Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dexter]

I am considering teaching in Rural Korea. I am a noob - to teaching in Korea and teaching in general. I have read carefully all the arguments against living in rural areas from a lifestyle perspective, I still want to do it, what i'm wondering regards the job itself.

Are rural gigs suitable for someone inexperienced?
Are they more or less challenging?
Are the Hagwons as risky as they are in Seoul etc or are there differences?

If anyone could give some pointers Id appreciate

[Underwaterbob]

I'd say much less suited for a beginner and far more challenging. In my rural school I have children who were more or less abandoned, have major learning disabilities and act about exactly how you'd expect a bunch of farmer's kids to act. The rule in Korea is if your child has some kind of learning disability, or has only one parent or none, they are shipped off to as rural a location as possible to save as much face as possible.

That said, working with them is very rewarding and classes tend to be far more, er, crazy. So if you like a very lively classroom like I do, and don't mind feeling like you're beating your head against a brick wall in order to make any progress at all, it's not so bad.

If you plan on working in a hagwon rather than public school, you will never see these types of kids. Hagwons are for the at least somewhat wealthy.

Of course it all depends on what you mean by rural to begin with. There are no hagwons in the town where my rural school is. I live a half hour away where there are hagwons aplenty in a city of 200'000 that is quite rural by Korean standards, but working conditions here are pretty much identical to those in Seoul.

EDIT: I forgot, my rural school is small enough that I've managed to give every student an English name and as a result have a much better working relationship with many of them then at my school in the city, where I teach close to 1000 students and have to use a class list (and read Korean) to refer to any of them by name, and there is still no way I'll ever remember their names.

[Straphanger]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[Straphanger]

Did I forget YBS in my original post? I think I did.

[samcheokguy]

-If you have a serious independent streak, like 'adventure' learning korean in a hurry, (not conversation) being freaked out, seeing new things, and yes seriously isolated kids with broken homes, you'll have a ball.
-If not, buy a gun and one bullet. You'll need it.
-I did a town of 2,000. Lived in it. Yes, that Middle School had fewer than 100 students. Entertainment was fried chicken and soju. I learned how to read Korean in a week.
-Oh and you won't get laid.

[IAMAROBOT]

I agree with samcheokguy 100%. I lived in a village of about 2,000 people in the mountains. You're pretty much stuck hanging out with the same people. For me, it was the other male Korean co-teachers whose idea of fun was having slumber parties and practicing English with me out of phrasebooks.

However, I do find myself missing my rural students. They were easier to manage and the bad bratty kids in the countryside don't hold a candle to the impudent snots in my current city school.

[kenbear]

i live in by korean standards a rural town. I was inexpierienced teaching wise before i came here. You say you've decided on the lifestyle it's the job you're worried about. well for me this is the easiest job i've ever had, i teach at a MS and the students are great, not so much academically but as people. many are from the orphanage a few have special needs of varying degrees but at the end of the day after 2 weeks of being here i had settled into the job and never looked back. I'd say take the plunge, every school is different .

As for more or less challenging, i couldn't say as i have nothing to compare it to but i wouldn't say it was too challenging. The biggest challenge is getting used to life outside of school.

I would say though to avoid hagwons in rural areas. actually i would just say avoid hogwans in general but that's just my opinion.