Korean Job Discussion Forums

special_k · Joined: 23 Mar 2010

Hi everyone,

Sorry if this has been covered before, but I will be coming to Korea pretty soon and like a lot of people have never taught before.

What have your first day experiences been like? I am applying for Hagwons 2-9pm.

Do you start teaching straight away in most schools or do you have training/observations?

What did you all do for your first day of lessons? I have read some good information about making a powerpoint presentation about yourself and home country etc. Would it be acceptable to just repeat this same presentation to all of the classes first time round?

I am very nervous as I have no idea how to structure a lesson!!

Any advice will be very much appreciated Smile

Thanks,
Kayleigh

sulperman · Joined: 14 Oct 2008

It is different for everybody, but here is how mine went.

1st Job- Hagwon- Arrived at 10PM, brought to school and thrown in a classroom by myself at 9 the next morning. Very confusing, very tough. Screaming, crying kindy kids, no books for half the classes, no assistance.

2nd job- Hagwon- A week of watching others teach their classes, which really would have been useful the first time around.Much more calm.

3rd job- PS- A week of doing nothing at all followed by a week of lesson planning. Laaaaaiiid back.

Wouldn't count on a computer in the classroom at a hagwon. PowerPoint is more of a buddy for the PS teacher.

But just find some first day worksheet online where the kids write their names and info about themselves, and have them fill it out. If you are unlucky enough to end up in a place without easy access to a copy machine, then look up esl icebreaker games online and do something from there. Do it in every class for your first meeting.

Don't worry about lesson structure at this point. Every hagwon will have a different system and different books (or maybe no system and no books depending on where you work), so just learn about that when you get there and get tips from the co-workers.

Don't worry about what happens, just be prepared to be pretty wiped out for the first week or six.