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Yes, we are in South Korea! |
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Well everyone, I guess it is long past time for an update. We are still working in Korea. Our 1 year contract began December 22. We came here at the end of October looking for work and had many offers. We sorted though them all and decided on Reading Town. It is a franchise from the US and our director was opening a brand new school. The job is pretty good, and I would say it is much better than many Korean English academies in that we have a set curriculum and so there really is very little planning.
South Korea is a very interesting country. It has completely rebuilt itself in the 50 years since the war. Because of this the parenting generation is trying so hard to catch up to the rest of the world that they push their children to the extreme; and often to the criminal level (in my humble opinion). All Korean students go to school Monday thru Saturday and then they go to Hogwans (Academies) after school until as late as midnight. In fact Korea just passed a new law which stated that these Academies cannot be open later than midnight. Prior to this law, some were open until 3 or 4 in the morning. So, you may ask, what are the students learning in these schools? Well, everything, in fact. Math, Science, Korean, English, Art, Instruments, Computers, Chinese Script, Chinese, Japanese. Anything and everything the parents think will get them ahead. Each school has mini-vans that shuttle the students around to the next school and all of the students have private tutors who come to their house as well. The parents spend from 2000-10,000 per month on these schools and lessons. the majority of Korean mothers do not work and so they shuttle their kids around and organize their days. Weekends do not exist for most Koreans. As Ii said earlier they go to school on Saturdays and then almost half of the population is Christian and so they spend ALL of Sunday in church . It is really insane. The children do not get enough sleep. One of my private lessons is for a 5 year old girl and it is from 9:45-10:45 pm. Then she has to do her homework. Well, maybe, you think, they go to school later in the morning. No, they get up at 5:30 or 6 am, just like we do in America, but the 8 o'clock bedtime is completely non-existent. I did an informal survey of all my students (about 90) and they almost all go to bed at 11 or 12! Insanity, I tell you!
Well, our hours at Reading Town are from 2-9:30 pm, so it is like being is college again, working at night and days off. On the weekend and the mornings I have private lessons, which aren't actually allowed but everyone does. Here is where a lot of the real money is made. I get $50 for an hour lesson. On Sundays I make about $250 and it is soooo easy it feels like I am just visiting with friends, plus they usually feed me as well. this is what i love more than anything.
The winter here was like nothing I have ever experienced.
End of installment #1
To Be continued. . . .
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