Public School Teaching

Most teachers that I know of now are teaching in public schools. However I know there are many still in hagwons. I can't say which group is larger. I can guestimate it's 50/50, half in schools, half in hagwons, but I have no way to verify this. Only Korean government officials would have this information.

Having never been in public schools myself, I can only say so much about them. I have heard a lot of stories, a lot, from teachers I've known. Also, I had a part-time job teaching classes afterschool at one school.

By and large people conclude that public school teaching is better overall and I'd agree. Two main things: shorter hours and more vacation. However, had I not had my hagwon experiences there is so much about Korean culture which I would not know.

I may include posts on teaching in public schools in this blog or another one.

Last Four Posts

The four posts which I've just published, which are just below, were made up of my writing about hagwons which was done about 1 1/2 years ago. I saved the writings then and now have copied them here but made them look presentable before publishing. If there are mistakes in spelling or whatever, if you don't like the color scheme or layout or anything else about this blog, don't worry about those things. The writing is what's important.

More I've Written: What to Think About Before Coming

KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GETTING INTO BEFORE GOING

• READ BOOKS ON ESL TEACHING IN KOREA BEFORE GOING
• THERE ARE AT LEAST 5 OF THEM AVAILABLE AT WW.AMAZON.COM
• LOOK FOR THEM IN ENGLISH BOOK STORES LIKE KYOBO, WWW.KYOBO.COM
• CONTINUE TO READ THEM DURING YOUR FIRST YEAR
• ALSO READ BOOKS ON KOREAN CULTURE
• GET A BOOK, TAKE A CLASS OR FIND SOMEONE TO TEACH YOU BASIC KOREAN
• EVEN IF YOU DON’T THINK YOU’LL STAY LONG IT WILL HELP TO
•  KNOW THE ALPHABET
• KNOW WORDS FOR THINGS YOU NEED

BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO TEACH IN KOREA CONSIDER THESE THINGS:

