To teach kids or not to. That is the question. Actually I taught kids in Japan about 10 years ago for Shane. More on them in another post. All I could remember was rolling around on a tatami mat up on the 4th floor of some nondescript grey building in Chiba prefecture, surrounded by plastic bananas and flash cards. Ah it’s all coming back. The FAB red and yellow series, and those songs:

Hello, Hello, How are you?

Hello, Hello. I’m fine thanks and you?

Aaaagh! Horror flashback!!!

Making the transition from Bankers and Lawyers for years, back to teaching kids was indeed cause for no little anxiety. But the fears were unfounded.

If you’re in Korea, teaching kids does not mean the embryos you have to babysit in Japan. As far as I’m aware it isn’t legal for foreigners here to teach the really young.

What you get are the top end of elementary school, middle school and high school kids. Guess what? It’s not hard. You’ve usually got a clear curriculum, mostly well-behaved little sirs and madams and with even just a little bit of zip about ya, a legion of fans. I’m not saying any seasoned EFL pros out there should consider it as a long term option, but it’s pretty good for a breather and to get back to basics after years of teaching adults.

In Korea, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to teach anywhere else unless you want serious holidays in the universities or serial abuse in the adult hagwons. But in the former case from what I’ve heard, universities are no place for anyone who is used to teaching properly. As for the pros and cons of teaching in adult only hagwons, more later.

I might try university life after this current job, but so far, and providing you get nice owners, and taking into account the work you have to do compared to the pay and conditions, this is the best ticket in town. Supplementing your income in a way frowned upon in the adult arena is easy, you have a single shift, half the day is free, you get lots of time off at mid term exam and end of term exam time, and from someone who has been on both sides of the hagwon fence in Korea, I can recommend it. Go for Susueng-gu.