A friend from San Francisco recently admitted to me that his primary reason for returning to South Korea was to “ride the gravy train one last time”.
His choice of words – or more specifically, the metaphor used – is hardly unique, or even surprising, for it would be naive to suggest that all of the native English teachers (NETs) in South Korea are in it purely for the rewarding experience of working with the brightest, most engaging minds this country has to offer. Many like to reap the benefits for as long as possible – or as one might say, milk it.
In reality, the profits are not enormous, but teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) can help pay off college debts in a remarkably relaxed setting. There is also a strong sense that TEFL work is easier, or less stressful, than teaching in your home country. This is the ‘gravy train’ my friend refers to.
However, that “one last time” he added is more significant than his guilt-free honesty. Another common phrase heard in conversation or on blogs is that the writing is on the wall with regards to TEFL jobs in South Korea. It’s the end of the line for the gravy train, and we must all disembark.
Jobs throughout the education sector, and especially in public schools – the most salubrious of gigs due to their favourable working hours and decent holidays – are being cut in their hundreds right across the country. And nowhere is feeling the brunt more than Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province.
In late 2009, schools in the city of Daegu experimented with using robots as a replacement for NETs but not unexpectedly, those plans appear to have been shelved indefinitely or, perhaps more likely, consigned to the rubbish bins for eternity.
In Gyeonggi Province, some city halls have taken ownership of foreign teacher contracts, if there is money available, to keep NETs working in local public schools. But even in these towns and cities, budget cuts mean there is less money to pay teachers, and with taxes plus everyday expenses rising, plenty of NETs will soon find it a non-goer to maintain working in this country.
In November, the Korea Times reported that Gyeonggi Province has “halved its 2014 budget for foreign English teachers” from 23 billion won in 2013 won to 12 billion won. The paper adds that “a total of 746 native English teachers” will be hired this year, down from 1,207 in 2013. In 2012, the figure was over 1,500. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, meanwhile, will employ 655 foreign teachers in 2014, a drop of approximately 100 from 2012.
A Gyeonggi Province education official confirmed to the Korea Times that this is “part of long-term plans to eventually reduce the number of foreign teachers and replace them with Korean teachers.
Apart from costs, more ultimately, Korean English teachers are capable of providing as decent a quality of education as foreign teachers do.”
But there is scepticism. Many foreigners have noted that in schools with more than one Korean English teacher, they never communicate together in English.
Recently I attended a brainstorming meeting with 60 local Korean English teachers in my community, with the purpose of finding ways to improve English education, but the entire session was conducted in Korean.
If they want to make the transition away from NETs less complicated, Korean teachers will need to become more comfortable speaking English regularly.
Andrew Farrell works as an English language teacher in Korea.