1.     YOU WILL MOST LIKELY LIVE IN A ONE ROOM APARTMENT. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS?

A.      THERE WILL BE NOISE FROM ALL THE OTHERS LIVING AROUND

B.      ESPECIALLY THE BIG CITIES ARE NOISY. THAT’S WHERE MOST TEACHERS GO.

C.      KOREANS LOVE TO GO OUT AND COME HOME AT ANY TIME OF NIGHT.

D.      OFTEN THERE'S CONSTRUCTION WORK BEING DONE WHICH STARTS 7-8AM.

2.     IF YOU LIVE IN ONE OF THE CITIES YOU WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH POLLUTION

A.      DO YOU HAVE ASTHMA OR BREATHING PROBLEMS?

B.      TALK TO A DOCTOR ABOUT THIS.

C.      DON’T ASK YOUR RECRUITER OR FUTURE EMPLOYER TO TELL YOU HOW BAD THE POLLUTION IS, THEY WILL UNDERESTIMATE IT.

D.     TRUTHFULLY THE WHOLE COUNTRY HAS POLLUTION BUT IT’S WORSE IN THE CITIES.

E.      THE WEALTHIEST AREAS IN SEOUL ARE VERY POLLUTED.

3.     POPULAR PLACES SUCH AS MOVIE THEATERS, PARKS, DEPARTMENT STORES AND OTHER PLACES ARE OFTEN CROWDED

A.      IF YOU GO TO ONE OF THESE PLACES ON THE WEEKEND IN A MAJOR CITY BE PREPARED!

4.     KOREAN FOOD IS SPICY!!!!!

A.      EVEN IF YOU LIKE SPICY FOOD IN YOUR COUNTRY YOU MAY NOT BE PREPARED

5.     KOREANS ARE HOMOGENOUS

A.      THEY DON’T ALL LOOK ALIKE, BUT THERE IS A LOT LESS VARIATION

B.      THEY DON’T HAVE NATURALLY CURLY, WAVY OR KINKY HAIR

C.      THEY DON’T HAVE LONG OR BIG NOSES

D.      THEY ARE MOSTLY AVERAGE HEIGHT

E.      THEY ARE MOSTLY THIN OR AVERAGE

6.     KOREANS TALK OPENLY ABOUT DIFFERENCES IN FOREIGNER’S APPEARANCES

A.      SOMETIMES THEY ONLY TALK TO EACH OTHER

B.      OFTEN THEY TALK DIRECTLY TO FOREIGNERS USING KOREAN OR SIGN LANGUAGE

C.      PARTICULARLY CHILDREN, OLDER PEOPLE, LOWER CLASS, OR RUDE PEOPLE

7.     MYTHS

A.      KOREANS ARE A WELL-EDUCATED PEOPLE

B.      KOREAN STUDENTS ARE ALL POLITE, HARD WORKING AND GOOD STUDENTS

C.      KOREAN SCHOOLS ARE BETTER THAN AMERICAN SCHOOLS

8.     GOOD POINTS

A.      GOING TO TEACH IN KOREA NOW IS EASIER THAN IT WAS SAY TEN YEARS AGO

B.      THERE ARE MANY BLOGS, BOOKS, SITES THAT CAN GIVE YOU A LOT OF INFO.

• YOU MAY FIND GOOD PLACES TO WORK OR AVOID BAD ONES BASED ON THIS.
• YOU WILL FIND OUT GOOD PLACES TO GO IN KOREA.
• YOU WILL FIND WHICH PLACES SUPPLY THINGS YOU NEED.
• YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT KOREAN FOOD.
• YOU MAY LEARN ABOUT NICE AREAS TO LIVE OR VISIT.
• YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT THE LIFE IS SEOUL VS. SMALLER CITIES OR RURAL AREAS.
• YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT WHERE TO GO IF YOU REALLY NEED HELP.
•  YOU CAN LEARN ABOUT WHAT TO DO IF YOU GET SICK.

9. ONE PROBLEM THAT COMES UP NOW AND THEN – JEALOUSY

• CONSIDER THIS: THOUGH IT’S BASICALLY EASY FOR FOREIGN TEACHERS TO FIND JOBS, FOR KOREAN TEACHERS IT’S NOT!
• IN FACT IT’S NOT EASY FOR KOREANS TO FIND ANY JOB!
• AT THE MOMENT ONE OF MY KOREAN FRIENDS WHO HAS TWO DEGREES, ONE IN EDUCATION, IS STAYING OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTRY BECAUSE THERE IS NO ELEMENTARY TEACHING JOB AVAILABLE FOR HER.
• I KNOW FOREIGN AMERICAN/CANADIAN TEACHERS WHO ARE TEACHING RIGHT NOW IN THE SCHOOLS SHE COULD BE TEACHING IN.
• SOME HAVE ONE DEGREE, WHILE ONE IS IN THE TALK PROGRAM, STILL A STUDENT.
• THEY HAVE NO EDUCATION DEGREES

• DURING MY HAGWON TEACHING DAYS I LEARNED THESE THINGS ABOUT KOREAN TEACHERS I WORKED WITH
• THEY MADE A LOT LESS MONEY THAN ME, SOMETIMES HALF OR LESS OF MY SALARY.
•  THEY HAD NO BENEFITS SUCH AS THE APARTMENT OR AIRFARE.
• THEY SOMETIMES HAD TO WORK LATER, WEEKENDS OR HOLIDAYS.
• THEY DIDN’T GET ANY VACATION OTHER THAN PUBLIC HOLIDAYS AND A SUMMER VACATION RANGING FROM FIVE DAYS TO ONE FULL WEEK.
• WHY SHOULDN’T THEY BE JEALOUS?

