Korean Job Discussion Forums

[whiteshoes]

I'm going from a hagwon to a public in March. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for me as to how things will be different. For background, I work in Ilsan, about 30 hours at my hagwon, M-F in the afternoon. I work at a franchise that had a pretty developed curriculum. In the hagwon I have been a good employee because kids want to stay in my class, but I do think I've been that great of a teacher. I'm pretty good with things the "korean way." Two hands for important things, stuff like that. My hagwon is pretty straight forward and professional. Not to much petty stuff going on.

I'm moving to a designated "rural" public school, which is adjacent to Bundang. I went to the school for the interview, so I know that it�s only about 3 minutes from Bundang on the bus. I met with the previous teacher, who�d been there for three years or so, and he said it was great. He was just ready to leave Korea. The principal didn�t speak English very well, but seemed to be a nice lady. I�ve always gotten along with ajumma.

Given that background, can anyone give me some insight on how my transition might go? Specifically, how the children will compare at a rural public school versus a hagwon in Ilsan. And what it�s like to go from having many native speaking co-workers to being the only native speaker. Also I�m interested to hear any other things you might have to say.

[Ji]

There are two things which are going to be vastly different then working at an academy.

You will most likely be the only foreigner at your school. This means that English speaking ability will be minimal in general and that in a worst case scenario no one will be able to speak to you fluently only brokenly.

In essence, they're not going to have to adapt to your "western ways." You're going to have to adapt to their "Korean ways." You'll have to be more proactive about creating good working relationships with co-workers and principals.

Secondly, most schools do not have a complete curriculum that academies do. You'll have to create and supplement a lot and be prepared for unexpected surprises (change of classes, events, etc).

The hours are also longer not in terms of "teaching hours" but in how long you have to be at work. There's a lot more idle time at work.

In the end, I think your public school experience is dependent on you. How flexible you are. How patient you are. How engaging you are. To be an effective public school teacher, it's not just about being a good teacher it's about being a good colleague and employee as well. You'll be a part of the the local school politics whether you want to be or not. In a lot of cases, you might be asked to do things that may seem unreasonable or unnecessary but...unless it's completely outrageous, for the "greater good" and future goodwill, it's probably best to give it your best effort.

Granted, some schools like some academies, are just bad apples but if you're willing to put in the time, teaching at a public school is a far more authentic and immersive experience.