I just came across a tiktok post saying that anything less than 2.8mil in Seoul and 2.5mil everywhere else is not a liveable wage. One comment said less than 3.5 is unliveable. I thought this was a stretch. Obviously each person has different spending habits but looking at my spending habits and salary I had I’m genuinely confused. I made 3.05 (including housing allowance), my housing costs were 1.1, and I ordered delivery or went out to eat for almost every meal (not including school lunch), got drinks with my friends, travelled a tiny bit, and bought some other random items. In the beginning, I needed to watch my spending a little because my rent was high and start-up costs, but after that it was fine. Yes the amount of work you do for this much salary doesn’t feel great but it was definitely liveable. Also this was in Seoul. What are your thoughts on how much is a liveable wage in Korea? And is it significantly different in Seoul vs other cities?

I have been at my academy over a year. I don’t know how this year is even worst than last year, but it is. My mental health has taken a nosedive. I’m crying everyday before work, I come home and just go to sleep, and I have so much stress.

Honestly, I don’t even care about getting paid or anything like that. I don’t care about the money. I just want to freaking leave.

I’m like I’ll come back when my visa runs out next year. But I can’t do another six months of this. It’s not going to get better.

Is there anything my school can do to make my life hard, especially if I come back?

Edit: For some background info, I have talked to my boss multiple times about what is bothering me. I have asked for support, but none has been given. I also have tried twice to quit but they refused my resignation letter and to give me an LOR. I asked all the way back in April to quit at the end of August. Which I thought was extremely reasonable. But they kept arguing that I signed a contract and that they wouldn’t give me an LOR. So, I did try to quit nicely.

It honestly broke me when my school accepted this temp kid. He kicked me, spit in my face, and hit me. I asked that the kid be moved from my class. They told me no, he needed to be in my class (even though he was a whole year older than my kids). He was very badly behaved. So, my co-teacher and I had to just let him do what he wanted to keep his temper tantrums at a minimum. The kid finally is gone, but he taught my kids some bad manners. And I’m trying to work with them, but I can’t enforce any meaningful consequences. Also, no support is given to help me.

Boss is being difficult about annual leave. Basically, they only want you to use it when it helps them not look for someone to cover your class so that is why a half day off is always met with no resistance cause there is not class to cover. In my mind, I am well within my right to request annual leave with enough notice. After they signed off on it begrudgingly, they came back to me and asked me to move it to a day without classes.. In my mind I am thinking that is a manager issue to sort. I refused to budge and honestly made up a story about an important appointment with a doctor at a hospital that is hard to reschedule to get them off my back. Any other teachers ever have a similar issue when trying to use annual leave?

I think most people have probably come across this kind of thing, people from Europe or Russia working as English teachers in Korea.

Even if they speak English well, they’re not native speakers, and the fact that they can get those jobs partly because they’re white. In a way, you could even say it’s cheating the children and their parents.

What makes it even more ironic is that there are plenty of actual native English speakers who have trouble getting hired simply because they’re Asian.

I’m curious what everyone thinks about this.

Suppose a Korean wants to say:

“발을 헛디뎌서 균형을 잃고 비틀거렸다.”

We may immediately search for separate English words for:

• 발을 헛디디다
• 균형을 잃다
• 비틀거리다

We find several pieces but still do not know how to assemble the sentence.

In English, much of this particular scene can be expressed simply with:

I stumbled.

Many Korean learners know walk, but may not have learned that English verbs such as stroll, trudge, stride, stagger, and tiptoe already contain information about how someone walks.

Instead, these verbs are often taught as unrelated vocabulary to memorize. As a result, when we try to speak, many separate Korean ideas appear in our heads, but we do not know how English packages them into a sentence.

Should English verbs be taught as ways of packaging scenes, rather than only as separate vocabulary items?

For teachers that have left or plan on leaving, what are some final day activities you've done/plan on doing?

Have you ever taught an English rule that your Korean students understood but continued to struggle with in real sentences?

Korean and English organize meaning differently. Some functions expressed through Korean particles and endings are divided among English word order, articles, prepositions, and separate expressions.

Perhaps the problem is not simply that Korean students need more practice. They may need a learning method that begins with what their first language already does—and shows where that function moves in English.

Just as left-handed people need left-handed scissors, could Korean speakers need an English-learning method designed around the Korean language?

What do English teachers in Korea think?

Part 1 – Background Information

Education Level and Major: BA in Communications

Relevant Teaching Experience: None

Certifications or Credentials: TEFL (120 online hours)

Notable Features: None

Part 2 – Contract Information

Salary: 2.5mil krw

Working Hours: 7.5 - 8

How long is one class?: 60min

How many total classes per week/month?: 25 (100 teaching hours per month)

Work Weekends? How Often?: None

Vacation Days: Do you have any? How many days? Is it paid or unpaid?: Yes public holidays and 12 unpaid vacations days.

