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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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Just2cute89
Joined: 04 Apr 2016
Location: Austin, Tx
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 Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 6:25 pm Post subject: Are all hagwons really that bad? |
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I am still in school and should be graduating next year and I want to teach in Korea (obviously)  . Since I will be new to teaching and only have a degree and TESOL, I know my chances of living in a major city is slim, with public schools. I'm looking into hagwons, but there are so many horror stories that go along with them. My only issue with that is, if so many people hate them so much, why do people still apply to work there? Are people just taking ANY job thrown at them? Are people blowing this whole situation out of proportion, or is the truth somewhere in the middle. Just from a logical standpoint, every hagwon EVER can't be terrible, or am I being too optimistic? Any legitimate help / critique will be greatly appreciated. |
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PRagic
Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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| Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 7:08 pm Post subject: |
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Spending some time reading the FAQs would be a help.
The long and short of it is that hagwons, like most ESL teaching options, are a mixed bag, with some good, some so-so, and some pretty shady.
The important thing is to do your homework. Do you want to teach kids or adults? Can you deal with split-shifts (most like to avoid them)? Are they offering a round trip flight or one way? Do you have to pay that up front? Is housing provided? Or an allowance? Is it a major chain, or a mom-n-pop operation?
Use ANY AND ALL recruiters to help you find the job for YOU. DON'T be pressured into taking any position, and DON'T feel obligated to tell recruiters that you're using multiple agencies. Remember that recruiters are paid by employers, and they get paid when you are delivered; they often don't have your best interests in mind. Once you're here, you're on your own, so don't expect to get any support from the agency that helped to bring you over. DO get in touch with current and/or former employees to get the low down on the actual employment environment.
A first hagwon job, if the terms and conditions are OK, can be a good first step into the teaching market here (and, as a jumping off point, elsewhere). You can stay there another year, or use your time to flush out a place with better pay and conditions, whether here or in China, Vietnam, Japan, etc.
If you get an offer, bounce it off the board members here. There are some VERY experienced people on this board who will be able to give you a quick assessment of the offer. Don't ignore them.
In the meantime, start getting you documents in order. You're more apt to get more and better offers if you're ready to go.
Keep in mind that Korea isn't the wild west anymore. There are some disreputable employers, but there is also a labor board that can help to represent you should you get screwed. Obviously, the goal is to avoid such a situation, but it's good to know they're there.
But also keep in mind that this isn't your home country. You'll need to be a bit flexible in some respects. Just be on time for work, be sociable, do your best in the classroom, build on your experience, and try to make it a positive go. A lot of people think that they're cut out for living and working in a foreign country for whatever reason, only to find that they definitely are not. It's not for everyone, but a hagwon job, if chosen with some acumen, is often a way to find out if it's for you. |
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Just2cute89
Joined: 04 Apr 2016
Location: Austin, Tx
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| Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 9:03 pm Post subject: |
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| PRagic wrote: |
Spending some time reading the FAQs would be a help.
The long and short of it is that hagwons, like most ESL teaching options, are a mixed bag, with some good, some so-so, and some pretty shady.
The important thing is to do your homework. Do you want to teach kids or adults? Can you deal with split-shifts (most like to avoid them)? Are they offering a round trip flight or one way? Do you have to pay that up front? Is housing provided? Or an allowance? Is it a major chain, or a mom-n-pop operation?
Use ANY AND ALL recruiters to help you find the job for YOU. DON'T be pressured into taking any position, and DON'T feel obligated to tell recruiters that you're using multiple agencies. Remember that recruiters are paid by employers, and they get paid when you are delivered; they often don't have your best interests in mind. Once you're here, you're on your own, so don't expect to get any support from the agency that helped to bring you over. DO get in touch with current and/or former employees to get the low down on the actual employment environment.
A first hagwon job, if the terms and conditions are OK, can be a good first step into the teaching market here (and, as a jumping off point, elsewhere). You can stay there another year, or use your time to flush out a place with better pay and conditions, whether here or in China, Vietnam, Japan, etc.
If you get an offer, bounce it off the board members here. There are some VERY experienced people on this board who will be able to give you a quick assessment of the offer. Don't ignore them.
In the meantime, start getting you documents in order. You're more apt to get more and better offers if you're ready to go.
Keep in mind that Korea isn't the wild west anymore. There are some disreputable employers, but there is also a labor board that can help to represent you should you get screwed. Obviously, the goal is to avoid such a situation, but it's good to know they're there.
But also keep in mind that this isn't your home country. You'll need to be a bit flexible in some respects. Just be on time for work, be sociable, do your best in the classroom, build on your experience, and try to make it a positive go. A lot of people think that they're cut out for living and working in a foreign country for whatever reason, only to find that they definitely are not. It's not for everyone, but a hagwon job, if chosen with some acumen, is often a way to find out if it's for you. |
You are an angel! Thanks so much for the information. I am trying to get as much of my documents in order, as I can, so I can be ready to go once I graduate. |
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tophatcat
Joined: 09 Aug 2006
Location: under the hat
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 1:00 am Post subject: |
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PRagic gave you some very good advice.
