Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tomato]

I have been surprised at how quickly parents choose English schools.

When I first came here, I expected parents to visit two or three English schools, ask probing questions at each school, and choose the one in which the director answers the questions the best.

But I have never heard of a parent asking any profound questions about any English school's teaching methods.
On most occasions I have seen, the parent signs up after one brief visit.

In fact, I made a shocking discovery today--that some parents don't even make that one brief visit.
In our school, there are three girls from the same family.
I became curious about their home life, so I asked the director what their parents are like.
He said, "I don't know. I've never seen them."
I said, "You've never seen them????!!!!"
He then told me that some parents never come to the school, but rather send their children with a friend.

How do parents make the choice, then?
Do they send their children to the most conveniently located school?
To the school with the best reputation?
To the school with the most colorful neon sign?

How have parents chosen YOUR school?

[cruisemonkey]

They want to know if the school has a blond, twenty-something, female foreign teacher.

[I-am-me]

I know I have a lot of students who were referred by their friends. They invite them to the school to see the performing monkey and if they like the show their friends enroll.

[ajuma]

[VirginIslander]

Our school is pretty established here in Busan. So, when we opened up a new campus three weeks ago, Koreans do what they do best and followed the herd.

Now we have 250 students. Thats got to be some kind of record.

However, there are some factors that parents really do consider (and thats why they choose our school): prices; hours per day, per week; contact hours with foriegner; class size; homewok; does the school also have a homework; have students from that school studied abroad after studying at the howgron.

Most importantly, our kids have so much homework and parents love that (whether not the homework has a point, is used to introduce or extend lessons is beyond consideration). They just love that their kids receive so much homework from the Kteachers.

[pkang0202]

Its a big problem. A lot of schools just focus on the way their school "looks" as oppose to what they teach the kids. Parents come in, they see a clean school with lots of fancy tools and electronics and they sign their kids up without knowing anything about the teachers or the curriculum.

Its the same with public schools. A lot of public schools are dumping money into these really fancy English language labs and stocking them with equipment that will never be used.

Its a shame.

[cdninkorea]

[hari seldon]

Parents often base their selection decision on whether the school has a recognizable franchise name.

[MrsSeoul]

My hagwon is not a franchise and we have too many students. It's not always the name brand.