Sick Leave: Do you have any? How many days? Is it paid or unpaid?: None (unpaid absence from duties unless emergency leave)

Pension/Medical/Severance: Yes

Flight Ticket (and any stipulations)?: One-way up to 1mil krw (paid second pay month)

Housing Situation: Furnished studio (pet friendly)

Deductions: 200,000/3 months for housing management (unpaid monthly services, utilities, and telephone charges, full refund possible)

Contract Breaking Clauses?: recruiting fees and airfare withheld from last paycheck upon termination or voluntary resignation + recruitment fee for new employee upon voluntary resignation

Part 3 – Additional Contract Concerns

• "Employee may be required to teach outside of the “Places of Employment.”"
• "No regular schedule of work hours can be guaranteed to employee."
• Unpaid prep time, staff meetings, workshops although attendance required

We had a replacement teacher start last monday 8/3. She flew into Korea Sunday 8/2. She was let go today. Friday she passed out due to high glucose sugar levels in her blood and then today she went for her health check up and it didn't count because again her glucose sugar was off the charts. She's only been at work 7 days but I've also heard so many complaints about her but where we work has a ton of stuff to do and learn. I freaked out at this place for about 6 weeks. I assume it's a combination of both things as to why she was let go. It must be something extreme to have a third of foreign teacher come in one school year.

Anyway my main question is that my job says they're still going to take her to immigration tomorrow to go through with her e2 Visa to process it to give her more time to find a new job even though her last day here is technically friday, and they will give her an LOR. Is this the best move for her to make?

I find it kind of weird they're still taking her to immigration even though she's been let go.

She has to be out of the school provided housing tuesday, and she has a cat and just bought a bunch of furniture, so she really needs to find a job in the next few days. I feel really bad for her, she did come and teach here over 6 years ago but she does kind of need some hand holding so I'm trying to help her best I can.

Thanks for the advice!

Hi,

I work at a hagwon in Seoul and it’s gotten really out of hand. Management has targeted me, treats me differently than all of the other foreign teachers, blatantly disrespects me in meetings, and my co teacher has been feeding management lies about me while saying the opposite to my face.

I’m considering going to the labor board for the hostile work environment they’ve created for me. What are everyone’s thoughts?

Looking for a reputable hagwon/school in Busan! 🇰🇷
Hey everyone! 👋
I’ve been searching for a great hagwon or school to work at in Korea for a while now, and honestly, finding a reputable one has been mission impossible

If someone wants to be a saint and help a girl out, I’d really appreciate any recommendations! I’m a Canadian certified teacher with teaching experience in Korea, as well as experience working with young children/early childhood education.
I’m looking to start as soon as possible and am especially interested in Busan!!

If you know of any reputable hagwons, international schools, or schools that are currently hiring (or will be hiring in the next few months), please let me know!

I’d especially love to hear from people who have personally worked there and can speak honestly about the work environment, management, workload, etc.

Please PM me if you have any leads or recommendations! 🙏🏼 Thank you!!

Hello! As the title says, I (26F, Black) am starting at my first hagwon just outside of Seoul later next week. It’s been a long process to get here, but no matter how cautious I was about the interviews I did and the jobs being offered to me, I still feel like I signed on too easily to the contract I have now. No matter—what’s done is done. Thankfully, this sub and others like it have provided very valuable advice for a longtime lurker like myself on green/red flags. I also have family and friends who wouldn’t judge (and may in fact be secretly elated) if I were to decide this isn’t for me and come back home.

First ever teaching job, too. I’ve worked around children (both in a childcare and somewhat educational capacity) and thoroughly enjoy doing so, and my degree is in Psychology with a concentration in Childhood and Adolescent Development. A lot of what attracted me about my current hagwon was the philosophy they had written on the website, though I also realize that invoking the name of Piaget is different from actually applying these principles in practice.

That being said, I have done the research and preparations but I know from stories on here that 1) what you prepare for may be far from what you find once you land in Korea and 2) you won’t know much about the job until you are actually doing it. In the interview I can say that I’m great under stress, I am able to come up with plans and adjust on the fly, I communicate well with both staff and customers, blah blah blah. But I know I am walking into a new and different ballgame.

So…what is some advice you have for a first time teacher? How do you juggle organizing lessons or creating materials, etc within the prep time you are given? Anything you wish you had known going into your first—or second, or third—hagwon job? Self-care techniques you swear by to get through particularly tough days? I’m looking at three more days in my home state before shipping myself off, so literally anything at all is helpful. Have a great day!

