Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cubanlord]

My wife and I were approached with an offer to take over a hogwon that is currently doing well. The reason for this was that the owner is moving to England for 2 years and wants someone responsible to run her business while she is gone. I would be free to write our contracts, etc. She wasn't asking for much (I was going to do a percentage based contract vs. salary). I won't go into details with what I had intended to place in the contract, so I won't bore you with the details. However this is what happened:

Our current contract ends at the end of Feb. We would have started there in March. My wife and I went through long debates and great conversations about the pro's and con's of running a business. We really....REALLY....love where we are at now, so we decided to speak to the school we are currently at. We told them what was happening (omitting the details) and we wanted to see what the school would do to keep us. We made an offer to the current school we work at. They thought about it for 3 weeks and just this past monday, accept our proposal . I couldn't believe it. We hit them up hard and they took it. My wife and I were pleased and felt good about it. We have been there 2 years already and they really showed us that they cared by honoring what we had proposed to them.

We finally decided to stay with the current school. Could we have made more money at the Hogwon, sure. However, we would have crazy work schedules, little to no vacation (we get 8 weeks this year at our school), etc. On the other hand, We could have done privates right out of the hogwon. Still, money isn't everything to us. We are really satisfied. We called up the owner and told he/she, "sorry, we decided to stay". Boy was she/he unhappy. Now I think, "maybe it was good we stayed."

What choice would you have taken?

P.S. I really enjoy talking to you members. Most of you provide a wealth of information while maintaining a little sass.

[JAWINSEOUL]

If your current situation feels right, then it was the right thing to do. Instinct can be scarily intuitive.

[KittyLover]

Yeah, I know you've heard my opinion. I guess the no-drama route is always better than the get-rich route. Quantity of money does not always equal quality of life.

[Cheonmunka]

It is similar to me knocking down a university gig. For me, oppositely to you, there was less money in that road so I didn't take it.
If I were you and had that opportunity, without knowing details, I'd have tried to work a way to keep my hands in that pie being offered.
Like, work part time if I must with the previous school, then recruit a manger for the other school and pay him/her half what I'd get and just be the silent part timer making sure all is in place.
I'd have looked into delegating responsibility to others while taking on the major decisions.
That's just what I'd have done if I found that opportunity.

But as it turned out you needen't have gone the cagey route that I would have taken. You possibly won't lose a lot financially by this turn of events and you have gained in other ways. Now you have cudos [sp] with your present place because you've proven that you'll stay with the employer you've got, what's that word, reliability, something like that. Also, you've obviously gained financially over the previous condition.
Win-win except that you may have lost your place getting a foot in, without any personal financial investment, into a hakwon.

Same with me though, chose not to get that foot in with one of Korea's best unis. Bugger it. Can't make every right move 'cept, as someone said "Follow your intuition."

[Cheonmunka]

"Quantity of money does not always equal quality of life."

I have four mouths to feed and keeping my family away from breadlines costs not just money but a complete sacrifice of my lifestyle choices.

When you are young, and if you are the kind of person who thinks about marriage someday, try to get that house half-paid through your assets before marriage and before kids!

[Roch]

How ironic: English is your second language, yet you earn more than a W.A.S.P. I know who graduated from Williams College (B.Sc, Cum Laude).

Good luck in future!

R

[periwinkle]

Personally, I would never take over or start a hakwon. Unless you are an amazing salesman; can really finesse/placate/cajole, etc. the mothers; and really care about your "product" (peddling English), I think it'd be tough to stay afloat. Also, unless you have advanced Korean skills or a trustworthy translator, I don't know how you'd be able to conduct business properly here. For me, unless it's really fat cash (and you are not getted taxed at exorbitant rates), it's not something I'd want to get involved in. That said, there may be people up to the challenge. All I remember is that when I worked at a hakwon, I had a countdown on my calendar until the last day of my contract. When that contract ended, I literally felt like I was being released from jail. No way I'd ever go back to a hakwon- the experience was just too bad.

Again, it all comes down to priorities and what you have the ability to handle.

[Trespasser]

Congratulations to both of you! It is nice to feel valued. I would have done the same thing.