Hagwons vs EPIK
A lot of people have been asking me about teaching in Korea and how to go about it. There are a lot of things to consider when taking a job in Korea, so I'm going to write a post that discusses one of the important things you need to consider when choosing to teach in Korea: 'Whether to teach in a Hagwon or teach with EPIK (public school system)'. This post is also to help people understand what I do in Korea, and some of the risks/experiences I go through when choosing where to teach.
When you go to teach in Korea you have two options of what kind of establishments you can choose to work in. EPIK and Hagwons. This essay-length post will help explain what both of them are and what are the pros/cons for each choice. I'm not going to tell you which one is best, because a lot of what you'll prefer is based on your personality.
Image taken from sjleesj's blog. Which taught me there are dating hagwons!
Hagwon
What is a hagwon (학원) (Pronounced somewhat like hog-won)
In Korea, your average student finishes up in school at around 3-4pm and then heads over to an after-school private tutoring center called a hagwon (or in English, 'Academy'). These are somewhat similar to 'Oxford Tutoring' or 'Kumon' which you can find in the west. Hagwons help with a whole range of studies (Math, English, Music, etc.), and the student stays there for about 2 hours (this differs between hagwons) for extra studying. So a student may have a schedule like 'English on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, Math on Tuesday/Thursday, and Music on Saturdays' all at different hagwons. Of course this is all dependent on finances (hagwons tend to be at least 200$ a month). Needless to say, Korean students study often and study hard.
What is it like to work there?
Most hagwons have you work in the afternoon until the evening. My previous schedule was 1pm-9pm and I had Elementary & Middle School students. Most hagwons have you come in an hour early (The contract doesn't show that, so watch out!) for class preparation, and then you will teach small classes (10-15 students) for 45-50mins at a time. You will teach alone. Most of the time you be a fairly independent teacher with your own tasks and responsibilities and no one bothering you. You will probably have a few Korean co-workers, and depending where your hagwon is, you'll have anywhere from 1 foreign co-worker, up to 20 foreign co-workers. The bigger the city, the more demand, the more money, and so the more foreign teachers a single hagwon will have.
Pros:
- - Small Classes
- - A lot of room for creativity in teaching
- - Good teaching hours
- - Independence in teaching
- - An arguably more real teaching experience
- - Great for beginners (books are all very comprehensive)
Cons:
- - Because hagwons are so popular most Korean directors start hagwons because it's an easy profit, rather than for the love of education. This means that some will cut corners and costs which could result in them not paying your pension/overtime/the amount you deserve based on your education/give you a lousy apartment
- - Because there are SO MANY hagwons, there's a chance it could go out of business while you're there
- - Vacations are much shorter (make sure that when they say 5 days in the Summer and 5 days in the Winter, that you can take the 5 days off TOGETHER)
- - You will probably have to be at work the day after you arrive in Korea (hurts!) and you may or may not get an orientation
Summary:
Hagwons can be a very rewarding teaching experience and you'll be more likely to see progress with your students and get that warm, fuzzy, rewarding side of teaching. The problem is, Hagwon directors are notorious for taking advantage of naive new English teachers and it can be difficult to find a safe hagwon. You can have a good experience, but you have to be willing to take the time to find a good place.
At the bottom of this post I'll write a bit about how to avoid horrible hagwons.
EPIK (English Program in Korea)
What is 'EPIK'?
This is a government run program that allows you to teach in the public schools (and sometimes language centers) within Korea. Because you're a part of a government-run program, you'll be first sent to a week long Orientation in Seoul before you're sent off to your workplace. Being a part of EPIK also means that occasionally you may be invited to special cultural activities (overnight stay at the temple, hikes, etc). There are also offshoots,
SMOE is a government run program for schools in Seoul (Please note that when I last checked, SMOE no longer existed and they were working towards removing GEPIK), and GEPIK is the EPIK program for Gyeonggi (the province that Seoul and most of Korea's population resides in).
What is it like to work there?
