Unqualified English Teachers

From Korea

'Unqualified English Teacher' in Korea has various meanings. At its most basic level, an Unqualified English Teacher is a person that has a fake degree and somehow managed to get a working visa (A foreigner teaching in Korea illegally is an Illegal English Teacher). 'Unqualified English Teacher' can also mean a university graduate that does not have a diploma of education, which is where the "95% of all English teachers in Korea are unqualified" talk came from. According to the Korean government, any native English speaker holding citizenship of one of a list of designated nations and having a bachelor's degree is qualified to teach English in Korea. Until the Korean government changes this policy, it must be considered that the overwhelming majority of English teachers in Korea are indeed qualified. 'Unqualified English Teacher' is also used for those teachers that are otherwise qualified, but date Korean girls. In fact, talk of 'Unqualified English Teachers' is almost invariably linked to international relationships, which makes many wonder if that is the real reason behind the current media chatter about 'Unqualified English Teachers'.