By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter

The government is to recruit about 10,000 Korean instructors for conversational English classes at public schools over the next two years amid difficulties in the hiring of native English teachers.

They are expected to replace native English speakers in the long term, depending on their effectiveness, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said, Monday.

This year, it will hire 2,000 ``practical English instructors'' for elementary schools and another 3,000 for secondary schools. The ministry will start accepting applications in June and announce the successful candidates in August. The teachers will work from the fall semester.

Another 5,000 are to be recruited next year,

``Practical English lecturers will take part in extended English classes at elementary schools. At secondary schools, they will group students according to their academic level and offer tailor-made classes,'' ministry official Euh Hyo-jin said.

The Korean instructors will receive about 26 million won ($18,882) in annual pay on a one-year contract and can renew for up to four years at one school. In comparison, native English teachers receive about 30 million won.

``Foreign native English speakers cannot teach students without Korean teachers, but the newly recruited teachers can teach on their own. We expect these instructors will replace foreign teachers over the long term,'' Euh added.

Candidates with teaching licenses will be given preference, although those who don't hold teaching certificates are eligible for the position. Recruiters at regional education offices will review applicants' profiles, English certificate scores and education career. Those who are accepted after the first document screening will have an opportunity to demonstrate their teaching abilities in English before taking an interview that they need to pass.

A survey by Korea's largest teachers group, the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations, showed that more than half of existing English teachers opposed the recruitment of practical English instructors. The group asked 425 English teachers at elementary and secondary schools across the country and 57 percent of them responded negatively to the English instructors, while 25 percent said they need the instructors.

Among those respondents against the instructors, 46 percent said it would bring unqualified teachers to schools and 21 percent said current teacher levels were already sufficient.

kswho@koreatimes.co.kr