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yomuthabyotch
Joined: 24 Dec 2004
Location: Hell, Korea
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 Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2005 2:18 pm Post subject: Becoming Your Own Boss in Korea |
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With all the pitfalls I read here about being employed by hagwons, have any of you thought about saving up and perhaps starting a hagwon of your own? I think it would be a great idea (for now anyway, from the viewpoint of an 'armchair', soon-to-be teacher)--you can set your own rules, your own curriculum, your own standards, the whole thing.
Do you all know of people who began as ESL teachers then moved on to running one? |
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peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
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| Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2005 2:48 pm Post subject: |
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The rules on business ownership here make it really difficult without a Korean partner. I know a few people that have looked into it, and one woman that's married to a K-guy, who actually is making a go of it. Last time I talked to her, she said she'd almost rather go back to just teaching so she wouldn't have to deal with the mothers.  |
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dutchman
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: My backyard
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| Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2005 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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| peppermint wrote: |
| The rules on business ownership here make it really difficult without a Korean partner. I know a few people that have looked into it, and one woman that's married to a K-guy, who actually is making a go of it. Last time I talked to her, she said she'd almost rather go back to just teaching so she wouldn't have to deal with the mothers. |
My wife has (for one more week) her own small hagwon. The mother's are definitely the biggest headache for her. Multiply that headache by ten if you are not fluent in Korean and have to rely on someone else to translate the complaints/requests/demands/ to you. |
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Wangja
Joined: 17 May 2004
Location: Seoul, Yongsan
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| Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2005 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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Not to mention all the problems with those damned foreign teachers ....  |
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yomuthabyotch
Joined: 24 Dec 2004
Location: Hell, Korea
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| Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2005 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| peppermint wrote: |
| The rules on business ownership here make it really difficult |
Right! The beauracracy of it all had slipped my mind. One would need to have a greencard of sorts to operate a business, huh? Does the Korean government in general make things difficult when it comes to running a business? |
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peppermint
Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.
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| Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2005 5:16 pm Post subject: |
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| You're a kyopo right? The F-4 visa might cut through some of the red tape for you. I know a guy with one here who went through the motions of getting a business licence just so he could teach privates legally, so it might be worth looking into for you. |
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ulsanchris
Joined: 19 Jun 2003
Location: take a wild guess
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| Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2005 5:25 pm Post subject: |
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| dealing with the mothers would be a huge headache. I work in a small hogwon and some of the things my boss has told me about the mothers complaining are just ridiculous. Plus all the stress of running a business. Parents paying you. late having to pay the bills. etc etc |
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Rather_Dashing
Joined: 07 Sep 2004
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| Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2005 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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| News flash, guys: running your own business always results in these kinds of problems: dealing with the customers. A B2C operation (business-to-customer) is not for the faint of heart! |
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thorin
Joined: 14 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2005 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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| I wonder what percent of new hogwans fail. It seems like most of the little husband/wife hagwons do ok. |
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yomuthabyotch
Joined: 24 Dec 2004
Location: Hell, Korea
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| Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2005 6:56 pm Post subject: |
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| peppermint wrote: |
| You're a kyopo right? The F-4 visa might cut through some of the red tape for you. I know a guy with one here who went through the motions of getting a business licence just so he could teach privates legally, so it might be worth looking into for you. |
Yes, I am. Having a business license is having to pay taxes though... right? I rather like the idea of getting paid under the table. Just how conspicuous is it anyway? Is there a big crackdown of illegal private teaching in Korea right now? |
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hellofaniceguy
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: On your computer screen!
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| Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2005 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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Businesses have to remember one important thing.....even hakwons owners...who are lowlife...most of them. If you are a decent hakwon owner who treats employees FAIRLY...then you are the minority. Anyway... Businesses must remember....
you are not in the coffee business service people, or the donut business serving people or the ESL business serving people....you are in the people business serving coffee, serving donuts or serving ESL. So complaining k mothers are the norm...they are ajummas; uneducated...in the sense that...long on rhetoric and short on specifics...., unsophisticated and have nothing better to do anyway.
And to think that once before...they were decent, pretty and fun to be around! |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2005 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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| hellofaniceguy wrote: |
Businesses have to remember one important thing.....even hakwons owners...who are lowlife...most of them. If you are a decent hakwon owner who treats employees FAIRLY...then you are the minority. Anyway... Businesses must remember....
you are not in the coffee business service people, or the donut business serving people or the ESL business serving people....you are in the people business serving coffee, serving donuts or serving ESL. So complaining k mothers are the norm...they are ajummas; uneducated...in the sense that...long on rhetoric and short on specifics...., unsophisticated and have nothing better to do anyway.
And to think that once before...they were decent, pretty and fun to be around! |
Saying the mothers are all uneducated is unfair. Sure, they probably know little about linguistics and teaching...but so do many hagwon teachers. |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2005 9:36 pm Post subject: |
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| yomuthabyotch wrote: |
| peppermint wrote: |
| You're a kyopo right? The F-4 visa might cut through some of the red tape for you. I know a guy with one here who went through the motions of getting a business licence just so he could teach privates legally, so it might be worth looking into for you. |
Yes, I am. Having a business license is having to pay taxes though... right? I rather like the idea of getting paid under the table. Just how conspicuous is it anyway? Is there a big crackdown of illegal private teaching in Korea right now? |
There aren't any disadvantages to having a license. The amount of taxes you'd pay is so low, it's almost insignificant considering the amount of money you could earn. |
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chiaa
Joined: 23 Aug 2003
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| Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 1:58 am Post subject: |
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| Rather_Dashing wrote: |
| News flash, guys: running your own business always results in these kinds of problems: dealing with the customers. A B2C operation (business-to-customer) is not for the faint of heart! |
Your telling me!
Owning your own business is great for many obvious reasons, but if you are not prepared to work 70 hours a week in the start up years, don't even think about it. But, in my case I do not mind working all the hours as I love what I do. |
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Zenpickle
Joined: 06 Jan 2004
Location: Anyang -- Bisan
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| Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2005 3:32 am Post subject: |
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| hellofaniceguy wrote: |
Businesses have to remember one important thing.....even hakwons owners...who are lowlife...most of them. If you are a decent hakwon owner who treats employees FAIRLY...then you are the minority. Anyway... Businesses must remember....
you are not in the coffee business service people, or the donut business serving people or the ESL business serving people....you are in the people business serving coffee, serving donuts or serving ESL. So complaining k mothers are the norm...they are ajummas; uneducated...in the sense that...long on rhetoric and short on specifics...., unsophisticated and have nothing better to do anyway.
And to think that once before...they were decent, pretty and fun to be around! |
Yes, very smart and logical. Unfortunately, many businesses claim that are not in business for either. They are in business for making money.
Michael Moore responded to a businessman years ago who said that was why he was in business by saying, "Then why don't you just go sell crack? There's more money in it, and you have the lobbyists to make it legal." |
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