Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hagwonnewbie]

I got offered to 2.3 to teach kindergarten. I am used to teaching adults in the states so I know it woulc be a challenge. It seems like it might be fun. What are your experiences? Everyone is always dissing kindy jobs. I think they pay a little more than the elementary and adult positions. Is it woth it. Is day better than evening?

[Satori]

It's simply much more stressful because the behavioural issues are much more complex, and it's physically more draining too...

[yingwenlaoshi]

...and it's guay.

[Qinella]

[yingwenlaoshi]

I taught kindy in Taiwan. It's a good way to pad your income there even though it's illegal. That's it though. Same class 2 hrs/day. I drank at the bar every night to forget I had to teach there the next day and then showed up all hungover and smelling like a booze factory. This was my first job there and in no way is it a recommendable introduction to a foreign country.

Kindy and culture shock DO NOT MIX.

[goodgood]

I actually really like it. It's a little harder at first (the first few months were hell) but once you get better it becomes really easy and fun. You'll gain some degree of control, but never total. You learn to live with it.

They're so fun and sweet and nice. They never say they wish I was dead, or tell me they don't like foreigners like some of the older elementary kids do.

I spent the first few months questioning whether or not it was a legitimate thing- does it really make sense for these kids to have somebody who doesn't speak their language attempting to teach them?

In the end I've decided I think it works really well for the smart kids, and really, really, really poorly for the dumb (and badly behaved) kids. Some kids don't learn word one. I realize its the same in regular schools as well, but I think the predicament of the dumb or bad kid in the foreign kindy is far worse.

I never thought I'd say this - never ever thought it - but I think I'm gonna go for kindy again next year!

[tomato]

Hello, Hagwon Newbie!

I keep a list of threads asking "How should I teach kindergarten?"
Every time someone asks that question, I post that list, and add the most recent thread to that list.

I realize that this wasn't your question, but rather "Should I teach kindergarten?"
But I'll post the list again anyway:

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In reply to your question, most teachers are insecure at first.
I was.
But after I became more proficient at teaching kindergarten, it became as easy as teaching any other class.

The greatest difference is that it takes a lot of creativity.
Whatever the day's topic is, it must be put across many different ways.
Read books about cats, sing songs about cats, draw pictures of cats, and spell the word CAT.

[SuperHero]

[Corky]

I not qualified for instructing that level of education.

[jlb]

It's exhausting. I used to teach 2 hours of it everyday and it made me feel so tired. I loathed it.

[Ginormousaurus]

I loved teaching kindy. It was the highlight of my day. That being said, it was difficult some days. As you can imagine, you spend a large amount of time attempting to keep some sense of control over the classroom and that can get frustrating. All in all, I found that kindy was the most rewarding as the students seemed to make much more progress than my afternoon elementary school students.

[ShadowEdge]

Do the kids really change that much between Kindy and Elementary? In the US only one year seperates the two (is there more in Korea?). It seems strange that one year would change an uncontrolable Kindy kid into a more managable Elementary School kid.

[Kimchieluver]

[Son Deureo!]

Another big reason not to teach in kindy that hasn't been mentioned yet is the likelihood of teaching split shifts. Kindy classes generally start between 9 and 10 in the morning. Elementary school classes generally don't start until 2 or 3pm, and middle school classes can run as late as 9 or 10pm. All too many wonjangnims want to get their foreign teachers, especially their new foreign teachers, to do all three if they can. I got shafted my first year and taught from 10am-9pm.

No kindy pretty much guarantees a shorter work day.

[wylies99]

Yes. It wears you out and it involves VERY little actual teaching of English. Most of it is crowd control.

Avoid it like the plague.