It's a shame, really. They've invested so much money into English education with little results. It makes me really sad to see. The way it's taught here is pretty terrible. It's all taught in Korean, with next to no emphasis on speaking. The only students who can speak well are the ones who actually put forth the effort. It doesn't help that there are a ton of English teachers here who can barely speak the language themselves.



I've met people from all over Europe, who are relatively fluent in English. The majority of them hadn't even been to English speaking countries for an extended period of time - they all nonchalantly told me they learned it in school. The main difference I've found is that people are actually forced to SPEAK in class, and their English classes are actually conducted in (gasp) English. Here, it seems like it's a lecture on the topic of English, all in Korean.



When I teach by myself my students will actually make an effort to make themselves understood, because they know I don't speak Korean. When there's a Korean teacher in the room who will translate at the drop of a hat, what's the point? End rant...that's just my opinion, feel free to disagree with me. I know there are other nations in this world lagging behind in languages, Korea is definitely not a special case here.



It's so easy for me to say "they should just teach English differently" when there are so many other factors that are coming into play, of course. I'm definitely no expert on the subject. However, having learned a second language myself, I feel that I have some relevant views on the matter.



Anyhow, thoughts?