Korean Job Discussion Forums

[outkast_3000]

Ok...I swear I posted this question late last night on this board, but I can't find any sign of its existence right now. Maybe I'm just blind...? Or chalk it up to being a newb to dave's. -_-

Anyhow, has anyone taught at a Foreign Language High School? What was your experience like? What was the level of the students like? How was the pay? Were there lots of overtime/extra classes? Any information from first hand knowledge/experience would be great.

Cheers.

[winterfall]

foreign language hs are really high end. Think they do all the recruiting all their own. Off the top of my head, requirements are probably on par with universities. Maybe higher.

Must be a certified teacher and your masters must be relevant. Some Korean universities accept irrelevant masters but they award points differently.

But you paid accordingly and the work is satisfying.

[storysinger81]

outkast--two things: FLHSs are a hot-topic political issue in Korea right now and their fate is uncertain, so I've noticed Dave's deleting all posts related to them. I expect this one will be gone shortly after I respond.

I work at a FLHS. Some are private, but mine is public, so it goes through EPIK (technically). However, before applying to EPIK, I'd already interviewed with the principal, and I was specifically requested by the school to be placed there. So, even the public schools find ways to hire who they want privately. If they can't find a way to do that, they will still not accept anyone less than a level-1 teacher.

My job (and my co-worker's) is more demanding from a teaching perspective than anyone I've personally met in Korea, although some people I've networked with on Dave's who also teach at FLHSs or international schools have comparable expectations. I teach fewer classes per week than a typical EPIK post, but the level is very high, so there is more planning. There are also a lot of extra duties that come with teaching at a FLHS--coaching students in various English contests (a lot more of them participate in these than at a typical school), assisting teachers with tests, proofreading English language materials for the school board, etc.

Personally, I love it. I taught HS in the US before coming here and without this job, I would have left Korea already. Or at least have moved to Busan or Jeju. It's not for everyone.

[outkast_3000]

storysinger81,

Considering how little info there is on here about FLHS, that was pretty informative, thanks.

I had heard rumblings about issues regarding FLHS; but I didn't realize how serious or sensitive the topic was. Well, this thread still hasn't been deleted (probably since no one's paid attention to it! haha).

I'd like to PM you about more details, but I've yet to reach 25 posts, so I can't. Would you mind PM-ing me an e-mail address I could contact you through?

Thanks.

[lalartu]

FLHS are pretty much as close as you can come to being a real teacher in Korea.
the job is tough, stressful, time consuming and not easy, but very mentally and emotionally rewarding.

if you just want money, you'll make a lot more in a hagwon. FLHS like other high schools are usually short on funds, so they won't pay you THAT much.

also, don't be surprised if you're required to attend school events at odd hours or stay long overtime hours preparing tests for your classes (yes, you have to make your own tests usually and they have to be perfect). you will get overtime pay for all this, but it's like 7$/h so nothing to sing songs about

so in the end, ask yourself how passionate you are about teaching. if it's something you enjoy, go for it. if you're in korea to pay off your loans or to have fun, avoid like a plague

[jvalmer]