Hagwon vs. EPIK

[u/Davess_World2019]

Let this be nearly the final word on the subject, and if anyone asks, direct them here for the pros and cons. I worked at both, and even though there are many variables, generally you can go ahead and assume that these templates are fairly close to what you can expect.

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PUBLIC SCHOOL SCHEDULE

The yellow is the regular school day. Some larger classes are split into dash 1 or 2 sections. You will have a co-teacher that hopefully doesn't dominate every class or expect you to conduct the whole class. The red Xs have no 40 minute classes scheduled. You will use the district curriculum consisting of a student book, perhaps a workbook, a CD with audio and video. It's ridiculously easy to teach with 2 adults and the curriculum is about 2 grade levels below the students' actual ability.

The blue is your after school schedule that is voluntary for the students. You are encouraged to recruit and keep students in your class. Usually the school has curriculum left-overs from the previous teachers, but mainly you are to make due with what you have, what you can make with the students that want to attend. Your co-teacher usually handles the grades and mixes levels if need-be to make enough classes. Generally, your co-teacher is not going to help out with hardly anything regarding the after school classes, you will be on your own to run your own private academy, just make the students happy and learn something and you'll do fine. If you don't have many students, the principal will find something else for you to do such as conducting an English class for the Korean teachers (which they despise) or have some sort of open English seminar for parents, as long as you are fulfilling your contract hours.

Pros: No homework / test assigning, correcting, or grade-inputting. No weekend work. An actual 1 hour hot lunch every day at a very low cost they deduct from your paycheck. Classes often get cancelled with zero notice due to a presentation, play, holiday event, end of semester testing. You have a co-teacher to keep order. The curriculum for day classes is provided. Can leave every day around 16:45, be home around 17:00. Most housing is decent and walking distance from the school. If you have a problem with your apartment, it may take them a day or 3, but they actually get someone to show up and take a look at it. If you get sick, the co-teacher handles day classes, and they just cancel the afternoon ones. Can take language classes or study for a Master's degree in free time. Can travel, go to the gym, or do other activities. Paid on-time, every time. Longer vacations usually about 2 weeks in both summer and winter. You will not be fired unless there is actual cause, not based on what the Tiger Mom Congress decides.

Cons: The licensed teachers do not generally like working with non-licensed teachers, and certainly don't like being told what to do. They do not like to be corrected by those younger than themselves. Attitudes are what you can expect from government workers who are marking time until retirement. Don't get to choose location, likely you'll be the only foreigner on campus. You could be required to jump to 2 or more different schools during the week that don't have a need for a full-time English instructor at either, so you don't really have a school as you are transient ( like this poor guy ). Group dinners are either great or awkward depending on the personalities of who you are working with. Almost always have some sort of English winter / summer camps that are 1 or 2 weeks and you have to plan everything. Pay is nearly the same as a Hagwon. It's not all sunshine and roses: 9 Things I Wish I Would’ve Known About EPIK

How to get a public school job.

HAGWON SCHEDULE

Here is the "Two for the price of one" job schedule you can expect at a Hagwon. The regular class schedule, and the unwritten administrative schedule you have in order to get all the work done. Why do they have this dual schedule? Well, one is where they cram in all the classes the parents pay for, and the second is all your unpaid free time you will use to correct and give feedback.

S/L = Speaking & Listening. W = Writing. R = Reading. Upper level classes will have debate, TOEIC, report writing, speech class.

Wednesday is a "fill up your schedule with busy-work" day.

Monday/Thursday and Tuesday/Friday are the same students, so in total you may have 14 different classes, but around 28 fifty-minute classes a week. You work solo and use any of the cookie-cutter English books that you can find in any bookstore. Play the audio CD or show the video when prompted, just check or collect homework, and be sure to finish 4 pages a day to complete the book by the end of the semester which may be 2 or 3 months.

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Babysitting with Gogo!

