By Kang Seung-woo
A 29-year-old office worker, identified by her surname Lee, is considering changing jobs, but she has difficulty reaching a decision because firms she likes require English proficiency.
“When I found my current position last year, extra points were not added for those who had high marks on English tests,” said Lee, currently at a leading travel agency.
“However, most companies to which I want to apply require excellent English skills.”
Like Lee a large number of job seekers are currently troubled by English in securing a job, according to a survey by local job search portal Career, Tuesday.
It surveyed 453 job hunters and found that 55 percent of respondents picked studying English as the toughest mission while looking for employment.
Certification came in second at 15.7 percent, followed by internships and good grades, which accounted for 13.5 percent and 6.2 percent respectively.
“I want to start studying English right now in order to move to another job, but it takes too long to reach a level that firms see as the bottom line and there is no guarantee that I will make it after spending a lot of time on improving,” she said. “Companies continue raising the bar for English but it’s way over my level.”
Other surveys also showed that English is a tall order for those seeking employment.
A study of 878 people, revealed that 65.3 percent said they failed to find a job due to poor English skills, while according to another poll, job seekers feel uncomfortable with English interviews in the recruitment process.
“Applicants for a company, where Japanese is a common language at work, have to study English because it checks the English score sheet. Despite feeling that it is unreasonable, they study English because they believe filling in one more column on the resume is more helpful in finding a job,” she said.
“Even jobs at information desks at private institutes and telemarketing require English.”
According to her, job seekers usually study to improve their English scores.
Amid growing stress over English among those who seek employment, universities have stepped up their efforts to help them, offering a variety of intensive English courses during vacations.
The University of Ulsan held a four-week English camp in January. In the program, a total of 60 students stayed in the dormitory and were forced to only use English to improve language skills, while Yonsei University runs an English program which helps prepare for employment tests.
Some schools are trying to help their students from the beginning of their campus life.
Chonnam National University provided 300 freshmen with a three-week English camp and Keimyung University has a similar program.
While English is emerging as a bane to job seekers en route to employment, the language is also bothersome to office workers.
According to a survey of about 600 office workers, around 37 percent of those questioned said that poor English-speaking ability is the biggest handicap for many.
One such employee, who wanted to be identified by his family name Shin, said, “English has become a measuring stick in evaluating who a stand out performer is,'' said Shin who works at a leading telecommunicating firm.
Everyday he heads to an English language institute after leaving the office. “As a result, people around me spend more time studying English as part of a desperate attempt to improve their careers.”
A senior manager of a local major bank said that the lender supports its employees in learning English. “We have programs for English studies and also financially support them when they enroll at an English institute.”