Korean Job Discussion Forums

[steelhead]

Hey all,

I am considering a Public School position at the end of my current contract. Currently I teach at a Hagwon that caters to students who have returned from an overseas English speaking country, so we have quite a few students who are pretty much fluent, I work almost 50 hrs a week, but get paid much better than any other hagwan I have heard of.

My students have told me that public school has just tragic English classes. In fact some say it makes their English worse......

But the hours are much better and will give me more free time to do my own thing. I considered just coming back and playing the field but didnt want to take the risk. Especially considering the faultering economy at the moment.

So just wondering what the pro's and con's are of teaching in Public Schools....... its a salary cut but im sure i can make it up else where.

Thanks all,

[peppermint]

A lot depends on the age group you'll be teaching. I teach elementary school, and have friends that teach middle school- there's a world of difference.

The elementary school curriculum is pretty awful, and there aren't usually specialized Korean teachers at the schools. From what I've seen there's more room to play in the middle school curriculum and there's more support- cause they have to have specialized staff for English.

Do you have an offer on the table already? The school year started in March, so it's not really prime hiring season.

[Flex Bulkchest]

i know this is a re-hash of a few other recent threads, but somebody said it rather succinctly that when it comes down to it, the vacation time in a public school job can be great. no matter how much we might complain about added prep work, getting 2 month hauls to bum around asia is fantastic.

[CanadaCommando]

A con: You dont really get to know many of your kids. Maybe one or two who are super outgoing, or super ill behaved, but you will have a less close relationship in general than you can have in a Hakwon. Uber-Big classes do that.

Vacation is a major plus, no doubt about it. Alot of us are now just 3 weeks away from a month off...wahooo!

[steelhead]

I think mine was offering 2 weeks... whats up with that?

now I am suspicious....


any more info? is it standardized.....???

[CanadaCommando]

Korean school break is standardized....it's about 4 weeks in summer, and about 8 weeks in the winter. HOWEVER, lots of schools will get you to teach extra classes in this period...kinda Hogwan style levelled classes usually.
Some schools pay you more for this (think of it like a double salary month), where as some don't. It should be in your contract. My school has decided against any extra classes this year-BOOHYAH!
However, if you are getting only 2 weeks for the whole year, something seems mighty off. Make sure the job is not actually part of a Hogwan that is farmed out to the public gig. My buddy was offered a job like that, and it was the worst of both worlds! 40 kids normally, with Hogwan classes ALL summer long!

[Flex Bulkchest]

it's not a guaranteed perk, but as my classes are bigger (34 per class), their regular teacher is always with me. i know some people say they've gotten little or no support, but when you do get a good set of co-teachers it makes the job even that much easier, with both their behaviour and the ability to do more complicated activities

[Zyzyfer]

Pros

-look into the educational world
-vacation
-pension
-more respect from regular Joe Koreas
-set working hours
-random days/classes off

Cons

-huge classes
-impersonal student/teacher relationship
-students in class come in all sorts of levels, requiring you to make open-ended lesson plans that are capable of being either simple or difficult
-you will find yourself teaching the same lesson several times a week
-it is really difficult to do hakwon activities in these classes; you'll find your activity repertoire severely neutered, and have to approach it differently

Personal Experience Cons

-the other teachers expected me to be an outgoing, hyperactive freak
-I had to design the entire curriculum up and down and create most every lesson from scratch
-extremely high expectations from the school
-I didn't get along with the other foreign teacher there

[steelhead]

I am asking about the vacation thing now,....

what about Pay.... i am looking at 2.3 mil..Although I am a B.Ed. grad with years experience.... so its... not great but not bad.

I know I can make up extra coin in other ways.....

has everyone else had problems with curriculum?

At the job I work at now..... we work like mad.... so no amount of prep would surprise me.

I am getting tugged in 2 different directions... but neither side is actually saying .... what they are going to do for me. Both gonna leave it till the last minute..... which ... could leave them...with me deciding to go back to canada for a month......and then come back... get my own apartment... and fend for myself.

thanks all

[CanadaCommando]

Curriculum? For alot of us, there is not curriculum to start. You gotta build it. My school also expects us to have a detailed Semester plan finished by the end of the the first week of the start of classes. AND you have to write up your Evaluation methods. But whatever-makes sense in a way. It's a real teaching gig like home, so they have higher expectations often.

