Korean Job Discussion Forums

[captain kirk]

I started work at a haggie which is beautiful. New, rich neighbourhood. The director, however, is inexperienced. So he just bought a franchise package and the books arrived today; they're crap.

And he signed a contract promising that he would only use these franchise books.

Schools in Pusan and Daejon using this franchise pack are thriving, and the inexperienced director uses this to guide his purchase and defence of his decision. Again, he's never worked in the hagwon business before, period. And his personality is traditional, hierarchy-aware. He gives the orders and makes the decisions; there's no discussion. Which is strange considering he's never worked in hagwons before and has teachers with experience.

So he's been convinced by the advertisers of the franchise scheme, which is affiliated with some famous university. It's designed, supposedly, for Korean students. It's designed to be used in schools that have no foreign teacher, the material/content is that elementary. But I'm a foreign teacher and the neighbourhood is rich and well-schooled. So...the director has bought a lowest common denominator program/package which doesn't suit the rich, educated neighbourhood.

Signing a contract with the devil committing the school to an eternity of mediocrity.

What's in the books? They're like a bland, brain-numbing pages of desert with no imagination or inspiration. Like textbooks for North Koreans. I'm exaggerating, but they're not as good as Let's Go, not nearly.

The manager won't talk to the owner who bought the franchise. Because he's afraid of getting fired. He says don't worry about the result because that's on the shoulders of the owner's decision re; curriculum. And the owner thinks the franchise is good, since Pusan and Daejon schools are doing well.

I care since I like kids. I don't underestimate them as needing 'training', like empty cups. The testbooks are absolutely basic, lowest common denominator. What is there to teach in them? They already know it. My idea of a good book is English Time, which I saw in the bookstore. Big pictures with lots to talk about; a picture is worth a thousand words.

Also, in this franchise program, the foreign teacher is to teach speaking and writing. Writing. Not. A foreign teacher converses, and needs stuff to talk about. And since parents want students to stick to the book, the book needs to be good. But with this franchise it's some of the book and teaching 'writing'.

The manager says just go along with it and if things go wrong we won't be blamed; the franchise was the owner's decision. Apparently even the signs outside the school will be changed. But I wonder. It's interesting to be able to see things fall apart before they begin. And to be helpless watching. Because to speak up would mean, says the manager, the owner would fire you and find someone who would implement, without complaint, the program he's decided to undertake.

The owner regards employees as 'rude' if they have passionate opinions about things. You see here the ineffecient organization with the management calling the shots. And when the whole doesn't work likely everybody will be scrapped and something new set up. But the employees aren't called on for their opinions. And won't speak up because their role is to serve.

Which brings up the question. If this is a 'Korean style' program for Korean students, is it so bland and brain-dead lowest common denominator because Korean students don't think, question, or have opinions. As a good employee is expected to behave?

Hey, I don't underestimate kids and that's what I see when I look at the new textbook. It's substandard. Kids have a magic and imagination/creativity that can run circles around most books. The choice of this book echoes thoughts around the staffroom that Korean parents call the shots about what goes on at hagwons.

With kids just doing what they're told is good for them.

And this franchise is associated with a famous university, so 'it must be good'. The mothers have been told it's good for them, because its' program is famous.

It's chosen because the man at the top needs to buy something like a 'help package'. Somehow we have to get around the absence of anything to teach being imposed on us by this book. Yet are forced, because the owner signed a contract to use this book only, to use only this book.

It's like the novel Catch 22. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. And making the best of the situation in the meantime, the gross ineffeciency. The owner is a nice guy, kind of like a goofy dad, by the way. Never here and when he is, chuckles fondly to the employees. Smile and nod.

Somebody said start your own hagwon, then. Yeah, right.

It would have to be mediocre to be a standard hagwon everyone would go to, right? Like the mowgi truck which boots around spraying out insecticide, which is standard procedure.

Like something that knocks out ability in students really well. So there's nothing left. And those elders making the calls, who haven't anything left of their original brightness, make the dim decisions for the common good.

At the core is the curriculum. What if that's rotten, no good? And it's purchased because of corruption. The inability to appreciate the exceptional because it's on the fringe, or ever want to be that, or offend anybody by being or wanting anything different. And meanwhile make it work, like the ladies in the department stores who stand there all day, and hover around 'helping you'.

A hagwon where the teachers are reduced to being unecessary helpers but there for the sake of appearances, and being paid, oddly.

[Grotto]

Good post Capt!
It is a typical problem that is rampant throughout the entire education system in Korea...both public and private.

They have access to many qualified teachers, some with many years of experience, they have access to educational programs, they have access to experts and ideas...BUT they dont utilise them.

They do what they think will work and then blame it on others when it fails.

Students are leaving the school? BAD TEACHERS

[rapier]

Levels of ineptitude and mismanagement that would require concentrated effort from a westerner are normal to them.
Another kimchee generation grows up ignorant, ill-mannered and incompetent, yeeha.

Don't let it get to you

[Yu_Bum_suk]

It still might turn out to be OK depending on how the manager and KTs do things, and I think there is some place (a small one) for FTs including writing in their teaching. But you're right - this one does have all the signs of yet another pathetic waste of everyone's time and money. Just don't worry yourself about the things that are your boss' problem, especially keeping customers. BTW, if you've been in Korea so long, why did you take this job?

[Gopher]

[deessell]

I know exactly what you are saying. When I was here in 2002, my hogwan owner (who doesn't speak a word of English) chose the text books. He chose one book for the whole school ie beginners to middle school. The book consisted of such pages as John has a blue ball, Peter has a red ball.

