Korean Job Discussion Forums

[silver_butterfly]

Please can someone define the ages differences between elementary, middle, high etc schools in Korea?
I want to apply to work for a public school this coming March and I'm not sure which age group to go for? Also, which age group do you prefer to teach and why?
Thanks.

[ajuma]

Elementary: Western age around 7-12.

Middle school: Around 13-15

High school: Around 15-18

These are ballpark figures. You'll get many younger and a few older in each group.

[Oreovictim]

I teach a few kindergarten kids, many elementary school kids, and some middle school kids.

I'm surprised, but I really like the kidergarten kids; I didn't think that I would. The elementary school kids are my favorite. But once they start getting to about 5th grade, they start to suck. (The boys, anyway. Most of the girls are angels.)

My middle school kids don't act up too much; they're just boring. They're usually really tired by the end of the day, and aren't interested. (But then again, I only have two classes with 12 students each. About two kids from each class actually like to talk with me.)

Good luck with your decision.

[SirFink]

I teach 1st-6th, so that's 8 to 12 I guess? I prefer the younger kids as they're more willing to speak in class and aren't self-conscious or shy (well, most of them anyway). I've got a class of 12 year old girls and it's a real struggle to teach. Many are so painfully shy it's like they're borderline autistic. It would be easier getting a statue to talk. I can only imagine it gets worse by the time they hit Middle and High school, but I could be wrong as I've no experience teaching those ages.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

High school is grades 1-3. The school year starts in March. Kids from the same grade were all born in the same year with few exceptions. Next year almost all grade 1s will have been born in 1991 and will turn 16 in western years. Grade 2s will have been born in 1990 and will turn 17 during or just before the school year. Grade 3s, born in 1989, will turn 18.

Middle school is also grades 1-3. Subtract three years from HS to figure out their ages / years of birth.

Elementary school is grades 1-6. Re: the 2007 school year, grade 6 students will have been born in 1995. Figure it out from there for grades 1-5.

The term kindergarten is often applied to children as young as 3 and kindergartens are privately run.

I like high school the best, followed by middle school. Others hate these ages. It all comes down to your own aptitude and preferences. If you're teaching HS, what kind of shcool you're at makes a huge difference. Teaching English in an academic programme is a lot different from a vocational / tehcnical programme, for the most part. Middle schools differ less and class size has the biggest effect on how pleasant it is. I don't know as much about elementary schools but I do know that everyone I've met who's worked for a private elementary school (don't confuse this with a hogwan) has liked it.

[bosintang]

Yu_Bum_Suk gave a good run down about the age levels.

Just to be clear, some other posters giving their opinions about their age preference here are talking about their experiences in hagwons, which are privately owned non-academic institutions. Their experiences are considerably different from someones experiences in a public school.

[silver_butterfly]

Thanks guys for replying, though I have to be honest and say because I'm English the whole grading system confuses the hell outta me!

So from a public school teaching pov, which is the best, what is it like and why? I have had hogwan and camp experience so I really do have no idea.

I know I prefer older kids, but definitely ones who like to speak and learn is better! Just not a fan of the younger kids so I'm quite torn between elementary and middle! :s Confusing!!

[Yu_Bum_suk]