Korean Job Discussion Forums

[0rangeorchid]

I'm getting really close to signing a contract with a hagwon and I just had a phone conversation with the woman I'll be replacing. It was an excellent conversation, and the only thing I am left wondering about is whether people with experience being the only foreigner in their hagwon thought it to be a pro or a con.
I'm looking forward to learning some Korean while there, but I don't speak any now. There is one Korean English teacher there if any translation is needed, but the woman I spoke to said that most of the teachers don't really speak English.
It's also in a smaller city, so fewer English speakers in general will be around.

[Skipperoo]

I could only ever see it as a con personally. If the person is an arse then you can just avoid them as you'll be teaching classes all day, whereas if they're cool then you've got an instant buddy and a foot in the door of a social circle.

[The Floating World]

Con.

I have been the only foriegner at work since June 2006. At public schools, an after school and at a hakwan.

It does get lonely even if you're not that a social person, you just need to speak to someone from similar culture in your own language once in a while.

That said I wouldn't discourage taking a job like that and it only really started to become something I noticed after a few yearss of it.

At my new job though my Korean higher uppers are all fluent in English and I have two foriegn co-workers and finally feel like I'm a real person back in the real world again, I must say.

And yes, having another or several other foriegners is more soical and can help you find a social lif emore easily.

Guess you have to consider which situation your own character and personlity preferences would point you towards and weight the pros and cons etc.

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

I happen to like it. My boss is awesome, and we go out for lunch, massage, or day trips sometimes. My kids, for the most part, are pretty great. If it's a good hagwon (which I know isn't often the case) it's golden. If not, you'll be lonely.

[koreatimes]

Whenever I work with other native English teachers, the school pits us against each other. The teachers could be great, that's not the point. Do you really need another NET in your school in order to do your job?

The only real advantage I see is if 2 or more teachers want to take time off during the year. They could work together and take extra classes while one teacher is on vacation.

Otherwise, do your classes and meet teachers after work or on the weekend.