Korean Job Discussion Forums

NYC_Gal 2.0 · Joined: 10 Dec 2010

I hardly ever went out with my public school coworkers. Sure, the one contract teacher and I got together, but the rest tended to use me to edit things that had nothing to do with school. I didn't mind it, but it was very much one way, even when I went out of my way to try to socialize with them. Hell, I baked bread and other snacky things all the time and the teachers had no problem eating it all up while casually forgetting to invite me to events. I had 2 or 3 teachers that would clue me in, after I'd confided that I was having trouble getting information from my head coteacher, but even they forgot sometimes, thinking that someone else must have told me.

Now, at my hagwon, my boss and I are the two main teachers, we go out and have a blast. I get paid on time, have national health insurance and national pension, and we've already got winter vacation settled via email. I work from 2-8 most days, with an hour break. I have good textbooks here (I was even able to chose the textbooks for the older students,) but am also encouraged to use my own work, which the kids and my boss love. Sometimes things work out for the best.

I'm not saying that it isn't a huge risk working at a hagwon, but if you network and find a job through friends that you trust, it's heads and shoulders above PS.

Someone else put it this way on Dave's a while back:
The worst public school is better than the worst hagwon, but the best hagwon can be infinitely better than the best public school.

It's a gamble. I would never say that a first-time teacher should go the hagwon route, as it would be terrifying to be stuck in a bad situation, but after a year or two at public school, if one networks, they should be able to find something better, be it hagwon or university.

Bruce W Sims · Joined: 08 Mar 2011 Location: Illinois; USA

BION these responses have gone a very long way in making clear for me why there is so much trouble getting any straight information about this entire endeavor. If there is this much disagreement on the comparitive nature of the Public Schools vis HAGWON-s in the eyes of far more experienced individuals in-country, what hope can there possibly for noobs such as yours-truly to get a handle on things!

While I appreciate the subjectivity of life ala "The Blind Men and the Elephant", I think a reasonable person would begin to question the wisdom of any of the responses here. Its not just that people are speaking from different backgrounds and experiences, and its not just that policies and procedures vary, or that they change quite regularly. What I also noticed are intimations that responses may be motivated not by information but by business practices, ethnic prejudices and emotion.

Having been on the INTERNET for a goodly number of years, I can safely report that the only time I have seen this much confused and contradictory information has been on those sites where individuals have made it a pass-time to purposely disseminate varied responses just to mess with people (IE. "trolling"). In my university days such introduction of chaos into the UNiversity population merely for its own sake was known as "mind-fu****g" or "rat-fu****g".

My own thought is that if people have some valued information to impart please do so. Otherwise could I ask you to take your silly-ass immaturity down the bandwidth....perchance to find someone more interested?

Regards.

NohopeSeriously · Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 6:48 am Post subject:

What we know for sure is that the current business-friendly government is dissing public education because it isn't run like a private company.

Bruce W Sims · Joined: 08 Mar 2011 Location: Illinois; USA

Mr. BlackCat · Joined: 30 Nov 2005 Location: Insert witty remark HERE

tophatcat · Joined: 09 Aug 2006 Location: under the hat

I have worked at a good hogwon, at an OK hogwon, and at a bad hogwon.
I might would consider going back to the good hogwon for 3.0 million per month.
I might would consider going back to the OK hogwon for 3.2 million per month.
I might would consider going back to the bad hogwon for 3.7 million per month.

I have worked at a terrible public school.
I wouldn't go back to that job for 5.0 million per month.

I know there are some good and bad hagwons and public school jobs. If I had to take a risk, I would go with a well researched hogwon job. Of course, that's because of my bad public school experience.

runthegauntlet · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Location: the southlands.

goat · Joined: 23 Feb 2010

Zyzyfer · Posted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 5:42 pm Post subject:

NYC_Gal 2.0 · Joined: 10 Dec 2010

itiswhatitis · Joined: 08 Aug 2011

For those who think that I am full of it, you may have noticed that a certain provincial office of education will not be honoring existing contracts. Yes these are (or should I say WERE) public school jobs.

Have we also forgotten about a certain office of education that in August 2009 hired approximately 200 more teachers than it needed and that approximately 200 people were sent an e-mail TWO DAYS before they were to leave for Korea telling them that there was no job for them after all. Again, these were (or would have been) public school jobs. Anyone who had quit a job/sold a car/arranged to move out of their apartment etc... in their home country was out of luck (unless of course they were lucky enough to have a recruiter who was able to place them at a HAGWON).

A few minutes of searching on google will confirm what I said above as being accurate.

You're better off at a hagwon.

For those of you who have been critical of my article, you surely must at least agree with this much:

The working conditions of public schools in Korea have gone down in the past few years while the working conditions of the hagwons have improved.

Any semi level headed person will definitely know that I may have slightly exaggerated in my article (case in point: I doubt that they will seriously try to pay you for English lessons in Kimchi), but we who doesn't enjoy an entertaining read. For the record I do stand by the fact that hagwon jobs are much better than public school jobs.

Thanks to all who have contributed and all the best to all.

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

You are better off at a good or satisfactory hagwon.

You are in for the ride of your life at a not-so-good hagwon.

Of the 4 hagwons I worked at, I'd only say 1 of those was better than a PS
(come to think of it, even that better job went south by the end of the contract)

Small class sizes, and getting to know your students are a big part of what makes some hagwons better. But dealing with erratic management and non-payment issues can outweigh any of those benefits.

EverGreen212 · Joined: 16 Aug 2011