almost don't want to waste the energy in introducing myself when we get someone new. I usually try to introduce myself in Korean and make them feel more comfortable by speaking a little Korean. Due to the number of new teachers we have had, I have perfected my little Korean introduction/ice breaker.JRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12335084708451285195noreply@blogger.com