Korean Job Discussion Forums

[alongway]

[Smithington]

Good luck to you OP. Just go into this with your eyes wide open. And be prepared for some strain on your marriage working together in an apartment all day every day. A good friend of mine did what you're doing two years ago. He's now divorced. He's moved out and his ex-wife is running the place by herself. Be sure to give yourself some 'my time' apart from your wife. And you'll need to deal with bringing not only your work but "Korea"into your home. I could never do that. My home is where I go to block out Korea.

Anyway, best of luck to you.

[Weigookin74]

While taxes in Korea are lower than in the west, the system here does seem designed to keep you from being too successful. The bureacracy here does seem to want to keep small businesses small. That's why Koreans often do things "off the books" or "under the table." Quite a few businesses back home do the same, though taxes are much higher. Rules are not as restrictive as here, though.

I can't imagine the government back home telling you how many customers you can serve or walking into sylvan learning centers telling them how many students they can have or what price they can charge. There is a lot of bureacracy and taxes back home which is why the economy is bad.

[Weigookin74]

[cdninkorea]

To the OP, if you're still reading: What are the regulations like for this kind of thing? Are they difficult to adhere to? If they're dumb regulations and nearly impossible to adhere to, are they easy to ignore? I'm thinking of things like when you're allowed to operate, how many students are allowed per class, lighting in the hallways, etc.

I used to work in restaurants (in Canada), and while some of the health & safety regulations were what any responsible restaurant should do anyway, others were absurd.

[FDNY]

[chickenpie]

I'll be going down this road in the next year or two.

FDNY could you give a quick overview of the things you got ready for your home?

Which things where the most challenging to get ready?

Thank you for your time.

[FDNY]

Hmmm, well there are several things you should consider:

-you will need a classroom
-another room where students wait or socialize
-a curriculum (printed on glossy paper that is coherent and impressive)
-an advertising plan
-a license from the education office
-display your degree, grad photos, certificates in an easily noticeable place
-books
-whiteboard
-table
-chairs
-receipts for the parents affixed to envelopes for payment
-a wife/husband that is adept at dealing with Korean mothers
-flexibility
-You also need to make your study room as safe as possible
(for example: screwing shut screens on windows, rendering doors
so that they can't be slammed shut by wind or unruly students,
prominently displaying fire extinguishers and first aid equipment)
-events such as halloween, Christmas parties
-remembering students birthdays and buying a cake
-regular and in depth student assessments
-offering things that the regular hagwons don't offer
(for example: public speaking (which we digitally record and give to
the parents), vocabulary work, special classes for gifted students

Basically the hagwon business in Korea is maturing and the parents
have actually gone to hagwons themselves. Therefore they will know
if it is crap ASAP. However, if you offer a well thought out program
and teach in a professional manner the parents will actually be your
best sort of advertising. Word of mouth is paramount, especially in
a relatively closed system like an apartment complex.

You should probably also know the place you are going to do business.
Don't open up shop in a place that already has several study rooms.

One last word. I wouldn't go into this unless you have pretty extensive
experience.