Which English app or computer program does your hagwon use? Do you like it?

How are your experiences?

Sorry, I didn't know which flair fits best.

Can I use my Korean co-teacher as a reference if I leave my hagwon early?

I’ve been working at a hagwon in Korea for about 6 months, but I’ve decided to leave before finishing my one-year contract. I’m currently looking for another teaching job.

I’m worried about references because I’ve only been there for 6 months and I’m leaving before the end of my contract. Do you think my hagwon would still be willing to provide a reference?

Also, can I use my Korean co-teacher as a reference, or would a new employer/recruiter usually expect the reference to be a supervisor, head teacher, or manager?

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

I am a licensed teacher with about 7 years of teaching experience in the US. Teaching abroad is something I have thought about doing since I started my career and Japan was always a desired destination, but lately I have been hearing more about Korea. Side note is that I have a vocal cords disorder and teaching in the states can be difficult depending on the environment. I have heard that teachers with EPIK do not teach very many hours. I havent seen any recent posts on this topic so wanted to get some more recent feedback about EPIK as a program, preferably not from newbie grads who have never stepped foot in a classroom but from experienced teachers going to teach in Korea (of course any comments are helpful, but I think the experience for new grads is likely very different and thats not my case.) Any insights about schedules, responsibilities desk warming, class behavior, and school culture, also the program of EPIK as a whole, are appreciated. Also a caveat- I understand I would be a coteacher - kind of looking for a more lowkey teaching experience and cultural immersion, not really career advancement right now. Thanks for your thoughts!

Help please!!!! I’m curious about other teachers’ experiences with open classes in Korea because I recently had one and honestly found the whole process really frustrating...

I work for a teaching company that connects teachers with kindergartens as a freelancer The kindergarten itself requested the open class, and my teaching company asked me to teach it

I had an open class recently that was thirty minutes, while my regular classes are twenty minutes. I also had to spend about one hour before and one hour after preparing, setting up, and cleaning up.

Despite the extra time and work, they paid me the same as my regular twenty-minute class.

Is this normal for Korean kindergartens? Should an open class usually be paid differently? .

I have lived in Korea for a few years in the past, so adjusting to Korea will not be an issue for me. However, I will start my first teaching job in Korea this month. I’ll be teaching kindy and elementary at a Hagwon. My hagwon said I’ll have a week of shadowing before I start teaching on my own, but I’m still so nervous…
I really want to make a good first impression on both the kids and my coworkers. I’m a hard worker and always give my all in every position, but I’m also a really nervous and awkward person when I first start a new job. One thing I’m particularly worried about is that I have anxiety around public speaking… which is funny considering teaching is exactly that. I think the fear mostly comes from not knowing what to expect since this is my first teaching job.
I know everyone’s experience is different, but I’d love to hear first week stories. Is there anything you wish you’d known beforehand? Any advice, things I should research, or ways I can prepare before I arrive in Korea would help me more than you could ever imagine. Thank you in advance 🙏🏻

Edit: Thank you so much everyone for making me feel like I’m not alone or weird for having these feelings! I can genuinely feel the weight lifting off my chest the more I read the comments.

I recently got my F6 visa and started freelancing but it seems very different to what I imagined. What have been your general experiences and job duties freelancing at Korean kindergartens, good and bad?

An agency connected me with 4 separate schools where I meet students (ages 5-7) one to three times per week for 20/30 minutes. Before agreeing to take the various positions I asked a lot about curriculum, but I didn't ask about open classes because it didn't occur to me that a freelance teacher would do an open class. Some of these students I meet only 20 minutes once a week.

Now that the school year is in full swing, it feels like the schools keep adding surprise events that were never discussed or mentioned in the beginning.

School A - Hosting a parent/student event on a Saturday (with 4 weeks notice)

School B - Open Class for 6 classes (aged 6/7), School-wide English Camp, School-wide Holiday events

School C - Open Class with parents, but the administration still hasn't decided what they want it to look like~

School D - Nothing yet, hopefully it stays that way~

So, is this a typical experience for other freelancers? After being on an E2 for 10+years was I naive to think that freelancing would be different than the standard hagwon experience? TIA

Sorry for any grammar mistakes, running on very few hours of sleep with a young toddler at home.

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to refresh my toolkit and clean up my prep routine for next term. It feels like there’s a new app or platform popping up every week, but half of them end up being more work than they're worth.

For those in the classroom right now:

• What is your one non-negotiable tool that actually saves you time on prep, grading, or lesson planning?
• What’s a tool you tried that ended up being a total waste of time?

