Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dogshed]

I did a search for public schools and most of the posts are kinda old.

What are they like now? Are they still like the post from 2004? -Jeff

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Probably, yep.

[laogaiguk]

This just goes to show how a monkey could have programmed the search function better.

Just look through the last two pages, you will find lots of stuff.

In short (as I can't type it all again for the 6th time), publics schools are much better than hagwons. On rare occasions, you end up with horrid public school working conditions. Sometimes, you end up with bad ones, but you still get paid and everything on time. More often than not, it's ok, or like mine, awesome.

Hagwons are more like the lottery. A good hagwon would be better than a good public school, but if you find one of those, you will be extremely lucky.

[crazylemongirl]

check what I wrote = here

[ttompatz]

[laogaiguk]

[Peter Jackson]

A lot will depend on the school. I'm in a great public school position but others I know don't have it as good. From what I've heard and experienced, I'd have to say that high school suits my taste. The elementary and middle school scene doesn't appeal.

I was lucky to hook up with a school that has no English classes before lunch and I don't have to be there when I'm not teaching. Most people I know have to be there from 830 to 430, regardless if they have classes or not. This would be one of the few negatives.

But concerning work load, benefits, etc public wins, hands down. Is there any hagwon job that offers 15 sick days, special leaves for marriage and death in the family, lots of vacation (depends on school) and very slow stress? No hagwon job I ever had or heard about....

[Ya-ta Boy]

[mack the knife]

[laogaiguk]

[krjames]

CLG said in an old post things can change in any place, but I expect/assume(with all that suggests!) that Public Schools will be a little more static than a Hakwon.

I have been at my current Hakwon for 11 months. When I arrived 2 korean ladies were taking the classes, 1 of course got sacked once I arrived , and things were pretty good. Nice lady, nice kids, good system in place. Nice lady left at the end of January and a guy, relative of the 원장님 arrived. Seemed nice enough and things went on ok. In April the guy teaching Middle school students upstairs left (I have nothing to do with them sadly) and my colleague started teaching those classes. He seems to do a lot of work, mostly irrelevant to the elementary kids' texts but I presume related to the middle school students. At some stage he started carrying a stick around, often a 2 foot length of steel tube

Now we are into thenew semester he has started hitting the kids for not doing homework As the homework seems to be writing out list of words from god knows where, I can understand where the kids are coming from. But he comes in at the beginning of my classes to check and whack anyone he sees fit. Tonight he whacked all the kids in my better 6th grade class, which is a combination of 3 different pre-holiday classes. Some of them were lively anyway... so much for my last class.

So I was in a good place for about 8 months and it's all gone down hill since. Sad. Strikes me that this is more likely to happen in a Hakwon than a proper school.. We have gone through 4 teachers in my time here, maths, hanja and social studies. Can't help thinking they tried to catch me out with immigration too..

Ho hum, where's a public school for me?

Cheers

[Sody]

[dogshed]

SMOE, EPIK and GEPIK
What are these three programs and how are they different? -Jeff

[dogshed]

Nevermind I found it. SMOE vs EPIK vs GEPIK

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=60953&highlight=smoe