Korean Job Discussion Forums

[rojees]

Im a newbie here and would like some comments about your own experiences

When i ask which is the best, I mean regarding curriculum, general work hours, prep time, students, level of discipline, shifts, accommodation etc

Please state your reasons for your selection

[Hyeon Een]

It depends on YOU.

Personally I get on great with any ages older than kindergarten. I'm good with elementary, middle and high school. I also get on great with University aged students.

I don't like "proper" adults and I don't like Kindergarten. They are poles apart but neither are my cup of tea.

My personal ideal ages are Elementary 4-6 grade and University age. Some teachers here will totally love different ages. It's hard to know until you have experience with them. (I also totally love middle school when they love English and are there because they want to be.. )

Your poll is so difficult to answer. I have my favorites but they can be totally blown away by certain groups of awesome students of any age.

Spend some time with people of ALL ages and it might give you an idea of what you'd be good at teaching. But it might not. It's a tough question until you have experience. If I had one choice of ages it'd be University freshmen (before the guys go into the military).

(And all my comments are regardless of prerpwork. I'm talking about pure 'feeling' here with regards to the students. For me the books and prep matter less than the feeling I get)

[Colorado]

I love the challenge of Middle School.

[Thunndarr]

I like elementary 3-5th and adults. I don't like teaching the young kids as it's often a total waste of time for them to be studying English, and I can't stand the attitude of (many) middle school and high school kids.

[corroonb]

Adults.

[mountain goat]

[JMO]

I like grades 5/6 elementary school to high school. Anything younger just seems futile to me, although I do have my younger classes only once a week and I think that they think it's playtime. I havnt taught university or adult but I have taught every other level. To me kindergarten is hell. Everything else I can deal with. If I could make all my classes from one level, I would make it middle school.

[jlb]

Kindergarten and middle school are hell, though for very different reasons. I've never taught anyone older than middle school so can't comment on the other ages.

Kindi: just sucks the life out of you. So tiring. 30 minutes feels like an hour.

Middle School: somewhat disrespectful and all about the looming tests. Very quiet too.

Elementary is awesome. Lots of energy and happy to be learning English.

[Sod_em_and_begorrah]

In my experience-Elementary is my favourite in general, because the kids are a lot more enthusiastic and easy to manage.

Middle school-in the hagwon drawing answers out of them is like getting blood out of a stone. They don't want to look smart and they don't want to look stupid, so they say nothing. I taught for 10 weeks in a public middle school and only the same few students in each class wanted to learn-which is only to be expected.

High school-I'm currently teaching a class of students who have just finished high school and are starting uni soon. It's my favourite class, they all speak good English and are all enthusiastic about learning. I have no idea what teaching in an actual high school is like but I'd like to do it someday.

Uni-never taught

Adults-I taught a few adults, three ajummas and an ajosshi who were only doing it as a hobby. It was hateful, because they didn't bother learning anything-it was like a coffee morning for them. The same mistakes came up in every single lesson. Mistakes that my 7-year-olds only make once or twice.

I wouldn't teach kindergarten.

[Homer]

Worked with elementary school kids, middle school and high school students and now with adults and university students.

Each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. It really does depend on what you are looking for and on what type of teacher you are.

Do you like kids?

Are you an energetic teacher (this is required for kids)?

Are you patient? (required for kids)

Do you prefer more grammar oriented lessons (adults)?

Do you prefer adult learners that include those who want to learn and those who are just there and pretty hard to motivate?

Do you prefer split shifts (usually for adults)?

These are just a few questions and really the input you get here will only be minimally useful as none of us can know what you prefer and what your personality is more geared to....

[Oreovictim]

Before I came over here, several people said that I should teach middle school over kindergarten because the young kids won't get my sense of humor. Guess what? NOBODY over here gets my sense of humor!

I was shocked that I would like the kindergarten kids. I wouldn't want a full day with 'em, but having a few classes works out fine. I like kindergarten age to about 4th grade. After that, they (the boys) start to act like little a$$holes, and the girls start to act like stuck-up bitches.

But I agree with the people here about middle school kids; they're boring. They don't talk because they are tired, self-conscious, snobbish, etc. Fortunately, I only have one middle school class, and every day, I feel like a stand-up comic who's bombing on stage.

I just tell people that they should work with a wide range of students. Then if you want to do a second year, you'll definitely know what you want.

[captain kirk]

I find I can get along most easily with elementary, the 9 to 12 year olds. They're so eager and full of laughter it's great to be with them! Hahaha, like that poster who awhile back began his threadleading OP with, 'Every day I yearn for death but faced with smiling, eager to learn, elementary students I (forget about yearning for death)....hahaha, classic.

[Dawn]

It depends entirely upon the teacher. I personally prefer preschool and kindergarten to all other ages. Yes, this age group has the potential to be exhausting, but they can also be incredibly energizing.

Once you build a rapport, students at this age are overwhelmingly eager to please, and they soak up information like little sponges. I started the year with sixteen 5- and 6-year-olds, at least half a dozen of which are barely three western age. In four short weeks, most of them have gone from little or no English to a basic understanding of classroom language. They know their colors, they can count to 25, they've learned the days of the week, they know basic action words, they're learning the names of various animals, they're beginning to identify parts of the body, etc. They're also learning such things as how to take turns, how to share, how to hold a pencil, how to sit (relatively) still during work time, how to solve problems without hitting or kicking or screaming or crying, etc.

It is perhaps easier to teach older students because they should have a stronger foundation of knowledge upon which to build. (Though this isn't always the case -- I've had middle schoolers in the past who were still in the punching=problem-solving stage.) But with the little ones, you can practically see them growing and maturing from day to day -- and being a part of that process is both motivating and rewarding.

[Ya-ta Boy]

[Rteacher]

I think that it's been well covered, but in simplest terms I've found that teaching kindergarden is the most fun (if you have a good Korean co-teacher...) elementary kids (if you're on your own and it's a rowdy neighborhood....) are the hardest to control; middle schoolers are often most challenging in terms of holding their attention; high school is probably easiest overall in terms of effort required (at a public school with compatible Korean co-teachers...) and adults are usually the easiest to teach (but often requires working early and/or late shifts ...)