The North London Collegiate School Jeju officially presented itself to a Korean and media-hungry audience at the Grand Hotel on Dec. 11.
Scheduled to open in September 2011, NLCS Jeju will be the first in a series of international schools apart of the government-funded Jeju Global Education City.
A few hundred people listened to two NLCS Jeju officials tout its high-caliber institution, having strong ties to the 160-year-old NLCS in London, of which many of its graduates earn a golden ticket to the world’s best universities, such as Oxford, Cambridge and American Ivy League schools.
NLCS’s three timeless values centering on academic curiosity, holistic learning and outstanding pastoral care were key in the presentation along with a focus on extracurricular activities.
While all parts of the Korean content during the presentation can easily be found in depth on the school’s English Web site (www.nlcsjeju.co.kr), Jeju Global Education City Project Manager Christopher Bogden offered insights into the hiring process.
“Obviously it began with the hiring of the headmaster; his senior leadership team has been identified,” Bogden said. “They have begun actually interviewing teacher candidates in the United Kingdom this month, December. They will be finalizing teacher candidates in January. Once the principal [Peter Daly] is on board here in Jeju, we will begin ramping up with the necessary support staff and the like. And they will be coming on and starting at different times as we get closer and closer to the opening of the schools.”
All the teachers will be from the UK.
“It looks that way. They began by advertising in the UK, and actually setting up a process that not only includes interviewing for the finalists but doing a teaching demonstration, then being evaluated before being offered a position,” Bogden said. "They have received a considerable amount of interest and are anticipating this process will produce the amount of staff on the first day.”
In terms of numbers, Bogden explained between 60 and 70 people will be professional staff. On the flip side, the other staff in terms of maintenance, boarding care, security, and secretarial hopefully will be recruited locally, he said, adding from this other staff, conservatively in the first year, 60 new jobs will be created for island residents.
“For the other staff, all those kinds of things we have to look at if we are going to hire ourselves and create the departments or whether to outsource, hire subcontractors to come in," Bogden said. “That is a decision that has to be made by the principal and at the leadership of the school itself, to see what is most cost-effective.”
During the presentation’s question-and-answer session, topics addressed were the foreign exchange program, entrance test requirements, scholarships, after-school activities, dormitory concerns and the school’s transition from a traditional girls’ school to a co-educational institution.
For 2011, NLCS Jeju will enroll 634 students, increasing yearly to 1,122 (2012), 1,420 (2013) and 1,456 (2014), its maximum capacity collectively for its junior, middle and upper schools.
“Again, in the first year of operations, we are staffed at a level that is relatively high because we have to be prepared in all areas,” Bogden said. “There will be additional opportunities for employment as the school expands.”
The application period is currently underway through Jan. 21, 2011. The cognitive ability test in English is slated for late February and the final announcement for admitted students will be April 22.
As NLCS Jeju is required to offer Korean language and Korean social studies, Bogden explained, NLCS Jeju is anticipating the Korean teachers to come from Korea, Jeju if possible.
“Obviously we want to look for the most qualified folks,” he said. Ditto for the students. “We are looking for the most qualified applicants.”
Two local, 2nd-grade Jeju Girls’ Middle School students were in attendance, Yang Ga Yeon and Lee Seon Ju, and were eagerly glued to the presentation.
Although for its initial year, NLCS Jeju will not offer their subsequent grade level.
“I thought the school curriculum was fascinating and interesting, so I am happy to be here and learn about this school,” Yang said. “I’m good at acting, so I was interested in the acting program.”
She added: “I’m going to apply for this school next year.”
Her friend Lee was a little disappointed in NLCS Jeju not offering her next grade level in 2011, “I really want to go to NLCS, as I don’t like the Korean school [structure].”
For most island students, NLCS Jeju may prove to be cost-prohibitive.
The junior school tuition is priced at US$21,000, as middle school reaches $22,000 and high school tops out at $25,000. In addition, boarding costs are an extra $12,000 for the junior school and $13,000 for middle and high schools.
Regardless of any concerns, NLCS Jeju is ready to launch its first class next September in the island’s ambitious English Education City.
“We hope that we are ready for anything that comes up. We have a few people on board, including me, that have opened schools before and we do our best to solve any potential problems,” Bogden said. “Things are moving along on schedule and we are looking forward to a successful opening.”
(Interpretation by Song Jung Hee) <Jeju Weekly>
<Steve Oberhauser contributor@jejuweekly.com ⓒ Jeju Weekly All rights reserved>
