Korean Job Discussion Forums

[yayforme]

What are the biggest differences between teaching at a public school and a private school?

I was under the impression that you get a higher salary and more independence with a private school. I keep getting public school offers though, and I don't want to reject them out of ignorance.

Would someone help me out by listing a couple pros and cons for both a public school job and a private school job??

-thanks

[xCustomx]

PLEASE do a search. This thread comes up every week or two

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=5641

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=84382&highlight=public+hagwon

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=81497&highlight=public+hagwon

Look for the thread by Crazylemon girl, who wrote up a nice comparison between hagwons and public schools

[tob55]

Your options for employment often involve some things you should consider from a professional as well as a personal point of view. Having taught in both the private and public sector in Korea, I discovered that each has their own pros and cons.

Public School:

1. Salary is generally a little higher
2. Working conditions better or worse depending largely on the administrative people you work with.
3. The amount of instructional time is regulated by the MOE so you will likely teach fewer classes.
4. It's public school so they are under the scrutiny of the MOE much more than private schools.
5. The amount of compensitory time off is greater in most cases.
6. The working atmosphere is more formal and structured.
7. The opportunity for additional professional development can be greater in the public school.
8. The schedule is set months in advance which is not often the case with private schools.

NOW, if you are talking about private schools that are not hagwons, then most of what I said in the last 8 items probably will also apply.

In the end it is up to you to decide if what you have going is a good deal for you. It is tough to make a judgment call on every school program out there. If I begin to say good and bad things about the public, private and special programs (hagwons) then someone is going to quickly discredit what I say because they are quite happy with their own situation.

SO, it is best to give my opinion about it and hopefully offer some of the information you were looking for in the first place. Hope this helps...Cheers

[YoshaMazov]

What a dangerous question.
In my own humble opinion...
Many hagwon owners really, really, really try to squeeze every last dime out of you and frequently fail to abide by the contract (of course, there are also a great number of decent hagwons out there). So if you work in a hagwon you run the risk of getting completely shafted, something that is far less likely to occur at a public school.
Many hagwon teachers actually teach in the late afternoon-evening and have the morning off. Public school teachers typically work from around 8-4, maybe a bit later.
Public school classes have way more students than hagwons. Public school classes, usually have 30-40 kids/class, and I've known hagwon teachers with as few as 3-4 in each class.
Public school teachers have to attend a La Vie D'Or session once or twice over the year...absolute torture.

[butlerian]

Generally-speaking, public schools or public-private schools are safer bets and usually offer better conditions than hagwons (real private schools). Public schools generally require fewer teaching hours, provide a longer vacation (though the amount given varies from school to school) and offer a slightly higher salary. The only advantages of most hagwons over public schools are, in my opinion, smaller class sizes, little or no lesson planning and the likelihood of working with other foreigners (this can be a bonus or a negative depending on your personality and who the other foreigners are).

[kimchi story]

[sojourner1]

Yes, I clearly see that public school is not for 1st year teachers, but is great for indepedent minded self led teachers in thier 2nd year or beyond. Now that I have a little experience in Korea, I see that public school is a much better option with more time off, less business office politics, and no job security concerns. I am currently in my 1st year in Korea and teaching for a hogwon with 6 co-FT's who helped me out in understanding how to live in Korea. They are supportive, not becuase they personally like me,(though I do not see a reason why they wouldn't) but because they would not want to have to cover my classes had I pulled a runner during the initial culture shock period.

I think a decent hogwon with other FT's is best for 1st year teachers as it allows a support network of other foreigners at the school which is vital to help with the extreme culture shock that comes for many when they first arrive in Korea. Now days, it is no longer important to me to be around other foreigners as the ones who work in the same school do not want to hang out with each other anyhow as they are very exhuasted from doing thier jobs and enjoy thier time alone just as we are tonight on our computers.

I know I can do well by myself in a public school, but only concerned about things like if I will have week day time to go to the bank or to immigration or another countrys consolate for visa reasons when preparing for a vacation out of Korea.

Do public schools allow you some free time during week days to handle your business matters as banks and government offices are NOT open on Saturdays?

[mehamrick]

I say do it in public.....

[ttompatz]

[yayforme]

Thanks so much for all the insight and advice! I definately had some wrong ideas...thanks for the links too, I tried doing a search but it just wouldn't bring up what I wanted

Anyway, I'm still a little nervous about public schools, because of the large class size and the isolation factors, and now I'm a little nervous about hagwons and their potentially awful owners. I think I'll try to find a good offer for a public-private. I'm a very social person, so I definately will need a support system while I'm there. I'm sure I'll be able to handle the culture-shock, but not the lonliness of being a newbie and not knowing anyone. I also prefer afternoon hours over morning hours.
I hope to find a job so I can move in august. I'll leep you updated if anyone is interested
thanks again, and pls keep the comments coming!!

[mehamrick]

[yayforme]

dude, thanks for the vote of confidence!!

of course I'd like to find an offer that fits my desires, duh. But if i don't, I'm alright with that too! I understand negotiation and compromise. About the social network thing, I'm a bit shy so it would be nice to have some english speakers to talk to once in a while. I've read some of the other posts, still thinking to take a private first so I can get a handle on things before moving onto a public, which everyone seems to prefer.

thanks

[dogshed]

It's not that much money but you should know the EPIK program
is free of Korean income tax for the first two years. You can
get this benefit and the US income tax exclusion both
if you use the physical presence test.