Korean Job Discussion Forums

[forster.joe]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Hope you can help.

Basically, me and my girlfriend have recently revisited the idea of coming to Korea to teach English after leaving the idea to go cold post-graduation.

Now, self evidently, we want to come together and (hopefully) work together or at least in close vicinity of one another. We also want to live together. It's the latter that is the real clincher for us. We live together in the UK and don't want to be emigrating to a worse situation.

With us being unmarried, I realise that this cordons off pretty much all public school jobs. So the question is pretty simple; all things considered- is the hagwon route that bad?

To put it a slightly different way; would you agree with the premise that it is better to come to Korea, having done the correct research to limit the likelihood of being roped into working for a disreputable organisation, and work in a hagwon than not come at all?

This is bearing in mind that we are currently living together in the UK, have a nice life together but are both stuck in fairly dead end, unsatisfying jobs with long hours to boot.

Thanks for any advice given- positive or negative!

[pmwhittier]

[some waygug-in]

The chances of finding a "good" hagwon job are pretty slim, especially

if you are new to the game.

I suggest you read over some of the ways things can go wrong on this

website: http://blacklist.tokyojon.com/

Then decide if you want to go further.

Are all hagwons bad? No, but trying to find a decent one is like

trying to find hen's teeth. There is a link on the same website to the

"greenlist", supposedly good schools as well, but the first thing you'll notice is that you won't know who to believe. Schools change, directors change, some people who come to teach are just "wingnuts".

Public school jobs are a safer bet, but they are being scaled back this year.

Even if you find one that's 'acceptable', a lot will depend on you and your

attitude. You have to be willing to put up with a lot and have a thick skin.

It's not a game for sissies.

Best of luck to you.

[augustine]

I'd say what the posters above said in lesser words: Don't come to Korea to work at a hagwon. I have friends from the UK here and they say it's difficult to make money back home, and I fully understand that. But 95% of the Korean hagwons here will drive you to gloom. Not worth the risk. Try to better your situation back home by any means necessary before you take a Korean hagwon job. It's an evil racket.

[runclimb360]

There is always stuff going on with the kids. Bloody nose, kids making other kids cry, 4 yr old who is very violent with me and the other children, flashing, dong chim (finger up the butt). I feel like the kids only listen to the Korean teachers. What do I do if the kids are always speaking Korean to each other and it seems like they don't want to learn? I get the blame.

The parents pay a lot of money for the kids to be here, so they want the best service. That can mean that they can be demanding. If they don't like something, they'll let you know. You'll be watched on CCTV to make sure that things are ok. One of the worst things was that I was sick every month for the first three months I was here. I would recover from a cold and respiratory infection only to get another one. So I made really bad first impressions because I was tired. Especially at my new school. I got a warning letter.

Maybe I'm just bad at my job though. I replaced the star foreign teacher that everybody has fond memories of. Maybe it's just a bad personality for this. Or a bad attitude. I don't know if age has anything to do with it. I'm not old, but I'm not fresh out of university. The other foreign teachers seem to be managing it well. They are fresh out of university. It's my first time in Korea, but not my first time teaching abroad.

Sometimes I feel like doing a midnight run. This doesn't feel like it's worth it sometimes. I'm saving an ok amount though. My salary is on the low end. nine months left.

I've had a nice time in Korea, seen some cool places outdoors-wise, made some nice Korean friends. But, everything is the same. Cities are all the same. People are all the same. All the foreigners are teachers, basically.

If you have to come, I would really insist on not taking a kindergarten position. Only ages 10+. And you really need to make a good impression in the first two months.

I will say that all of the Korean teachers, foreign coworkers, and the owners have been nice. I just think that I'm a bad fit for this.

I think that this article sums things up really well:
http://voices.yahoo.com/should-teach-english-south-korea-4809308.html?cat=16

[kimchipig]

Teaching at a hagwan doesn't have to be all that bad. First of all, you have to realise that a lot of the complainers on ESL Cafe and rather young and many are in their first real jobs with their first real bosses. This often comes as a shock to a lot of people, ie the boss gets to make the decisions.

