Dance Monkey, Dance!

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Originally uploaded by LML.

Well, what can I say.

I have spent the past couple of hours browsing hagwon blacklists, ESL Teacher forums and ESL Law forums (not the first time I have done this) to find that there are so many mis-treated foreign teachers out There. Not being paid on time, or at all, apartments falling to pieces, no breaks, being made to work illegally etc. Many are genuine, and are in a similar situation to myself.

However, what really gets me is when foreign teachers complain "that they only get one break...A lunch break for 50 min in 6/7 hours" and "my school is treating me really badly...They will only give me one month to see my family between contracts, and not two".

I'm sorry but you need to take Korean culture into account. The former is fortunate they are getting a break at all...I get no breaks, and 5 min in between each class which allow me to walk from one classroom to the next. At least their hagwon is keeping within the law by giving them a break. The latter is extremely lucky that they are getting time in between contract at all, and the bosses are not obliged to do so (as far as I am aware-correct me if I am wrong). Afterall, the boss has a business to run, and the other teachers will really feel the strain in the absence of that teacher for such a long period of time. These teachers in my opinion are unrealistic to expect more than what the culture and law allows, and completely naive. If they don't like it, GO HOME. You are not in Canada/America/wherever, you are IN KOREA. If you are being treated humanely, then don't complain (although admittedly we all have differing ideas about humanity). Many teachers come here to experience another culture...Well here it is. They have to take the rough with the smooth.

The majority of hagwons are disorganised and poorly run...Koreans as a people while are smart in many ways, have difficulty planning ahead. Bosses are money hungry and don't care about the education. What they don't realise is that if they showed an interest in their students their business will be more successful due to less turn-over and a rise in student numbers. Many foreign teachers are not real teachers...They are a circus performance. The boss can advertise that they have "waygookil"/foreigner in their hagwon, "don't we look good" and then don't care about the standard of education the children are getting. There is no direction from the top whatsoever, no structure or curriculum in the education they receive, and meanwhile parents are paying through the nose. Also, if they treated their employees with respect, they will keep their staff, and the hagwon will not end up on the black-list. (However, luckily on these blacklists there is opportunity to defend a hagwon if another employee feels that the person who put the hagwon on the list is exaggerating).

Some teachers are genuine in their concern for their student's education. They want to do their best, and walk away knowing that they have made a difference. However, the situation they are in will not allow for this: no preparation time, no books or materials, no direction from the top and little or no team-work/co operation from Korean colleagues. The foreign teacher is there to make the place look good, and not much more. Dance monkey, dance. Say anything, do anything, entertain the crowd.

As a result of all this, Choo young and I have learned from others mistakes and are determined to set up the best hagwon in the city. The staff will be treated fairly, there will be co-operation between Korean/foreign teachers, a curriculum, the hagwon will be comfortable etc. We will chose our staff carefully, explain the culture in the foreign-teacher interviews (and how our hagwon is therefore more western in its organisation), so that the teacher does not take a midnight flight and leave us high and dry. Luckily Choo-young is as concerned about all of this as I am... Of course we want to make as much money as we can, but there is a balance to be struck between this and the standard of education.

I know that I have made a few controversial comments on this blog, and I am open to critisim. But I feel that something needs to be said, about attitudes of both hagwon owners and foreign teachers.