Korean Job Discussion Forums

[honeybrown in korea]

Im looking for a job and cant decided whether or not, I want to work in a public school or private. Is there a difference between a regular private school and a hagwon? How will I know when I apply for a job if its a hagwon or not? Thanks.

[the eye]

Hogwans are specialized learning academies. There are hogwans for many different subjects, and all ages.
Children attend hogwans after school. Most parents send their kids there to cram as much as possible into them in order to give them a competitive edge in school.
There are also adult hogwans. Adults attend before or after work hours.

Main differences bewteen hogwans and P.schools:

-Hogwans have less students in each class (6-12), while p.schools have 30-40, sometimes more.

-Hogwans usually leave the foreign teacher on his own, while P.schools usually have a korean co-teacher for lower level classes.

-Hogwans tend to have changing schedules for teaching due to students enrolling and quitting, and other teachers hiring and quitting.

-Hogwans usually require teaching 4-6 hours per work-night, while public schools require a little less per work-day.

-Hogwans tend to offer less vacation time

-P.schools usually require longer office hours, even though you may not be teaching many hours.

-P.schools occasionally require you to atttend school events/trips with students on off days, or at night.

-Hogwans can offer less job security if they are very small or have poor management.

That's all I can remember.
You ought to do a google search on esl koea, or teaching in korea.
Also, visit : Galbijim.com. They have a great site for info.
http://wiki.galbijim.com/Schools_overview_for_newbs
http://wiki.galbijim.com/Hogwan

[poet13]

If you work in a public school, your salary is normally paid by the government, hence, you are likely to see it, in full, every month, and at the end of your contract, shouldn't have to worry about arifare, separation pay, pension, etc.

If you work in a hakwon, your pay and how much of it you recieve are sometimes at the whim and mercy of the owners morals and ethics.