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ibanezhomie
Joined: 07 Jun 2012
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 Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 10:58 am Post subject: Bad idea to be the only native teacher at a hagwon? |
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| My recruiter asked me if I was interested in this job but it says there is only 1 native teacher there who I assume will be replaced. I have a some reservations about this. I feel like being the only native teacher would be a lot of pressure (especially for a first-timer such as myself), I would have no one in my position to show me the ropes, it would be harder to meet expats, and the director would probably be much more focused on me since I'd be the only native teacher. Am I over-analyzing this or does that sound about right? Is that a big enough deal to pass on a job? |
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YTMND
Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Location: You're the man now dog!!
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| Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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There are many factors to consider:
1. location
2. salary
3. schedule
4. resources (available or not?)
5. students (age, level)
6. apartment (photos?)
7. school and classroom (photos?)
8. owner (speaks English or no?)
9. manager (big school or small school? a manager would be your main boss if there is one)
10. transportation (do you have to commute or is it within walking distance, as well as access to train, subway, and bus stations for outside work)
You haven't told us much about the job, only that there is one teacher. If there was only one waiter coming to your table when you were eating at a restaurant, would you stop eating? |
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ibanezhomie
Joined: 07 Jun 2012
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| Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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| YTMND wrote: |
There are many factors to consider:
1. location
2. salary
3. schedule
4. resources (available or not?)
5. students (age, level)
6. apartment (photos?)
7. school and classroom (photos?)
8. owner (speaks English or no?)
9. manager (big school or small school? a manager would be your main boss if there is one)
10. transportation (do you have to commute or is it within walking distance, as well as access to train, subway, and bus stations for outside work)
You haven't told us much about the job, only that there is one teacher. If there was only one waiter coming to your table when you were eating at a restaurant, would you stop eating? |
Everything else that I know about the job looks fine to me but I wanted to see if being the only foreign teacher is something that most people would advise against. It seems like there are a lot of potential issues with it but I'm wondering if I'm over thinking this or if my concerns are warranted. |
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zombiedog
Joined: 03 Oct 2011
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| Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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| In the past I've preferred solo jobs. It just depends on the school. There may be more security at a larger hagwon, but it can feel impersonal at times, and there's more chance for drama amongst co-workers. If I had to choose tomorrow I'd choose a small, stable school where I'm the only foreign teacher. |
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dairyairy
Joined: 17 May 2012
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 5:37 pm Post subject: |
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| It must be a smaller school. My advice? Work alone. One less laying of backstabbing liars to deal with. |
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NYC_Gal 2.0
Joined: 10 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 5:47 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm the only foreign teacher at my hagwon. I love it there. |
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JustinC
Joined: 10 Mar 2012
Location: We Are The World!
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| Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 6:22 pm Post subject: |
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I've been the only foreigner in a town, the isolation was okay, actually very pleasant at times, and my co-teachers gave me lots of support in the classroom. I learned a lot about being independent outside of school. I found lots of help online (on a local forum for expats and teaching sites) and made friends in the city nearby.
Unless you can't stand being alone I'd say definitely go for it. |
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CPJ
Joined: 30 Dec 2008
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| Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 7:47 pm Post subject: |
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I don't see it being a big deal as there are pros and cons to both.
I think it's more important to pick a good school and a good city.
It's not like you're going to be at the school 24/7. |
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YTMND
Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Location: You're the man now dog!!
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| Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 3:43 am Post subject: |
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| Everything else that I know about the job looks fine to me but I wanted to see if being the only foreign teacher is something that most people would advise against. It seems like there are a lot of potential issues with it but I'm wondering if I'm over thinking this or if my concerns are warranted. |
But your decision shouldn't be based on one variable. If you can't do A (and you want to), can't have B (and you want it), and must give C to the school (and you don't want to), then these variables (A, B, C) are worth using to turn down a job offer.
If all you have against a job is one variable, then it's like carrying an umbrella on a partly cloudy day. Yes, it might rain, but chances are it won't until you see some other factors at play. Assume you won't need it, but carry it anyway on standby.
This means have an exit plan. If you like everything else, then chances are you will have an easier time leaving the school if you want to move on. If you run into problems, then it's probably due to missing something. For example, I focused on population size and working environment for one job. I neglected to look into the housing I would get (the previous school gave me a good apartment), even though they did send me one photo. When I moved in, it was obvious I would need to leave that apartment. I decided I didn't want to stay at the school also, and I left that school shortly after.
The lesson learned there for me was to look into housing arrangements beforehand. Now I have the best living arrangements and keep in account the other variables.
Good luck. Look at all variables. |
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missty
Joined: 19 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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I prefer being the only native teacher at my school. But then I work in a public school where this is standard. I know someone who was the only NET at her hagwon and she seemed to love it there, stayed for two years with no problems.
I wouldn't pass up on the position for that reason alone. If there were other factors making you doubt the job then ok, but otherwise I don't see a reason why it should be a problem. |
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DanseurVertical
Joined: 24 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 7:48 pm Post subject: Re: Bad idea to be the only native teacher at a hagwon? |
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| ibanezhomie wrote: |
| My recruiter asked me if I was interested in this job but it says there is only 1 native teacher there who I assume will be replaced. I have a some reservations about this. I feel like being the only native teacher would be a lot of pressure (especially for a first-timer such as myself), I would have no one in my position to show me the ropes, it would be harder to meet expats, and the director would probably be much more focused on me since I'd be the only native teacher. Am I over-analyzing this or does that sound about right? Is that a big enough deal to pass on a job? |
I was the only NET at my middle school. But also pretty much, the only teacher in his 20s who was male and unmarried. I lived in an area full of hagwon workers. They met people through their co-workers. I ended up feeling very isolated for 10 months. Eventually, I made some genuine Korean friends, and I plan to return to Korea. I left Korea for Taiwan. I taught for a few weeks in a respected hagwon (buxiban) in Taipei. There were many other NETs, and I was treated like rubbish by the Taiwanese staff, so I quit. In Korea as the only NET I was usually treated okay. Not always especially well, but at least I usually felt wanted there. |
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