On the evening of February 10th, 2008, disgruntled 69-year old landowner Chae Jong-gi, upset over having been underpaid for land sold to developers, sprayed paint thinner onto one of his nation’s greatest and most recognisable landmarks, and then set it alight, making his escape as the Namdaemun Gate was immersed in flame. Despite the efforts of around 360 fire fighters, the fire raged out of control, destroying the gate’s ancient wooden structure.
The Namdaemun, or Sungnyemun gate (literally ‘Gate of Exalted Ceremonies’), was first constructed in 1398, and served as the main southern entrance to the great walled city of Seoul for a period of 600 years, right from when Seoul first became the capital of South Korea. Its destruction sent shockwaves through the nation, with many Seoul citizens gathering to watch in horror and dismay as their country’s number one national treasure was reduced to ashes and soot.
South Korea is, however, not a nation easily disheartened. For a country that is predominantly Buddhist, reincarnation – if you’ll pardon the pun – is very much a part of life. And in the true spirit of Buddhism, the phoenix of Seoul has risen from the ashes of the devastation of January 2008 to celebrate the Vesak, an occasion that marks the birth of Buddha, and celebrates the history and culture that has helped shape South Korea into a country both harmonious and prosperous.
Determined by the Lunar Calendar, Bucheonim osin nal (‘the day Buddha arrived’) takes place at a different time every year, and in 2008 fell on the 12th of May (it will take place on the 2nd of May in 2009). While obviously mainly celebrated by the quarter of Seoul’s population that are of the Buddhist faith, Buddha’s Birthday is a festival experienced and enjoyed by the whole city. Throughout May, colourful lotus lanterns are hung in the grounds of many of the 10,000 Buddhist temples that are scattered around Korea, and the lanterns of the Seoul temples are even known to spill out onto the streets of the city, climbing the walls of many of the restaurants and hotels in Seoul, which is an added bonus for tourists who have come to be catch glimpses and photographs of Seoul’s most inspiring and enlightening festival.
Other activities that take place during this period of Buddhist celebration include Buddhist bead-making, parades honouring the deity and rituals held within the Buddhist temples themselves, such as chanting ceremonies and the all-important Bathing of Buddha – the washing of a statue of the young Buddha, which represents the cleansing of greed, hatred and other evils from the mind, body, and from society itself.
Benefits and Scope of Teaching English in Korea
By: James Dunn
Now-a-days there is a good amount of migration in countries with a large workforce to go and find jobs or look for opportunities in other countries where jobs are available in large numbers. There are countries which are technologically advanced but the manpower or labor force is expensive there. Korea is a country which recruits people in various occupations from different parts of the world, mainly from countries that have a large cheap workforce. As Indian teachers are known for their not demanding very high salaries and are known fore their intellectual bent of mind, Korea employs Indian teachers.
There are also many other countries where teachers from India are in great demand. If one has a teaching degree and has worked as a teacher for a few years he or she is eligible for applying for jobs in Korea as an English Teacher. English Teachers are categorized as ESL (English as a Second language) employees. Many of them have qualified the TESOL to work in foreign countries as language teachers. TESOL is the standard examination needed to qualify as an English teacher in foreign countries.
English is a world language and students in Korea who are taught in Korean find it difficult to learn English and grasp its nuances. So, English teachers are in high demand in countries like Korea. It is also a fact that English and Korean belong to entirely separate groups of languages and Koreans take time to grasp the nuances of English. In India, English education is widespread and lakhs of students pass out from English medium schools every year. A prospective teacher must obtain an employment visa for working in a foreign country like Korea. This is also known as the work visa. The Korean govt. tightly controls issuance of vises for employment and it is sometimes difficult for teachers to obtain visas.
Most English Teachers work in schools and language institutes in Korea. Teachers go to work in countries like Korea and Chins from many other countries, too. Most teachers go to Korea after signing a contract that entitles them to work in the institute or school, college or educational establishment for a fixed period of time. The contract is subject to renewal depending on the type of work. Positions are available in several types of institutions like
• The ‘Hawkwons’ (in Korean, the institutes for learning foreign languages that are run on private enterprise)
• Colleges and schools run on public enterprise
• Language programs that are run by the corporate houses.
• Language institutes run by the universities.
• Research centers run by the government or private enterprises.
• Advertising companies or editing and PR houses.
• Teaching on totally private basis.
The modern Korean school system consists of 6 years in elementary school, 3 years in middle school and 3 years in high school. The program for international student assessment co-coordinated by the OECD ranks Korea’s education as the 11th best in the world, significantly higher than the OECD average.
So to obtain employment as an ESL instructor in Korea there area few options available. To have a teaching degree and pass the TESOL examination, to have a few years of teaching English at any level.