Working culture in Korea is not the same as that in North America. You'll have to learn that on the go. The key if flexibility; go with the flow and don't take things too seriously. Teaching kids at a hagwan is not about getting them into Harvard. It's about passing the time. If the kids learn something, great and if they don't well, it's all in a day's work.

If your accommodation is reasonable, they don't expect you to work unpaid overtime and they treat year relatively well, then suck it up and enjoy yourself. You are in a new and strange land, so get out and see it. Have fun. I can't begin to see the silliness I saw young waygooks get up to in Korea over small things. The key is smile, go with the flow, and don't take it too seriously.

With this attitude, you'll be fine.

[northway]

[tob55]

I worked at hagwon for the first portion of my stay in Korea and it wasn't that bad or that good. The leaving part was the bad experience for me. I always enjoyed teaching regardless of the setting or environment, so I did it without complaining. Now, 9 years later I find myself teaching at university and I have basically forgotten any of the bad things to say about hagwons. They serve a purpose in Korea and if you are really interested in work, then that will likely be the primary option, UNLESS you just have a strong desire for something else.

As for anything in employment, know what you are getting into before you start. It isn't always the hagwons that are bad, but the people involved in the recruiting process, while for the most part respectable, cannot be trusted to tell the truth regarding their placements. The guy who recruited me from the USA saw me once, dropped me off in a small city and I never saw or heard from the guy again. This was the person who introduced me to Korea, so his interest in me was nothing more than a pay check so he could move onto the next person. That was my experience, and some may have better or worse experience than me. Hope all works out for you. Cheers

[faeriehazel]

[le-paul]

id say this too. Most of the public schools (middle) seem to be cutting back on teachers. This means the market is going to be flooded with qualified, experienced teachers who want to stay here, that means taking the better hogwan jobs.
Plus, some unis here are appalling so theyre cutting back on professors/teachers too. I know alot of uni professors who are now working hogwan becasue theyre married or whatever.
Market is toughening.
Good luck finding a good job from abroad with no expereince

[young_clinton]

[ewlandon]

honestly please dont listen to any of these people. I cannot guarantee anything because each hogwon is different but I can say that if you are a grown up with somewhat thick skin you wont be one of these fools blacklisting a school because some new head teacher asked you not to dress like a slob (reading through the tokyojon blacklist website). Please, really?

Also, the article about "should you teach in korea" is way way off.
Basically you may feel overwhelmed at first because everything is done differently and you are expected to be a teacher when you have no idea what you are doing, but if you can learn quickly and and you are personable you should be fine. If you end up at a shitty hogwon that doesn't pay you just do what you can to get paid and to get an LOR after finding another job.

My personal experience has been great at a hogwon. Never had an issue with pay, never had an issue with parents or students etc. The "should i work in korea" article says you will be overworked and have no free time... I find the contrary. I work from 2-9:30 (contract says 10 but they let me leave early because when classes are done my work is usually done). I only ever had to go to work on a weekend twice in the past two years (for a party and a parents thing). Sometimes they want you to do haeshik (drinking/eating after work) but how bad is that? Also, if you have plans already they shouldn't make a big deal about it (unless you are at a crappy hogwon).

I dunno where everyone else is working but as for myself and the people I know in Korea none of these horror stories are a reality.

[ewlandon]

[demonrocks]

I'm a few months into my first hagwon job in Korea. I'm working at one of the 'reputable' chain schools. In all honesty it's not that bad.

It's not an ideal job, I work afternoon/evenings, and it does feel draining during the week. My boss is a little strange and I have to tread on eggshells at times. It's not an easy ride.

I think many people's idea of teaching in Korea is that it's going to be an extended holiday. I came here expecting to work, and that's what I'm doing.

Do your research and speak to the teachers already working at the schools.

[some waygug-in]