A Few More Questions About A RIF

I had a chance to read the article in the Jeju Weekly about NSET's being worried about budget cuts.

The quotes from the SMOE and Jeju representatives, not previously commented on in my last post, were interesting. I'm pressed for time, but here are a few quick observations

According to Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE) Foreign Education Department Chief Choi Chun Ok, they have always intended to decrease the number of native English-speaking teachers when Korean English teachers were trained in Teaching English in English (TEE).

So, if the TEE is a national teaching certificate for Korean English teacher's (KET'S), what is the plan for TEE certified KET's on Jeju? Is there a plan to decrease the number of NSET's on Jeju when the amount of TEE licensed KET's reach a certain number? Is the Pope Catholic? Does a bear defecate in the woods?

Kim said that though they are not resigning most high school foreign English teachers, “those wishing to renew their contracts would be moved to middle or elementary schools. ‘Losing their jobs’ is not a correct term. If they meet certain criteria for renewing their contract they will be moved.”

Common sense would dictate that the total number of jobs available will be smaller. I don't doubt that part of the vague "criteria" will be if a position is open. If not, well "Sorry Charlie, hit the road." "Losing their jobs is not a correct term" is laughable. Not having the ability to renew because no slots are available IS losing your job.

We need to recruit hundreds of foreign teachers a year for the time being in spite of the budget cuts. But the number will be reduced,” Choi stressed in an email interview with The Weekly.

Finally, in the midst of all the carefully prepared bureaucratic double-speak, a glimmer of honesty.

However, it is time to reevaluate the cost-effectiveness, considering a huge sum of budget (about 52 billion won, or US$45 million annually). So we are changing our policy from quantity expansion to quality improvement,” said Choi.

I saw almost the exact same rationale when reading stories of corporations in the West "downsizing." Yeah, the corporate workers didn't "lose their jobs," they were "downsized."

SMOE said the three reasons influencing the budget cut to middle school English teachers are the improvement of Korean English teachers in TEE, that according to their research foreign English teachers are most effective in elementary schools, and the need to provide cost-effective quality programs.

So, it one short sentence it went from cutting high school NSET's to now an admission about Middle School NSET's. If you remember from above they said high school teachers would simply be moved to middle schools. But the middle school jobs will be cut also. They seem to be confused as to which story they are sticking to. And the above reasoning can't/won't be used on Jeju because............?

Kim insisted that though there will be fewer annual contracts, “there will be more openings for after-school English classes. So it is hard to measure how many teaching jobs will be affected.” Kim continued that this does not signify a nationwide trend which many have feared. Other cities have their own funds to hire foreign English teachers.

The afternoon teachers will be TaLK teachers, most probably. If not, then they will be offered to the odd F-2/F-4 type. I believe the number of E-2 jobs is going to be reduced. The others are cheaper and require less "upkeep" than the average E-2 EPIK teacher.

Other cities and provinces have far less money to spend on NSET's than Seoul/Gyeonggi - remember that.

Tell me Mr. Kim, what has been done in Seoul, as far as English education is concerned, that hasn't been copied all over the country?

Lee continued that even though they require seven fewer teachers, she has no intentions of not renewing contracts. “We have a re-evaluation system, so if they pass they are going to be renewed.” This is identical to what Kim said in reference to SMOE foreign English teachers.

Wow. Just like Seoul. Imagine that. Now, let me hypothesize. Let's say all teachers on Jeju want to renew and they pass the "re-evaluation" with its vague "criteria" (just like Seoul). But there are 7 fewer positions? So, 7 teachers will be told thanks but no thanks regardless. Right?

Currently, Jeju EPIK has 151 foreign English teachers on staff, which is the same as last year. In February, there will be 144.

So, the number of EPIK teachers on the island will be reduced starting in February. I'm not sure. Is that about a 4% to 5% reduction in force - now?

I think there is some miscommunication here. It appears that those who are answering the questions may think "losing a job" is like being involuntarily terminated. If the amount of "slots" is going to be reduced they don't seem to think of it as "losing." But to the teachers, not having a "slot" to renew into is losing a job. A RIF through attrition is still a RIF.

