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formulaic
Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Location: seoul
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 Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 3:28 am Post subject: Hagwons imminent demise due to change in University exams? |
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I've been told that my hagwon is losing money. This has been evident for some time, however I identified the problem as one of clueless management.
My employers however have told me that it's because of the recent decision to not include a speaking component in university exams, and that all hagwons are losing business because of this. Even suggested it could be the beginning of the end for hagwons.
Any truth in this? |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 3:30 am Post subject: |
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| You attribute the money loss to clueless employers and the employers attribute it to something out of their control. Looks to me like you may have hit the nail on the head. |
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nautilus
Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!
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| Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 5:54 am Post subject: Re: Hagwons imminent demise due to change in University exam |
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| formulaic wrote: |
My employers however have told me that it's because of the recent decision to not include a speaking component in university exams |
That wouldn't surprise me. The govt has been trying to do away with hogwons for years now. |
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Leslie Cheswyck
Joined: 31 May 2003
Location: University of Western Chile
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| Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 6:42 am Post subject: |
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Yes, and they will one day go the way of boshintang restaurants, won't they?  |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 5:01 pm Post subject: Re: Hagwons imminent demise due to change in University exam |
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| formulaic wrote: |
I've been told that my hagwon is losing money. This has been evident for some time, however I identified the problem as one of clueless management.
My employers however have told me that it's because of the recent decision to not include a speaking component in university exams, and that all hagwons are losing business because of this. Even suggested it could be the beginning of the end for hagwons.
Any truth in this? |
Doubtful. Most parents feel that hakwons are necessary and ipsi hakwons (my computer doesn't do Korean) teach several subjects not just English. Math, science, Korean, and social studies are all taught there as well. Many parents and students feel that the public schools don't do enough and that the "real work" is at hakwons. |
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ytuque
Joined: 29 Jan 2008
Location: I drink therefore I am!
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| Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 6:05 pm Post subject: Re: Hagwons imminent demise due to change in University exam |
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| formulaic wrote: |
I've been told that my hagwon is losing money. This has been evident for some time, however I identified the problem as one of clueless management.
My employers however have told me that it's because of the recent decision to not include a speaking component in university exams, and that all hagwons are losing business because of this. Even suggested it could be the beginning of the end for hagwons.
Any truth in this? |
What about the current state of the Korean economy? My Korean friends are not doing well financially. |
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Moldy Rutabaga
Joined: 01 Jul 2003
Location: Ansan, Korea
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| Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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| My employers however have told me that it's because of the recent decision to not include a speaking component in university exams, and that all hagwons are losing business because of this. Even suggested it could be the beginning of the end for hagwons. |
If your hogwan management is incompetent, it's not surprising they would fish for excuses. The university exam change, if true, will be a factor, but hogwans may also adjust their courses to suit whatever the exams do test, such as writing. As well, not everyone at a hogwan is preparing for such exams -- there are children, businessmen, bored housewives... |
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pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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Korean parents will always, ALWAYS, want their children to stay ahead of the Public School.
If their child is in the 1st grade, they want them to be at the 2nd grade level. So, they'll send them to Hagwons to learn what public schools teach 2nd graders.
It doesn't matter what the public school system does. Public school could make their curriculum extremely difficult. The parents would always want to "one-up" the public school. |
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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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| Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2009 10:26 pm Post subject: Re: Hagwons imminent demise due to change in University exam |
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| formulaic wrote: |
I've been told that my hagwon is losing money. This has been evident for some time, however I identified the problem as one of clueless management.
My employers however have told me that it's because of the recent decision to not include a speaking component in university exams, and that all hagwons are losing business because of this. Even suggested it could be the beginning of the end for hagwons.
Any truth in this? |
If I interpret the change correctly, the entrance exam will have a "soft" part and a "hard" part.
The hard part being, you still need sufficient knowledge about academic material.
The soft part on the other hand, requires creative teaching skills rather then repetetive methids, and there is no place in public schools |
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formulaic
Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Location: seoul
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:17 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
If I interpret the change correctly, the entrance exam will have a "soft" part and a "hard" part.
The hard part being, you still need sufficient knowledge about academic material.
The soft part on the other hand, requires creative teaching skills rather then repetetive methids, and there is no place in public schools |
Could you explain what the change is? Where has it been published? |
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sketcha
Joined: 05 Sep 2007
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:28 am Post subject: |
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| as long as parents want their kids to be competitive, hagwons will always be there |
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No_hite_pls
Joined: 05 Mar 2007
Location: Don't hate me because I'm right
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| Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2009 10:31 am Post subject: |
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| At the present birthrate in Korea, I don't see how Hagwons could survive much longer. |
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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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| Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 12:15 am Post subject: |
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| formulaic wrote: |
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If I interpret the change correctly, the entrance exam will have a "soft" part and a "hard" part.
The hard part being, you still need sufficient knowledge about academic material.
The soft part on the other hand, requires creative teaching skills rather then repetitive methods, and there is no place in public schools |
Could you explain what the change is? Where has it been published? |
I have some high school kid who came into my school and couldn't get into the universities because she couldn't convince them that she is a remarkable student, she just had high scores.
So I taught her rational thinking and showed her how to assimilate difficult information by thinking about what you are reading rather then just reading, being critical about the information you receive.
The last thing I heard she got accepted to all the universities she applied to and won a contest.
Those are the soft skills that hard academics cannot teach you. How to make the right decision |
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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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| Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 12:17 am Post subject: |
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| No_hite_pls wrote: |
| At the present birthrate in Korea, I don't see how Hagwons could survive much longer. |
You never studied economics 
A shrinking market does not mean that it is not profitable. It just becomes more competitive and people will be fighting with successes.
The good schools will stay on top and the bad schools get filtered out. |
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ontheway
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Somewhere under the rainbow...
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| Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 7:29 am Post subject: |
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From what I heard, the newly announced changes in University exams will do the following:
1) Increase the English listening portion of the exam to 50%.
2) Increase the use of problem solving questions, but in English only with no Korean used in the question or the directions.
3) Decrease the focus on grammar and eliminate the Korean taught Konglish grammar that pervades the tests today.
Our hogwan has already seen an increase in student enrollment requests as a result of the announced changes. |
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