Private language institutes, also known as Hogwans or Hakwons, are found all over Korea. Some institutes are well-known with many branches throughout the country while others are small and short-lived. The ESL teaching market in Korea is extremely competitive which leads to bankruptcies and sudden school closures.
Footprints screens these schools in an effort to minimize your risks so that your experience there is as positive as possible.
A typical employee can expect to teach around 30 hours per week. The majority of classes are conducted early in the morning and in the evening, so many instructors have free time in the afternoons but that depends on the age group you are teaching.
Typical Teaching Schedule in a Private Language School in Korea:
- Preschool and Kindergarten - mornings
- Elementary, Middle and High School - generally from 2PM - 9PM
- Adults - splits - early mornings and evening classes
Most ESL classes in Korea have between 5 to 20 students.
Pupils may be grade school or college students, or businessmen who are contemplating overseas assignments.
Many Korean hakwons prefer to employ American and Canadian teachers in their schools. There is often a biase toward these two nationalities because schools are often interested in exposing students to American and Canadian accents. Footprints does not discriminate and we have such a wealth of jobs that we want ALL sincere native English speakers who want to teach in South Korea.
Often Korean private language schools also have an element of discrimination based on age and ethnicity. This is a difficult problem that many schools and recruiters are forced to deal with daily. Schools are forced to adhere to the dictates of their clients, the students or the parents of the students, and the recruiters are competing to introduce the most qualified person that fits the school's ideal description. In many cases non-caucasian teachers are not selected and older teachers are overlooked. Even once you do get a job you could also face discrimination on personal levels once you arrive. Be sure you are prepared for this if this is really something you want to do.
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“I'd like to start off by saying that my choice to teach abroad in Korea was one I know I will never regret! Footprints made it very easy to communicate with the school regarding details of where I'd be living and what I'd be teaching as well as taking care of my flight information. At the airport the morning we left, my boyfriend and I encountered overweight bags and extremely long lines at security, and we missed our flight by literally one minute. As we watched our plane pull from the gate, we just about lost our minds and any hope that we'd make the long journey we'd been planning for so long. We made one simple phone call to the travel agent, Claus, that Footprints set us up with. It was 6AM where he was on a Monday morning when we called in a panic. He said, "Stay by your phone," and we knew that he would fix this fiasco for us. Luckily, while Claus was searching for a solution, a woman from United Airlines was able to book us on another flight so that we would make our connection out of the U.S. to Seoul. We would like to thank Claus and Laina at Footprints for all their help in getting us to Korea!
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