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Bibliography

Baek, S. (2017, June 28). Clampdown on E-2 visa misuse 'still open and ongoing'. Retrieved May 17, 2018, from

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170628000605

Crackdown on E-2 visa violations raises outcry among foreign teachers. Retrieved May 17, 2018, from

http://annx.asianews.network/content/crackdown-e-2-visa-violations-raises-outcry-among-foreign-teachers-48961Ministry of Education. (n.d.).

Hi-Korea. Retrieved May 17, 2018, from https://www.hikorea.go.kr/pt/InfoDetailR_en.ptWurth, J., & Dickey, R. (2018, May 26). E-2 Visas --

Eligibility & Enforcement. Retrieved May 17, 2018, from https://koreatesol.org/content/e-2-visas-eligibility-enforcement

Hong, D., & Park, S. (2016, October 27). 'English kindergartens' face crackdown. Retrieved May 17, 2018, from

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2016/10/116_216949.html

Immigration Control Act (Republic of Korea), Http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/APCITY/UNPAN011498.pdf §

Article 9, Article 18 et seq. (2002).

Korea4Expats.com. (2016, October 16). Getting an E2 Teaching Visa. Retrieved May 20, 2018, from

https://www.korea4expats.com/article-E2-English-teaching-visa-Korea.htmlLim, K. (2017, June 22).

Mihyon Jeon (2009) Globalization and native English speakers in English Programme in Korea (EPIK), Language, Culture and Curriculum,

22:3, 231-243, DOI:10.1080/07908310903388933

The Development of Education. Retrieved May 17, 2018, from http://english.moe.go.kr/sub/info.do?m=020101&s=englishMinistry of Justice,

& Korea Immigration Service. (n.d.).

Effects on Learning

Effects of E2 Visas in Schools

  • Pros:
  • Monolingual teachers can help with fluency
  • At my immersion school, some students become too fluent in English and need help with Korean.
  • Students gain knowledge from various cultures and backgrounds of native English speakers
  • "Many Korean parents want their children to study English from an early age, believing that having high English proficiency will offer their children a significant advantage to enter a good university, have a high-paid job and even have a good spouse." (Bak, 2017)
  • Cons:
  • Language barriers, classroom control, etc. can be difficult to overcome without the requirement of skilled or experienced teachers
  • Confusion about curriculum ultimately affects the students negatively
  • Licensed teachers or any teaching background is NOT required
  • Schools responsible for teachers
  • Private schools required to only employ E2 Visa holders
  • Legitimizes foreign native English speakers over fluent Korean National English speakers
  • Teachers become commodity and selling point for private schools

Effects on Teaching

  • Some teachers not respected or hired due to their accents
  • I have multiple friends who have been asked to put on an "American accent" or change their vernacular by their bosses
  • Many private schools pressure teachers to teach a curriculum that is outside of E2 Visa's "conversational English" requirements (ie. math, science, art, etc.)
  • My school still requires us to teach these, but they have changed the names of the classes to disguise any wrongdoing.
  • Teaching outside of E2 Visa authorization can result in fines, jail time, and deportation

Historical and Current Perspectives of Implementation

Governmental Push for English Education

Defining the Foreign Language Instructor (E2 Visa)

Unhappy with English classes in public schools, many parents began sending their children abroad to obtain an English education.

Families spend collectively $5 Billion for their children's English education abroad, which ultimately affects the economy.

The government recognized English as a national interest and thus began pushing for native English speakers to be incorporated in Korean schools.

The government launches EPIK in 1995 to children grow into well-rounded citizens in a global community.

Many private English language institutions mimicking public schools' curriculum also open and flourish by hiring native English speakers.

(Jeon, 2009, p. 2)

E-2 Visa in Korea

English in Korean Schools: A Brief Timeline

English naturally spread throughout Korea as the country became more competitive globally. As a result of globalization, language often becomes a commodity. Miyhon Jeon states:

English has the highest value as the linguistic capital among the languages of the world. (2009, p. 5)

Globalization

1883: Official English education begins in Korea during Japanese colonialism

(1990s: Governmental push for the availability of every citizen obtaining the same education without discrimination)

1995: Governmental launch of EPIK (English Program in Korea)

1997: Mandatory English education beginning in 3rd grade

1998: Formation of Primary and Secondary Education Act -- opening of more kindergartens and "miscellaneous schools"

2005:

1. 5 Year Plan for English Education Revitalization -- goal to have a native English speaker in every junior high by 2010 (eventually 1 in every school)

2. Early Childhood Education Act-- children as young as 3 years old may enter kindergarten

2013: Nuri Curriculum recognized as official kindergarten curriculum

Ministry of Education, n.d. & Jeon, 2009, p. 7)

Immigration Control Act 1963

"English is seen as closely tied to the economic survival of South Korea within the

context of globalization... English is seen as an important key to success and upward social mobility. "

English is necessary for globalization:

1. rise of transnational corporations

2. Internet is written mostly in English

(Jeon, 2009, p. 4)

As Korea became more globalized, the Immigration Control Act came into effect, which details rules and regulations for Korean nationals and foreigners visiting and working in the country.

