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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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andrewchon
Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Location: Back in Oz. Living in ISIS Aust.
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 Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Jodami wrote: |
| andrewchon wrote: |
| A gyopo: is any Korean/ex-Korean who is living overseas. So, in your case you are one. |
Brilliant Andrew, absolutely fantastic.
Thanks for explaining that. Top notch post, fantastica.
You're a star, you really are.  |
You got a dog in this fight?  |
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faeriehazel
Joined: 04 Mar 2008
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 4:54 pm Post subject: |
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| inbetween wrote: |
How much teaching experience are the SAT hagwons looking for? I've tutored for 6 years and have taught SAT along the way, but haven't done anything official -- I'm guessing they prefer formal classroom teaching experience? |
Tutoring experience is not something verifiable, although it's better than nothing. The really high-end places want people that already have an established reputation in neighborhoods like Daechi or Apgu - but since you have an Ivy League degree and a high SAT score, you could get lucky. At the very least you'd have no problem getting hired at a lower-tier SAT academy. Another problem you might run into is that these places don't often advertise online. They hire through word-of-mouth (for example, Alto, one of the more elite academies, was started by teachers who used to work at Daewon Foreign Language High School, and so they continue to hire mostly ex-Daewon teachers like themselves). I would strongly suggest you try contacting fellow alumni here in Seoul and seeing if they can help you get an "in".
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Good to know CDI is open to gyopos! Thanks, it seems I was mistaken. Opinions seem to be split, however, on their working environment and the administration's rigid expectations for its teachers. Any input on that and how it compares to other hagwons? If it's just a case of "hagwons can generally be a stressful place to be," I can suck it up, but if there are significantly better options, I'd like to explore those first. Also, was there any specific reason for the teacher exodus from CDI? |
Honestly I don't know why people complain so much about CDI. It's certainly not the best place I've ever worked at, but it's not that bad. You just have to remember that it is a business first and foremost, so they care mostly about their bottom line and their investors. The classes can get boring - they are pretty formulaic, and if you teach the lower levels with the older students, a three-hour class can seem like ten years. But again, with your specs you could probably request the upper-level classes. The highest level at CDI is Masters, where you teach literature, composition, and debate. Most teachers enjoy teaching these levels because the kids are smart and the material is much more interesting.
Also CDI pays better than other places like Princeton Academy, and none of this crap about getting paid less for proctoring hours. It's pretty straightforward at CDI, you teach your hours, you get paid.
As for why some of the best teachers left - they all had their individual reasons, but basically they were tempted by offers from other hakwons that promised them more pay and better curricula. The thing about CDI is that there is no room for anything outside of the official lesson plan. Also it is a huge institution and decisions are made by suits who haven't been in a classroom in years, so if you are a teacher that gives a crap it can be frustrating to be ordered to do stuff that makes no sense to you. And it is virtually impossible for a teacher to change anything. At a smaller hakwon teachers are given more free rein over what they can do in class, and it's much easier for them to voice their opinions (you see the owner every day, as opposed to CDI where most teachers don't even know what the CEO looks like). Also most of these smaller hakwons are owned by teachers who still teach, which usually makes them easier to work with.
Anyway that's all irrelevant if you're only planning to teach here short-term. CDI shouldn't be your first choice, but it's not a terrible place to teach for a year, and like I said, they are looking hard for Ivy Leaguers at the moment. |
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wishfullthinkng
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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| inbetween wrote: |
| I'm not really looking for any resume padding since I already know what the following stage of my life will be and what I actually do in Korea won't affect that in any way. Teaching English just seemed like one of the easier routes to take while spending some time there that didn't involve corporate-level stress. If that's not the case (which may very well be, since these opinions are based on my own limited impressions only), however, I'd love to know what other options there would be! |
i think corporate level stress is leagues better than dealing with mismanagement from hagwons/schools and the stress that classes of awful little children would bring. but that's just me.
i'd recommend you do privates for businessmen if possible. good money, short hours, and people who actually want to learn and won't cry in class because minjung called him a bad name. |
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