BTW I’D LIKE TO ADD HERE THAT ALTHOUGH I UNDERSTAND THE KOREAN GOVERNMENT’S WANTING TO HAVE LOTS OF FOREIGN TEACHERS IN KOREA, AND I BELIEVE THIS IS THE REASON FOR THE START OF THE TALK PROGRAM WHICH BRINGS COLLEGE STUDENTS WITHOUT DEGREES TO TEACH IN KOREA SIX MONTHS OR ONE YEAR, CAN YOU ALSO CONSIDER ALL THE KOREAN POTENTIAL TEACHERS WHO CAN’T GET JOBS?? COULD SOME OF THEM BE TEACHING PART-TIME IF THEY CAN’T GET FULL TIME JOBS, OR COULD THE ONES WHO SPEAK ENGLISH WELL TEACH ENGLISH CLASSES IN SCHOOLS AS THE TALK PROGRAM MEMBERS ARE?

MORE THINGS I'VE WRITTEN: PROFILE OF FOREIGN TEACHERS

A PROFILE OF HAGWON TEACHERS BASED ON ALL MY EXPERIENCE

• IN THE RICHEST AREAS OF KOREAN CITIES
• TEACHERS ARE ALMOST ALL YOUNG
• IN THEIR 20S
• OFTEN RIGHT OUT OF COLLEGE
• CAUCASIAN OR OF KOREAN DESCENT
• NOT CERTIFIED TEACHERS
• USUALLY FROM US/CAN
• OFTEN WITH DEGREES NOT RELATED TO ENGLISH OR EDUCATION
• SOME HAVE A TESOL CERTIFCATE, OTHERS DON’T
• MOST HAVE BEEN IN KOREA LESS THAN TWO YEARS
• MOST ON THEIR FIRST OR SECOND YEAR OF TEACHING
• MOST NEVER HAD A FULL TIME JOB BEFORE COMING TO KOREA
• MOSTLY WITHOUT ANY REAL TEACHING EXPERIENCE
• BUT THEY MAY HAVE TUTORED, TAUGHT AT CAMPS
•  THEY LIKELY NEVER HAD A FULL TIME TEACHING JOB WITH A CONTRACT IN THEIR COUNTRY
• MANY WOULDN'T BE HIRED AS SCHOOL TEACHERS IN THEIR COUNTRIES
• MANY DON'T WANT TO BE SCHOOL TEACHERS IN THEIR COUNTRIES
• MANY TEACH IN KOREA FOR A SHORT-TERM EXPERIENCE, TO TRAVEL, REPAY DEBT OR SAVE

•   IN MIDDLE CLASS OR LOWER CLASS AREAS IN AND OUT OF THE BIG CITIES
•  THERE ARE TEACHERS OF ALL AGES
• ALL RACES AND ETHNICITIES
•  MOSTLY UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS
• FROM ANY ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRY AND SEVERAL NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING ONES
• OFTEN WITH DEGREES NOT RELATED TO ENGLISH OR EDUCATION
• 10-20% HAVE A TESOL CERTIFCATE, MOST DON’T
• SOME HAVE BEEN IN KOREA LESS THAN TWO YEARS, SOME HAVE LIVED THERE A LONG TIME
 THEY LIKELY NEVER HAD A FULL TIME TEACHING JOB WITH A CONTRACT IN THEIR COUNTRY
• MANY WOULDN'T BE HIRED AS SCHOOL TEACHERS IN THEIR COUNTRIES.
• THESE TEACHERS ARE IN KOREA FOR A LONGER TIME
• SOME ARE SETTLED IN KOREA AND TEACH TO EARN MONEY TO SUPPORT FAMILY RATHER THAN TO TRAVEL OR SAVE
• SOME ARE STUDENTS WHO TEACH TO PAY FOR SCHOOL AND LIVING EXPENSES

Been Thinking to Write a Book

POSSIBLE TITLES FOR BOOK:

I WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND BECOMING AN ESL TEACHER IN KOREA , BUT I CAN’T: HOWEVER HERE IS WHAT I WANT EVERY TEACHER TO KNOW