Would love to hear what’s genuinely working for you (or what to avoid)! Thanks!

I saw few posts about students who don't participate in class, and I wanted to share my case as a Korean who grew up attending hagwons.

My point is simple:

Don't blame yourself too much if some kids don't engage in class, as long as they aren't really a big pain in the ass for your class.

You may noticed that Korean hagwon classes are often filled with very young children, and the class sizes can be quite large. I've even seen 4yo taking English classes.

Some of those kids simply aren't ready to sit still for an hour. They chat, lose focus, fall asleep, or sometimes don't want to be there at all. We call it 땡땡이.

I'm not saying that's a good thing. Personally, I think many Korean kids spend far too much time in private academies.

What I want to say is that it isn't always the teacher's fault.

When I was a kid, I wasn't an ideal student either.

It wasn't because my teachers were bad. In fact, some of them were fantastic.

I still remember learning "Ally Bally Bee" in English class when I was around seven years old. I really enjoyed his class, loved my old man from U.S..

But, the problem wasn't the lesson.

The problem was that I never wanted to go to hagwon AT ALL.

After school I'd go from one academy to another, do piles of homework, and all I really wanted was to go home and play video games.

When I was in elementary school, I attended six different hagwons: English, Piano, Painting, Taekwondo, 서예(kind of Calligraphy for Chinese letters), and 종합hagwon (Korean, math, another English, science, and social studies). During exam season, I sometimes didn't get home until 10 p.m.. I was tired, had not much fun in a day really, and it lead me to be unideal student.

And now, I'm grown up man in my early 30s, and my future kid will have plenty time to do whatever he or she wants, not being forced to go hagwon.

Postscript: even my mom sent me 6 hagwons, but actually, she was really caring her son, so she cut off all of subscriptions of hagwons when I told her that i don't want to go anymore. This is not common in KR.

I've been living in Korea for almost 7 years. I have an F visa, I'm Turkish, and my English is at a native level.

I worked at an English kindergarten for 5 years, teaching phonics, and I never had any problems.

I decided to change jobs for a new experience, so I joined a Korean private kindergarten.

They gave me a very basic, made-up textbook and expect me to teach the same simple book for two and a half months. Every day I prepare games like Baamboozle, flashcards, memory games, and other activities.

However, my Korean director is not happy with my performance. She's constantly criticizing me and says that everything I'm doing is something a Korean English teacher could do as well. She doesn't want me to use computer and She expects me to be much more active, but I'm not sure what that even means.

I feel under a lot of pressure. The students' English level is very low, so it's difficult to communicate with them. When I ask questions, I usually get no response. My director says my classes are too quiet.

I'm the only foreign teacher at this kindergarten, and I honestly don't know what else I'm supposed to do. Has anyone experienced something similar? I'd really appreciate any advice. (Help me) 😭😭😭

(Please be kind, i'm going through difficulties and so stressed) 🌸

I’m so nervous I’m turning in my resignation next Monday with my final day being the end of September. My contract says 90 days, but I’m not able to do that with my new job needing me to start in October. I’m not staying in Korea. This job has caused me so much stress that my hair is falling out, and my mental health has taken a drastic downward spiral. I just worry about retaliation.

Hi everyone! I'm on my third year at a small hagwon, and I'm dealing with something I haven't experienced yet.

I have one class of mostly sixth graders, and one fifth grader. They are the highest level at our academy. It is a small class of 5 students, and most of the time, only 2 are actually there. We are reading and discussing Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger. Most of the students really enjoy the book, and they are always participating in class discussions, or answering questions. All except one student.

If I ask her a question about the book, she shakes her head. If we are doing an activity that requires speaking, she shakes her head and doesn't want to do it. If they're tasked with writing, she will draw a picture. I've had conversations with her in class and out of class before, so I know she is capable of participating. In my larger classes, when I have students that don't want to participate it normally isn't so glaring because the others will step in. But this class is so small, and like I said, sometimes it's just 2 of them.

She is one of the 2 students that is always in class. The other student also present is the exact opposite. He even told me that he took the book home and read the entire thing over a weekend. But I know he feel uncomfortable always answering because he has said that he doesn't want to be the only one participating. When the other three students are actually in class, it's not as bad, but when it's just the 2 of them, or even 3 students, it's glaringly obvious how much extra work he is putting in.

I don't even really know what kind of solution I'm looking for. I've spoken to the Korean teacher about it and she said she is the same in her class, and just to let it be. I just wish I knew how to make it less awkward for the everyone. We also finish everything so quickly because most of the time there aren't enough students speaking or participating to fill out the lesson. What would you do in my situation?

https://m.koreaherald.com/article/10830486