Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Justice540]

I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on Public vs. Private schools in Seoul. My questions are:

1)Has anyone ever worked in both?
2)Which do you find better?
3)If one is better than the other Why?

I'll be going to SK later in the year and want to start researching beforehand. It will be my first year. Any information is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Omkara]

My experience in a public school is much better. It's more stable; the support is better; the contracts are firmer; they are not trying to make money from your good looks.

I just re-signed my P.S. contract.

A P.S. is a far safer bet. A hagwan is a gamble.

[Justice540]

[nashvegas]

I agree with Omkara. I'm in the same boat you are (just starting the process) but I can pass on what I've gathered and hope that it helps.

1. P.S. is almost always better, but harder to get.
2. Hogwans can be good, especially if you are not a morning person, but make sure to do plenty of research about the school and always talk to past and present teachers.
3. You are less likely to have problems with pay/severence/insurance/pension with a P.S.
4. You will have smaller classes in a Hogwan (usually less than 12 vs. 20-30 in P.S.).

I've been told that in order to get a P.S. job later this year, make sure you get your documents in early. They tend to fill up with first come/first serve. For myself, I'll be leaving the USA for the first time ever (I don't count vacationing in Mexico) so I'm doing everything I can to get a P.S. job because I feel safer with one. Once I get to Korea, I may find Hogwan that I like and want to work at once my P.S. contract is finished. Hope this helps.


BTW...Did I spell "Hogwan" correctly? I've seen it spelled a million different ways

Edit: A good thing I've done is to do a general search using google (or your favorite search engine) for blogs posted by people living in the area that you're interested in. Ex: Pusan blogs, Seoul blogs, Hongdae blogs. They are a wealth of knowledge.

[Zaria32]

Spellings of Korean words are iffy...

Some people insist it should be spelled "hakwon," but my Korean tutor says that when the Hangul character which can be pronounced either k or g (I can't use Hangul on here, unfortunately) has a vowel sound on either side of it, it softens from the k sound to the g sound. Therefore
"hogwon."

I'm sure some will argue with me and for all I know they're right.

[suneV]

I've worked both jobs and always tell people -

Public school is tohakwan what steak is to spam.

Unless it paid like 3 million, you'd be an idiot to take a hakwan job over a ps job, plain and simple, no more to say about it as it's been done to death and I've written this same post around a hundred times.

Just trust me on this one.

[anyangoldboy]

Public school might be safer and with slightly more pay but there is a lot of BS involved...You have like the whole school

admin to deal with...

teachers outings...

bigger classes...I teach after school and the class sizes are around 20 and you spend a good bit of it shouting just to get them to listen etc...

Not the best material to work with...sometimes...I know people who make up their own material because the school material is just too bad...

You have a lot of down time after teaching...

You'd have to be a morning person...

My next job in August will be with a Hagwon...because...

I won't have to wake up early...Especially good for monday because having to wake up early for monday isn't my cup of tea...I do it now but just looking forward to a hagwon job in August...(I finish early June)

The material is generally better because if you go to a school who have had a few years of Foreign teachers they have usually suggested new books etc...

The class sizes are smaller and the parents want the kids to learn more because they are actually paying for the class...

You generally only have to deal with one boss where as in the public school you have to deal with the head master, VP, admin etc...

You generally get more hours teaching but if you can get a good hagwon there are sometimes school outings etc...I've been to the cinema, theme park etc...

Less prep time i've found...Also the level of the kids English is generally better compared to public school kids...

You can actually have more of an involvement in a kids development...If you have a bad student you can tell your boss and they I think are more likely to do something about it where as if in public school you are pretty much stuck with the kid...

That's just my view though...Everyone has their own view and their own situation so it might be different for everyone else...

Just my two cents...

[suneV]

[anyangoldboy]

[Tokki1]

I worked hakwons for years, and was ripped off at every one. Every scam in the book, from double billing, outright theft, threats, to insane things like taking all pension contribution off of final paychecks or simply not being paid at all, etc...

