Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jcm87]

Hi, I'm a recent college grad who was looking for a typical ESL job but one of the 60+ recruiters I've been in touched with hooked me up with an interview for an AP test prep hagwon. It was about 2 hours long and I had to prepare a mock class as well as answer quizzes on the subjects at the end. But he said I had the job if I wanted it. He hasn't sent me the contract and other info yet like he said he would, but I'm wondering what your guys' experience is with test prep hagwons. He said there wasn't a guaranteed amount of hours and that the amount of classes you taught depended on student demand (if I remember correctly). I'm a little nervous about that part of it I guess. Also, from what I understand you have to teach like an AP class in under 50 hours (it's standard in the US to have 150 hours for an AP class), which I'm also a bit nervous about. You have to do your own curriculum too and I'll probably be teaching a couple of subjects. Also, I hear if the Korean students don't like your class they'll just walk out on you. Does anyone have any experience with teaching in a school like this? I searched for the school on this site and nothing came up.[/quote]

[thegadfly]

jcm87,

Pretty much all of that sounds right, except for the 50 hour AP requirement -- perhaps the hakwon sets its own time requirement, but as you are doing "extra" study, and not an "official" AP class, you can teach for as many or as few hours as your students wish. In the US, AP classes count as actual classes toward graduation, whereas the classes you teach in a hakwon will not count for anything unless the student's test score is high enough to earn college credit (US AP classes double-dip -- high school AND possibly college credit).

As for the rest -- yeah, it is all pretty much on you. If students feel you help them improve their scores, you will become popular and fill your classes. If you are good at what you do, you could earn a lot of money...and work a lot of hours. If you are merely adequate, or not quite up to par (and par for those kinds of schools is higher than most schools/hakwons), you will struggle, founder, and eventually lose your job. If you aren't certain you have the chops, or if you need a lot of stability, I would say that is a bad job for you.

On the other hand, if you are sure of yourself and your teaching abilities, and you really believe that you can help the students get the results they want, then this sounds like a great job for you.

Uncertainty will kill you at this job, however -- even though no one is perfect, and you should recognize your faults and mistakes, you will need to appear supremely confident and sure of yourself, bordering on cocky (that is the right word, but will the filter allow it? Rooster-y). You will have to be the alpha dog in the classroom at all times. These classes are pretty competetive, and even other teachers at the school may feel they are competing with you (if they can steal your students, they can earn more...).

Just be aware of what you may be going into -- sounds like a lot of fun to me (and was, back when I did that kind of thing), but it is also a lot of work (and I am now at the age where I am ok with working a bit less and earning a bit less).

Good luck!

[JC VT]

Everything Gadfly said.

Test prep is a high wire act in Seoul but it's also very rewarding. You have to be ultra-prepared, charismatic, patient, competitive, and passionate.

Many students' parents choose hagwons by peer recommendation so if you want more hours you have to perform well with your first groups of students. Then you'll get more... and more... and more.

If I were you, I'd spend a great deal of time designing and preparing your curriculum. For the first few months of my job I showed up 1.5 - 2 hours early every day to prepare which translated to a great deal of confidence in-class.

[robot]

If you PM with specifics I could likely give you some info about your school.