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Kindy Hagwon BS VS Non-Kindy Hagwon BS

 
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PBRstreetgang21



Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Location: Orlando, FL--- serving as man's paean to medocrity since 1971!

PostPosted: Sun May 13, 2007 8:15 am    Post subject: Kindy Hagwon BS VS Non-Kindy Hagwon BS Reply with quote

Im inquiring as to the level of BS you have to put up with from ones boss at a hagwon where you teach adults or at least high schoolers and adults, versus the BS you put up with teaching at a Hagwon that is Primarily Kindy and Elementary. Right now Im working at a Kindy/Elementary Hagwon and the hoops I have to jump through because of some kindy mom doesnt like the fact that Little Seoyoon got one more comment on her report card than her daughter. Or Having every kids parents come in to your class and observe an ENTIRE KINDY CLASS so they can then talk to other moms about how great it is and the hagwon can recruit more kids. There is a lot more stuff but I could go on so long I dont think you really want me to. Everyday there is some stupid stuff that my Boss wants from me and my coworkers related to kids and their parents having the most ridiculous complaints. All of which boils down to the fact that it is a Business and all my boss cares about is satisfying every single demand of the parents, and as far as shes concerned I can go shove stick up my a$$ and spin. What I wanna know is, for those working in Hagwons geared to Adults and high schoolers, do you have to deal with the same parental BS? is there a lot less micromanaging from the Boss? Do they just let you be to do your job and as long as nothing serious happens its ok? Or is it the same crap as kindy just repackaged?
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tomato



Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: I get so little foreign language experience, I must be in Koreatown, Los Angeles.

PostPosted: Sun May 13, 2007 12:56 pm    Post subject: Re: Kindy Hagwon BS VS Non-Kindy Hagwon BS Reply with quote

Hello, PBRstreetgang21!

I know what you mean.
I have also worked under directors who tried to please all of their customers.

PBRstreetgang21 wrote:
What I wanna know is, for those working in Hagwons geared to Adults and high schoolers, do you have to deal with the same parental BS?


No, if you work with students ranging from middle school on up, the complaints come directly from the students.

Quote:
Do they just let you be to do your job and as long as nothing serious happens its ok? Or is it the same crap as kindy just repackaged?


It is the same crap as kindy just repackaged.

See if you can organize some customers on your side. At one place where I worked, some of the customers disapproved of my using sign language in the classroom--or at least that's what the director said. So I told one class that I was discontinuing sign language. Two girls who approved of my sign language instruction approached me after class. I said, "You will have to speak to the director." The two girls promptly ddi exactly that.

I was so grateful to the two girls that I gave them flowers the next day.

Some directors don't seem to realize that the dissenting opinion is not necessarily the majority opinion. Those who approve of the status quo do not voice their opinions because they do not see the need. Readers who are as old as I am may remember the "silent majority," who approved of the war in Vietnam during the Nixon administration.

I once operated a newspaper in a small town. The mayor was up for reelection and was running scared. He heard some protest against the presence of the parking meters downtown, so he intended to remove them.

I conducted a street survey which found that the majority of the people wanted the parking meters to remain. This changed the mayor's mind, but alas, he lost the election anyway.

Remember the story about the man, the boy, and the donkey? Maybe your director needs to hear that story.
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The_Conservative



Joined: 15 Mar 2007

PostPosted: Sun May 13, 2007 3:49 pm    Post subject: Re: Kindy Hagwon BS VS Non-Kindy Hagwon BS Reply with quote

PBRstreetgang21 wrote:
Im inquiring as to the level of BS you have to put up with from ones boss at a hagwon where you teach adults or at least high schoolers and adults, versus the BS you put up with teaching at a Hagwon that is Primarily Kindy and Elementary. Right now Im working at a Kindy/Elementary Hagwon and the hoops I have to jump through because of some kindy mom doesnt like the fact that Little Seoyoon got one more comment on her report card than her daughter. Or Having every kids parents come in to your class and observe an ENTIRE KINDY CLASS so they can then talk to other moms about how great it is and the hagwon can recruit more kids. There is a lot more stuff but I could go on so long I dont think you really want me to. Everyday there is some stupid stuff that my Boss wants from me and my coworkers related to kids and their parents having the most ridiculous complaints. All of which boils down to the fact that it is a Business and all my boss cares about is satisfying every single demand of the parents, and as far as shes concerned I can go shove stick up my a$$ and spin. What I wanna know is, for those working in Hagwons geared to Adults and high schoolers, do you have to deal with the same parental BS? is there a lot less micromanaging from the Boss? Do they just let you be to do your job and as long as nothing serious happens its ok? Or is it the same crap as kindy just repackaged?



This kind of nonsense is typical in hakwons. It's one of the reasons I got out of the hakwon racket and now work in the public school system.
Keep in mind that sometimes hakwon bosses will fabricate complaints just as a means of controlling you. The theory seems to be that if you feel your job is under threat that you will try harder.
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Yu_Bum_suk



Joined: 25 Dec 2004

PostPosted: Sun May 13, 2007 4:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you teach adults at least there's no question that they are customers and you should be giving them what they want. With little kids you never know, especially when the mothers have conflicting opinions of what should be happening in your class.
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tomato



Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: I get so little foreign language experience, I must be in Koreatown, Los Angeles.

PostPosted: Mon May 14, 2007 5:10 am    Post subject: Re: Kindy Hagwon BS VS Non-Kindy Hagwon BS Reply with quote

The_Conservative wrote:
Keep in mind that sometimes hakwon bosses will fabricate complaints just as a means of controlling you.


Very true.

That topic was discussed on this thread and this thread.

Here is a good thread on the negative working conditions in general.

On one previous job, I actually caught my director in a lie.
She disapproved of my embellishing the class hour with instruction in Braille and sign language.
Rather, she wanted me to spend the whole hour teaching straight out of the textbook the traditional Korean way.

In fact, she told me that that was what the students preferred.
I knew she was lying and I wanted to prove it.
So I took a survey, asking the students which activities they liked and disliked, and printed out the results for her:




She even told me that the parents in one particular class had called in, complaining about my teaching Braille and sign language. It so happened, however, that I had not taught any Braille and sign language in that particular class.
So, on a day in which it was her turn to teach that class, I went into her classroom and wrote 수화 (sign language) and 점자 (Braille) on the board.

I asked the students, "Have I been teaching any sign language or Braille to you?"

The students answered, "No."

I pointed to the director and said, "See? You made the whole thing up."
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wylies99



Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!

PostPosted: Mon May 14, 2007 5:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

OP- Kindy is a nightmare. You can't win. Every legit teacher stuck with kindy SHOULD make more money to do it.
But, because so little English is involved with that level, many shady hogwans can hire illegal teachers on the cheap.
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kalak



Joined: 06 Mar 2007
Location: dublin

PostPosted: Mon May 14, 2007 9:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

tomato, im asking purely out of interest here, why do you teach your classes sign language and braille??

are you working in a hogwan or a PS??
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tomato



Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: I get so little foreign language experience, I must be in Koreatown, Los Angeles.

PostPosted: Mon May 14, 2007 9:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello, kalak!

I have been asked that question before, so I set up a thread for that purpose:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=39890&highlight=sign+language+Braille
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