Korean Job Discussion Forums

[sevitzky]

I was just offered a position:
35,000/hr x 6hrs/day x 5days/week
Independent Contractor
new Hagwon, for
Post-high school students preparing for AP / A-Level tests.

New Hagwon (Not a long track record)
a couple international affiliations established,
English speaking married couple owners, younger than 40 years old. (no Ajuma)
very new so tiny classes.
Very mixed English levels
I'm expected to teach multiple subjects, but I have a feeling it's really about English.
I get a decent vibe at the place, but hard to describe/justify these intangibles.


Things I know I need to evaluate:
No Airfare
No Housing Allowance
No Pension/Health (not that much if I have to pay myself, from what I've been told by a Korean Citizen family member)
Have to file my own taxes
No Paid Vacations
National Vacations, yes


Even with these issues, being an IC, it seems like a great deal. I'm I missing anything huge?

It comes out to somethink like 4.5 million / month. It's an insane rate compared to what I've seen, despite having to deal with my own tax/health/pension!

I'm tempted to snap it up, but really want to do some due diligence on the market, well...hmm....


About Me:
Doctoral Degree in Humanities (Culture/Arts/Writing/Etc)
Experience teaching college courses, syllabus design, etc
Ivy League Degrees
On-Air Radio experience
F-6, Came here w/ my spouse
No Formal certificates or prior ESL Experience
Mid-Entry-Level Korean speaking (currently studying at a Hagwon)


THANK YOU for reading and for your suggestions!

[faeriehazel]

35/hr for test prep is ... ok? Not the best. I have an MA from a top 10 uni and 35 was where I started at my first job after grad school (5 years ago). Then again, the market has changed.

If you do decide to work here, make SURE they guarantee you a minimum number of hours a week in your contract. Hakwons can lure you in promising plenty of hours and a high salary, and then three months later claim that they don't have enough students to run all those classes. That's the danger of hourly wage.

The thing about test prep in Korea is that it's all about reputation. Once you teach a group of students and they decide they like you, you can start teaching privately and ask for a much higher hourly rate. But you do have to start somewhere. Having Ivy League degrees is a good start. If you're interested in teaching AP stuff you could keep an eye out for jobs at Daewon and Minsa, although it's not the hiring season for them at the moment.

[sevitzky]

Ok - thank you!

[Troglodyte]

As faeriehazel notes, success in test prep is measured by your reputation for improving students' test scores. Unfortunately their success isn't based solely on your ability. There are a lot of students who are either lazy or simply unable to learn languages. Still, you'll be credited with their success or failure.

I think that 35/hr is very low. I would only accept such a low offer if the school guarantees the following (in your contract):
- 25 hr per week (and will pay you even if they don't hold the classes),
- no more than a single "break" between classes (maximum 1 hr), other than the regular 5-10 minutes between classes.
- they will give you 60 days notice (or pay in lieu of) if they will terminate your employment

If it's not in writing then there's nothing to force them to stick to their word. If they won't guarantee those things, then just take a regular hagwon contract (ask for 400k housing allowance). Between the cost of health insurance, pension, housing, etc. there won't be much difference in your actual profits.

One of the big problems with doing hourly work is that your schedule will fluctuate a lot. There are certain times of year when business will be great and others when you'll just scrape by. You should also be working at a couple of different places to maintain a bit of job security. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

If you go into any job agency and tell them that you're willing to work for 35k/hr (with blocks of classes) then you'll get plenty of job offers. It's well below the going rate. 35k/hr is what they offer Filipina housewives who want to make some extra cash. Normally the lowest going base rate for blocks of classes is 40k/hr for general English and upwards for specialized classes (e.g. test prep). More often, it's 50k/hr. In fact, if you do less than 3 blocked classes, you'll get at least 50k/hr. Those are base rates though. In reality you can find plenty of gigs paying a lot more. If you're good at test prep, you can make upward of 100k/hr. Students (or their parents, usually) will pay a lot if you have a good reputation for producing results.

[fustiancorduroy]

35k an hour is not the best for test prep, but if you are guaranteed at least 100 hours a month, it would be good. If they will pay you for 120 hours of teaching a month, even better. At the very least, it could be a way to get your feet wet in the industry if you are looking to work in it for a few years.

Privates can pay more per hour in theory, but you'd have to build a lot of connections and establish a reputation before you will have a consistent stream of them and make a livable wage. However, working for a large company by the hour might be a more feasible option from the get go.

Personally, I prefer having a full-time job with a regular wage and set hours than having to scramble constantly to find private lessons to teach. The slighty higher hourly pay isn't worth the effort or stress, as far as I'm concerned.

[sevitzky]

This is really helpful, thanks.

Good tips on the contractual minimums. The students pay in full for "semester," so they are promising a full 30 hrs a week. But if I'm hourly, I would need it in writing.

Sounds like, if I'm going to be on a year-long contract, I might as well find something which is a standard employment contract, providing tax/health/pension/vacation.

And if working in the field of test-prep, subject to all the whims you've described, I might as well go fully "private", find higher rates, and keep it in the "margins" of my schedule rather than making it my bread and butter. (At least to start)

[Troglodyte]

[wooden nickels]

[sevitzky]

Trog, thanks man. Great info.

Right now, I'm working PT for them on a writing course. (which is amazing, by the way -- watching them confront the possibilities of open-ended creativity is beautiful, even with lunar-pockmarked-English)

I think I might propose taking on half of the hours they offered. The hours are all in block, as you suggested, and there are 4 kids. They kids are booked for the same time, all week long, and I think they prepay, so it appears to be pretty regular and stable.

Hourly = freelance, so even with contractual minimums, and a respectful, reciprocal notice (of leaving) period, it's not and never will be employment in the traditional sense. So I think there's no sense in trying to force a round peg/square hole, etc.

Like you said, might as well look for PT work other places, for job security, learn what my strengths/weaknesses are, etc.

Good to think about the post-classroom hours of test-prep...

I'm not here just to bang out money; I'm studying Korean, kid on the way, so finding the *right* job is important (PS, I'm not completely naive, just optimistic.) and we can float the difference a bit, in the meantime.