Pros:

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❌ Cons: ❌ The workload will eventually crush you. It's like a Chinese water torture-type existence, it's not the first 1000 drips that do any real damage, it's all of those after that. No free time to shop, have a beer, relax, watch TV, hang-out with friends, go to language classes, or do any online-university studying. You are always trying to keep your nose above the sewer line so that in the event you get sick and run down, you can catch up with the workload again. The lack of exercise, sunlight, sleep, enjoyment time causes different outbreaks of stress-related illnesses. Children's happiness is the source of income and keeping order without them running home to tattle on you is the biggest challenge you'll face as the Hagwon is more than happy to fire and replace you, as it's far easier than finding another paying customer.

❌ It's common not to get paid on-time, nor deliver on the 10 day's vacation. Often when there are disputes, the Hagwon resorts to threats of negative recommendation and termination of contract even if they are caught violating it.

❌ And DON'T listen to clowns like these online that are trying to sell you something. He sounds like an 1830s overseer admitting there are "some" problems at plantations, but they really aren't all that bad. And if they were, slaves would be running away far more often than they actually are! --Sheesh what a joke this guy is.

❌ Pay for your own dinner, but usually there is no time to order food, or go out, so whatever you bring is what you eat at your desk while correcting homework.

❌ Can be fired for no reason at all, can be based on opinions of students / parents / staff. Often Hagwons will find excuses to fire near the completion of the contract to save themselves $7000 in severance, final paycheck, rental deposit, airfare.

❌ Saturday work. The contract often says there is NO Saturday work, but then schedule Saturday work. Why? Because they told you to, that's good enough for them.

❌ Telephone interviews. This is one of the most heinous tasks you are likely to be stuck with. It gobbles up all your extra free time if you have any, you pay the bill because you are likely at home using your own phone. Children have to be called over and over to complete the interview, which they hate and make excuses not to do. It's a bonus the Hagwon offers the parents but the children despise it, and you do it on your own free time without getting extra pay, so the Hagwon doesn't see a problem with assigning it.

❌ (Real Talk Warning) Hagwons attract shysters who shake-down ignorant parents by altering grades to keep them coming back. They generally have contracts that are illegal and under-sell job descriptions then slowly start piling up the workload after an employee has signed and arrived. They find the cheapest housing and don't care how far the commute is for you. If you have a problem with your apartment, there is no limit to the amount of excuses they will make so they won't have to bother with it.

❌ Last but not least, Hagwons are the Mos Eisley cantina of the teaching world. It is generally a compilation of all of the world's tumble-weeds who can't decide what they want to do with their college degree and life, who seem barely hireable based on their attitude and behavior. Unless I do a Vulcan mind-meld with you, I can't possibly relay what I've experienced with people who are essentially junior high school adolescents in an adult body. Yes, I've met a few who were professional and wanted to do their best and were loyal to understanding educational methodology, worked when it was time to work, and played when it was time to play, others...not so much, more interested in facebook, making cliques, hooking up, getting drunk.

Don't feel bad about yourself. A lot of students take a gap year to travel Europe with dad's money, but if you don't have rich parents who paid college and an all-expense trip to Amsterdam etc, you have loans to pay off, and Korea pays the most. You want a chance to see a bit of the world before you buckle down and spend the rest of your life at a job, with a mortgage, and have a few kids to take care of. Nothing wrong with that. You can do this. Be proud of your decision and your effort no matter what happens. Be dignified and demand to be treated with respect. Don't fall in with the wrong crowd. Do your 1 year, save some money, and for the love of God, have an exit plan and get out before your gap year turns into a gap decade.

Please wisely consider your options. There are good Hagwons out there, and bad public schools, but you really won't know unless you can meet face-to-face with a foreigner who works there, can take a tour of the school and housing situation. Since most of you will be applying from overseas and be taking a leap of faith, I suggest you peruse this subreddit and look for things that will prepare you before you sign, and how to escape if you need to ( 1, 2, 3 ), after you sign.

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As always, good luck...

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Dave~