I told him that I would be buying new books or I was walking.

[captain kirk]

How could anyone figure a hagwon for a get rich quick enterprise? They must be thinking like those who put up little shopfront business which fold not long after. Like those new trike kickboard things. Someone has opened up a little shop selling brand new boards. It's like they're dreaming or a kind of mania; that's going to pay the rent? And anyone who's worked in hagwons knows how much work they are to run.

Like it gives one stress. The good managers in the well known hagwons have tons of stress. Always managing mom's or students or teachers. So. How could anyone figure a hagwon for a get rich quick enterprise? Or go into the running of one, as a director, without being able to speak English and, especially, no interest in hearing from the employees. Who have experience. It kind of makes me wonder if army service doesn't compound the Confucian hierarchy thing. Every man goes into the army. And in the army one doesn't listen to inferiors, one commands them. And maybe goes down with the ship. Like the corruption scandals where a guy commits suicide rather than face dishonour.

Yeah, Yu Bum Shik, I've been in Korea a long time, so why did I take this job? You mean a hagwon job generally, or the job at this place? It's a new hagwon so they're figuring what to do. And this is a new program, franchise, curriculum package they're taking on, suddenly, after I already hired on.

It's like people think that working in a hagwon is a low class job, and only losers do it, until they can find something better, like working at a Uni teaching job. Which, from what I understand, is lecturing to bored, disinterested students a considerable number of whom are absent, or half-asleep. Or Koreans, generally, think foreigner's teaching English work at a lousy job, and so must be lousy.

Because hagwons have a bad reputation, generally, for being half-assed places. Well, they wouldn't be so shoddy if it wasn't for the Korean way of doing things which is so hierarchy-conscious, among other things.

Maybe Koreans think working in a hagwon is as useless as standing around being a clerk in a department store, where no clerk is needed? That kids are nobodys because they aren't adults and so aren't fully human, are undeveloped. So an undeveloped adult can teach undeveloped adults, or children. This is hierarchical thinking based on ageism.

Still, some foreigners keep classes together even though they have stupid textbooks by just being friendly with the kids. Somehow, even though there's a language gap. Like Korean teacher's classes don't have a lot of English going on. I see the job as having a purpose, however, and in spite of the kids being overworked already. So being forced to use a crappy book is a problem to me. And nothing else but that book. And it's alarming to see this dud textbook rolled in and unveiled, like 'ta da'.

[Gopher]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[captain kirk]

Both the manager and I have experience trying to put something across to the director, and I've tried this at other Korean schools. It's a waste of spit and energy talking to them. Or it seems like it. Getting all red faced and passionate, and they don't listen. I wouldn't call it passionate. But it is one's job and when you know how to make it go better, you care, right? Like a good textbook that has lots of conversation pieces in its illustrations. That should be standard, one would think. But kids are devalued and underestimated.

[ulsanchris]

The guys who can start franchises or get on in management early in a franchises life can make money. Lots of money. The original people in one franchise big around Ulsan and Busan are roling in the money. I think you used to work at one Cap't. One of the guys who bought into the franchise shortly after it started has two hogwons of his own with over a 1000 students each. There are rumours he is going to open a third. He is making money like he has a printing press. I don't AFter the first few years I don't think he had much to do with any of the parents because thats what the managers for each hagwon are for. He's probably got a fair amount of work to do, but not that much I think.

The guys buying into one of these chains like brainly or GNB probably aren't going to strike it rich. I've never seen a real big GNB or Brainy.

[captain kirk]

Yeah, the franchises exploit owners who want to get set up by charging for their name. I think you mean this, Ulsanchris.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[captain kirk]

That's a good idea. There are lots of factors involved that make a hagwon profitable. If the books are too simple and boring then those Daejon and Pusan branches have other factors contributing to their popularity.

The manager and I have talked about putting an 'insert(s)' in to supplement the desertification going on in the arid, franchise textbooks. So you see here the teachers doing repairs because of school mismanagement. Practically speaking, the texts are useless, in the way, obstacles. It's like the people who put them together stitched something together to be a 'program'. That's the operative, attractive word the parents want to hear; 'program', along with 'from Bla Bla University'. The style of the books is 'drilling the basics'. Is that supposed to be solid? The effect is lifeless and dull.

The manager and I went to a bookstore and the best book I saw was 'English Time'. It has fantastic pictures with lots of detail and activity going on. Which is just what one needs because usually a book is used, and reviewed, for three months. So I raved about English Time but the manager said the boss will probably buy the franchise pack with its books.
The manager shrugs, 'what can we do?'. We have to use the crap books now; executive decision. The manager doesn't want to approach the owner about the crappy books. He had some things to say earlier and found out that he was regarded as a 'rude man' for his forthrightness. He's a kyopo who lived in California for twenty years so perhaps he's forgotten his place when it comes to dealing with the hierarchy. In the West we discuss things with the managment, and management listens. In Korea labour has no power, there are few unions, little employee rights (or right to opinion).

The annoying thing is one wants to enjoy teaching and provide an interesting textbook to stick to. Tons of money is here, and the boss throws it away paying too much for a franchise pack with crappy books. What a waste and shot in the foot for all.

[rapier]

What koreans lack in teaching ability and expertise, they more than make up for with bluster, blackmail and intimidation.

Its pretty normal to have a director who doesn't speak a word of English, with no teaching experience, passing crazy edicts down through a supervisor who likewise has no qualifications, on to experienced and qualified western teachers with degrees and years of teaching experience.
The donkeys run the show here.