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grahamjack08
Joined: 17 Oct 2008
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 Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 3:31 am Post subject: Public School or Hagwon??? |
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Hi there,
Im a newbie and have just got the offer of 2 jobs - one in Busan teaching 35 - 40 public school kids 7-15 yrs old or teaching in a Hagwon in Itcheon to a smaller group I guess...(?). I just wanted to get people's advice as I like the sound of being part of a school - more socials..?? The overtime is better paid as well - 20k/hr. But reading some posts this seems quite low.
I also like the sound of Busan Vs Itcheon - any thoughts there? Anyway, sorry, theres so much to consider I need some help!
Many thanks,
Graham
p.s. - the Itcheon job is paying 2.1 and the school is paying 2.0 |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 4:50 am Post subject: Re: Public School or Hagwon??? |
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| grahamjack08 wrote: |
Hi there,
Im a newbie and have just got the offer of 2 jobs - one in Busan teaching 35 - 40 public school kids 7-15 yrs old or teaching in a Hagwon in Itcheon to a smaller group I guess...(?). I just wanted to get people's advice as I like the sound of being part of a school - more socials..?? The overtime is better paid as well - 20k/hr. But reading some posts this seems quite low.
I also like the sound of Busan Vs Itcheon - any thoughts there? Anyway, sorry, theres so much to consider I need some help!
Many thanks,
Graham
p.s. - the Itcheon job is paying 2.1 and the school is paying 2.0 |
ummm ... are you sure the one in Busan is a public school?
Ages 7-15 goes from elementary grade 1 to middle school grade 2.
Elementary is from 7-13 (Korean ages).
Sounds like 2 hakwons to me (one small one of 35-40 kids (going to go broke soon)) and one in ghod knows where.
As to the other one, is it Incheon, or Icheon or Ichon? I have never heard of an ITcheon.
You better check a bit better and ask again when you have the details worked out from your recruiter.
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grahamjack08
Joined: 17 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 11:54 am Post subject: |
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Hi
Thanks for replying. Sorry - its Incheon ...doh. And the classes are both elementary 7-12 and middle school 13-15 in Busan, so i guess it is a public school eh? The class sizes are 35-40 - does that sound more financially stable?! Do you have experience with both Hagwons and Publics? I would really appreciate any insight into the pros and cons of each.
Thanks 
G |
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hari seldon
Joined: 05 Dec 2004
Location: Incheon
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| Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 1:54 pm Post subject: Re: Public School or Hagwon??? |
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| grahamjack08 wrote: |
Hi there,
Im a newbie and have just got the offer of 2 jobs - one in Busan teaching 35 - 40 public school kids 7-15 yrs old or teaching in a Hagwon in Itcheon to a smaller group I guess...(?). I just wanted to get people's advice as I like the sound of being part of a school - more socials..?? The overtime is better paid as well - 20k/hr. But reading some posts this seems quite low.
I also like the sound of Busan Vs Itcheon - any thoughts there? Anyway, sorry, theres so much to consider I need some help!
Many thanks,
Graham
p.s. - the Itcheon job is paying 2.1 and the school is paying 2.0 |
I suggest that you request more information.
How many teaching hours per week is the Busan job? Are the hours 9 to 5 or after school? Will you be teaching at one school or multiple schools?
Will you be teaching elementary, middle school or high school students?
If it's an after school job, can you see pictures of the apartment and review a copy of the contract?
Where is the job located in Incheon? Will you be teaching kindergarten? What is the starting and finishing time? If you will be teaching older students, will you need to work split shifts? How many students does the school have? How many foreign teachers does the school have? Can you speak to a foreign teacher at the school? Can you see pictures of the apartment? Can you review a copy of the contract?
Consider that the won is very weak. At the current exchange rate, 2 million won equals 870 British pounds or $1506 U.S per month. If you will be working for an after school program or at a hagwon, I'd advise you to ask for higher pay.
Last edited by hari seldon on Sat Oct 18, 2008 2:12 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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call_the_shots
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 2:07 pm Post subject: |
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| grahamjack08 wrote: |
Hi
Thanks for replying. Sorry - its Incheon ...doh. And the classes are both elementary 7-12 and middle school 13-15 in Busan, so i guess it is a public school eh? The class sizes are 35-40 - does that sound more financially stable?! Do you have experience with both Hagwons and Publics? I would really appreciate any insight into the pros and cons of each.
