Korean Job Discussion Forums

[verseinu]

I have been offered a job with a hagwon and everything so far seems good/reasonable regarding the contract. Though there is one point I question. I have been told the 'teaching hours' per week is 25 and the 'working hours' per week is 25. The recruiter has told me that I am only required to work (be at the school) for 25 hours each week. The salary is exactly like a comparable job with a 40hr work week.

I am wondering if there may be some hidden strings, does this sound familiar to anyone?

Is it common place to work less than a full work week at a hagwon?

[AgentM]

25 hours sounds about average. By "working hours" they mean hours you'll actually be teaching, they will likely require you to do what's referred to as "deskwarming" by the teacher's here. Basically be at work for a number of hours in addition to teaching, time when you're supposed to be prepping for class, writing lesson plans, etc.

[verseinu]

I assumed too that I would be doing some deskwarming, but it sounds like I am to start at 1pm and am finished by 6pm. To me this sounds too good to be true.

Does anyone else have a job where they are only required to be at the school for 5 hours a day?

[DCJames]

You might be thinking you'll be teaching 25 40-minute classes. That's wrong. You'll be teaching MANY MANY more. In fact, you'll problably be teaching over over 30 40-minute classes that add up to "25 hours of teaching time".

Hogwons are ALL the same, I'd be suspicious of hogwons that claim they're different.

[lifeinkorea]

Deskwarming is usually for public school jobs. At a hagwon, they usually don't want to see you at the school unless you are supposed to be there to teach.

[Juregen]

[DCJames]

[verseinu]

[zipper]

It sounds like a job that was posted for Gangneung City. Is it BBES? Those are nice hours, and I have heard that the kids are fantastic.

I don't know why that hagwons are so crazy about working their teachers for a minimum of 30 hours, besides generating money. Most countries except Japan and Korea offer their teachers 25 hrs and below which is reasonalble; allowing teachers much needed rest, more preparation and quality time to get out and enjoy some espects of the culture. 30 hours just burns me out after 4 months or so.

[Big Mac]

In my experience, hogwans usually ask you to be at the school one hour before your first class so that you can prepare. That is usually stated in your contract though. I think it is a reasonable request.

Some hogwans will hold you to the one hour rule and others will be more flexible with it, especially if you show that you are well-prepared anyway.

For the person who suggested that you get a schedule and stick to it no matter what...I don't think that is a good way to go about it. Things change at a hogwan. Classes get cancelled. It is sometimes necessary to move things around or ask that you agree to some change in the schedule for business reasons and for practicality reasons. I think there is a need for a foreign teacher to recognize this and be willing to be somewhat flexible about those sorts of things. If you aren't flexible, I guarantee you will not be on good terms with your boss.

That being said, there are times when hogwans can be ridiculous about changing the schedule every day, every hour and at the last possible minute. That can be annoying and that would be when I would put my foot down and tell them no. But to just blindly refuse any changes to your schedule with no flexibility at all is very bad advice.

[DCJames]

[lifeinkorea]

[verseinu]

[zipper]

If it is BBES, talk to their current teacher. As far as I know, you go in and teach five classes per day, and go home to your little traditional single house. Even if it isn't BBES, you should try and contact their current teacher or get an e-mail address of their former teacher...

[lifeinkorea]