DYB RECRUIT

Education in Korea

Education is highly regarded in South Korea, and as such, it has led to a fiercely competitive education system. Education is provided by public or private schools, with many of the children also attending academies (a private business that seeks to improve a student’s score).

Children will attend Kindergarten, Elementary school, Middle school, and finally High school. Children start learning from an early age, most Kindergartens will provide English class complete with a Native English-speaking teacher. Kindergarten children also learn math and sometimes even Chinese. It is not uncommon to see children ‘graduate’ from Kindergarten, complete with mini gowns and diplomas.

Upon entry into Elementary school, children will start to learn a variety of subjects. Subjects include: Korean, Math, Science, English, History, Fine Arts, PE, Ethics, Music, and sometimes Chinese. Students may not necessarily learn all subjects, with some taking dominance over others—namely, Math and English. In the early years of South Korea (1950s), elementary was the only compulsory school a child needed to attend, and after 6th grade, a child could finish school if so desired. Today, high school is the only area not compulsory.

After elementary school, children now start to feel the pressure of university exams. University entry is based on test scores from the CATs and Suneung exam, a series of rigorous and demanding set of tests. English and Math is the main focus for of these exams, and though other subjects are covered, it is here that the filtering is done. Because of this, there is now a plethora of English and Math academies, established with the goal of getting children into the top universities. It is estimated that over 90% of the young Korean population attend after school academies.

Korean society regards getting into a prestigious university as a prerequisite to success. Most of a student's career is focused on admission to such universities, although this attitude has shifted in recent years. Nearly all of the nation's top schools (both high school and university) are located in Seoul, inviting criticism that rural areas face structural disadvantages. If admitted to a Seoul school, rural students must commute for several hours each day.

Secondary school systems are single-sex or co-ed, and some are specialized by academic field. While public schools typically specialize in a particular technical skill (engineering, for example), many private schools specialize in the arts. Three of the top national universities form the acronym SKY (Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University). KAIST, located in Daejeon, specializes in technology and science. Ewha Womans University, located in Seoul, is the most competitive university for women in Korea. Admission to these schools is extremely competitive.

Though Korea is a competitive and tough place to live, it also has some of the best education scores in the world. Dropout rates from high school are 3%, making Korea the number one country for students with at least a high school level of education. Furthermore, the majority of international students admitted to Harvard and Princeton are Korean. However, the often poor application of knowledge combined with the morality of such educational pressures has made many young Koreans angry at the education system. Many Koreans are demanding educational reforms or are looking to leave Korea for fear of making their children go through the same ordeal as them.

English Education

English is a hugely important language in Korea, its exact origins are unknown but are largely due to the American intervention during the Korean civil war. By no means were Koreans constantly studying English, but an idea was planted - learning English is a way to transgress from poverty and escape from Japanese colonialism. Putting aside old tensions with Japan, English really did become a way for the ordinary - that is to say the poor, as Korea was very poor at the time- to become extraordinary.

The economic boom and the emergence of the middle class paved the way for educational reforms and university prestige. English was now becoming an easy way to filter out potential candidates leading it to become a must learn skill in order to enter top universities. Over eager parents were willing to pay large amounts of money if it meant their child would not suffer a life of poverty. This lead to several English frenzies. Firstly, English became a required subject from the third year of elementary. Secondly, tutors and private firms began to emerge and amass fortunes. Finally, it led to high pressure entrance exams requiring a constantly better grade to be able to enter top universities. The last point is critical in explaining ‘English Fever’, it basically creates a circle that means students cannot afford to not learn English. The English requirements keep getting higher and so students must spend more time and money to learn English.

English classes usually focus upon preparing for the entrance exam, as well as various English-language proficiency tests such as TOEIC and TOEFL, which tend to be listening and grammar-based, with little or no emphasis on spoken English. As a result, many Koreans have very limited speaking ability in English despite having studied the language for eight years or more in school as well as in after-school classes. As a result, many schools, including public schools and hagwons, hire foreign teachers for their English education programs to help develop their English conversational skills. English education is highly in demand in Korea and this is where YOU come in.