It is true that the most common requirement for a native English teacher is to have a 4 year degree in anything. Certain teaching positions ask for TESL training or say that it is preferred, but the majority of hagwons for kids don't care.
Sometimes I think that I should teach adults more often or at least study up on my grammar. I did take a one year TESL course and we did some grammar, but after teaching kids for 4 years I find that I haven't run into a problem with it and therefore don't think about it so much. Adults on the other hand will ask you specific grammar questions that are difficult to answer. I think Koreans my generation (I'm 29) and older who studied English, studied a lot of grammar. Even if they can't speak or write with proper grammar, they are aware of specific rules that I have long forgotten about.
Gyunggi province came up with a program a couple of years ago that organizes English training in the public elementary schools with native English speakers. Certain requirements determine your pay such as training and experience. TESL training can get you a bigger pay check. Only 4 years of University will get you the smallest. I've been accepted to take my MA in TESL next year. I think this training is good, but I must admit that it only takes one year. It's not like if I had taken my MA in Anthropology, which is my BA. It would have taken 2 years and a lot of research.
I think the quality of English teachers in Korea is improving at least. Maybe very slowly. But, maybe the amount of grammar we know has a lot to do with how we learned it in school. I'm sure people my parents' age who have had no TESL training still haven't forgotten about sentence clauses and particular rules and terms that I just forgot about.

Yes, You're right.
I don't afraid it.
English is very important and very difficult in Korea.

Agashi;

While attending a Korean language course at a university I discovered this also applies to the Korean language. The majority of Koreans are unable to explain the rules for the Korean language. They are able to apply the rules; however, are not able to explain the reason. If you want to learn the rules of the language you need need a language arts teacher. This was confirmed by other classmates, seeking assistance on campus. I did not pay much attention in high school and frankly could not define a sentence without regurgitating the text book definition. I was not really interested in the grammar rules. I was an avid reader and enjoyed a wide variety of books. I believe this was the key to being able to wtite effectively. OTH I knew of an individual who scored 35 out of 36 on the ACT and their writing was very boring. Although some people can recite rules, the question is can they effectively apply these sames rules? In the IT field I have seen individuals with impressive credentias who were challenged when they had to peform. These individuals are the same ones you will hear mentioning “Perfect English” I have yet to see anyone who corresponds in perfect english.

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Chill

Quote:
Originally posted by Doutdes:
However, sometimes you really should end the sentence with a preposition. I don't know how the teacher you referred to was teaching writing or speaking, but sometimes the rules of the English language are more flexible than you would think. Churchill once exclaimed, "Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put. "

There are similar problems with the use of the plural “their” for a singular pronoun. Take for example:

“Everyone loves his own mother.”
“Everyone loves his or her own mother.”
“Everyone loves it’s own mother.”
“Everyone loves their own mother.”

Which of the four do you consider the most correct? Which do you consider the strongest sentence? I prefer the use of “their.”
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Yes, Churchill did say that, and I was immediately reminded of that when I "chastised" the teacher on another website. Churchill is one of my heroes.
I go with "Everyone loves their own", as you do.
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I started reading various Korean teachers' sites a while back, and found some interesting, but I was under the initial impression that they would be somewhat on a plane with our forum. Generally, I was disappointed. It seems to me that most of those sites, (blogs?) are mostly filled with ESL teachers, but their posts reveal what appears to me to be a severe lack of ability to write properly. For some reason, that leads me to wonder about their teaching abilities. Interacting with them, I note that some are defensive and feel that they are justified in teaching only basic conversation, as Koreans will never need more than that. I am learning from them that those whom I have encountered are simply spoken English instructors. I guess I was naive. Don't misunderstand- there is a place for language instructors, and I don't want to generalize, but I thought they were better regulated , and that they all now had genuine degrees. I think teaching is a great calling, and I respect all those who work for so little and do so much for their students.