WHAT I'D SAY TO ANYONE WANTING TO TEACH IN SOUTH KOREA

I'D LIKE TO RECOMMEND TEACHING ESL IN KOREA BUT I CAN'T (RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE)

I CAN’T RECOMMEND TEACHING IN SOUTH KOREA BUT I CAN GIVE ADVICE

WHY I CAN'T RECOMMEND TEACHING ESL IN SOUTH KOREA

WHY I'VE TAUGHT ESL IN KOREA 5 YEARS BUT STILL CAN'T RECOMMEND IT

WHY CAN’T I RECOMMEND IT?

• THERE ARE SO MANY REASONS. HERE IS WHAT I CAN COME UP WITH OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
• FIRST REASON: THOUSANDS OF HORROR STORIES GOING BACK 10-15 YEARS.
• ONE WILL HAVE TO TEACH SOME STUDENTS WHO DON’T HAVE ANY INTEREST IN LEARNING ENGLISH OR ARE IN FACT DETERMINED NOT TO LEARN IT (AND DO THEIR BEST TO SEE THAT OTHERS IN THE CLASS DON’T LEARN EITHER.)
• LACK OF COMMUNICATION WITH KOREAN BOSSES: ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEM.
• BOSSES ENGLISH LEVEL RANGES FROM GOOD TO NONE.YOU WON’T FIND ONE WHO SPEAKS PERFECTLY, BUT HAVING ONE WHO SPEAKS WELL IS GOOD ENOUGH
• NO DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH KOREAN PARENTS

• COMMUNICATION OCCURS IN A BIZARRE WAY, TRIANGLE, QUADRANGLE
• TEACHER TEACHES KID, KID TALKS TO PARENT, PARENT TALKS TO HAGWON, HAGWON TALKS TO TEACHER
• MINUSES: NO WAY FOR A TEACHER TO DEFEND HIM OR HERSELF.
• SOMETIMES KIDS MAKE UP STORIES, SAY BAD THINGS ABOUT THEIR TEACHERS WHO SOMETIMES DON'T FIND OUT, OR FIND OUT FROM THE BOSS.
• IN SOME CASES VIDEOS OF CLASSES CAN BE USED FOR THIS BUT NOT ALL HAGWONS HAVE THESE
• SOME KOREANS DISLIKE OR ARE RUDE TO FOREIGNERS.
• SOME KOREANS DON’T UNDERSTAND ANY OTHER CULTURE.
• SOME KOREANS EXPECT YOU TO UNDERSTAND AND FOLLOW THEIR CULTURE PERFECTLY.
• AND EVEN SOME KOREANS EXPECT YOU TO SPEAK KOREAN WELL.

• THE DIFFERENCES IN ENVIRONMENT FROM THE US , CANADA , UK , SA
• KOREA HAS HIGH POPULATION DENSITY.
• IF YOU’RE USED TO SEEING LOTS OF LAND, ATTRACTIVE HOMES, MANICURED LAWNS YOU’LL HAVE TO ADJUST TO SEEING ONLY APARTMENT BUILDINGS AND OTHER BUILDINGS.

• CULTURAL DIFFERENCES: PROBLEMS ON BOTH SIDES
• TEACHER HAS EXPECTATIONS OF BOSS AND JOB:
• SUCH AS BEING PAID THEIR SALARY IN ITS ENTIRETY AND ON TIME
• FOLLOWING THE CONTRACT
• NOT MAKING CHANGES AT MOMENTS NOTICE
• NOT ASKING TEACHER TO WORK MORE HOURS THAN IS STATED IN THEIR CONTRACT
• HELPING WHEN THERE IS A PROBLEM
• ONE PROBLEM EVERY HAGWON HAS IS DISCIPLINE PROBLEM
• KOREANS PREFER TO BLAME TEACHERS
• BOSSES DON’T WANT TO BLAME STUDENTS OR PUNISH BECAUSE
• STUDENTS WILL TELL THEIR PARENTS
• PARENTS WILL CALL
• FEATHERS WILL BE RUFFLED
• PARENTS WITHDRAW THEIR KIDS AT ANY TIME

