Korean Job Discussion Forums

[funky monkey]

I have read the sticky on the different schools you can teach in, but was wondering whether things have changed over the years. Im really not sure whether to for a hagwon or public school. This is pretty much what iv been told.

1) Public schools wont rip you off, wheras certain hagwons will.

2) Public schools offer far more annual leave than hagwons.

3) Class size : On average 10 - 12 in hagwons, 30 in public schools. Iv also been told that kids in hagwons dont necessarily listen to teachers and get away with murder because as its private and hagwon bosses want to retain the students they have. In public school, kids are more respectful and you can discipline them.

4) In hagwons there will be another foreign teacher, wheras in public schools you may be the only foreign teacher with the majority of the staff speaking hangul only. The case made for the hagwon here was that at least you have someone you can talk to, face any issues with etc.

This is what i have been told, so im not implying that this is the case, as i simply dont know. As a newbie to teaching in Korea in 2009, which way would you go... private or public?

Thanks.

[kiwiliz]

It depends really on what is important to you.
If you like working and mixing with other foreigners go for the hogwans.
If you like to either lie in in the mornings or get up and go to the gym or something go for the hogwon.

If you like leave, and can find a province that guarantee it, and can handle large classes. go for the PS's.

I

[Ukon]

I'd try to go public first....if you get a bad school or whatever, switch to another....If you apply the official way, placement is random....an awesome school will blow any hagwon out of the water and pay far better than any hagwon to boot.....a bad school can suck....but unlike a bad hagwon, your still likely to get your pay and benefits(some will try to mess with them) since your paid by the government, not the school's budget.

One thing few people mention is NORMAL hours in a PS job...you work about 4 hours, then have a few hours for lunch and "office" then go home at 4:30. It's a pretty big plus few mention.

Many Hagwons have either evening hours(4-9pm) or the dreaded split shift....some people don't mind, but I like my evenings and split shifts are Satan's work schedule.

[VanIslander]

[Rory_Calhoun27]

The X-factor in which is better is WHO you work with..... I've had experiences against most of the common experiences talked here-

My first job, at a hagwon, was pretty decent! The bosses were so-so, but the Korean teachers I worked with were really nice, and helpful.

My PS job was almost the opposite- a coteacher who turned on me, and decided she could ignore ANY guidance from GEPIK, while receiving BS from the gepik reps re: what can be done about things. Apparantly. SMACKING an American across the face is NOT bounds for GEPIK to actually to get involved in any meaningful way.

at the same time, most of my friends are perfectly happy with their school coteachers. I'd say go public for your first time, but make SURE you ask the coteachers if they really want to be a team.....

a Korean prof. in the US told me there is a fairly large minority of Korean teachers who are not friendly to "foreigners" in their country. Understandable, but can get out of hand real easily..... and when MY coteacher demanded my prof's email address when I told her this lil' nugget, she immediately pulled out a pen and paper and demanded her email address.....

which I laughed at told her, "I don't think so." what I should have done in hindsight is give her a phoney email address, monitor it myself, and when she wrote to it, send back a response such as "Please.... I don't respond to complaints..... if you want to write me, fine, but please..... ENGLISH! So I can forward it to my beloved student."

it sucks when the evil ideas only come after the fact....

[Ya-ta Boy]

If you've taught before and have your chops down (meaning you know how to control a room full of semi-to-totally unmotivated students) then consider a public school. That environment of seeing students only once a week, with a few random class periods cancelled for sports day, school birthday, study for mid-terms, etc. won't get on your nerves.

If you've never taught before, it's way easier to control 8-12 students in a small room than it is to control 30-40 students in a big room. "Hey you, yeah you 3rd from the left in the 5th row!" just doesn't work well. It's also easier to control students who you see multiple times a week where you can actually learn names and form some kind of relationship. Hakwons are a better teaching environment, but they bring the problem of uncertain pay, bad schedules, getting the students after they've been in school all day... You also have the freedom to design your lessons, more so than when you have a co-teacher looking over your shoulder.

[funky monkey]

Iv never taught before, so im a bonafide newbie in every sense of the word! That said, I am doing the online TEFL 100 hours course so hopefully I will not be totally clueless when i come over.

Thankyou all for your responses, its much appreciated!


kiwiliz - Because I want to travel, I think I would be leaning towards more annual leave. Iv been told that there is a big foreign community there and that I would be able to meet other foreigners quite easily and so im really hoping that this is the case.

Ukon - I think i would prefer normal hours to the evening or split shifts, and the security that comes with a PS job. So you have totally sold me on that one!!!

VanIslander - I can see where you are coming from. I suppose iv heard so many horror stories about hagwons that im already a bit biased! 30 or more students would be difficult to teach under any circumstances in my newbie opinion anyway, but i feel that having a co teacher will or should help. Thanks for the good luck

Rory_Calhoun27 - Dayum, getting smacked?! Woah! That really sucks.. im hoping thats a one off. Do co workers resent foreign teachers? Iv heard that foreign teachers get paid more that their Korean counterparts... maybe that has something to do with it? But i do agree that the people around u can make or break the experience.

Ya-ta Boy - Complete newbie, so no experience whatsoever. The number of students at public schools does put me off, but i have to weigh the pro's and con's to both.


Once again, thanks for all ur advice. I think im going to apply to public schools and see how I go. If i dont get in, then I will go with a hagwon and just hope and pray that its a decent one. I suppose one isnt better than the other, and it seems to be down to personal choice.

[cedarseoul]

i'm preparing for my 3rd year at hagwon. i have experience, credentials, etc., but i see no reason to switch to PS as long as i'm in korea.

i make more money at my hagwon than i'd make at a PS. i have a very reasonable teaching load, and advanced / gifted students.

best of all, my hagwon affords me the opportunity to be creative - to develop new resources, to open new classes, to essentially direct our programs. this is fortuitous; i'd become very bored very quickly if i was just teaching out of a book and playing some conversation games.

[Straphanger]

[funky monkey]

cedarseoul - you make some valid points... how do u manage with just 10 days vacation though? I really want to travel both in and outside Korea while im there and so the time you get off in PS really appeals to me.

Straphanger - Thanks for that. I will try and find out as much as i can. Iv sent off my application form for PS and hopefully il get an interview. It does kinda suck that you dont know where u will get placed, thats one thing im going to try and get out of my interview if I can. I like to know where im going!

Thanks for ur replies guys

[TheUrbanMyth]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

It depends so much on the institution and the person. I love my PS and hated my first hagwon (I only lasted half a year there). However, a *good* hagwon would certainly be the best first job in Korea for most new teachers. That said, the percentage of hagwons that would fit that criterion would likely be somewhere between 10-25%, depending on what would be 'good' for you.

[Looney]

[ardis]

[funky monkey]

TheUrbanMyth - Thanks for clarifying the difference in payment. I guess like you said Rory_Calhoun27 was just unlucky.

Yu_Bum_suk - I think if i found a hagwon recommended to me by someone who had worked there, I would consider it. Its just so difficult to make these choices when ur not in Korea. Thanks for replying.

Looney - Since I want to travel, 10 days annual leave is really nothing. That is a huge factor in making me lean towards public schools. Thanks.

ardis - Thanks for writing about your experiences. Like u said, it just depends. I hope i get a good gig there anyhow.