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.