Today, due to the Korean Wave, global awareness of Korean culture is growing. In addition, according to the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs, the number of foreign residents is 1.74 million and makes up 3.4% of the total. Therefore, there is growing need for qualified teachers of Korean to reflect the societal changes in Korea. Korean teachers are professional instructors who teach Korean to foreigners or overseas Koreans that do not speak Korean.


Role
Korean teachers teach Korean and Korean culture. They also teach culture such as the manners and etiquette of Korea. In addition, they help to promote cultural exchange of other countries.


Qualifications
To become a Korean teacher, you must acquire the Korean teacher certificate. This certificate is approved by the National Institute of The Korean Language. There are two ways to acquire the certificate. Frist, undergraduates and graduate who complete courses in Korean language education majors can acquire the level 2 certificate. However, they need transcripts of Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK) 6th level and take the essential courses to get a certificate. The can upgrade their certificates to the level 1 with 5 years’ work and 2,000 hours’ work experience. Second, people who don’t have a degree can acquire the level 3 certificate. They have to complete 120 hours of courses in particular institutions. There are Korean linguistics, general linguistics and applied linguistics, Korean language as a foreign language, Korea culture and a teaching practicum to foreigners. In addition, they need to pass Korean language teaching proficiency test. They can also upgrade their certificates to the level 2 with 5 years’ work and 2,000 hours’ work experience. After these test, undergraduates, graduate and people who don’t have a degree will have interview.


Prospects
Foreigners and multicultural families in Korea are increasing. That means an increasing number of people who would learn to Korean. Therefore, Korean teachers are much needed. In the Netherlands, some elementary schools select Korean as a second language and teaching Korean on 2013. Therefore, Korean teachers can be employed abroad. Korean teachers’ scope of activity is getting wider.