In response to Teachers I know in Korea (Worldwide Education Services)

> Just because someone is a "native English speaker" doesn't
> mean they have perfect English.

> As a recruiter in Thailand, may I suggest that if you want native
> English speaking teachers you test their English prior to giving them
> a job offer.

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CONGRATULATIONS, dear sir!

You, like 'l'il ol' MOI,' back an essential necessity -- the testing of an ESL recruit PRIOR to an actual offer of employment -- which has actually been placed on the proverbial back burner! The truth is, without this vital procedure, all the fakers and "joy boys" from every English-speaking country in the world can sneak in under the carpet and cause ESL programs much grief. Of course, we can attribute this problem to those agencies who will blindly offer jobs to PRACTICALLY ANYONE without at least checking a recruit's background! Sounds like 'business as usual': The quest for the "Holy Buck" ... Yen ... Rupee ... Euro-Dollar ... or WHATEVER! But, in the final analysis, the truly sad part of this nasty business is that the upright, qualified, and highly dedicated instructor must usually spend months proving himself before being deemed as 'qualified' in the eyes of the employer and subsequently treated like the professional he truly is. But WHAT can be done about this injustice ... particularly since it has been known to cause the premature termination of some highly qualified teachers' careers in Asia? A unified movement? Unionization? Revolt? I
doubt it. But it wouldn't hurt to start with the agencies, whose recruitment activities could be more strictly monitored by their respective governments. In this manner, there will surely be a much-needed 'separation of the men from the boys' when it comes to the vital question of academic qualifications. Have you noticed how the warnings (against both agencies and schools) have been increasing of late? Moreover, some legitimate instructors have even been victimized to the tune of hundreds of dollars -- myself having being one such dupe in 2000. Granted, there ARE many whiners, albeit none of us is really qualified to prejudge each and every case without an investigation of the grievances asserted. In my humble estimation, SOMETHING must surely be done before this situation reaches an irreversible proportion. In the final analysis, we are all dedicated to the same goal -- that of facilitating the international growth of the English language as a means of expressing both
thoughts and emotions.

Peace.