1) Do you want to teach at a public school or private tutoring school
2) What recruiter do you want to use to get you to Korea
In this video, we'll give you our honest opinions and experiences with public and private schools. Sure, not everyone will agree with this, since everyone has different experiences, but we think this is the safest bet for having a successful stint (or career!) as an English teacher in Korea. As for us, we both work in pubic schools with Gepik (The Gyeonggi Board of Education), and we love it!
Have you already taught in Korea? Share your experiences with us in the comment section!
Click on the picture above for our guide on How to Become a Teacher in Korea, or check out the sidebar for the QuickTime version.
19 comments:
Public Schools may be the safer option, but a good Hogwan is better than a Public School. The hours are better (although that's really personal preference), the curriculum isn't as strict so you have more say in what you teach, and generally you are with a group of foreigners at a Hogwan, while you're typically on your own at a public school.
If you're smart and do your research on the schools, you can find a good, reputable Hogwan that won't give you problems.
Thanks for the information. I was wondering if getting a TEFL certificate really makes a difference in who gets selected through Korvia.
while i agree that there is a certain level of security when working at a public school, there are drawbacks to both. it all depends on the kind of person you are and the kind of day-to-day life you want to live while you're in korea.
[plus, i had a friend who worked at a public school in busan for a while, and he found out that they were taking twice the amount that they should have been from his paycheck (for his pension) but they weren't paying into his pension at all. so you CAN get screwed by a public school just as easily as you can by a hagwon. it's just less likely.]
so when it comes down to it, here are the main differences:
hagwon: 2nd shift schedule (usually 2pm-9pm-ish), smaller class size (i have no more than 12 kids per class. usually smaller.), and typically more than one foreign teacher, depending on the size of the hagwon. pay is around 100,000-200,000 more per month than a public school. even more for some really good hagwons.
public school: more of a 1st shift schedule, larger class size (i've heard up to 40 students?), and typically only 1 foreign teacher per school. pay is a little less but paid vacation time is much better.
so there are a lot of trade offs. it really depends on the individual and what you're looking for!
i've worked at two different hagwons now and have had and am having good experiences. feel free to contact me on AIM if you want any further information about working at a hagwon!
-beth
p.s. i still love your site and come back to it every week looking for new (hilarious) videos!
I am impressed that the two of you managed to get good jobs at pubic schools, those damn pubic schools are so competitive! I was told mine just don't curl right...
I have been offered a Gepik position and this video was really helpful to me and reassured me about my decision. I went public in order to get good holiday time as I want to be able to travel around Asia in my time off and 10 days/2 weeks is nothing! Especially as you can't take it when you want or how you want (all at one time!).
Robert,
See, I think that finding a good, reputable Hagwon is pretty difficult, not because they don't exist, but because people (including me) wouldn't know how to go about doing the research. Who do you actually talk to in order to get the answers? Your recruiter may tell you it's great, but can you trust them? I know of too many people who have been told by their recruiters that such and such Hagwon is great. You'll love it! and it turns out to be a terrible experience for a year.
Odds are - I think - that finding a good Hagwon is much more difficult in finding a good public school. Also (I'm not sure if this is the same with the other school boards) but if you get a job with Gepik and your school is acting up, you've got a support team to help you through it, and to call the school and sort them out.
We're both Gepik representatives, and we've received many emails from people who have had contract disputes with their schools. We'd tell them what they can do, or would call the higher-ups in Gepik to call the school directly, and many times have these disputes been resolved. Is there a support system like this in the Hagwon world?
I don't know. There was too much to say in a small video. Altogether, I agree with your first statement that public schools are safer, which is pretty much what we want people to know, just for starters.
What Hagwons going out of business with no notice, that's blasphemy I say's..... Oh Wait!!!!
One thing I might add is if you do go the Hagwon route, try and make sure a foreign teacher is currently teaching there and is willing to communicate with you by e-mail so you can get the low down.
I was thinking about going through Korvia, but now I am reassured! Thanks for this video, it was funny and helpful! And btw, your dog is so cute it hurts!
Completely trusting the recruiter and speaking only with them is foolish whether you're applying to a Hagwon or a public school. Most of the information I got for the schools I looked at came from current and former teachers of the Hagwon. They answered most of the questions I had rather than the recruiter. At every Hagwon I applied to I was given the e-mail of 3-4 teachers who told me anything I needed to know about the school and whether they had a problem with paychecks, their apartment, their contract, or anything else.
There are a number of decent recruiters out there, but the most important aspect in finding the best school is discussing the information with your potential co-workers. Even the best, most honest recruiters out there can't tell you everything you need to know about a school they've never taught in.
Public schools are definitely the better option. However, with the bad economy causing more competition, it’s extremely hard to get a public school position if you’re a newbie with no teaching experience. If you’re certified then yes, go public for sure, but if you’re not, then the chances of getting a public school position (especially if you’re applying for any start time other than August) are fairly small. I worked with two different recruiters, including Korvia, to get a public school position and no one (except very very rural schools) wanted someone without teaching experience or who couldn’t do an in person interview. So, unfortunately for us newbies, Hagwons may be the only option.
This winter Im taking 6 weeks of paid vacation. 1 week to chill out in Korea, 3 weeks in SE Asia and 2 weeks at home in the states. And I STILL have 6 vacation days plus about 12 personal (sick) days left for me to use this August.
I work at a public school. 'nuff said.
