Hagwon vs Public School

Many teachers wonder what kinds of teaching opportunities await them in South Korea. As we mentioned in our first entries, we work with schools all over Korea and we do our best to match teachers to schools that we feel would be best suited for each individual. We also work with the two different kinds of schools (actually there are 3!)

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First and most frequent is the hagwon. Most people would call it a cram school. To explain it in simpler terms, it is a school that operates independently of the Korean public schools. Parents pay extra money to enroll their students in hagwons to receive supplementary education so that the children will have an advantage when it comes to their education. There are many kinds of hagwons and they are EVERYWHERE in Korea. There are hagwons for math, science, art, sports, and our specialty...English! Below are some general details about working in a hagwon. (Please keep in mind that these are general rules and there are always exceptions to the rules!)
- Minimum salary begins at 2 -2.1 million won per month.
- Daily schedule is approximately 3-10 PM.
- Most national holidays off.
- Anywhere from 7-10 vacation days to be used at your discretion (and within the guidelines of the school.)
- Anywhere from 3-5 sick days paid upon presentation of a doctor's note.
- A few to several other native English speaking co-workers.
- Class sizes of 10-15 students per class.

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Public schools are for the most part, in coordinance with the laws that the Korean government has established within the Ministry of Education. The biggest demand for public school teachers is usually in the beginning of each solar new year. (January-February if not earlier.) Please look below for some more information about teaching in public schools.
- Less flexible salary than a hagwon. (The most qualified teacher will generally earn 2.5 million won per month.)
- Daily schedule is approximately 8:30 AM - 5 PM.
- Two weeks vacation in the summer and two weeks in the winter. (It is scheduled for you.)
- Two weeks part-time language camp instruction in the summer and winter.
- ALL national holidays off.
- Less flexibility regarding sick days.
- One native English speaking teacher per school.
- Class sizes of 25-30+ students per classroom.

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Finally, there is a school that is a little along the same lines as a public school, but it is called a private school. Just as in many countries in the world, parents pay tuition to send their children to study at schools where the education is very reputable. The details are generally the same as public schools, but often times in private schools, teachers have an apartment within the confines of the school. The students sometimes live there as well. Korean private schools are comparable to boarding schools in Western countries.