Korean Job Discussion Forums

proopser · Joined: 20 Oct 2009 Location: Gunsan

The hagwon I am about to start working at is supervised by two teachers from the United States, is this pretty common? Am I lucky to have this or could it be a bad thing?

highdials5 · Joined: 13 Oct 2008

proopser · Joined: 20 Oct 2009 Location: Gunsan

Brilliant

Draz · Joined: 27 Jun 2007 Location: Land of Morning Clam

proopser · Joined: 20 Oct 2009 Location: Gunsan

The head teachers are a married couple. I was more curious on the effect of having Americans in charge, I was under the impression most of the people running Hagwons were Korean. Could this possibly mean I'm less likely to be screwed over or would a fellow American still engage in the less than ethical things i've heard about at hagwons?

missty · Joined: 19 Feb 2008

I'd say it will probably make no difference at all. I took a job in Hong Kong thinking that because the owner was British she would be alright to work for. BIG mistake. She was the worst boss I've ever had. Late pay, awful manners.. she only cared about the students and not the teachers etc..
So it could go either way for you. I don't think the nationality makes a difference at all, in my experience its more to do with character.

SSA · Joined: 20 Apr 2009

I was offered a job in a hagwon owned and run by an American and his korean wife. The interview was much more formal than other hagwon jobs. the pay was low and they were able to give a lot of b/s chit chat about stuff.

The contract sucked: no sick days, unpaid vacation, long hours, low salary. I thought an American would provide a better contract than the korean ones but i was shocked at this one. Other areas i would be nervous about are:communication has no language barriers. This can make it more difficult. Less can be blamed on misunderstandings and cultural differences.

definitely maybe · Joined: 16 Feb 2008

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

If they are foreigners running a hagwon, there' most likely something wrong with them. Not always, but most likely.
If they are the type of hagwon that stress on improving English levels and have a proven track record, they probably call the shots and pay the teachers a good salary. Haven't heard of any of those in Korea, but they probably exist. They do in Taiwan, but you have to work a lot BUT they pay you by the hour. And a lot, too.