Hagwon: Private English Academies in South Korea

If you are doing a key word search for the meaning of the Korean word hagwon, you are probably thinking about becoming an English as a Foreign Language teacher in South Korea. I taught for one year in a hagwon in Seoul and I have many friends who have taught and still do teach in hagwons all over South Korea. I can give you a first hand account of what it is like to work in a hagwon vs public school.

A hagwon is a private after school academy in South Korea. Each hagwon has a focused curriculum with either a core of academics or the creative arts. Hagwons are the Korean solution to North American daycare. All Korean families who can scrounge the extra cash to send their kids to the hagwon do.

English as a Foreign Language hagwons are granted work visas by the Korean government, so that they may have at least one native speaker at each hagwon. Every hagwon wants to boast it retains a true native speaker, which is why there are so many English teaching hagwon jobs in South Korea. As a hagwon teacher expect to be paraded about like a show dog and introduced to all the parents.

Once you find a few hagwon jobs you are interested in, contact the recruiter by email. You will need to initially send: resume, recent picture (the more flattering the better), a copy of your valid passport, a copy of your diploma and a copy of any TESL Certification you may have (don't worry you don't need one to be an English teacher at a hagwon in South Korea). Recruiters will usually get back to you quickly, do not let them pressure you into a job or location you do not want. Remember there are more hagwon jobs than teachers so be choosy.

English as a Foreign Language hagwons differ vastly from each other so be sure to pay attention to the details of your contract. Hagwons usually start their day with the youngest students and the students get progressively older as the work day rolls on. Hagwons are famous for following a textbook so the amount of lesson planning is minimal and the students have their own books so there is usually not a lot of photocopying required.

Although not my personal choice, I know many English as a Foreign Language teachers in Korea who prefer to work at hagwons rather than work in the Korean public schools. First of all, hagwons often start their workday in the afternoon while public schools require you to be there by 9am. Therefore hagwons are ideal for the expat English teacher who likes to party every night or who utilizes those free morning hours to make some extra cash with illegal privates. Second, hagwons follow a given textbook / workbook and very little lesson planning or copy making is required. Public schools are notorious for asking their English as a Foreign language teachers to reinvent the wheel and devise original lesson plans that often require the tedious task of making a lot of your own copies. Third, public schools require a lot of seat warming hours while hagwons are more liberal about only making you be at the hagwon when you have to teach class. Last but not least, if you are coming to teach English in South Korea to pay off debt or to save a lot of money hagwons give you more opportunity for more overtime work and less opportunity to spend your money on vacations.

Sometimes hagwons get a bad rap on the internet message boards but most hagwon owners, and Koreans in general, are honest, hard-working employers who pay on time. The best you can do for yourself is make a request to your recruiter to speak directly with the English as a Foreign Language teacher you will be replacing for the most accurate information on your prospective hagwon. If you are really lucky they will forward you some pictures of the apartment.

Before you sign a contract, READ IT and make sure your hagwon contract includes: the day of the month you will be paid, vacation days, maximum teaching hours a week, contents of your apartment (including air conditioning), sick days, health insurance, apartment fees and how and when you will be reimbursed for your plane ticket. When you get to South Korea make sure you receive your official Korean National Health Insurance card from your hagwon within 21 days from your hagwon. No matter what your hagwon tells you, you are not covered by insurance if you do not have that card!!!

Teaching English as a Foreign Language at a hagwon in South Korea can be a profitable and rewarding experience.

Working at a hagwon will provide you with a once in a lifetime experience you will never forget.

**If you enjoyed this article please view my other articles on securing a job Teaching English in South Korea by clicking on my name, Tesl Goddess, at the top of this page.**