(Immigration Control Act, 2002, p. 1)

Those foreigners qualified by Minister of Justice seeking to teach spoken foreign language at:

  • Above-elementary school level educational / research facility
  • Company / broadcast station-owned linguistic facilities
  • Other similar organizations

This also includes stipulations for visa issuance.

"English Teacher" Acquires a Specific Identity with E2 Visa

Requirements for an E2 Visa:

Monolingual : Students have no choice but to learn to speak English if their teacher can't speak Korean.

Accents: Since native English teachers must come from 10 specific countries, students will hear those accents and vernacular native to their teachers' culture.

Age: "Some recruiters and even some consulate websites discourage people who are 55 to 60 from applying to teach in Korea." (Korea4Expats.com, 2016)

(Gender: In my experience, many kindergartens prefer women teachers-- especially for the younger students. I have also heard from friends that many universities hire more men than women.)

1. Nationality: must hold a valid passport from one of these 10 countries:

Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Ireland, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore

2. Academic: proof of B.A. or higher in any subject

3. Personal interview

4. Criminal Background Check

5. Medical Check

(Korea4Expats.com, 2016)

"Conversational Language" Teacher

Lived Experiences:

(Hi-Korea, n.d.)

Immigration Control Act:

- Employer sponsors the visa

- Required to work only at designated place of employment

(Immigration Control Act, 2002, p. 6-13)

“After almost 13 years of living in Korea, I was suddenly treated like a criminal by immigration and given a 30-day departure order to end my life in Korea and have a one-year ban,” Christina King, formerly a teacher at one of the institutions and who was forced to leave the country in April, told The Korea Herald.

“At my school alone, eight highly qualified teachers with teaching licenses, master’s degrees and even a Ph.D. got these orders with little information. We could not give our case or pleas. I understand this is a government agency, but they were the ones who issued the visas in the first place,” she added.

Recent Immigration "Crackdown" on E2 Visas

As of April 30, 15,189 foreign residents were working as language instructors with E-2 visas, according to the immigration watchdog. It is unclear how many of them engage in unauthorized teaching. (Bak, 2017)

My personal experience:

I was among these foreigners listed in this statistic. My school changed loads of the names of our classes to be more ambiguous about whether or not they are specifically conversational English classes. We were told to hide our math books, rip out the pages and bind them differently, and change all of the special classes' names on our lesson plans. Many teachers were very worried about deportation or having to speak to immigration officers, as we often heard rumors of chain schools within the same head company as our school being randomly raided and questioned. I even had managers asking me if I would lie and say that I only taught "conversational English." It was quite dramatic at the time.

Strengths of E2 Visa

  • Private Kindergartens were also specifically targeted by Immigration facing large fines and revoked business licenses.
  • The ministry said there are an estimated 410 private academies, or hagwons, that teach more than 32,000 preschoolers English under the name of "English kindergartens."
  • These schools are required by law to only employ E2 Visa workers
  • These are often run like international or public schools with similar curriculum, but they are businesses with separate regulations.
  • They are often very expensive and create an economic class divide for education-- something the Ministry of Education worked very hard to eliminate.
  • English kindergartens normally charge three or four times as much as "genuine" kindergartens. Nevertheless, the English kindergarten business continues to flourish. (Hong&Park, 2017)

Recent Deportations of E2 Visa Holders

Who: 14 foreign teachers at Canadian English alternative schools-- some of them had lived in Korea for a decade, some held higher education degrees in teaching.

What: These E2 visa holders were teaching Canadian public school curriculum. They were deported and the schools were forced to shut down.

When: April 2017

Where: Korea

Why: The teachers should have held an E7 visa to teach the curriculum at their school. Also, the new president spoke about wanting to keep education more equal and attainable for all citizens.

With relatively expensive tuition fees of between 12 million ($10,520) and 16 million won a year, elite private institutions have became a favored choice among parents not satisfied with the country’s education program at regular schools.

During his election campaign, President Moon Je-in said he would get rid of elite private high schools, doing away with language and autonomous schools.

“The problem is under the current education system, students who excel in a foreign language or studied abroad at an early stage have fewer options to choose schools of their best interest,” Lim Sung-ho, CEO of Jongro Haneul Education, told The Korea Herald. (Bak, 2017)

  • Helped move Korea forward on a global platform
  • Offers some protection for foreigners living abroad
  • Relatively easy to obtain despite having stringent rules
  • Opens doors for many foreigners wanting to live and work in Korea

Weaknesses

  • Vague and unclear
  • "Conversational English" is not well-defined --"Different Immigration Inspectors will have different interpretations on this issue" (Dickey & Wurth, 2017)
  • Many types of schools (11 identified) represented by E2 visa is confusing
  • Creates imbalance of power
  • Visa acceptance is up to any number of individual immigration officers' discretion and can be reviewed by a different officer at anytime
  • Sojourn Guide for Foreigners can be over-ruled by any immigration officer
  • Employer sponsors the visa
  • "...employee is jointly responsible for any misrepresentations in the application or misuse of the visa. Thus, teaching non-authorized courses such as science, math, literature, translation, linguistics, and others, as well as teaching outside of the authorized classrooms, can be grounds for fines and/or deportation of teachers, as well as fines and/or jail time to the employer." (Dickey&Wurth, 2017)
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