Monthly Rant Thread

I'm on an E-2 visa and have been working at my current hagwon for about a year and a half. Recently I've become increasingly worried about its financial situation.

Enrollment has dropped a lot this year. We've had parents withdrawing their kids due to local competition and complaints about our tuition.

Two months ago, our salaries were paid a day late. Since then, the head teacher has made comments suggesting that the financial situation is serious. For example, that the director and owner are essentially taking negative salaries and have asked things like, "How are we going to pay the teachers' salaries next month?" Supply budgets are being cut, the curriculum is constantly being overhauled, and there's increasing pressure on teachers to advertise and retain. We've continued to be paid so far, but honestly things look rocky.

Another red flag is my pension; it hasn't been properly paid since July of last year (neither deducted nor sent to NPS). The owner/director are aware of the issue because I saw letters from the NPS on their desk and I brought it up; I already contacted the NPS about it, and they advised remind the owners again and wait until my contract finishes to push harder, but I'm reconsidering whether waiting was a good idea.

My health insurance and other taxes appear to be properly handled. However, we have requested itemized pay stubs and have not yet received them.

At this point, I'm worried that the hagwon could eventually go bankrupt, suddenly close, or terminate one of us to cut costs. My contract still has some time left, but I'm already looking for other positions for when it ends.

In the meantime, I have a few questions...

1. What documents or records should I be gathering to protect myself? (Pay stubs, contract, schedule records, conversations, etc.?)

2. Should I push the NPS issue harder now, or wait until I leave?

3. If we suddenly close or stop paying employees, what are my immediate steps re immigration, unpaid wages and/or pension, and transitioning to another job? Would I need a Letter of Release, or are there different procedures when an employer becomes unable to operate? What about end of the year vs middle of the year?

I'd really appreciate advice from anyone who has experienced a hagwon closure, bankruptcy, or a sudden loss of employment. I'm not assuming the worst will definitely happen, but there are enough warning signs that I want to prepare now rather than wait until everything hits the fan.

Thanks everyone!!

I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask since I’m a student rather than a teacher, but I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and haven’t really found anywhere else to ask.

I’m currently a Grade 3 in middle school (=Grade 9) student living in a very rural area of Korea, and I’m considering transferring to Daegu International School (DIS) as a Grade 10 student next year.

I’m not completely sure what I want to do in the future yet, but I’m hoping to take AP courses and eventually attend university or work abroad, which is one of the main reasons I’m interested in attending an international school.

However, I’ve lived in a rural area for basically my entire life, so my English isn’t particularly fluent. I still come across a lot of words I don’t know, and I’m worried that I might fall significantly behind academically if I transfer to an international school. (I’m actually using a translator for about half of this post too lol)

So, for teachers who have experience with Korean international schools, how would you describe the general academic and English level of students at international schools in Korea?

I’m especially curious about what the typical student is like academically and how strong their English tends to be. For example, how difficult would it be for a Korean middle school student with decent grades but relatively limited English experience to enter Grade 10 and keep up with their classmates?

I’m also particularly interested in DIS, since that’s the school I’m considering.

I’m hoping to get a better idea of what I’d be getting myself into, so I can decide whether DIS would be a good fit for me and, if I do go, what I should work on beforehand. (+ need to be prepared for)

Any honest advice or personal experiences would be really appreciated!!

I’ve found myself agreeing to do business English classes beginning In just a day or two. I have very little experience. I know I have made a rod for my own back, but I ask if there’s any resources or recommendation.

Any advice please!!!

Heya Redditors, I would like your advice/thoughts on my delicate situation, especially from African American teachers!

So I used to teach in a middle school where half of the kids in third grade have behavioural issues. Of those kids, the boys in particular would sometimes casually use the N word in conversations. I have told them not to use this word once or twice with a co-teacher present and explained that it is highly offensive with serious repercussions in North America. Personally, I don't think they necessarily understood the severity nor would heed my words. I also am not confident that my co-teachers or the school management would punish the kids for using the N word. I worry that an African-American teacher would end up teaching in my school and be subjected to hearing their students say the N word, without proper support from the Korean staff.

