Korean Job Discussion Forums

[FierceInvalid]

I posted a while back, talking about how I wanted to make the switch from kiddies to adults, but found the split shifts etc. that go along with most adult jobs too daunting. Then I meet this dude, who's teaching a similar schedule to me (about 20 hrs/wk, only afternoon/evening), gets about 2 months of vacation per year, and decent pay. Where's he workin? A uni hagwon.

Now, I realize that this must be a pretty sweet deal within the uni hagwon game - I've read comments before about how conditions at these places are "not much better than a regular hagwon", but let's look at what that actually means - still better, right?

Plus, during the time working at a uni hagwon you'd surely meet (and work alongside) a bunch of people with real uni jobs - and we all know having connections can be a pretty sweet thing if you want to try to find a real uni job, right?

So here are my questions:

1. Do people at uni hagwons ever have to do splits? Is it common?

2. Is it difficult to get a job at one? I'm guessing easier than actual university job, but quite a bit harder than a regular hagwon - can anyone confirm? (Keep in mind I'm dead-set on staying in Seoul).

3. What's the best way to go about checking these jobs out? I know where a lot of the unis are, but wouldn't have a clue as to where to go to find the relevant people physically...I guess I could check the internet...any suggestions?

Thanks,

FI

[The Lemon]

I think that the more common job than the uni hogwon position is the hybrid - the teacher does 7-8 hours of uni hogwon classes a week (say, one or two a day) and a roughly equal number of "proper" university credit classes.

I'm in that regimen. The hogwon classes, at least at our university, are just as likely to be with adults (free talking, etc) as they are kids classes. It's par to only have 4 hours a week of kids' classes. And that's not necessarily a good thing - I actually prefer my kids classes to the adult and uni student classes.

[FierceInvalid]

Yeah that's what I was thinking - since many of the real university teachers spend some of their schedule doing hagwon classes, all-hagwon jobs probably aren't wildly numerous, are they?

[Michelle]

Hey there,

Well the good news is that in some respects it is better then a normal hagwon.

Mainly in terms of the staff and responsibility. The pay is less likely to be diddled and holidays are sweet.

Good news over.

I work from 7.50 - 8.40 am, then 1-1.50 then 6-9 pm.

The mother of all split shifts.

I also have a curfew - can't get in after 11. I can stay away if I want to pay for a yogwan.

Why? I live at the dormitory. The students do to.

On the upside they are crammed to a room. I have a room to myself and a nice office.

Well, the students haven't been attending class because it makes their hours unbearable, but what can you do?

For this I didn't have a masters, but I did have a Grad Cert in TESOL.

Other teachers have Masters. These people really needed teachers.

In a lot of cases the Professors do have Masters qualifications.

In short, yes the University hagwon is quite a step up. You are not teaching children anymore (although you wonder sometimes).

And yes, you do need qualifications. After taking the trouble to study in the area I was expecting a little better.

I had high expectations, the main problem is the restriction. At a hagwon I could come and go as I pleased at night.

[rudyflyer]

I have the strictly hogwon side and the mix during my years here. The year only doing the univ hogwon was not fun I too had splits from he** 7-9AM, then 4-6P, and 8-9P. The 4-6 was kids and I HATE kids, we were not told that we'd be teaching kids when we took the job. On the upside we got 5 weeks vacation which is pretty good for a hogwon. That univ hogwon now gives 10 weeks vacation.

I've seen ads for other strictly univ hogwons and their schedules can be as bad as a legit hogwon and as cheap with the vacation as the hogwons.

Rest of the time here its been a split between the 2. Mostly its been a 60/40 univ classes/hogwon ratio. Some places I had a lot of hogwon classes some like the place where I'm at now only 2 of my 20 hours/week are hogwon. This also determines how much vacation I get. Again at this school they don't run hogwon classes during the breaks so I'm off summers and winters. Some places like where Lemon teaches and 2 of the previous 4 univs I've been at have kids programs, here we don't and we've been told we never will. I personally prefer credit classes yeah the students are brain dead but you can pretty much do what you want and nobody really complains. With the hogwon classes its so personality driven and if the students don't like you it can be he**, I've had problems this semester with my hogwon class and another teacher who was teaching housewives had a revolt, the ladies went to the boss and said they weren't going to attend class if this guy kept teaching (BTW he was an older guy who is an excellent teacher, these ladies had a woman before).

If I had my choice, credit classes only with maybe one hogwon class for extra cash

[Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee]

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