Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jacqueline]

Hi Everyone,
I'm curious what you all think about teaching in public vs private schools. I've been told by a few people that the pay is a bit less in public but the work conditions are generally better (ie. shorter work weeks, more vacation, better treatment). Anyone have experience in both or just have some advice?
Thanks!
(Just a little note...I did attempt using the search function as I assumed that this could be a common question but no luck)

[dulouz]

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/korea/viewtopic.php?t=66172&highlight=public

[jacqueline]

Hey there dulouz, thanks for the link. I was wondering if anyone had some comparisons for me though? I guess what I was mostly looking for was those of you who had done both and your opinions on which was more enjoyable, are public schools worth the pay cut?
thanks!

[Ya-ta Boy]

By 'private school' do you mean a privately owned high school or do you mean a hakwon (language institute)?

[Grotto]

public school over hogwan anytime!

[dulouz]

Private school where 80% of the female staff look like lingerie models including director and co director and the the same management staff have USA issued MFA's beats public school hands down.

If you are into the safe life and can appreciate a civil service induced rotund pot belly, ajumma haircuts and the most dismal tedium imaginable by all means go public. I really appreciated my 22 hours of nap time at my public school every week. I learnt to have tissue availabe because of that nap-drool you get when you have your head on your desk.


There is a third way and that involves something called after school programs. This can give you much less work time and the opportunity to steal $3000 of your money every month. Man, that was wild. It was just like Oceans 11. God I was slick, I even wore black clothes and dark sunglasses so I'd look like a bad ass. They followed me and confronted me and we had one of those Korean fights where you can't actually punch anyone. It was still exciting to have all that money stuffed into my book bag.

IMHO its 50% 50% - the private school lets you explore and develop provided you get a good private school which are not likely to get on your first job. the public schools are safe but dull. The pay is the same. I'd recommend public first if you don't want to get burned or you can't handle stress.

[Kimchieluver]

Done both. Public schools hands down.

Lots of things to consider though. Here are two I think you might want put some thought into.

Do you have teaching experience. If no, a hogwan maybe better to start out.

Are you a day person or a night person? If you like sleeping in and watching late night TV maybe a hogwan is better for you.

[Milwaukiedave]

I also have to say public school hands down. My first few jobs were at a hogwan and then I moved to a public school. They went out of their way to find me larger housing because I'm married, were willing to provide anything we needed for our new apartment (again above and beyond what normally is expected) and because I'm the first and only native speaker, I'm somewhat of a celebrity (yes, I know it's only because I'm white, but hell I might as well enjoy it).

[Octavius Hite]

No comparison. Public, public, public. I get treated like a king. Always paid on time, no one pushing you to finish textbooks, impress mom's and I get 6-8 weeks of paid vacation minimum. Plus classes are always canceled for exams and other BS so I often I have a lot of free time. Plus I am home at 430 everyday so I can work privates at night.

[jacqueline]

Thanks for the resonses everyone! Grotto, why public schools for you hands down? And just wondering, if you do not have any classroom experience why is a hagwon better? Thanks so much guys, keep it coming!

[Hyeon Een]

If you are confident enough to stand in front of a class of 30-50 students then public school hands down. In a lot of places you'd only be co-teaching anyway so no problem.

If that number of students scares you then go with a hagwan where the class sizes are generally 12 or less (if you get a hagwan with classes larger than that you might as well have been in a public school anyway..)

Then again, a hagwan will give you a bunch of english speaking co-workers to hang out with, a public school might not. Also a hagwan can have shorter working hours. But a public school gives you a LOT more days off (especially middle or high school)

[jacqueline]

Hmmm....public school seems like it may be the best bet for me. I have no problem teaching in front of large classes, my only concern would be that I'm coming on my own so if I didn't work with any other english speakers my social life may take a bit of a nose dive! My experience travelling (even within my own country) has been that after awhile you always end up meeting a few new people however so hopefully this trend will continue in Korea.

[dulouz]

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[Old fat expat]

Many here have worked both public and hagwon. General concencus seems to be public. But ...

I have a 3 month contract at a public school and I will not renew. I now understand why this country needs hagwons. To date they have been the most disorganized school I have worked at (including hagwons) . The first day I began work the Korean teacher told me "not like hagwon-mothers don't care, don't try too hard".

If you can get a good hagwon you're more likely to see your teaching have an impact. Smaller classes and an economic imperative to get results. But hagwons are also notorious for being run by those without a clue as to what education is. Its all a crap-shot.

Please note though, my sample size is small (2 hogies, 2 publics).