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JohnML
Joined: 05 Jul 2015
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 4:05 am Post subject: Re: Are all hagwons really that bad? |
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| Just2cute89 wrote: |
| I am still in school and should be graduating next year and I want to teach in Korea (obviously) . Since I will be new to teaching and only have a degree and TESOL, I know my chances of living in a major city is slim, with public schools. I'm looking into hagwons, but there are so many horror stories that go along with them. My only issue with that is, if so many people hate them so much, why do people still apply to work there? Are people just taking ANY job thrown at them? Are people blowing this whole situation out of proportion, or is the truth somewhere in the middle. Just from a logical standpoint, every hagwon EVER can't be terrible, or am I being too optimistic? Any legitimate help / critique will be greatly appreciated. |
People still work there as they just want to live in Korea, there are a major group of people who would work here for even less if offered. It's the same in a lot of eastern asian countries, Japan being another. The truth as you said is somewhere in the middle. Not every hagwon is going to be terrible |
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Aine1979
Joined: 20 Jan 2013
Location: Incheon
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| Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 6:20 am Post subject: |
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| There are plenty of great hagwons, but like anything, people are far more likely to complain about a bad experience than praise a good one. Also, hagwons can change overnight. A friend of mine was happy for 3 years at a great hagwon, then it was sold, the new owners were a nightmare and all their foreign teachers quit within a month. |
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greyhound
Joined: 10 Jun 2016
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| Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2016 4:24 am Post subject: |
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What happens if you lose your job at a hagwon on an E2 visa? What do you do? I heard you have 14 days or something before you have to leave Korea.
Do they also fire you on the spot or do they give you 1 month's notice? I am a cautious guy in my 40s and aware that Korea likes its young teachers. So I am just wondering what to do if anything happened.  |
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tophatcat
Joined: 09 Aug 2006
Location: under the hat
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| Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2016 5:06 am Post subject: |
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| greyhound wrote: |
What happens if you lose your job at a hagwon on an E2 visa? What do you do? I heard you have 14 days or something before you have to leave Korea.
Do they also fire you on the spot or do they give you 1 month's notice? I am a cautious guy in my 40s and aware that Korea likes its young teachers. So I am just wondering what to do if anything happened. |
You are worrying too much. Come on ever. Get fired. Then worry. Who knows, you might quit before they fire you. |
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Aine1979
Joined: 20 Jan 2013
Location: Incheon
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| Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2016 3:54 pm Post subject: |
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| greyhound wrote: |
What happens if you lose your job at a hagwon on an E2 visa? What do you do? I heard you have 14 days or something before you have to leave Korea.
Do they also fire you on the spot or do they give you 1 month's notice? I am a cautious guy in my 40s and aware that Korea likes its young teachers. So I am just wondering what to do if anything happened. |
If you're in the first 6 months of your contract, they can fire you and don't have to give you notice. After 6 months, and they have to give you 30 days notice or 30 days pay.
If you are fired (or quit) before the end of your contract, you need a letter of release from your employer to enable you to change your visa to another employer, or to change to a D10 (looking for work) visa. There is no legal obligation for an employer to provide a letter of release. Without this, you would have 14 days from your last day of work to leave the country.
The exception to this would be if you can show your employer has broken the law, e.g. not paying you, firing with no notice etc, in which case the labor board will often give you paperwork to give to immi which will act as a release letter and allow you to change to a new E2 sponsor or a D10 visa. |
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greyhound
Joined: 10 Jun 2016
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| Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2016 4:13 pm Post subject: |
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Oh I see! But areyou allowed to stay in your free accommodation for 14 days?  |
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pmwhittier
Joined: 03 Nov 2011
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2016 5:49 pm Post subject: |
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| greyhound wrote: |
| Oh I see! But are you allowed to stay in your free accommodation for 14 days? |
I don't want to frighten you, but most often you don't even get 14 hours to gather your stuff and get out. Hagwon owners can be very, very nice when they like you and very, very, very, extremely evil if they don't like you.
The one time that I was fired it was after 6 months, so I had to fight them to honor the guidelines set forth by the Labor Board. The stories about schools tossing the teacher's belongings out on the street and changing the locks within an hour of firing is 100 percent real. |
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greyhound
Joined: 10 Jun 2016
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| Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2016 9:31 pm Post subject: - |
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| Oh I see. So are there cheap hostels in Korea to stay at temporarily if things go sour? Like £15 per night |
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Aine1979
Joined: 20 Jan 2013
Location: Incheon
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| Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2016 11:22 pm Post subject: |
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| greyhound wrote: |
| Oh I see! But areyou allowed to stay in your free accommodation for 14 days? |
Not usually. Usually you have to be out of your accommodation either the same day, or the day after your last day of work.
There are definitely cheap places to stay in Korea, £15 is currently less than 25,000￦ and I'm not sure what you would get for that kind of money. |
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