 

Some Things I've Written About Teaching in Korea (In Hagwons)

-           THE DAILY KIMCHI WRITER, www.thedailykimchi.blogspot.com  SAID THAT HE AND HIS GIRLFRIEND/WIFE WERE DECIDING BETWEEN KOREA AND OTHER COUNTRIES WHEN THEY CONSIDERED THE FACT THAT KOREA OFFERED FREE AIRFARE. FROM THE WAY HE WROTE IT SEEMS THAT WAS THE DETERMINING FACTOR. THEY WENT TO KOREA .

-           YOU KNOW IT SEEMS GREAT, BUT FOR SOMEONE WHO’S BEEN HERE A WHILE, I’D LIKE TO SAY TWO THINGS:

• FIRST: THE REASON THIS IS OFFERED MAY BE BECAUSE KOREANS KNOW THAT TEACHERS ARE TRYING TO DECIDE BETWEEN SEVERAL COUNTRIES, NAMELY JAPAN , AND THEY JUST MIGHT THINK THAT IF THEY OFFERED SUCH A PERK IT MIGHT PERSUADE TEACHERS TO COME TO KOREA OR DISSUADE THE ONES WHO HAVE DECIDED ON JAPAN .
• SECOND: NOTHING’S GUARANTEED. NOT EVERYONE WHO HAS WORKED IN KOREA AS AN ESL TEACHER HAS GOTTEN FREE AIRFARE. CONSIDER THESE POINTS:
• IF IT’S NOT IN THE CONTRACT IT MEANS THERE’S NO PLAN TO GIVE IT TO YOU. 
•  IF YOU’RE HIRED FROM WITHIN KOREA YOU MAY/MAY NOT GET IT.
• IF YOU DON’T FINISH YOUR CONTRACT YOU WON’T GET IT.
• THIS VARIES CASE BY CASE BUT YOU MAY FIND YOU HAVE TO REPAY YOUR WORKPLACE FOR THE MONEY THEY SPENT TO GET YOU TO KOREA
• AND OF COURSE IF YOU DON’T FINISH YOUR CONTRACT YOU WON’T HAVE THE TICKET TO GO HOME.
• KEEP IN MIND EVEN IF YOU ARE SURE YOU WILL STAY FOR THE DURATION OF YOUR CONTRACT (ONE YEAR) YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO COMPLETE IT. CONSIDER THESE:

u       SOMETIMES HAGWONS CLOSE

u       SOMETIMES AN EMERGENCY AT HOME FORCES A TEACHER TO GO HOME SUDDENLY

u       SOMETIMES A HAGWON MAY LET A TEACHER GO BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT MAKING AS MUCH MONEY AS EXPECTED

u       SOMETIMES A HAGWON MAY FIND SOMEONE MORE DESIRABLE (OFTEN SOMEONE WILLING TO WORK FOR LESS $$ OR FEWER PERKS) AND LET THEIR CURRENT TEACHER GO.

l         IN SOME SPECIAL CASES A TEACHER MAY NEGOTIATE SOMETHING LIKE A 6 MONTH CONTRACT WITH RETURN/ROUND-TRIP AIRFARE BUT THIS IS NOT THE NORM AND IT WOULD DEPEND ON NEGOTIATION BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND TEACHER. IF I WERE A NEW TEACHER NOW I MAY LOOK INTO THIS. LIVING IN KOREA ISN'T FOR EVERYBODY.

l         BTW A LOT DEPENDS ON NEGOTIATIONS. JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE GOT SOMETHING DOESN’T MEAN YOU WILL GET IT.