Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sojourner1]

Are hagwons accredited by the Ministry of Education? What kind of accreditation do they have?

[AussieGav]

I dont think they have any and that is supported by their methods i think. but they definatly should be. What a lousy system of education.

[ttompatz]

[blonde researcher]

The only thing they have to do as a business as mentioned above is that the building and classroom size and facilities have to meet set standards.
This is monitored and checked by the local office of education.

No academic program "taught" in a hagwon is ever 'truly' accredited and no program is ever seriously endorse academically and accountable in Korea.

So when you see a wonderful academic accreditation for a hagwon - dont blindly trust all you see !!!

[sojourner1]

Thank you, I wanted to know this as the EPIK application asks who the school you taught for is accredited by.

I would say that Korea has very low standards of education considering how much passion they have to learn and how much time and money is put into these ambitions. Public school any better outside the problem of large class size?

How could it be that the one country paying the most has such low standards? Is it in a hurry to make money and cutting corners to create little business people during their baby sitting time? Yes, they had me teaching business to kindergarten students!

When I taught in a hagwon, I knew the standards and expectations are nondescript and it was just about money. The only thing the director did in trying to lead and help her teachers was to ensure they were putting on good image when parents come and then sometimes she would get mad that I didn't have a certain lesson going at an unscheduled time during a parents meeting that I was not even told in advance about. She said she was embarrassed and said I must understand Korean culture to read their minds! They didn't care to help me deliver good teaching by giving me information such as expectations, student academic data, student health conditions, and anything else pertinent. I found myself struggling with a few special students that I was not qualified to help. I found the leveling of students are inconsistent and illogical. Many disruptions and inefficiencies are caused by low standards and mismanagement on the directors part. A director of a hagwon usually knows nothing about education and children nor cares as he/she is only focused on money.

Of course, we are NOT going to Korea to tell them how to run a school, but they sure are amiss on things. Just take charge and take care of your needs in the process or they will take advantage of you such as shorting pay and you lose.

I will always rag on the hagwons, becuase surely the Koreans see that it's not working due to financial management centered corruptions. Your standard business executive makes the worse leader for a school of any sort. This is not a corporate office nor a store.

[blonde researcher]

For middle class and upper class Koreans 'going to a hagwon' is much more about 'being seen' in the right place or going to the best hagwon that everyone else is already sending their children to, than it is about genuine education.

Think about it -Why do hagwons want to hire pretty, white, blue-eyed, non obese teachers under 30 if they possibly can ?? The foreign teachers are not expected to be 'real educators', they are props that look good to endorse the image. A little bit like the curriculum programs that are often weird in content, low in substance and real evaluation, and change frequently.

Hagwons, especially in Gangnam and the Bungdang areas etc is very much a competition of the best Gucci or Coach bag !!

Koreans are a 'following & networking society' - hagwons are necessary in Korea - not for the education, but for the private business world to grow and get rich on as well.
It is very important which hagwon you send the children to if you are wanting to be upper or middle class or well networked. Just look at all the cute backpacks and sweaters and little buses that 'scream' the name of the hagwon.

[cruisemonkey]

[wylies99]

There are literally thousands of hagwons operating without licenses. The Korean government has chosen to look the other way w hile unlicensed hakwans get away with breaking the law.


It's important to know if your private school is unlicensed. If it is unlicensed then any taxes or pension/health insurance monies withheld from your pay are NOT being forwarded to the government.

[blonde researcher]

A hagwon without a education office licence cannot ever legally hire any foreigners on E2 visas.

Showing the registration papers of the business [hagwon], has to be done when a director puts the E2 sponsorship papers into immigration.

This means the question a teacher should ask is ' what location or business is my visa for?' NOT are you licensed?

[wylies99]

That's how the law is written. How it's actually enforced is another thing.

Also, researcher, the local boards of education are more than willing to provide "documentation" for these unlicensed hagwons when they have to deal with immigration. Cash talks.

[blonde researcher]

I agree.. and also this is why is it now easier to transfer a visa from a hagwon to a public school. if you need to change schools

[cruisemonkey]

[wylies99]

[blonde researcher]

I live on the real world planet that maybe you need to understand better !


NO visa number is ever issued for a teacher under a public school program being headed by the government bodies

This letter of appointment gets sent back to the teacher applicant in their home country and they take the letter to the Korean embassy for the visa stamp in their passport.NOT AN IMMIGRATION NUMBER

[cruisemonkey]