Korean Job Discussion Forums

cadburys · Joined: 02 Jul 2009 Location: IRELAND

Can anyone give me some info on this?
If I was working 6 hours a day, would I be teaching the same children for the full day or different children for all 6 classes?

Also, is there always a co-teacher in the class with you?

Any advice/info appreciated Smile

Cheers

dragon777 · Joined: 06 Dec 2007

1. Study your contract. What does it say?
2. Are you teaching kindergaten or elementary, high school etc?
3. What do you want to teach?

Start from there. Then you can progress further.

What do you want to do?

PigeonFart · Joined: 27 Apr 2006

I've only ever worked in hogwons cos i prefer to work with other non-koreans, and i like their afternoon hours. I also prefer to teach smaller classes, and to teach students with a higher level of english cos it's easier. That's why i'm in a hogwon.

To answer your questions, you'd most likely (99.9% likely) be teaching many different classes in one day. Each class would be a different set of students. Maybe the average would be 6 classes per day (each class being about 45 mins). This is just an average, it varies.

Hogwons have no co-teachers, so it'd just be yourself in the classroom (with the students of course!). If you've never been to korea before, adjusting to life in Korea would be a lot easier in a hogwon than it would be in a Public School. So i'd recommend it. Of course, Public Schools have other advantages, but if you like the conditions in my first paragraph then i say go for a hogwon.

dragon777 · Joined: 06 Dec 2007

Hagwons are much easier than PS's. So do not stress out.

ontheway · Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 7:20 am Post subject:

Hogwan classes are typically anywhere from 40 minutes to 3 hours in length. You usually have the same students 3 to 5 times per week in the same time period. Class sizes these days usually range from 8 to 15 students. Better hogwans have from 8 to 10 per class and the best schools have class sizes below 8 students with a guaranteed maximum size. Hogwans and private schools that have class sizes above 12 are likely to be raking in money for the owners or managers, but the students learn less and the discipline problems are greater.

Since public schools average just under 40 students per class in Korea, the tendency is to waste as much time as possible, fill up the hours and survive. There is almost no learning going on in Korean public schools. They are just babysitting and testing centers that hold the children until they go off to the hogwans where they actually learn.

Ukon · Joined: 29 Jan 2008

dragon777 · Joined: 06 Dec 2007

Onetheway, just remember that it is not all the PS students that go to hagwons. Only a small fraction of those students actually go to those intstitutions. Keep a realistic framework!

ontheway · Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 7:32 am Post subject:

Nester Noodlemon · Joined: 16 Jan 2009

dragon777 · Joined: 06 Dec 2007

I think it depends on the demographics. i am no expert. The more affluent areas obviously would point in this direction.

iammac2002 · Joined: 12 Jun 2009 Location: 'n Beter plek.

When I worked in a small town hagwon, the director would spy on me through the window behind me. (No CCTV.) It was an awful place. Sure, I lived in a big apartment, but it was just awful working conditions. They tried to make up for being so far flung from Seoul, they took us on trips every month....one day they took us to the eMart in Daechon! Mad

In Seoul, we have CCTV and the director/head teacher don't ever look at me at all. Once every few months the head teacher from the head office would show up and watch my classes, but she'd sit in the class and not peak through the window!

It's much nicer to do my own thing and not worry about formally writing out lesson plans and handing them in every single day! So you just have to be lucky enough to get into a nice hagwon.

sugarkane59 · Joined: 10 Jun 2009 Location: Seoul

I am absolutely loving this post. Positive hagwon advice - nice one!!!!

meghanr83 · Joined: 15 Jun 2009 Location: Korea

I agree, all of the information here has been very helpful!
Keep it coming those who know!

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

Hagwans can be OK or they can be a living hell, it just depends.

Do all the research you can, talk to previous teachers if you can. Don't listen to anyone who has only been there a month or two, they won't be past the honeymoon stage yet.

If someone tells you it's "wonderful" chances are he/she is lying. I've never heard of a wonderful hagwan job, just ones that are OK.

Just my opinion tho.

saw6436 · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Daejeon, ROK

I've been teaching in Hagwons for over 10 years now. I actually prefer the Hagwon over University or PS.

Vacation does suck when compared to other gigs but Hagwons generally pay quite abit more. ALL of my foreigner friends work at universities and I make almost double what they do. Couple that with small classes and ZERO paperwork.