Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Temporary]

Man I am so glad I got out of Haqwon crap.

What a difference between the two.

When I worked in a Haqwon I would teach the same kids 50 minutes three times a week. I got no where. Kids sucked and couldn't or would speak in English.

Now I teach at a public school one time a week for 40 minutes and I manage to teach more then I ever did in one week of Haqwon clowning.
Kids are comfortable with me, they try, they have fun, they do homework, and they pay attention and they speak in class.

Public schools are not perfect by any means but at least it seems like I am actually accomplishing something.. Its slow but at least its a steady progress. Where as a haqwon felt like I was skating up a hill.

I just had 4 very fun and satisfying classes. I thought I would share

[TheChickenLover]

Hogwans' aren't teaching, they're primarily used as a daycare/babysitting service under the guise of education.

Chicken

[Ruraljuror]

I 100% agree with Temporary. It's almost eerie...it's like the words he wrote came directly out of my brain.

Just want to say, that after the last 2 years of working hagwons, the difference really is hard to believe. I'm waking up happy and energetic, coming to work early, and staying late because I love my job so much.

To those of you wondering if public schools are better than hagwons: yes, yes they are. I emphatically assert that they are.

[pkang0202]

[Otherside]

I have to disagree.

I was able to teach far more at my Hagwon than at my public elementary school. On average, I would say we could cover more ground in one 45minute class at my Hagwon than we can cover in three 40 minute classes at my PS.

Regarding the level of English; when students of the same grade are compared, I reckon the top 90% of students at my old hagwon have the same level as the top 5-10% at my PS. I vividly recall one 6 year old girl who spoke better English than half the Korean co-teachers at my Hagwon (and my current co-teacher for that matter), and no, she never lived abroad.

That being said, I vastly prefer the PS experience. The kids are polite, the school doesn't try and rip me off, and they actually appreciate a job well-done, rather than complaining incessently about the single student out of 20 who is unhappy with me.

[Temporary]

I will admit some kids had better english in haqwons then my ps kids but the average that the kid learns from me and retains such knowledge in PS is 200% better. On top the PS experience is 100 fold better.

[yingwenlaoshi]

How can a kid learn more at a public school with 35 or so kids in the class for one forty-minute class per week? At a hagwon, they get at least 4 and a half fifty-minute classes. At my last hagwon, I taught the same classes every day. They got 5 hours with me and an hour and a half with a Korean teacher every week.



Sounds like your hagwon sucked and you couldn't discipline the kids. Even then...

[Yu_Bum_suk]

I only lasted half a year at a hagwon but I could sure see that some parents were getting good value for their money and some were being outright defrauded of it. While some of my public school students I know are learning very little from me (or their Korean English teachers ... or Korean math, science, etc., teachers) I've also seen myself making way more impact, on agragate. The opportunity to do extra work with students is also much greater at public school.

[Lekker]

I'm at a hagwon. I have my ups and downs about it.

Downs- split shifts, no communication, disorder in the classrooms at times, boss aint to generous with vacation time.

Ups- They gave me a CAR, AIG insurance on top of Korean National Insurance, which I am not paying for, housing which is small but I'm content with it, bills and food are paid for, handphone paid for, and the salary isn't that bad.

My hagwon is good. With that said though, I will not be working at a hagwon after this job. F that.

[CentralCali]

[Kimchieluver]

I like working at a PS tons more. However, you don't see the progress in many kids as you do see in the hagwon system. You still do see progress with many though. And I agree with Pkang, alot of the best students attend hagwons. Also, I would like to add, that it is up to the student to pay attention and learn. We can motivate them but we cant make them learn. This is true in hagwons as well. If they don't want to learn, they won't. I have seen parents throw so much money into a hagwon for nothing, as their idiot kid just considered it play time. When you teach at a public school, those idiot kids are at least silenced and stuck in a haze wondering when the bell is going to ring for time to go home and then hit the hagwon.

[ontheway]

Most of the kids in the public schools also go to hogwans. If you actually do a study, as I have done, you will find that the kids in public schools who seem to be making progress are actually just letting out a little of the English they already learned in their hogwans.

The results of my study indicate that it would take 10 years of public school English (elementary schools) to equal one year at the typical hogwan with a foreign teacher.

OTOH, hogwans with Korean teachers and K teachers teaching home study outperform the public schools only slightly.

[chris_J2]

I would echo other comments, that the best & brightest students in Public Schools, tend to also attend Hagwons.

[polonius]

I have been at the same hagwon for sometime now. 4 years ago, I was teaching a 6 year old Phonetic blends, long and short vowel sounds, so on and so forth. Fast forward to this past year, I taught her "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe." I have many stories of students progressing threw the years, and there is no greater feeling to see students achieve the goals you set out for them.

I understand that there are hagwons that want the clown to entertain/babysit. However there are also places that offer genuine language acquisition. I do not believe that students can benefit much from being in a class of 35+ students, with all of them at varying levels. That would be extra stress on the teacher, having to make sure that you are satisfying the needs of every student in a class of 35.

I will stay at the same academy until I leave Korea. It is not perfect, but I have yet to find the perfect working environment. I really receive satisfaction from my job.

[Saxiif]

Kids aren't stupid, they know when hagwons are glorified babysitting and they treat it as such.