Teaching English at a Korean private institute, also known as a ‘hagwon’ (학원), is considered the easiest way to find a job in South Korea, and to be honest it was also my very first job in that country. Anyhow, in this post we shall look at the pros and cons of working at a hagwon as an English teacher.

We are going to look at both five advantages as well as five potential disadvantages. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments and don’t forget to Susbcribe to the Seoul Foreigner channel.

The Advantages

Advantage 1: Free Housing

The first advantage of working for a hagwon in Korea is the free housing. You are able to move into some basic accommodation and the school or institute without worrying about paying rent, as they will more than likely cover the security deposit. The only thing you might have to cover are the utilities (i.e., gas, electricity, water, etc.), but these are certainly going to be more affordable than what you are used to. For example, in the UK, utilities are exceedingly extortionate and I was having to pay around £500 per month prior to leaving to South Korea. Now, I am expecting to pay around £500 annually for utilities which is obviously not so burdensome.

One consideration about the free housing is that the accommodation is likely to be rather simple in most regards, just make sure that it is located nearby the school so that the daily commute is not too tricky. I remember having to travel a little far to get to my first institute for the first year, and combine with the lesson planning it is then just adding to the stress before you even enter a classroom. However, the offer of free housing is incredibly enticing.

Advantage 2: Free Airfare

The second advantage of working for a hagwon in South Korea is the possibility of getting your airfare completely refunded. Depending on the institute, they are likely to pay for your airfare when you arrive or include it within your final salary. On top of this, they are likely to pay for your return flight back home, so should you wish to have a short break before returning back to the institute, then you may be able to negotiate this with them. You will need to spend money in the first place to get to Korea, but the initial outlay is likely to be refunded according to the contract that you sign.

Advantage 3: Annual Bonus

Perhaps one of the most enticing elements of working in the land of morning calm is receiving an annual bonus equivalent to one month’s salary. However, should you continue to work for the institute, this bonus accrues over time with each year of service contributing towards a month’s salary. So, if you work for an institute for six years, you will be eligible for six month’s worth of your annual salary as part of a severance pay. However, some institutes are more likely to pay your annual bonus after each year, but you could request that it accrues after each year and a proportion to be added for part of a year if you finish mid-way through contract.

Advantage 4: Korean Food

One reason that many people wish to move to South Korea is the rather unique cuisine that is available. Many countries have also been influenced by Korean cuisine with most people familiar with such food like kimchi, bulgogi, or bibimbap. If you love Korean food, then you will have an opportunity to experience some of the best in this country. However, when I first lived in Korea, there was limited choice of international cuisine, with Italian food being a little bland or a bit bizarre – think kimchi and sweet potato pizza.

Fortunately, nowadays this is not such a problem with the land of morning calm fully embracing the cuisines of the world and I can now get my fix of Italian food which include more common acceptable forms of pizza but I am sure Italians would be unhappy with pineapple being added as a topping. This opportunity is all the more possible by working for a hagwon.

Advantage 5: Location

If you are wanting to work in a specific location, then the advantage of working for a hagwon is being able to choose where you wish to work. Should you wish to work in the city, then you would be able to choose one of the big cities around the country. However, if you prefer a quieter place, then you should be able to find something a little more suitable with a hagwon.

When deciding to go through the Public School system in South Korea, potential teachers are not necessarily given the opportunity to decide the location where they wish to work. It is usually decided on behalf of you and then you just need to accept this. There is a possibility of sharing a preference during the recruitment process with Public School applications, however it is not uncommon to hear possible English teachers being moved to a very remote location where there are very few other non-Korean residents.

The Disadvantages

Disadvantage 1: Workload

When I was first recruited with a hagwon as an English teacher in South Korea, I was informed of the classes that I would be teaching, with a total of six during the afternoon and evening. However, I soon discovered that one of the first disadvantages of working for a hagwon was the workload. I was preparing six individual lessons before I was teaching, with a 10 minute break in between classes, and then having to deliver quality lessons each day. Thus, one of the biggest disadvantages was the workload that was placed on English teachers.

On top of lesson planning, English teachers were required to complete the admin which involved writing and printing monthly student reports, organising tests (often at short notice), as well as attending staff meetings. Thus, teacher burnout is a possibility for those teaching at a hagwon, so be aware that there is a lot of duties placed on the teacher without any further remuneration.

