Korean Job Discussion Forums

[some waygug-in]

I am finally in the position where I may be able to escape hagwan hell and work in the public school system next year. YES!!!!!!

However I was surprised to hear a few people say that they wouldn't even consider it. Too much whining and complaining going on and too much administrative BS to deal with. Hmmmm.

I still think I'd rather have that than having to worry if I will get paid every month.

Any thoughts, comments welcome.

Cheers

[rothkowitz]

I've done both hagwons,adult and children,and public schools(at a HS now,MS previously).I'm tossing up the idea of going back to hagwons.

Hagwons(pros)smaller classes with adult students, it can be more social and spontaneous,western co-teachers(can be a con)

Cons:Potential problems getting paid,split shift,student complaints,monsterous spoilt children,lack of stability

Public schools(pros)At my HS I can go home if I'm not required,stable job.Sounds better than hagwon teacher.

Cons:Pay on a par or worse than hagwons,apathetic students,MS had to stay at school if not required,large infrequent classes

It seems to boil down to more holidays and stability at public schools versus more dosh at a hagwon.

If I went back to a hagwon,It'd have to be a darn good one though or a super sweet deal.

[nautilus]

Public schools are undeniably a cut above hogwans.

Only drawbacks might be that you're the only foreigner in the place. Not too much of a problem if you've been in Korea for a while though and know what to expect. Being without other interfering wayguks is often a bonus too actually.ultimately foreigners should be assimilating here I reckon anyhow.

[Kimchieluver]

I have worked at a lot of hogwans and I currently work at a lot of public schools. I highly recommend public school. Just remember you will be getting up at 8 even on the weekends because after 3 months your biological clock will have set that is the ultimate sleep in time.

[Kenny Kimchee]

I�ve got three jobs:

1. After-school English classes at a public elementary school. 16 students/class. It�s basically like a hagwon gig (we use EFL books, such as Let�s Go), but I don�t have to deal with much in the way of politics or B.S � I come in, teach, and leave.

2. Part-time in a public elementary school during regular school hours, teaching the mandatory English classes. 40 students/class, team-teaching using those awful public school books (you know - the ones with Joon, Minsoo, and the rest of the gang).

3. Part-time working three nights a week at a hagwon. 5 to 10 students a class, intermediate to upper-intermediate level, teaching conversation, listening, TOEFL, and history (using American middle school textbooks). The other teachers have to deal with some B.S. (e.g. long meetings conducted almost entirely in Korean) but as a part-timer I don�t � I rock up, teach, and leave.

The hagwon job is the best, the after-school elementary job is second, and the regular hours elementary school job is by far the worst.

Cons of my public elementary school job:
� Unmanageable class sizes. With 40 kids in a class I spend probably � of the class time on classroom management and discipline.
� The books are awful. Every unit has the same tired formula � listen, practice the dialogue, play a card game (using cards found in the back of the text). Some kids invariably forget their books and thus have no cards to play the card game.
� Team-teaching. The teachers range from competent to hopeless. Some of the students speak better English than two of my co-teachers. The teachers lack any creativity or ability to think outside the box and employ the same lesson plan (straight from the manual) every time.
� Student levels are all over the map. The school is in Mokdong and about 80% of the students go to hagwon. Some of the kids are damned near fluent, while a few in the class really struggle. Generally speaking, the book is too easy and boring for them, resulting in student boredom that creates discipline problems.

The job is unsatisfying because the students don�t really learn anything. The texts are basically just a collection of random English expressions and don�t follow any logical progression. It�s too easy for 80% of the students. The school is huge (2500 students) and I don�t have any rapport with any of the students. I�m constantly on my feet and have to speak loudly so all the kids can hear � after teaching 4 classes I�m spent.

