14 Mar
Congrats, you’ve decided you want to teach English in Korea! That’s a big first step, but now you’ve got to decide where you want to work. First, you will want to decide if you want to work at a public school or a private academy.
Finding Opportunities
If you want to work at a public school in Korea, you will need to get hired through EPIK (English Program In Korea), which places teachers in public schools across the country. In the past, each main metropolitan city would recruit teachers on their own (like the SMOE – Seoul Metropolitan Office Of Education, or GEPIK – Gyeonggi Province English Program In Korea). Now, EPIK controls recruitment for all metro areas.
If you want to work at a private academy, you can apply one-by-one, or go through a recruiter like Aclipse. So, what are the key differences? Let’s run through some of the major factors, so you can make the most informed decision on what’s best for you!
Working Hours
Unlike private academies, public schools have traditional, daytime working hours (around 8:30AM – 4:40 PM). Private academies usually have hours that run from afternoon to evening (4:00 PM – 11:00 PM). For me, I’ve found later working hours really suit my night owl tendencies. Plus, I have time to run errands, go to doctor’s appointments, or sight-see during the day. On the flip side, if you are an early bird or prefer traditional working hours, then working at a public school is the best bet. There are also some private English Pre-schools in Korea (like i-Garten) which also have traditional working hours if you are looking to teach English in Korea at a private school with a daytime schedule.
Curriculum
At public schools, you’re lesson planning from the word go. This means you have a lot of control over the curriculum. Some people really thrive in this environment because it allows you to be really creative and puts you in the driver’s seat! As someone who had little-to-no professional teaching experience before I moved to Korea, I really appreciated that my academy provided training and guidance within a pre-made curriculum, so I felt like I was prepared from the start. Now, I feel a lot more confident about the idea of lesson planning from scratch, but I definitely didn’t at first.
Immersion In Korean Culture
At a public school, you’re likely to be the only expat (or one of few) in your work environment. This could be challenging, but if your main goal is to become fully immersed in Korean culture, this is ideal. You’ll have a lot of opportunities to speak with your Korean coworkers, and make friends within the Korean community. If learning Korean and living like a local is important to you, public schools could definitely be the way to go. However, if you’re more of a novice to Korean culture like I was, having other expat coworkers can be really helpful, especially with the initial language barrier. I was able to create really close bonds with my six expat coworkers who helped me navigate this new frontier.
Hiring Cycles
Public schools hire and place teachers twice per year (usually September and February). If you happen to fall into one of these time periods, there won’t be any issues, but if you start looking outside these intake periods, you may not end up starting for 5 months. I ended up going through Aclipse because they place all year around. The entire process from when I decided I wanted to teach English in Korea to when I actually moved was 2.5 months. Of course, this can vary depending on your unique circumstances, but it’s a very short timeframe when you consider needing a visa, housing, plane ticket, etc.
Location Placement
I seriously considered the EPIK program, and I do think public schools can be a good experience, but what I loved about going through Aclipse is that I had support from the very beginning, especially when it came to finding the right location.
Here’s a little look into how the process went for me with Aclipse: First, I had an initial interview with my recruiter. Then, I sent in an interview recording (basically a brief introduction video about my qualifications for hagwons to take a look at and decide if they wanted to offer me a position). From there, I signed an MOU, got my documents in order, received an official offer letter and signed it. Then I applied for my visa, and finally approved my final hagwon placement. I also was able to talk to a current teacher there before making any final requests about placements in Korea. Even after I was placed, there were opportunities to switch schools. I am totally happy with my current location, but it’s nice to know I have the option to change if I really wanted it.
When you go through EPIK, you can put down your preferences for certain cities, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll get them. However, according to my friends who went through the EPIK program, the more teaching experience you have, the more likely you are to get your top priority school!
Pay
All of my public school teacher friends in Korea agree that if you’re worried about finances, hagwons are your better choice. Typically, private academies pay better, and they often provide free housing or housing assistance. While the EPIK program does the same, your monthly salary is typically less. Also, my hagwon was super helpful during tax season. At a lot of hagwons, you receive a bonus when you complete your contract. If your ultimate goal is to save, a hagwon is usually the right choice. You can read more about the cost of living in Korea here.
Class Sizes
At a public school, you can expect to have a conventional sized class with about 20-30 students. However, at a academies like Creverse, I’ve never taught more than twelve students at a time. I’d say my average is between 6-10 students. Especially if you want to work with younger students, smaller classes are usually easier to manage.
Ultimately, there are pros and cons to any workplace, and it’s going to come down to your priorities. If you’re still on the fence about public schools vs. private academies, I recommend reaching out to one of Aclipse’s recruiters, who can answer all your questions!
Diana Richtman, Marketing Assistant
Diana Richtman is a writer and ESL teacher living in Seoul, South Korea. Originally from Savannah, Georgia in the United States, Diana holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia in English & Women’s Studies. After receiving her TEFL certification, Diana moved to South Korea where she works at one of Creverse’s April Institutes. When Diana isn’t working, she loves exploring Korea, drinking warm cups of tea, and scaring away her friends with her karaoke performances.