Korean Job Discussion Forums

[skim234]

It seems like any thread pertaining to hagwons are negative. Ranging from annoying co-workers to lying bosses.

I read all this and I'm amazed at it, because my hagwon is everything I could ask for, in a teaching job.

-I teach 20 min classes with about 1-4 kids in each class.
-I'm an insomniac, therefore my 1:30-8:45pm schedule is perfect for my vampiric (is that a word?) schedule.
-I can take a 10 min walk to work, or ride the bus if the the weather is horrible.
-I get paid on time every month.
-My managers and the owner never hound me with questions about what I'm doing. I have very little paper work to give them. They allow me to teach in a manner that I see fit.
-I can go out and buy food, do chores during my breaks, etc. which can sometimes last as much as 3 hours.
-Anytime I need help with anything, I have 3 desk teachers who are willing to drop what they are doing to help me in a second.

Sometimes I feel guilty that I can do whatever I want to while getting paid. The lack of stress really makes my job feel not feel like a job at all.

Anyone else enjoy their hagwon? Or am I the only lucky one?

[elizabethbennet]

Wow, your hagwon sounds even better than mine! But I like mine too.

I have a very light teaching schedule - right now I teach 18 classes a week.

I can go home when my classes are finished and on days when my classes start late, I can come in later. My maximum hours at school are from 2-10, but I will have frequent breaks.

I am paid on-time.

The boss is generous and kind and actually cooks for us. Even if I bring in a pack of ramen, she prepares it for me.

And oh yeah, we have a kitchen which I can use whenever I want.

I can be on the internet (like I am right now) at one of over 10 computers.

I have actually never heard criticism about my teaching. A few times I've been asked to change something small, but never criticized.

I am frequently praised.

I can pretty much plan my classes however I like as long as certain basic tasks are accomplished.

None of the teachers at my school are stressed out about work. Not even the head teacher.

[Toju]

Go get jobs in real schools.

[skim234]

[djsmnc]

Actually, I like not being in a hagwon. If I were though, I would only work at one I like. Therefore, my hypothetical hagwon is fantastic!

[VanIslander]

- it's on the scenic southern coast of Jeju 18 C and mosquitoes! yesterday
- it has a good track record of paying bonuses and pension, and pay on time
- my classes are great and my classroom has lots of windows
- i never work mornings nor weekends
- i can choose my textbooks and no one tells me how or what to teach
- i get to choose when to take my holidays (and whether all at once or a day here and there, my discretion)
- i have pretty cool coworkers for dinners out midweek
- the apartment is on the 7th floor, facing the sea from the balcony and Halla mountain from the bedroom
- free Hallabong galore from coworkers, the boss and parents
- it has the easiest-to-use problem-free photocopier I've ever seen
- did I mention it is in Seogwipo?

[skim234]

[BigBuds]

Because I own it!

[Wishmaster]

Mosquitoes, Van Islander? Uh, no thanks. By the way, how much is the average salary in Jeju. I applied to work there a few years ago and decided not to because the offered salary was so much lower(ostensibly due to it being Jeju). Your apartment sounds kick ass though..

[ontheway]

"Why do you like your hagwon?"

... because, hogwans are where the kids learn in Korea. Public schools teach next to nothing, and the presence of native speakers in public schools makes little difference.

The answer (for every country) is competition: attach the money to the student - vouchers or better yet, privatization of all schools:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx4pN-aiofw&feature=player_embedded#

[i]

Because I can do whatever I want. No office hours, four 50 min classes a day and I'm gone. 1:10-4:45.
But the belt is tightening in the next contract. Whoever replaces me in a month will have office hours (2 hours a day) and mandatory meetings with area foreign teachers on evenings or weekends once in awhile. And will have to clock in and out every day. Still a nice gig for Korea.

[WoBW]

In my few years in Korea, I worked at 3 hagwons which were all great. Always paid on time, no unpaid extra work, and just an all-round good atmosphere.

The best was where I only taught 12 hours a week. I had some other work to do, such as writing materials (which I enjoy), but I had my own classroom with a computer on the desk, so I just sat there listening to itunes while I worked. None of the administrative staff ever bothered me.

In each of these three jobs, I never really felt down about going to work.

Then I got a job in a public school. I hated it. I felt so miserable as I headed to work every day. The teaching was easy, don't get me wrong. I just couldn't stand the bureaucracy and the negative atmosphere. I cannot believe that so many posters make PS jobs seem like some kind of Utopia.

Honestly, I can't understand why so many on here feel that PS jobs is the only way to go, and that hagwons should be avoided at all costs. To a newbie looking for a job, I'd say: sure get a PS job if that's what you want - you might find it suits you. But don't rule out hagwons totally. They're not all bad. There are many good ones out there.

[Cerberus]

[skim234]

I'm interested to see what the ratio is of gyopos and westerners as far as the %'s of working at a public school and a hagwon.

I'm a gyopo and out of my ignorance, I'd venture to say that westerners feel more secure with working at a public school. Similar to riding on the subway instead of "risking" it by taking the bus.

I should add that my hagwon is very Korean language intensive. Many paper forms are written in Korean and the teachers must make phone calls to the parents. Luckily for me, my manager is willing to help me out with such tasks, as my Korean is very shoddy.

[Cerberus]