Native Speakers Flock to Korea to Teach

It seems that speaking and writing English is the commodity of the century in Korea. According to the Koreans I spoke with during my visit there this month, one of the keys to success is English, and most Koreans want to learn it, write it and use it.

Consequently, as a result of the Korean desire to learn English, finding a job teaching English as a "native speaker" is rather easy. All you need is a college degree and a willingness to live abroad. There is no requirement that "native speakers" be trained teachers...and most are not. Because learning English is a priority in Korea, "native speakers" are compensated very well. Most compensation packages include: free airfare to Korea, $30-40,ooo annual salary that is tax-free, a free apartment to live in and free lunches at the school where they work. Not too shabby!

While in Korea, we had the privilege of working with some talented "Native Speakers" of English who work in the Iksan City Public Schools along side Korean English teachers. The "Native Speakers" we worked with were from various English speaking countries from around the world, including: England, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, Australia and the U.S.

Since most "Native Speakers" are not trained teachers, the Iksan Education Ministry requested that our delegation share effective teaching strategies and pedagogy with these English teachers. The HCPSS teachers shared various cooperative learning strategies, classroom management techniques and ways to better work as a member of a co-teaching team. In addition, we learned a lot from interacting with these teachers as well. It was great to hear how they have adapted to their unique teaching assignments and how much they love Korean students.

We really enjoyed working with this wonderful group of international teachers and we truly appreciated the opportunity that was given to us by the Iksan Education Ministry. Here are some photos taken during our professional development sessions.