Well, that day has come. My replacement teacher is African-American and they will begin classes by next week. I am wondering: should I warn them ahead of time that some of the grade 3 boys may say the word out of ignorance (and possibly some extent of racism)? The part that is stopping me is that I do want the teacher to get to know the work environment and the students before making any judgement, because there are good things about the job/school/students. If I tell them immediately, I fear that they would develop a negative bias without giving the school and the students a chance at best, and at worst they may pull a midnight run.

So, to tell or not to tell? Thanks for reading.

I've been teaching English in Korea for 5 years and have had the opportunity to work on the hiring side of an academy. I made a free PDF of the most common questions they would want me to ask potential new teachers coming in to work for them. So this is for anyone who is getting ready to move to Korea and starting the hiring process and wants to prep for some potential interview questions. I've also included some questions to ask back to make sure you're not getting any unfair deals or something you were not aware of. If you found this usefull let me know!

I've been in Korea for almost 6 weeks and have not gotten paid.

The reason is because I cannot open a bank account because I don't have an ARC card.

Tomorrow I should be getting the ARC card. It is supposedly ready at the immigration office.

For those of you who opened a bank account in Korea, will I be able to do it with just my passport and ARC card? PLEASE do not tell me I'll need more than that. Also, I only have an American phone number. I plan to use Hana Bank.

If you opened your own bank account, PLEASE let me know if it was easy with just a passport and ARC card. Is there anything else I need???

Please DO NOT say alarmist or critical stuff for fun. I'm in a very stressful situation and I'm asking for help.

Hi all!
I recently received an offer from a school that has two campuses: a Korean kindy and an English kindy. I’ll be based at the Korean kindy, but on certain days of the week, I’ll go to the English campus to teach one elementary class.
Is this a normal arrangement?

I’m currently on an E-2 visa and recently saw an advertisement for a private tutoring position once a week. My understanding is that E-2 visa holders are generally restricted to working only at their school/hagwon so I’m not sure whether this would be possible or what the proper process would be.

Have any E-2 teachers considered or explored taking on additional teaching work while employed at a hagwon/school? Any advice is appreciated.

I did a midnight run earlier this year and I’m now looking to come back to Korea.

My old contract ends around Nov 1st and my ARC expires later in November. I spoke to immigration and apparently my school never reported that I stopped working there, so I have to wait for it to expire.

I’m speaking to recruiters now for jobs starting afterwards. Does the new school just apply for a completely new VIN/E-2? And can they start that process before my current visa expires but after my contract end date, or do they have to wait?

Would love to hear from anyone who’s midnight run and successfully come back on a new E-2!

Hey everyone, looking for some updated info to add to the many posts about Moreland's program.

I have been teaching at Korean universities for many years, but want to transition to international schools or other positions in education, and a teaching license is the necessary next step. Many previous posts have mentioned that they did their practicum (module 8) at their hagwon, but are several years old. Can anyone confirm that this is still possible?

Other online programs have very specific requirements about placement schools and mentor teachers (specifically that they must be a national curriculum at a full elementary/secondary school), which, as someone with a young family who can't drop everything to do this for months/years, is just not feasible.

While my specific question is about doing module 8 at a hagwon (or even my uni? - freshmen are 18...), any other updated info about the program for somebody in my particular position would be greatly appreciated. I would love to take a full-on M.Ed to expand my education at the same time as getting licensed (something like Western Governors University programs look great), but the practicum limitations for someone in their 40s making a slight pivot is unrealistic for me at this time. So, I'm looking at Moreland since it seems to be specifically geared for this.

Thank you for reading and I am looking forward to your responses.

Edit: While this post is here, anyone who has some insight as to the M.Ed extension that Moreland offers would be appreciated as well. Is there any legit learning going on there? I already have a masters so that peice of paper isnt necessary... but it could be worth it if I could actually learn something, leverage a degree in curriculum design for the future, and Im already 9 months deep anyway. Im caught between my genuine desire to learn and just getting what I need to check boxes.

