Korean Job Discussion Forums

[withnail]

I'm confused! Till now, when people spoke of unigwons, I thought of a job where you teach kids, members of the public or students who don't need it for the credit in a university's language centre. Usually long hours, low pay, short vacation etc probably in the evening. In other words not uni students on credit-based classes.

The terms and conditions are all pretty bad these days so I didn't think those made it a unigwon.

Recently I was considering a job that was different to that - university freshmen, credit-based program. No civilians, no kids, no evenings or weekends, between the hours of 9 and 6.

Yes it is in the Language Education Centre, yes the hours were longer than you'd expect (20), salary bog-standard at 2.2, vacation at 6 weeks rather than 4 months.

My friend said: "That's a unigwon"
So is she right?

I protested "but it's not kids! or civilians! it's university freshmen students who have to pass the program!"

For me what made a job a unigwon was who exactly you are teaching: university students on a compulsory course (proper uni job) or kids/civilans/students who just want practice for no credit (unigwon)

Who's right?

She seems to think the pay and conditions define a unigwon.

My point was that most uni jobs' terms and conditions (bar a few great jobs in Seoul) are similar to those in the job we discussed, except maybe that the hours are a little on the high side/ vacation on the low side in this job!

What is the precise definition of a unigwon?

The same university was also hiring for a different program where you do teach kids in the evening for poor conditions.

Are both those positions "unigwon" jobs or just the latter?

My friend says if the job is in the language centre and not in a proper department e.g. the English department, then it is a "unigwon" regardless of who you teach.

Perhaps the job we discussed was some kind of hybrid? What do you think?

[the_beaver]

For me it has always been that a unigwon gives non-credit classes that anybody can join.

[Ya-ta Boy]

They typical uni job is during the day with freshmen in a required class. The unigwon is the uni's money-making scheme of offering classes to community people (and uni students who want to pay) in the evenings and during vacations.

[withnail]

So that means the job we discussed is a proper uni job, then...
Yet another friend has weighed in with their view that the job under discussion is still a uni hagwon job!

[the_beaver]

[crazy_arcade]

Any job that is at the University Language Center and doesn't offer full vacation is unigwon.

[bassexpander]

I'm the one who coined the phrase years back under a different nickname.

Unigwon: Any non-departmental university job where the instructor is required to teach at least some non-credit university courses for non-traditional students as a part of their course load. Those students may be children or adults. Generally, they are not enrolled as a student at the university. They are temporary students, so-to-speak.

Examples of such courses: Any non-credit TEFL courses, writing courses, conversation courses, or camps for kids.

In short, if you're not considered part of the English department (or a similar full department in another discipline), you are probably working in a unigwon situation. This is especially true of your job is part of a "language center" for that university.

My job is a unigwon job, although I feel it's a pretty good one. I am not a member of the English department. My school created our positions separately from it. I teach mostly for-credit classes, but most are not actual classes listed under the English department (maybe I teach 6 to 12 credits of such classes every year). Mostly, I teach 1st-year students who are required to take an entry-level English class.

Our English department waygooks teach mostly Juniors and Seniors taking intermediate or upper-level courses with the English majors. They do, however, teach a few enrichment non-credit courses once in a while. It means extra cash, so they're sometimes happy to do it.

The lines between English department jobs and unigwon jobs are blurring more and more each year. That really upsets some of the older people who are watching cushy jobs and higher salaries disappear. It's not a problem at our school, but at many there are some serious resentment issues between unigwon and non-unigwon staff.

I know one woman working at a uni in Seoul where a cliquey group of TOEFL course teachers refuse to associate with the other waygooks on staff. The TOEFL teachers consider themselves, the "real" teachers. At other schools, you'll find the English department members bragging about being an "actual staff member of the English department."

Sadly, this kind of crap is commonplace. Generally the ones who feel a need to brag do so out of insecurity. Usually, they are non-Ph.d. people who have been struttin' their stuff as if they were Ph.d's, and they realize the party is just about over. True Ph.d.'s... well, they know they're safe (although many are still full of themselves and insecure braggarts -- just at a different level).

[Milwaukiedave]

[makemischief]

KNU's job post (which withnail is talking about) is a unigwon that teaches credit classes...or a credit program run like a unigwon- either way you slice it, that's what it is. It is definitely not in any way affiliated with the actual English Department.

[aka Dave]

I suppose every Uni is different, but I can tell you how it works at mine, which is a small, private University that trains ps teachers for various subjects.

I'm in the English department (영 어 교 육 과), I teach classes only to English Education majors (They are studying to be teachers). It's 15 hours a week and most of the students are very motivated. The freshmen are kinda goofy, but the juniors and seniors are exceptional.

I was originally hired to teach conversation, but I offered to teach a writing class, which was (maybe) a mistake. The upshot is more and more students wanted writing instruction, and I ended up teaching 7 extra writing courses this year. Extra money, but also extra work. Note I'm the *only* foreigner in my dept; however they've already hired one more for next year (I don't know whom!) One advatage to being on your own in the dept. is you're literally your own boss. I do teach added classes on vacation, but I'm happy to do so, and I can schedule them to my liking.

There are about five foreign teachers in the Language Center. This might or might not be called our "Unigwon". As far as I know, they teach Tesol type classes to general university students. Some of these students might be motivated, some not. I think their hours are similar to mine. Maybe they do 20 hours instead of 15, I'm not sure.

Over the summer I taught an intensive class with three teachers from the language center for three weeks (very good pay for this so well worth it). They all seemed fairly happy with their jobs, but I think they have more structure and more students that are a hassle.

All in all, I'd say their jobs are not appreciably different than mine. I probably have more freedom (in fact I can't think of any job which would have more freedom than my current position), but I also take on more work because of all the essays I end up grading. A couple of them (not all) seemed a bit more cynical about their students, I'm very upbeat and passionate about mine, I want them to become good teachers. There is an advantage to teaching English majors; they want to be there.

One final note: their apartments are much nicer than mine! I was offered a chance to move, but turned it down because of the hassle. When summer came, I really regretted it, b/c my AC sucks. So often things can be a crap shoot. I would never turn down a "unihagwon" job just because it was in a language center. There are lots of variables and the job is pretty similar to working in a dept.