Korean Job Discussion Forums

[myenglishisno]

This is weird. I don't know how to feel about it, actually.

I first came to Korea many moons ago immediately after I finished university (mere weeks after I graduated) and I worked for hagwons and public schools since then. Recently I decided to return to the hagwon world and accepted a hagwon in Seoul. After a few months of being dissatisfied with it, I put in my one month's notice and decided to move to another hagwon.

I did notice that the hagwon I'm moving to is in the same area as the first hagwon I worked at back in '07-08. I don't mind so much as it's a good area.

The other day I decided to go on http://map.daum.net/ and research the new hagwon that I'm going to be working for (I haven't actually been to the location yet as my interviews all took place at their main branch in Seoul for my convenience).

To my shock/horror/dismay... the new hagwon is the hagwon that replaced my old hagwon. My old hagwon went out of business, I was paid my severance and airfare and found a new job on the 11th month (I had a decent boss) and this hagwon took over the entire building, replacing three or four other hagwons that were there previously.

In all likelihood, I'm going to be teaching not only in the same building I taught in when I first came to Korea but possibly on the same floor and possibly in the same classroom (I taught in three classrooms on that floor so it could be either!)

In the name of even more weirdness, I got offered a job at a PS before I accepted this hagwon and I didn't take it because I wasn't interested in it as I had lived in that area before and didn't want to live there again. It turns out, my old PS found out I was job hunting and they were trying to hire me back.

Has anyone ever worked in the same hagwon/PS twice but with a gap of a year or two inbetween? Why do I feel so strangely about this?

It's seriously making me reconsider a little bit despite having confirmed that this newest hagwon is in no way related to the first on I worked at. It's just weird.

[tomato]

Yes, once I worked twice at the same school under the same director and had the same problems.
So now you KNOW I'm crazy!

[myenglishisno]

Was there a break inbetween, though? Haha. I think I'm going to be the first person to leave a hagwon then return to it several years later (although the only thing that is the same is the building itself).

[tomato]

Yes, there was a break of one or two years in between.
I'm just as irrational as a person who gets a divorce, remarries the same person, and goes through the same thing all over again.

[denverdeath]

Not now, but I've gone back to work part-time for an adult place that I worked full-time for three years for. Not exactly the same situation as yours, but a bit similar. In my opinion, work is work, and work is money. The place wasn't the best, and wasn't the worst. I prefer teaching adults. Those are the main reasons that I went back for a while.

[the ireland]

worked at a hagwon for 18months. I left to go home and do my masters and generally live my life, ended up graduating and posting my graduation pics on facebook, my boss saw them and asked me if I fancied a job.

I took her up on the offer, came back to my school and happened to teach some of my old students. It was nice to see them all grown up. some of the kids that were only in 2nd grade are now 6th grade students and some of my middle school students that I taught way back at the start are now in University.

Korean teachers who started alongside me on my very first day were as fresh faced as I, they are now married, some are pregnant and others have moved on.

I enjoyed going back, I wouldn't have worked anywhere else because the school is great as was the location of the school and the opportunities to relax and enjoy myself at the weekend.

I'm finished now. I can't see myself ever going back to teach English again, but I loved it.