TaLK Offers Good Work Experience

Participants of the fourth Teach and Learn in Korea (TaLK) program pose for a photograph after the Spring 2010 orientation. / Courtesy of TaLK

By Kwon Mee-yoo
Korea Times
Staff Reporter

More than 600 Korean and expatriate students from overseas were gathered for a program to teach English at rural elementary schools as a part of Teach and Learn in Korea (TaLK), at the orientation of its spring 2010 session, Thursday.

Helen Tran, 20, a U.S.-born Chinese-Cambodian came to Korea to participate in the program after learning about it at a college job fair. She has just finished her second year as a business major and has taken some time off from school to work, teach and travel.

``I like watching Korean dramas and eating Korean food,'' she said. ``I expect to have better teaching experiences, meet more people and understand Korean culture better while I'm here.''

She plans to return to her studies after a six-month contract, but hopes to return to Korea later. ``TaLK is great for networking and I do want to return and work here,'' Tran said.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology is inviting students on scholarships including Koreans overseas and foreign students who have English as their mother tongue to teach the language at local schools, easing the gap in English education between urban and rural students and to raise Korea-friendly expatriates.

The program started in August 2008 with 380 in the first batch. The number will be increased to 605 as of March 2010 with 305 renewing their contracts. The students receive a scholarship and monthly housing support during their stay in Korea.

``The TaLK program provides a chance for overseas Koreans to review their identity and promotes amicable recognition about Korea for foreign students,'' Jang Hwan-young at the ministry's English Education Support Department said. ``Third and fourth generation Koreans overseas forget about Korea and its language and culture. The program was first aimed at Koreans residing abroad, and was then widened to foreigners interested in multiculturalism.''

The participants are placed in rural areas where elementary students have few chances to meet native English speakers. To help TaLK participants to adjust to life there, Korean university students are paired with them. ``Some complain about their residential environment or transportation in the countryside, but most learn a lot in the rural areas that are rich in cultural traditions,'' he said.

Another participant David Kim is from Sydney, Australia. He is working in the outskirts of the southeastern city of Ulsan. Some of his friends participated in the program previously and news of the program soon traveled throughout the whole Korean community in Sydney.

``My Korean is really bad. It is a great opportunity to learn Korean culture and language and how different cultures appreciate each other,'' he said. He is an international business and finance major and has experience in teaching from tutoring.

The program has received positive reviews from participants according to a March 2009 survey. More than 83 percent of students said they increased their understanding of Korean culture, and 75 percent said they would recommend the program to others. Some 40 percent of them renewed their contracts and extended their stay in Korea.

The new participants will go through three weeks of training by the National Institute for International Education and one week by local education offices before being placed in elementary schools. The training covers teaching methods as well as Korean culture and life skills.

During the training, the 2010 Global Village English Camp, from Feb. 9 to 11, will invite 300 low-income bracket students to improve their English skills.

meeyoo@koreatimes.co.kr