Disadvantage 2: Vacation Days

The second disadvantage for working with a hagwon in South Korea is the stipulated holiday entitlement. It was rather shocking to discover that many hagwons when I started looking for potential employment that they were only offering 10 days holiday per year – the equivalent of 2 weeks. This was by no means a suitable adjustment when being used to around 25-30 days holiday per year back in the UK, and by the end of the week, I was incredibly tired and was finding my time being spent in bed at the weekend with very little chance to to visit other places either in Korea or South East Asia.

Also, you are usually told when you are entitled to take the holiday with little negotiation being possible between the teacher and the managers of the hagwon. So, if you would like to visit another country for a week in a particular month, then forget it as it is more than likely not a possibility. On the other hand, you will notice that public holidays are available to take time off and you could plan to do things when things are quieter when the general public are away visiting family for Korean Thanksgiving or welcoming in the Lunar New Year.

Disadvantage 3: The Contract

The contract, which has been signed by both parties, is something that could be regarded as document that can be adapted, changed or completely forgotten without forewarning to the teacher. For example, when I first started working at a hagwon, I was not registered into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and became unwell one day. I visited the local doctor and discovered to my horror that I had to pay an awful lot of money as I had not been registered into the NHIS, yet my hagwon were claiming that they would pay half the cost the doctor’s fee and I pay the other half.

I asked why I had not been registered into the NHIS and they said that it was not mandatory despite it being in black and white within the contract. I stated it was agreed in writing and they said that it was flexible. However, after much debate, I stated that I would be registering with the NHIS and I would notify them who my employer was. They were unhappy and I suspect that they not wanting additional overheads being added to their business. Another example was when I enquired with the relevant governmental department about National Pension and I was surprised once again that my school were deducting my pension from my salary but not paying into my pension despite again it being included within my contract.

I would recommend any potential teacher to ensure that they check that pension contributions are being included where necessary and that they are included with the NHIS while living and working in South Korea. You would not want any unexpected surprises happening adding to the stress of an already heavy workload.

Disadvantage 4: Stability

The fourth disadvantage that I soon discovered working for a hagwon was the lack of stability with employment. Your job is continuously precarious as you never know whether you are able to continue your work as a teacher for your employer. Teacher turnover is incredibly high with directors of language academies under increasing pressure by parents, students, and other institutes to make improvements with little regard to life-long learning and more on results.

Anyhow, hagwons may find that student numbers decrease and that academies may close without forewarning with much of their livelihood being tagged to students going through the door and less on education. This mismatch of education and business may force institutes to make reckless decisions to the detriment of their workforce, with teachers soon discovering that their employment is being revoked with little to no timing.

I remember wanting to negotiate my salary with the first hagwon and they were quite willing to drop me with little regard to the contractual requirement of 30 days notice. In the end, I was given 7 days to move out of the school’s accommodation and find alternative employment. It was stressful but after 14 months employment, I discovered that my employment was rather unstable.

Disadvantage 5: The Parents

The final disadvantage of working for a hagwon is dealing with the parents. Unfortunately, the institute places greater authority on the parents, rather than the professional language teacher who has greater authority on the subject of language teaching. Parents are able to decide which teachers are suitable or unsuitable, what form of English is appropriate, or what curriculum should be incorporated within the institute.

There are a few stories that I have with parental pressure with hagwons being placed into awkward situations. Much again is related to the spontaneous response given by institutes with little pedagogical consideration. Nonetheless, the slogan for my first institute was that students will be able to become fluent in American English within a year. The difficulty for me was that I am neither from America nor consider that a language could be acquired within a year. It takes many many years for languages to be acquired and one is constantly learning and developing. Anyhow, much to the director’s dismay, a father approached them and complained that their child had acquired a form of British English and was not as fluent as expected.

The next story involved a parent wanting their child to learn more grammar in the classroom and I was requested by the director that I include this in my classes. So, the next few lessons focused solely on grammar. Within a week, the same parent complained that their child was getting bored and wanted more conversation – a complete contrast to what was initially was requested. Therefore, expect to be asked rather contradictory requirements, with little educational or pedagogical regard.

Conclusion

If you are in the need to seek temporary employment, using hagwon employment more as a springboard then it is more than suitable. Also, if you are early in your English teaching career, then you may discover that hagwon teaching gives you the necessary skills to find a suitable employment, after the 12 month contractual period. Should you also have a Master’s as well as teaching experience, then working for a university could be a viable option.

However, much like everything in life, there is no particular right way or option and each person may have to make their choice regardless. What started out as a rather unsuitable experience with a hagwon gave me more experience or regard to not slip back to that way of working. Try to network and find an alternate path and before you know it, you will be more than ready to work with some wonderful people.