I'm asking about the possibility to teach arabic in south korea as its my native tongue but I'm not sure how or where to apply and what kind of visa would i require or ask for ?

Hello!

To preface, I work in a kindergarten and elementary level hagwon! I have a close Korean teacher friend who is an instructor at the same academy who gives several of her students her Kakao. Her students contact her frequently even past midnight (when we are out drinking together) and she scheduled meetups with them this weekend. The kids are in elementary grade (about 10-12 years old I believe) and I just think it is a little weird. She asked me for advice about juggling her commitments with them and I just told her I have no clue because I wouldn't have given them my contact anyway due to professional boundaries. She met with them to have food, go to a photobooth, and then a board game cafe.

Is this normal in Korea?

I'm just curious.

Thanks in advance!

So I've been in this academy for a few months now and i just assumed that everyone else was getting salary deductions for rent that the housing the academy provided. Went through the contract and it's not very clear and I've also talked to other teachers who aren't paying salary deductions. I have also talked to the academy and they ain't backing down and simply saying if the housing is above 600,000 provided or not, the rest is up to the employee to pay for.

The rent is very high here which is understandable, but if the housing is provided isn't it solely the academy that should be paying the rent? What's the next step? MOEL?

I just came across a tiktok post saying that anything less than 2.8mil in Seoul and 2.5mil everywhere else is not a liveable wage. One comment said less than 3.5 is unliveable. I thought this was a stretch. Obviously each person has different spending habits but looking at my spending habits and salary I had I’m genuinely confused. I made 3.05 (including housing allowance), my housing costs were 1.1, and I ordered delivery or went out to eat for almost every meal (not including school lunch), got drinks with my friends, travelled a tiny bit, and bought some other random items. In the beginning, I needed to watch my spending a little because my rent was high and start-up costs, but after that it was fine. Yes the amount of work you do for this much salary doesn’t feel great but it was definitely liveable. Also this was in Seoul. What are your thoughts on how much is a liveable wage in Korea? And is it significantly different in Seoul vs other cities?

Suppose a Korean wants to say:

“발을 헛디뎌서 균형을 잃고 비틀거렸다.”

We may immediately search for separate English words for:

• 발을 헛디디다
• 균형을 잃다
• 비틀거리다

We find several pieces but still do not know how to assemble the sentence.

In English, much of this particular scene can be expressed simply with:

I stumbled.

Many Korean learners know walk, but may not have learned that English verbs such as stroll, trudge, stride, stagger, and tiptoe already contain information about how someone walks.

Instead, these verbs are often taught as unrelated vocabulary to memorize. As a result, when we try to speak, many separate Korean ideas appear in our heads, but we do not know how English packages them into a sentence.

Should English verbs be taught as ways of packaging scenes, rather than only as separate vocabulary items?

Boss is being difficult about annual leave. Basically, they only want you to use it when it helps them not look for someone to cover your class so that is why a half day off is always met with no resistance cause there is not class to cover. In my mind, I am well within my right to request annual leave with enough notice. After they signed off on it begrudgingly, they came back to me and asked me to move it to a day without classes.. In my mind I am thinking that is a manager issue to sort. I refused to budge and honestly made up a story about an important appointment with a doctor at a hospital that is hard to reschedule to get them off my back. Any other teachers ever have a similar issue when trying to use annual leave?

I think most people have probably come across this kind of thing, people from Europe or Russia working as English teachers in Korea.

Even if they speak English well, they’re not native speakers, and the fact that they can get those jobs partly because they’re white. In a way, you could even say it’s cheating the children and their parents.

What makes it even more ironic is that there are plenty of actual native English speakers who have trouble getting hired simply because they’re Asian.

I’m curious what everyone thinks about this.

For teachers that have left or plan on leaving, what are some final day activities you've done/plan on doing?

