After college is the best time to travel. However, this is not an easy decision to make. Like you I was confused about what to do after college. I had the option to continue straight to graduate school or to work on and grow my computer and web design business. Having so many choices made things more complicated. For some people, there are less choices and thus a easier decision. I knew I wanted to keep my business going but at the same time I wanted to travel. So, I got rid of my computer repair department which required me to be at a physical location and kept the web design department which does not necessarily require a physical location. With this change, my decision was made. Once again, I was on the road. I decided to head for Korea to teach English. That was 11 months ago. Now I am about to leave Korea. My experience has been great and I look forward to returning in the future. Looking back there are a few things I wish to have known before coming.
If I knew more about the school systems, perhaps my decision could have been different concerning where to teach. There are differences between public schools and private institutions (hagwons). I have lived some of the good and the not so good stories I heard about hagwons. Although some of the bad ones might have been a bit exaggerated, they are more accurate than not. Knowledge is power. Do your research before going to Korea to teach, and anywhere for that matter. Know your options before deciding to come and teach English in Korea. If you are an adventurer like myself, more power to you; to help you a little, this is the difference between public schools and private institutions.
| Public Schools | Private Schools | |
|---|---|---|
| Strong Points | Reliable (especially for getting paid on time) Concentrates on teaching & understanding |
Easy to adapt to because you have lots of co-workers |
| Weakness | Only the foreign teacher Difficulty in communicating with Korean Teachers at school |
Focuses on business more than the needs of students |
| Working Schedule |
8:30am~4:30pm/9:00am~5:00pm | 9:30am~6:30pm/2:00pm~10:00pm |
| Teaching Hours | 22 hours per week | 30 + hours per week |
| Salary rate | 2.0 M ~ 2.3 M (depends on qualification) | 2.0 M ~ 2.5 M (depends on qualification) |
| Housing | Furnished Single Housing / Studio apt | Furnished Single or Shared Housing |
| Foreign co-workers |
Depends on school | 2~7 foreign co-workers |
| Vacation | 4 working days per year (usually longer than that) |
10 working days per year (no more than that) |
| Settlement Fee | 300,000 won (upon Teacher arrival) | None |
| Size of Class | 30~35 students in a class | Less than 15 students in a class |
| Teaching System |
Team Teaching System (Foreign teacher & Korean English Teacher in a class) |
You teach alone |
So, if you are looking into teaching in Korea, these are some things to consider when making your decision whether to teach in a public school or a hagwon. Obviously nothing is set on stone, this list could change as time goes on and they are not the only things to consider. However, it gives you a starting point. Comments and questions are more than welcomed so don’t be shy. <
{ 4 comments }
I work at a public school and I was a little confused about your description of public school vacations. We get 20 days paid vacation (10 during the summer, 10 during winter), as well as 15 paid sick days, and 15 unpaid sick days. Also, although it may not be common, my school does have two native English teachers on staff.
Mel, wow thank you for sharing. That’s why I think my next venture might be in a public school because I hear that the perks are much better than teaching in private institutions. We have to fight to get vacation days stated in the contract sometimes and when we do, they are sometimes disguised within a holiday so that it seems like we are getting the vacation time promised to us. We only get 5 sick days and they are very anal (for lack of a better word) in keeping tabs when we take them. I spoke with another Teacher in a public school who gave me similar information to what you say so I will update this post. Thanks again for sharing.
I think everyone shoudl really consider this opportunity, specially after college. The money is good and you learn so much about yourself from the experience. Definitely research research research where you're going to go. If you're going to a hagwon, I recommend going with big companies. They're very straightforward and their benefits are better than small hagwons.
In accord Jisi
Comments on this entry are closed.
{ 1 trackback }