On Jeju, she said, it is not the budget that dictates how many teachers they hire, it comes down to the amount of cumulative hours the schools need. “Budget cuts don't come first,” Lee said.

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ That's funny. So every school on Jeju that wants a NSET, has one, right? Wrong. Why not? Budget. What Ms. Lee is talking about here, I believe, is something called "contact hours." If the school desires a certain number of contact hours with a NSET, that's fine. What is not stipulated is what kind of teacher will provide the contact hours. Will they be the less costly TaLK teachers or hourly instructors (F-2/F-4/F-5) or the more expensive and cumbersome salaried EPIK teachers. Remember, to many in the decision making sphere, a NSET is a NSET is a NSET. Ms. Lee has already told us about the TaLK teachers assuming additional responsibilities that were previously reserved for EPIK teachers ("regular classes").

Though Lee could not definitely say if the budget cuts in Seoul would be start a nationwide trend, she was confident that “If they teach students properly and if they have a good relationship with their teachers they shouldn't be worried.”

Wow. In this short paragraph there are 3 "if's." Interesting. Uh oh, here we go. I can't count how many times I have heard teachers complain about being threatened with not being able to renew if they don't go to the yearly language festival or don't "volunteer" to participate in something else.

Here is something else to think about. I have heard that the Jeju education guru's have been given the green light to ramp up, significantly, the number of Chinese and/or Japanese language programs by any number of means, after school classes, language centers, etc. etc. What effect will that have on the predominance of English programs/teachers? Will there be a desire for parity between the different languages? If so, then you "Take some from here and give it to there." Cut a few 1+'s and save some money to be spent on Chinese/Japanese teachers. Only hire F-2's on an hourly rate and save some money for more Chinese/Japanese teachers. Have TaLK teachers teach regular classes for less money while having the right number of hours. Increase the contractual teaching hours from 22 to 24 or 26 or even 30, with a mandatory 2 or 3 schools, to cover the contact hours shortfall..... It goes on and on.

Taking a look at what is happening up north, the following may be a harbinger of things to come. Look at these 2 job ads from Dave's ESL Cafe:

Hanyoung Foreign Language High School is looking for responsible and enthusiastic instructors to teach English conversation class.
Requires B.A.,
Mon-Fri(8:00AM-3:40PM, usually till 2:40PM) , part-time(you can come when your class starts and go home when your class finishes)
30,000KRW/hr(1,000KRW of pay raise after a year up to it reaches 35,000KRW/hr), 28hr/wk, no classes during mid-term & final exams and school holidays(Will also get paid during those exams and classes cancelled by school events, but not during summer/winter holidays), Offers a single flight fare to Korea, health insurance,
Housing support : School pays 90% of the rent deposit(plus 350,000KRW support for monthly rent),

and this one....

Daewon Foreign Language High School (www.dwfl.hs.kr) is the most prestigious high school in the country. We send more students to the top Korean and US universities than any other high school in Korea.

Subject: English conversation and debate
Pay: 33,000 won per hour
Hours: 24 hours a week, Monday to Friday, usually between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM
Term: March to December
Fringe benefits: four basic insurances required by the government
Housing: none
Preferred: F-2, F-4, or F-5 visa, a degree from a top US university, able to work at Daewon for at least 3 years

Subject: AP English
Pay: 100,000 won per hour
Hours: 12 hours a week, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, between 3:30 PM and 7:30 PM
Term: March to December
Fringe benefits: none
Housing: none
Required: F-2, F-4, or F-5 visa, a degree from an Ivy League or similar school (Stanford, Chicago, etc.), able to work at Daewon for at least 3 years, able to score at least 750 on both SAT Critical Reading and Writing

Now I know the FLHS' are a somewhat different animal. However, friends tell me that most, if not all, follow the GEPIK contract and are supported by the government for NSET salaries. Here we have job ads looking for hourly employees to teach at high schools, with a no work - no pay stipulation and few, if any, of the usual benefits given to (G)EPIK style teachers. If I remember correctly, the second school used to advertise for salaried teachers. I think this may be something we may see in the future.

I don't know for sure what the future may hold. I may be crying wolf. However, I still stand by my prediction about the future with regards to NSET's on Jeju.

Have a great week.