Korean Job Discussion Forums

[OiGirl]

CLG's thread got me to thinking.

Knowing what you know about hiring processes in Korea, if you are a parent in Korea, do you entrust your kids to academies or camps run by foreign teachers? Are your kids foreign, Korean, or transnational?

[Homer]

Mixed kid (wife is Korea).

We will cross that bridge when we get to it.

[DHC]

My wife is Korean and we do not send our daughter to English hagwons or camps.

[tzechuk]

I can't imagine ever sending Letty to hagwons, other than for music lessons.

[Unposter]

To me I guess there are two issues: If I were Korean and If I were a parent.

If I were a parent, I would agree with Tzechuk (sp?), I would only be interested in subjects such as music, art and martial arts. I would not be interested in academic tutoring unless my child was very enthusiastic and really, really wanted it. And, even then, I would think twice, as I would rather provide him or her with independent study materials rather than attend a hakwon.

Regardless, I certainly would not expect them to attend English classes as they should (with me being their parent) get plenty of English at home.

In the U.S., I believe that if a student is having difficulty or is gifted, they provide extra classes or counselling. At least, they did when I was growing up. These days with a more lassier-faire (sp?) attitude in the state governments, I don't know if such programs still exist.

Now, as a Korean parent that would be a different story. I would be nervous entrusting my child to any stranger much less one that I have problems speaking their language and have different customs than me. But, I guess I would have little choice as learning English is necessary in Korea.

What more -- I would be sheepish and send my child to the same hakwon everyone else was sending their kids not because I wanted to keep up with the Jonses but because I did not speak English I would not know how to evaluate the teacher or know who to trust. I would also prefer a teacher who looked "safe" even though appearances can be decieving because I can not communicate with the teacher and assess whether he or she knows what he or she is doing and is trustworthy.

I know the vast majority of Western teachers here come with the best of intentions but the inability of the parents to understand this is really a great obstacle.

But, if there was only one foreigner in my area, I would have no choice but to trust that person as there would be no other choice as I do believe a communicative approach is the best way to learn a foreign language. If the Korean teachers were more communicative, I would strongly consider that first.

[Ilsanman]

My wife already knew about it, and I just confirmed what she already believed.

I told her that hagwons are hell. They are either really nice and good places to work, but usually those ones aren't profitable or the kids don't actually learn anything.

If they are successful, they are usually hell on kids, hell on staff, and so on. A factory to make people miserable.

We agreed that if she have a child here and he/she gets old enough for education, we will only teach him/her Tae kwon do, piano, swimming, or something like that. No math, no science, and certainly no English.

Also, I am not putting my child in the hands of a teacher that might hit/her. I don't believe in corporal punishment.

[jinju]

I wont send my kid to an English hagwon. Actually Id love to avoid sending him to any hagwon. But English? He will grow up with the language in his home, no need to waste money on English hagwons.

[Homer]

To expand...no English Hakwon if and when the time comes.

Swimming, computers and math..perhaps.

[PimpofKorea]

If I did have a kid here...I'd send that bad boy to an English hagwon..just so he/she could punk out the other kids and staff...show them how real English is done. If anybody gave them lip about being a half-breed...I'd give him/her full permission to lay them out.