Your pay is not bad-better than mine. Do you have to supply your own housing though!? Cuz if so, that sucks big time! Still, any job offering mounds of vaca and a decent standard wage is fine by me. If you're looking to earn some more deniro the legit and legal way, ask your school about teaching extra curric classes. I took a couple to boost my salary.

[adventureman]

It seems like everyone and their brother is being offered a public elementary school job lately...what's up with that? Has there been some big push by the Korean governent to place wayggokin in this particlar setting that I am unaware of? And it also seems as if the EPIK program has now sifting to decentralize itself and has started using PRIVATE recriters to fill positions now, as they frequently advirtise on the jobs offered board....

Anyway, to Zy's list I would like to add two more pros:

1. REGULAR, SANE working hours (8:30-3:30, 9-4, or whatever)

AND

2. Free (or really cheap) and (usually) pretty good school lunch.

[Gollum]

I smell a Poly teacher!

[Mosley]

EPIK is "decentralizing?!" If it decentralizes anymore it'll vanish!

I don't know where everyone gets these public school gigs w/all the free time. I'm lucky if I leave as early as 5 & have to suckhole to get 5 weeks off a year.

And curriculum? It's all in my lap, baby....

[U.S.A.]

I worked in a hagwon, a university, and public schools in Korea. Each had unique qualities created by common variables: location, management style, and staff personalities. Keep in mind that the variables I mention can dramatically affect the work experience. So with that disclaimer out of the way, here's how it worked for me:

Hagwon.
1. More chances to work with higher level speakers.
2. Wider fluctuation in age groups.
3. Shifty management (remember, I said this was my experience).
4. Split shifts (unfortunate but makes sense).
5. Free housing.
6. Average Salary.
7. No vacation other than national holidays.
8. It's a business so there are pressures for profit.
9. No grading.
10. No paid prep time.
11. Texts provided (the text was also the curriculum).

University:
1. College age students (this was both a plus and minus).
2. Not much of a fluctuation in age groups (some business people in evening classes).
3. Somewhat shifty management.
4. Split shifts but not as late or early as a hagwon.
5. Free housing.
6. Average Salary.
7. Lots of paid vacation time (which made the salary more attractive as I could double/triple my income during vacation time by working special language camps).
8. Somewhat a business (there are too many universities in Korea ), so still some pressures regarding profit.
9. Grading (plus and negative as it gives an instructor some power or repercussion but also increases the number of students begging for better grades).
10. Text provided with a basic curriculum (not true for all).

Public School:

1. Mostly young and maturing minds (I worked in a high school and middle school).
2. Very small fluctuation in age (only 2 or 3 years difference in ages).
3. Head of foreigners very shifty, but day-to-day bosses (principals and vice-principals) were very kind and giving.
4. No split shifts. Start at 8:30 and get to leave by 4:30 or 5. (I loved this.)
5. Free housing.
6. Average salary.
7. Lots of paid vacation. Same info applies as in the university; however, in addition to paid vacation time (not as long as university but still darn long enough), it was a rare week indeed that I worked a full schedule.
Why?
A. Usually one class or more would be shortened for some odd reason (weather, extra cleaning time).
B. Sports day, Class trip day, Take a break for some nonsense day.
C. Testing (I had to be at school for this but just sat in my office and played pc games).
8. Not a business.
9. No grading. (this was true for me but not for all.)
10. I could do anything I wanted (within reason) for lessons. This required more work as I was not provided a curriculum or book, but when done correctly, resulted in much more enjoyable classes for me too.

As can easily be seen, money was not a big factor for job pleasure. Ultimately, for me, the paid vacation and work hours were the benefits that most greatly effected my selection of public schools as the best positions to have. Personalities played a large part also, but we're trying to look at common (most likely common) factors.

Another huge advantage of public school hours is that an ESL teacher is availabe for private tutoring at the same time as the students.

Why do hagwons stay open from 3ish till 10ish? Because that's when students aren't in school or working.

With a public school job, you can almost run your own mini-hagwon.

Hope this helps.

[johnriley007]

u.s.a.,
really helpful post. did you mention that the public school job came with housing? i have not found any of the public school jobs to come with housing. also, now i teach at a company at night. i design the curriculum for thoes classes and it is time consuming, but rewarding. i think that it would be a lot harder to do that for kids though. and 30 students/class?!?
the most i've had is 12 and i thought that was really difficult to control. any advice on classes that size and/or good websites to find public school jobs with housing? thanks