Your average class size will probably be around 30 students. You'll also get a co-teacher who will be with you for all of your class. Your relationship with the co-teacher is usually her/him assisting you with the class, helping plan lessons/activities and helping on the disciplining side of things (but this can vary depending on the personality of your co-teacher). Your day will be the typical 8am-4pm workday, but you'll probably only teach for about 4 hours. You will also be expected to help run Summer/Winter camps during the school's vacation period. That being said, you get way more vacation time than hagwon teachers (any time that the students have vacation and you're not doing camp, + 3 extra weeks off)
Pros:
- -More vacation!! YAY!
- - You get a co-teacher
- - More job safety (You're much less likely to be screwed about, the school doesn't run the risk of going under, & your contract is less sketchy)
- - More likely to be paid on time/ Less payment issues
- - You'll be more likely to get a nice apt.
- - You're guaranteed a good orientation that will help you prepare for working with a co-teacher, culture shocks, and teaching in the system (and you'll make friends!)
Cons:
- - You don't find out where you'll be teaching in Korea until you arrive for orientation in Korea (if you apply directly to EPIK and not through an agency)
- - A lot of sitting around (Just because you don't have any classes, doesn't mean you get to go home. So when that Sports Day comes and you have no classes to teach, you'll rarely be allowed to go home)
- -You will be required to participate in summer camps or special teaching days meaning you will be teaching when everyone else may be on vacation
- - Paper work and procedures for applying for EPIK is painful.
Summary:
This is a safer environment to teach within and you likely meet many friends during your orientation. You'll be able to receive help from your co-teacher and have a great vacation. Although be prepared to waste many hours in front of your computer becoming extra acquainted with Facebook. You may be lucky enough to be invited out on a field trip, but it's likely you'll just be keeping your seat warm with all the down time you'll have. Camps can be lousy, and if you're sent to a camp right after orientation be sure to get the contract from them to sign before the camp (or else you won't be paid for the camp).
How to Avoid Horrid Hagwons
If it's your first time, sign up with an agency. They'll be more likely to get you a safe hagwon. (This is because they SHOULD be blacklisting bad hagwons. That being said, I've run into pushy shifty agencies, so trust your gut if you feel uncomfortable with your agency. If you don't trust your agency, how can you feel good about the job offers you get?) Your agency will hook you up with a hagwon for free and they'll help you along with Visa paperwork. I would recommend 2 agencies:
Canadian Connection (good for non-Canadians too)
Jeju ESL (Only for Jeju island)
Make sure that before taking a job with a hagwon, you have the chance to talk to the current foreign worker. He/She can give you great insight on what the hagwon is like (and the apartment!) If they refuse to let you talk with the current foreign teacher, then don't take the job. The pay should match your experience. If you just got out of university with a BA in Biology, then 2.0mill won or 2.1mill won is all you're gonna get. However if you have a TEFL certificate/Year of Teaching Experience, then you should expect a pay increase. Make sure that you can take those 5 vacation days off at once (and you should get a total of 10). You can travel a lot better with 9 days off (5 week days + 4 weekend days), rather than my previous 3 days + election day vacation. You should be getting contractual basics (apt. with stove/sink/toilet/table/bed/mini fridge, 50% of insurance paid, pension, severance).
Triple check that contract!!!! Have your brother, sister, mother, father, neighbour look over that contract for shifty things!! If it says you may do weekend work, then make sure the contract mentions how many days (and how much you'll be paid)! If it mentions you'll have an orientation, then make sure it mentions how much you'll be paid and for many days! (Sometimes you won't be paid at all, but that's not the end of the world.) Overtime, sick days, apt., health care, pension, severance, airplane tickets (both ways and how it will be paid) are all things that need to be in the contract!
Finally, with every hagwon suggestion from your agency, make sure you first google it. There are a lot of hagwon review sites, and I strongly recommend you check out what the reviews say about your hagwon. That being said, hagwon review sites can be a source of venting for unhappy employees who were overwhelmed by the culture shock and the different attitudes Koreans have about work.
Have more questions? Or you just need lesson ideas/discipline/help or anything else. This website and the forums are great for any questions you may have.
Dave's ESL Cafe
If you see any corrections that need to be done, misinformation, or just have questions, please feel free to contact me!