I work in a public school now. I make less money and work longer hours. The vacations are longer and I spend a great deal of time sitting on my ass doing nothing, but it's a 9-5 gig, not a 2-8 or 4-10 deal. I get paid on time, always, and there is no b.s as far as pay, benefits and deductions go.

I do miss the hakwon hours, but I don't miss the snaky, shady, lying, conniving hakwon directors. Finding a good one these days is like finding a needle in a haystack.

I think that after the Dec 15th legislation there will be a major shortage of teachers in Korea anyway, which China and Japan will absorb. Who wants to go back to their home country and have an interview with a Korean embassy just to change jobs. No idea what this will do to ESL jobs here.

[mrgiles]

well like so many things, it all depends what's better.

if u're a first-timer, perhaps a 학원 (private institute, i hate romanising cos it's confusing and doesn't really work anyway) is better. i say this because if u're coming here for the first time, u probably haven't experienced anything to really allow u 2 know what's it's like teaching esl in korea. if u went to a public school, the chances are that there might only be one or two staff members who can converse in english, and so it might be hard to work out exactly how to teach the kids- not to mention u might feel a little alienated. u also get next to (or worse than) nothing in the way of curriculum, so u might be at a loss for how to go about conducting ur classes. also, if u don't have many friends here already, you might feel lonelier at a public school than u would at a big private institute. on top of that, if u don't have any well developed hobbies that u can pursue online, u could get bored out of ur head with all the non-contact time u're likely to get at a public school.

having said that, there's a con side as well - and i don't only mean all the con artists working in private institutes and as agents. if u don't do major, extensive research on a hagwon, (there u go i've just contradicted my own stance) u'll be very fortunate to land a good job, and likely to get an awful one. that means talking to teachers at the school, checking blacklists. i think it's much better to be here already to check it all out, but what with the new visa requirements, i'm not sure if that's possible.

all the other things people here always say about that h word are dangers as well.

as for me, i've taught 2 years at hagwons and didn't mind it much. i now teach at a public middle school and i love it. heaps of free time at work for me to pursue my real interest (poetry); work i find easy and not totally unrewarding; a fantastic house; and a stable and reliable position. that's just what i think. i know a few guys that have made the switch over to public schools and seem to be regretting it.

[Tokki1]

Yeah, and also you make W100,000 with a year of related experience in Korea.

[marlow]

Work at a public school for starters. Then get married to a Korean. Then quit and do privates full time. That's the key to getting paid what you are worth.

Simply, though, public school.

[TheUrbanMyth]

Another vote for public schools here. Taught in 4 hakwons and while I more or less enjoyed it, the public school experience is better by a country mile.

[CP]

I have done both the Public School and the Hagwons as well.

If you can find a good hagwon it's much better than a public school.

EXCEPTION: If the public school offers you at least 2.3 plus housing for only 9AM to 1PM or 1PM to 5PM then take it.

Aside from that.

1. You spend less time at a hagwon than a public school - they have 8-9 hour days. So what if you are only teaching 4 or 5 classes - you still have to sit there. At a hagwon you spend 6 hours there daily and you are out. It might be all teaching time but you do have more free time each day for yourself. If you calculate it out. You'll spend on average an extra 30-40 hours in a public school than in a hagwon a month.

2. Salary is higher at a hagwon. If you are making less than what a public school teacher is then you took a bad job.

3. Vacation in a public school is iffy - you don't know when you get it or exactly how much time you get. It varies from place to place. Some don't even pay for winter or summer vacation. Others you have to sit there all day doing nothing. Others make you do camps. You just don't know.

4. You have more power in a hagwon if you are sure of yourself. Some will disagree with this though.

5. The classes are too big and levels are too mixed in a public school. More difficult to teach something for everyone. Hagwon - a good one has classes by level and much smaller -you see your students actually learn. Some people , like myself care if they learn English. Other teachers may not care and are just putting in time.

6. Also hagwons may be riskier bu I have heard some stories about shit happening in public schools too.

7. In all likelihood you will be the only foreigner in a public school, not usually the case in a hagwon.

Done rambling. It's preferences. Take what's important to you