Thanks
G |
If it's a hagwon, having class sizes of 35-40 would NOT correspond to financial stability. To the contrary, most parents want their kids in a small class (10 students or less) so the kids can get individualized attention that they can't get in a large class. If they meant there are 35-40 students in the entire hagwon, I think that is quite low and would NOT be financially stable.
If it is in fact a public school, financial stability isn't an issue. But, to my knowledge elementary schools and middle schools are always separate schools in Korea. I know that in the Western world they are sometimes combined into one building or campus (mine was). Perhaps the Busan job is planning to send you to two schools? |
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I_Am_The_Kiwi
Joined: 10 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2008 6:24 pm Post subject: |
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One of these threads really need to be made Sticky cos they are coming up aaaalllll the time.
No negativity at the poster, if the search function worked it would be easier to find em.
Sticky please |
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grahamjack08
Joined: 17 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 2:33 am Post subject: |
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How many teaching hours per week is the Busan job? 22 hrs Are the hours 9 to 5 or after school? 9-5 (says in line with other government employees) Will you be teaching at one school or multiple schools? well, as its both elementary and middle school kids I suppose its 2 diff schools
Will you be teaching elementary, middle school or high school students?
If it's an after school job, can you see pictures of the apartment and review a copy of the contract? I have a contract and it all seems fairly straightforward. [color=red]I will ask for pics of the appt - good idea. Are they usually happy to give these out?
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Where is the job located in Incheon? All I know is its on the mainland Will you be teaching kindergarten? No - its definitely older kids What is the starting and finishing time? All I know is its 30 hrs per week If you will be teaching older students, will you need to work split shifts? How many students does the school have? How many foreign teachers does the school have? Can you speak to a foreign teacher at the school? I spoke to a guy who I will be replacing and he seemed to be happy there but he really liked Busan when he visited Can you see pictures of the apartment? Can you review a copy of the contract? I have the contract. The overtime is 18K which seems pathetic, AND they want to take 1M Won off me as soon as I arrive as deposit for the appt. Is that cool?
Consider that the won is very weak. At the current exchange rate, 2 million won equals 870 British pounds or $1506 U.S per month. If you will be working for an after school program or at a hagwon, I'd advise you to ask for higher pay.
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Thanks a lot for all of this - its really helping me to be a lot more prepared and inquisitive. I really appreciate it. I knew that the Won is weak but it does seem to be descending quite rapidly over the last few days. Does anyone know of a site where it shows the Won's exchange historically?
G |
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call_the_shots
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 2:55 am Post subject: |
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| grahamjack08 wrote: |
| they want to take 1M Won off me as soon as I arrive as deposit for the appt. Is that cool? |
I don't think so. This alone would be reason enough for me to reject their offer and look elsewhere.
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| Does anyone know of a site where it shows the Won's exchange historically? |
http://www.oanda.com/convert/fxhistory
You can search back as far as 1993. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 3:12 am Post subject: |
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Busan is a nice coastal city with constant fresh (cold in winter) wind from the sea.
And a class in a hagwon has a maximum of 12 students by law and many for sure have 6-10 per class as an average.
Your alternative is three times the number of students per class and a third as nice a city. |
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grahamjack08
Joined: 17 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 3:27 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the reply. The public school is in Busan - dont know if that was made clear. So, in your opinion VanIslander you would go for a Hakwon in Busan ideally? Im into my watersports (the clean kind!) and mountainbiking etc so thats why Im thinking Busan. I get the impression that Incheon is a bit like a non descript port which happens to have grown cos of the airport.
Also, I have worked out my finances and I need to send some money back to the uk. Do you guys think I can live happily on 1M won a month?
Ta
G |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 5:37 am Post subject: |
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| grahamjack08 wrote: |
| in your opinion VanIslander you would go for a Hakwon in Busan ideally? |
I've lived in small towns within 2 hours of Busan since 2002 and it's ideal for me
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| Im into my watersports (the clean kind!) and mountainbiking etc so thats why Im thinking Busan. |
definitely for those hobbies
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| Do you guys think I can live happily on 1M won a month? |
if you've got cheap hobbies and eat out in Korean restaurants instead of foreigner joints then yeah, easily imo |
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