Every time I try to write I'm bogged down with the shear quantity of what I need to say. I'll try to get it out piece by piece before I become a jabbering fool.
My Job. I teach adults one-on-one in Kangnam.
Students. Kangnam is the upper-class business district of Seoul. My students reflect that. The average age is somewhere in the mid-forties and I'd hate to guess at average income.
I teach business execs, bankers, venture capitalists, investors, university students and teachers, engineers, flight attendants, IT workers, and even someone who works for the president.
I'm constantly at battle with my own ignorance toward Korea. I'm learning quickly. Often, my students are the teachers. Many of my students also hold intensely strong beliefs that we dance around in fits of politeness.
Hours. I work from 6:30 A.M to 11:00 A.M. and from 5:30 P.M to 9:30 P.M. I work the dreaded split shift. It's a little disorienting but it has a lot of potential for being healthy. I also work one or two Saturdays a month.
The bottom Line. In truth, adult teachers work more and are paid less then Hogwan teachers. I work forty plus hours of straight teaching with little prep time. Hogwan teachers, at least in public schools, work around twenty hours of teaching with plenty of prep time. They are required to provide lesson plans, I'm just required to talk and correct. The only advantage in teaching adults, besides the interesting conversations, is that the experience is more applicable when applying for university jobs.
Work Environment. My co-workers are all very kind and interesting. My manager seems nice and helpful. My foreign co-workers are from New Zealand, South Africa, the U.S., and England I believe. I feel like I could really cultivate some friendships among both my native and foreign co-workers if I just had the time and money for it. The environment, in general, is great. Every thing's very professional and I feel constantly under-dressed.
Generally I'm happy with everything about my job but the hours and the pay. The only reason these bother me is when comparing them to what elementary school teachers make. I'll still pull in at least 35k this year with benefits. Nothing to complain about in comparison to the States.
