Korean Job Discussion Forums

Danofthepeople · Joined: 05 Jan 2009

I have been working at a Hagwon in Gimhae for three months and have in all honesty found my position here to be rather different from the information I have recieved from other schools. I would just like to get some opinions on weather its worth sticking this place out or looking for somwhere better....

I work 5 days a week monday to friday - no surprises there and I am at school from 1pm till 9.30pm each day. I have around 10 - 14 classes everyday whose time ranges from 15mins to 40 min classes.

All in all I am teaching around 120 students and I am the only foreign teacher at the school. I must visit each class at least twice a week in order to "keep the parents happy" according to my director.

However it seems bizzarre that she would rather have me take a class for two 15 min lessons rather than one 40min or 1hr lesson. My timetable is very confusing and is subject to change every day without due notice.

With so many classes - whos level also ranges from low elementary to high middle school - it is very very difficult to prepare for classes, and virtually impossible to prepare for all of them to an adequet degree. Meaning my lessons could be better.

I also recieve no imput from the other teachers regarding any games I could play or help with the teaching method I should use - I am given a textbook and told what page to teach. I am also excluded from staff meetings because they take place in Korean and they would "not be useful for me" - So i have no weekly review of my work or progress report or feedback on the quality of my teaching..... ah!

Overall I am in school for over 40hrs a week but I am only paid for my teaching time - which is always under 30 hrs. I am not eligible for any over time because i dont teach for more than 30 hrs a week. I feel slightly conned in this respect and would like to know how others feel about this and if they have had a similar experience.

Drop me a line and let me know the opinion....

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

dean_burrito · Joined: 12 Jun 2007

Sounds like the first year many of us go through in Korea. Ride it out. You'll get a little more used to it eventually and just make sure you look for something a little better for next year. But how could you do any worse right? The future is looking good.

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

Whether

D.D. · Joined: 29 May 2008

Your job sucks. You should have 30 classes a week, not 30 hours a week. Tell them to schedule you for 30 times 50 minutes a week. If they want to split it up into shorter classes make sure they are not calling three 20 minute classes as 1 hour.

Most people I know shoot into their hogwan teach and go home. In Korea if you let them take advantage of you it can become very stressful.

I would explain nicely that you need to be treated better or else you are walking.

yingwenlaoshi · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Location: ... location, location!

Input

Oreovictim · Joined: 23 Aug 2006

Your job sounds like my last job. There was no point in keeping a schedule, because it changed on a daily basis, too. You walk into one class, teach it for a few minutes, and then a Korean teacher rushes in to tell you that there has been a change. Man, that was the job from hell.

Here's what really sucked. Before I accepted the job, I talked a lot on the phone with the foreign teacher from Canada. When I got there, I found out that she was Korean-Canadian. Then a few weeks later, I found out that, in fact, it was her older sister and mother who owned the hagwon. And it continued to go downhill from there . . .

I liked my first gig in Korea. Sure, the kids were a lot wilder, but I always worked 2:00 - 8:00 with a ten-minute break every hour. There were no extra classes or anything.

What are you options? Don't you have to be here for six months before you can quit without paying back airfare? Maybe it's nine months. I wouldn't go through what you're going through again, no way. If you have no intentions of teaching in Korea again, I'd say to split.

Adjumas Cheekbones · Joined: 26 May 2009 Location: director's pocket

Its pretty bad.

I too am living in this self-made hell, just been at it a little longer. It fing burns you out.

AC

sulperman · Joined: 14 Oct 2008

Yeah, reminds me of my first job here too. Would have been much worse if I had not foreign coworkers to bi++ch about it with. I hope you have some other people in town to talk about it with. Makes it much easier to deal with. When you can laugh about it the ridiculousness of it all over some beers, it feels a lot better.

I stuck it out, and it made me stronger. My next job seemed like heaven!

Like Yu Bum Suk said though, could be a lot worse. Much much worse.

If you stick it out, you gotta not let it bother you, and do what you can within the situation you are stuck in. Nobody is gonna change. The situation won't change. Just try to go with the flow. Or just go, if that is your pleasure.

Danofthepeople · Joined: 05 Jan 2009

The teaching itself is more or less fine - I could be doing better but feel like the structure of my schedule and the lack of organisation and communication is really dragging down my ability to give efficient classes. Not to mention the drain on motivation.

I am considering applying for another job and renewing my visa in Japan under the new sponsor - if anyone has done this already and has any advice then it would be appreciated.

As much as I love the students at my school I am starting to think that the prospect of another 9 months or so of this situation would not be to my benefit.

Does anyone have any experience of University placements? I have heard a few appealing stories about these positions and I am keen to learn more. I am in the Busan area if that sparks any rose tinted memories for anyone!

soviet_man · Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Location: Seoul

Most 1st years in Korea are in exactly the same boat.

But there is no point fighting the system - you won't get anywhere, just nod and go along with it.

9 months isn't long.

RufusW · Joined: 14 Jun 2008 Location: Busan

How much you getting paid?

Rory_Calhoun27 · Joined: 14 Feb 2009

It sounds like my first job, but that's true for a lot it seems. Laughing

I found just going with the flow was the best approach- also, taking the time to get to know the Korean teachers was also the best thing I did. All women, I guess, as mine were. You think you have it bad, but my guess they have it worse. They actually have to do all sorts of crappy paperwork-related and other repititive tasks. And I guess you get paid a good deal more than they do.

So making friends with them was my best decision in all this. they really liked it that I made the children be polite to them and thank them for making copies for the class if it was needed and I couldnt do it. one REALLY liked it, if ya know what I mean. And I think ya do... Cool

moosehead · Joined: 05 May 2007

ESL Milk "Everyday · Joined: 12 Sep 2007

Sounds like typical hagwon BS to me. I've heard of worse, but there are definitely much better jobs out there.

Don't rock the boat, especially if you're new-- it gets you absolutely nowhere, or worse... probably worse. Calmly explain your difficulties and if they can't help you, there are heaps of other crap jobs like that one waiting for you.