My hagwon friends all have their vacation at the same time, Dec 24-Jan 3, which is when EVERYONE travels, making their one week of vacation even worse. I'm traveling in late January and February, which will be much less crowded. Public schools FTW!
I worked at a hagwon for a year and agree with all your points comparing public (from what I've read and heard) v. private with a few caveats.
1. Hagwons do pressure teachers about declining number of students but I found this to be a lot of empty threats and misguided motivational strategies rather than something to get too stressed over (as long as your hagwon isn't doing so poorly that they lay off teachers or shutter their doors).
2. At my school they could be lenient with sick days depending on if they were able to combine classes/work it out schedule wise with other teachers. On the other hand, they could also be dicks about it and take money out of your paycheck to pay your replacement too. Definitely the stated message was "Don't get sick!"
3. It is true about vacation. I got 5 days for the entire year. However, management was willing to give me an entire month off upon completing my year contract and the beginning of a new contract. So, if you do a good job and they like you, your school may be willing to work something out.
I think it all depends on your goals and reasons for coming to Korea. If you want to travel and get to experience the country/holidays and have a more traditional work day, public school would probably be the way to go. If you want to make as much money as possible and don't mind an afternoon-evening work day and less time off, then hagwons may be for you. Generally, the starting pay is 200-300000 more at a hagwon. Also, as was stated before, at a larger hagwon, there will be other western teachers which can provide a ready support group, possible friendships or at least a way to ease your transition to Korea. You won't be on your own. I've read blogs from people working in public schools who felt somewhat isolated and it took them awhile to make contacts with other westerners. If you really want to immerse yourself, then maybe public schools would be a positive in that regard.
Anyway, I enjoyed your video but just wanted to offer some perspective on the hagwon side. There are definite negatives to hagwons but they're not all bad.
Can any of you comment about how to determine if a Hagwon is reputable?
Does anyone know anything about Chungdahm Learning? (traded as CDI)
Chugdahm is a tossup. It is a huge business, and, from what I understand, treats its employees as such. I have friends with jobs at various Chungdahm Learning hagwons, near and just outside Seoul. Two of them have good jobs that are lenient with vacations and sick days, while the other has LITERALLY NO vacation, and a tremendous amount of work. It depends on your experience and location a lot too. The more experience you have, the better your placement will be and, odds are, the better your treatment as well.
That being said, I came to Korea with EPIK, the national board of education (which places everywhere but Seoul and Gyeonggi-do). I did not use a recruiter, and using a recruiter is not even necessary, if you feel confident you will get the job. EPIK was the only program I applied for, and my school is WONDERFUL. I am living in Incheon and loving it.
Excellent video post(as always) by the best bloggers in South Korea.
When you compare, side by side, life as a public school teacher and that of a hakwon teacher, there really is no choice. Both in the area of benefits (paid vacation days, teaching hours(22 P.S vs. 40 hakwon), NO INCOME tax for P.S., settlement allowance, etc.. as well as the overall work environment and stability of public school vs someone who has a business interest more so than your well being there really is only one choice: Public School. It's just a better life.
CrazyBlindChick: Any privately owned business is a roll of the dice. Why even take the gamble?
Thanks again and great job as always EYK!
Awesome effort on the video! Great work.
hey Martina,
you covered girls with big boobs - bring your own bras ( haha thats BYOB), but what about clothes? i ve had a hard time finding most things here and you know my size!! Also, I haven't had to buy tampons here because I ve had people bring them, but I ve heard that "bigger" sizes here are hard and/or expensive to find!
Lol. I really like this video. My recruiter is Korvia! Yay!
Dope! Funny ish...
My 10원 (despite having never worked at either a hagwon or a public school):
Firstly: there are private schools (not hagwons) and those are cool.
- Both have good and bad points. Public schools are safer, but a good hagwon is better than a good public school.
- Though I am fairly sure you are not being paid to advertise Korvia, I don't agree that you should limit yourself. Think of the recruiter only as an introduction to a school. Use lots of recruiters, hear about lots of schools, be super picky. And then talk to teachers at those schools and ask lots of questions. Also, you can look on your own for schools hiring directly.
To find a good hagwon:
-comb through the contracts carefully. Anything illegal and don't do it. This includes 1 week vacations like you mentioned in your video. It should be 15 days, I believe. To learn what is legal and what isn't go through the FAQ and Job Discussion Forums on Dave's ESL cafe. There's a section specifically for Korea. Anything you don't like in there, discuss it now.
-interview with the school. Take what they say with a grain of salt. If they ask you questions that have nothing to do with education: pass. They are not serious about teaching, and you will be an edutaining monkey.
-get current AND former staff contact info and talk to them. Ask questions like whether the enrollment is stable or dropping. If you talk to them on the phone at the school, always get an email address from them and email them. In case the boss was looking over their shoulder.
- If you are in Korea, go and see the school and meet the director and with current (and/or former) staff.
Public schools are safe, but have huge class sizes and lots of deskwarming. The deskwarming was what turned me off. You could kill me by putting me at a desk with nothing to do. That, and I didn't want to take a gamble on a co-teacher.
In the end, I ended up first at a 교육원 "education place (literal translation)" which was a place that mostly trained teachers, but started an English department. It was like a hagwon with the stability of a public school (because of the bigger company). Because of bad management, though, I left after 6 months and mostly travelled for a year. Then I came back to Korea to teach at a private school (a real private school), and this year I moved to an even better private school. I considered teaching for the gangnam schoolboard (public school), but decided against it because the only real advantage was that it was in gangnam.
My 10원...
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