Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ytuque]

It looks like I will be getting a step-daughter just in time for next school year. What do you do for schooling, and how is that working out?

[gteacher]

There are lots of options available, depending on your finances and where you are from.

International School - expensive, but usually good quality education
Hogwon Style international School - cheaper and hit or miss on education.
Home-schooling - depending on where you are from easy or difficult, You know who the teacher is

Also there are other avenues that can be explored like private teacher etc.

Location is also important. If your in Seoul you have a lot more possibilities than someone located out in the country.

I am not sure if public school is an option for non-koreans, if that turns out being your best/only option let me know and I will look into it for you.

[ytuque]

I am in Taejeon, and I found an international school which charges about $24,000 USD per academic year. Since this is close to what I take home in a year teaching Englishee, I would like to find cheaper options. A 3rd rate education is not an option? Do you have children in school here?

[Scotticus]

[ytuque]

I don't like working with children or animals.... especially children! It looks like something which needs to be investigated.

[gteacher]

[Mr. Pink]

[nate1983]

[gteacher]

[Paddycakes]

I wonder how much home-schooling would cost, assuming you have private tutors come in.

I have such an ill-feeling toward the public school system, whether it be in Canada or Korea, that home schooling does seem the only practical alternative...

[ytuque]

The future wife and step-daughter are not native speakers of English. I see this is going to be complicated! Sending the girl to a Korean school is out of the question. I worry about the social isolation with home schooling since there are so few foreign teenagers about.

It doesn't seem like many teachers have teenagers.

[gteacher]

Homeschooling is likely to be your best option then. Depending on where you are from you can looking into the homeschooling regulations, assuming you will be trying to get your nationality for your future wife and step-child. If not try to find the regulations for the country that she is coming from. Many nations actually have strict regulations on homeschooling and it is not always as simple as people think.

Once you have figured out what you need to do, then start working on the how. You can most likely teach her in areas you feel qualified and her mother might be able to help her in other areas. Mathematics tutors are a dime a dozen in Korean, however finding one with English might prove challenging. Science will be your biggest challenge, as home schooling does not usually provide the hands-on experience that is expected in the west. As well, most of the things we can run out and grab at the market to use in an experiment are much more difficult to find here in Korea.


If you do go the homeschooling route and you need a hand getting it organized I'll be happy to pitch in with some advice. Prior to accepting my position I was also strongly considering home-schooling.

[rsmm0224]

I don't care how much you "LOVE" each other... bringing a non-English and non-Korean teenager into this country is about the most socially irresponsible thing you can do to the poor kid. You need to really think about what you're about to do and how it will affect the lives others.

If you're serious about the marriage AND want a better life for the kid, maybe its time to go home and get a real job. 24k/yr is not much, even here, when you're supporting 3 people.

[brento1138]

Yeah. If you're not making tons of money here, why stay? You got a wife and child to look after... maybe best off just heading back home. Where education is pretty much free, and probably higher quality. Man, tough situation to be in I suppose. But think of that teenager first...

[Scotticus]