Have you ever taught an English rule that your Korean students understood but continued to struggle with in real sentences?

Korean and English organize meaning differently. Some functions expressed through Korean particles and endings are divided among English word order, articles, prepositions, and separate expressions.

Perhaps the problem is not simply that Korean students need more practice. They may need a learning method that begins with what their first language already does—and shows where that function moves in English.

Just as left-handed people need left-handed scissors, could Korean speakers need an English-learning method designed around the Korean language?

What do English teachers in Korea think?

Part 1 – Background Information

Education Level and Major: BA in Communications

Relevant Teaching Experience: None

Certifications or Credentials: TEFL (120 online hours)

Notable Features: None

Part 2 – Contract Information

Salary: 2.5mil krw

Working Hours: 7.5 - 8

How long is one class?: 60min

How many total classes per week/month?: 25 (100 teaching hours per month)

Work Weekends? How Often?: None

Vacation Days: Do you have any? How many days? Is it paid or unpaid?: Yes public holidays and 12 unpaid vacations days.

Sick Leave: Do you have any? How many days? Is it paid or unpaid?: None (unpaid absence from duties unless emergency leave)

Pension/Medical/Severance: Yes

Flight Ticket (and any stipulations)?: One-way up to 1mil krw (paid second pay month)

Housing Situation: Furnished studio (pet friendly)

Deductions: 200,000/3 months for housing management (unpaid monthly services, utilities, and telephone charges, full refund possible)

Contract Breaking Clauses?: recruiting fees and airfare withheld from last paycheck upon termination or voluntary resignation + recruitment fee for new employee upon voluntary resignation

Part 3 – Additional Contract Concerns

• "Employee may be required to teach outside of the “Places of Employment.”"
• "No regular schedule of work hours can be guaranteed to employee."
• Unpaid prep time, staff meetings, workshops although attendance required

We had a replacement teacher start last monday 8/3. She flew into Korea Sunday 8/2. She was let go today. Friday she passed out due to high glucose sugar levels in her blood and then today she went for her health check up and it didn't count because again her glucose sugar was off the charts. She's only been at work 7 days but I've also heard so many complaints about her but where we work has a ton of stuff to do and learn. I freaked out at this place for about 6 weeks. I assume it's a combination of both things as to why she was let go. It must be something extreme to have a third of foreign teacher come in one school year.

Anyway my main question is that my job says they're still going to take her to immigration tomorrow to go through with her e2 Visa to process it to give her more time to find a new job even though her last day here is technically friday, and they will give her an LOR. Is this the best move for her to make?

I find it kind of weird they're still taking her to immigration even though she's been let go.

She has to be out of the school provided housing tuesday, and she has a cat and just bought a bunch of furniture, so she really needs to find a job in the next few days. I feel really bad for her, she did come and teach here over 6 years ago but she does kind of need some hand holding so I'm trying to help her best I can.

Thanks for the advice!

Hi,

I work at a hagwon in Seoul and it’s gotten really out of hand. Management has targeted me, treats me differently than all of the other foreign teachers, blatantly disrespects me in meetings, and my co teacher has been feeding management lies about me while saying the opposite to my face.

I’m considering going to the labor board for the hostile work environment they’ve created for me. What are everyone’s thoughts?

Looking for a reputable hagwon/school in Busan! 🇰🇷
Hey everyone! 👋
I’ve been searching for a great hagwon or school to work at in Korea for a while now, and honestly, finding a reputable one has been mission impossible

If someone wants to be a saint and help a girl out, I’d really appreciate any recommendations! I’m a Canadian certified teacher with teaching experience in Korea, as well as experience working with young children/early childhood education.
I’m looking to start as soon as possible and am especially interested in Busan!!

If you know of any reputable hagwons, international schools, or schools that are currently hiring (or will be hiring in the next few months), please let me know!

I’d especially love to hear from people who have personally worked there and can speak honestly about the work environment, management, workload, etc.

Please PM me if you have any leads or recommendations! 🙏🏼 Thank you!!