I know what some of you might say � if the books suck then why don�t I bring in outside materials? You�ve got me there; the short answer is that I have three jobs and don�t have the time to create my own lesson plans. The full-time K-teachers have the time to do this, but most of them don�t � they just hand me the teacher�s manual and say �teach this.�

The after-school program is a little better. No team-teaching, decent books, and only 16 kids in a class; still, it�s hard work. It�s a new program and two of my classes are composed entirely of 1st and 2nd graders. I�m banging away with Let�s Go 1 and Let�s Go Phonics and man is it hard work! I have to stand up and speak loudly. The job is satisfying, though, as the kids are making progress.

The hagwon job is a cakewalk. Small classes, so I can sit down and don�t have to raise my voice to be heard. The students are a bit burnt out (it�s an immersion program so they have four English classes a night � my 9:30PM class is like teaching a bunch of corpses) but they�re really smart, their English is awesome, and they�re learning.

Maybe this hagwon is an exception to the rule, but it�s by far my favorite gig � YMMV.

[Rey Mysterio 619]

Worked at both, would choose a decent hakwon over any public school gig any day of the week.

[hubba bubba]

Worked at a hagwon. Now at a public elementary.

About 90% sure I will go back to a hagwon next year.

Public schools are ok, cuz you get vacation. They suck cuz you are isolated.

Bottom line for me, having a cool social environment is better than a few weeks off. No comparison.




Actually, really, I am at work more than I was at a hagown. And I don't make that much more. Oh yeah, and my classes are huge, and the kids don't give a *beep*.

[formerflautist]

I work less, have less stress, have no real boss, students bow at me, my housing is bigger, nicer, and quieter, I pick my own teaching materials, no one tells me I'm a bad teacher one day and the best teacher the next, my job isn't dependent on enrollment, the teachers are all friendly, and I'm a lot happier overall. Yeah, never will I go back to a hagwon.

[Ya-ta Boy]

My satisfaction level is higher when I see a few dozen students every day so that 1) I actually get to know the students and 2) I can see/hear their progress. In a public school, I see my 600 students once a week or less and the progress is minimal.

[JeJuJitsu]

Anyone who says Hagwons are better than Public Schools is on crack.

[tiger fancini]

I've been thinking about this a lot recently, as my first teaching gig here is set to expire at the end of April. I work in a public middle school, and as I said, its been my first job here. I am 100% sure that I don't want to stay at this school for another year, but I am 100% sure that I want to stay in Korea for another couple of years (I love it here). The cons of my current job are

*Class size ranges from 38-42. Unmanagable at times, and time wasted on discipline.

*Co-teachers. That's all I want to say about this, but they are definitely a con.

*Students ability. This school has a rep of attracting rowdy kids, and the majority are from poor families. They don't go to academies and certainly don't see the point of studying English. Most of the Korean teachers report similair problems, and resort to corporal punishment on a pretty regular basis to keep them in line.

*Students progress. Difficult to see in classes of a big size, that I only see once a week at the most. Its also disheartening to see the few good students being held back by their rowdy classmates.

Pros:

*Always paid on time.

*Lots of free time, albeit spent in my classroom.

*Good vacation. I will have had four full weeks paid vacation, plus all the national holidays.

So basically, I'm wondering if a really good hagwon might not be a better place to work next time? I'm sure they must exist, I suppose its just a case of finding one. I do really fancy the smaller class sizes, and would like to be able to get to know my students better. This is something that I need to mull over during the next few months.

[ttompatz]

[spliff]

[pest2]

[bosintang]

I've worked a variety of different hagwons and now this public school. There's pros & cons to both obviously and this has been covered before.

I think a stable kiddie-hagwon makes a much better teacher-training centre than a public school or a "good" hagwon (older, more serious students, more teacher freedom and more relaxed environment). In my opinion, in just about all aspects except stability (which is obviously very important), philosophy, and perhaps vacation time, a good hagwon beats a public school hands down. The stability is important to me -- good hagwons go bad, bad hagwons go bankrupt -- I won't be going back to the hagwon world.