By Jason Lim
It's no secret that private language schools have long been a huge industry in Korea. Larger foreign language institutes in Korea often enroll tens of thousands of students every month, mostly college students and entry-level employees of blue chip Korean companies.
When you spend any time in these schools, however, you soon realize that these schools are only partially about learning English; they are mostly excuses for social gatherings for young people trying to meet new friends and lovers under the legitimate excuse of learning English.
Recognizing the social nature of their business, most foreign language schools practice blatant discrimination practices when hiring native English-speaking instructors.
Since most Koreans buy into the myth of native English-speakers as white and clean-cut, the schools' criteria for choosing them are insultingly simple. If you are white, female, and good-looking, then you are at a premium.
Being white, male, and good looking will also get you hired pretty quickly. And so on. Of course, being an American is always a plus since American English is considered more "authentic" than those of other countries.
In the economics of foreign language schools, it's all about how you look. The last thing that's really salient is the formal training and skill sets that the potential instructor brings to the table as a professional English instructor. If you are white and speak English, then you are a top candidate.
As such, the last rung on this hiring ladder are Korean Americans. Somehow, superficial ethnic familiarity breeds contempt when it comes to English instruction.
I still remember being chewed out by the president of the language institute I worked for 10 years ago because I hired a Korean American UCLA graduate who was far more qualified than one of those 'Let's travel through Asia while earning money as English teachers and score some women at the same time, dude!" types of instructors that were so prevalent in those days.
Yet, the latter was considered a better hire than the Korean American because he was white and therefore a more authentic English speaker.
Such hiring practices have led to recent scandals in which some native-English instructors have been shown to be less than ideal teachers. Many lacked professional qualifications, lied about their academic training, and enjoyed less than exemplary lifestyle involving the proverbial sex, drugs, and rock n roll.
Korea was recently shocked to find out that one of them was a pedophile who had brazenly posted his pictures with the very Asian kids that he had sexually abused.
This has led to a public outcry and a tightening of rules granting working visas to potential English instructors. Recently announced measures would require extra vetting and personal interviews before a visa is granted.
Yet, at the same time, one of the presidential candidates announced that he would seek to have native English-speakers teach English classes for all students. The revamping of current educational system and the recruiting challenges implied by this campaign pledge are enormous.
Whoever wins the presidency, it seems pretty obvious that the challenge for Korean authorities in the field of English education is to recruit high-quality native English instructors who would adjust well in Korean society and perhaps result in long-term relationships that will translate into professional global networks in the future.
Why not Korean Americans, then?
Although private language institutes might have to cater to their customers' prejudices in order to maximize their profits, the government doesn't. The government is free to pursue the highest qualified native-English speakers who would adjust well to life in Korea without regard to their skin color.
Further, the government would have extra leverage in recruiting highly-qualified Korean Americans because they have a natural affinity and inclination to explore their parents' country.
This means that highly-educated Korean Americans, who would otherwise take more lucrative positions in the U.S., would come to teach English in Korea for lower pay just for the experience.
Of course, I am not discounting the Herculean efforts by the tireless native-English instructors already working Korea. I know that teaching English is a labor of love for most teachers in Korea. My idea would act to complement the current cadre of native-English instructors in Korea.
However, looking beyond the skin color and recruiting actively from highly-qualified Korean American pool from top American universities would help relieve the recruiting bottleneck and upgrade the overall level of native-English instruction in Korea. After all, isn't that what Korean students deserve?
Jason Lim is a research fellow at Harvard Korea Institute, researching Asian leadership models. He can be reached at jasonlim@post.harvard.edu.
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