Korean Job Discussion Forums

[matthagwon]

Got an offer from a public school and a hawkon? Which should I take. I've worked at two Hawkins before but never a public school gig.

[modernseoul]

In general without anyone information, public school all the way.

However, factors such as location, package and hours might swing favor to a good hagwon.

[young_clinton]

Keep in mind when deciding that getting even the basic fundamentals might be difficult with a Hogwan, then on top of that you have other crap you might have to deal with.

[comm]

I'm sure you know plenty about how Hagwans work, but just for the sake of comparison:

Public:
Secure, easy, lower class load and LOTS of spare time. More vacation time and weeks spent at work not actually working. More freedom to create lessons how you want, but also the responsibility to make good lessons from scratch. Large classes, but a Korean co-teacher will be present (no guarantee of whether that's good though). You'll teach class sizes of 30+ and only see each class once per week, meaning that it's almost impossible to appreciate each student's progress.

Hagwan:
Varies by which one, can go very badly. Universally more demanding of your time and effort. May pay better, possible overtime. Almost always work by a set lesson plan. Smaller class sizes, but you're the only adult in the room. You see each student multiple times per week, so you get to see them progress as the year goes on.

Honestly, I found public to be less satisfying. Between empty time on normal days and 'desk warming' during student vacations, I didn't feel well utilized. I was able to be very creative with my lessons, and build them around any topic I liked though. Most importantly, I didn't get to see students progress as the year went on, which is one of the most important things for me about teaching.