Private language institutes are found all over Korea, but the majority are located in Seoul. Some are well known and have many branches, while others are small-scale operations and are short-lived. The ESL (English as a Second Language) market in Korea is extremely competitive and it is common for institutes to fail. Many of the more marginal businesses open their doors, hire the first foreigner they can find, advertise for students, offer classes for a month or so, and then close.

Most hakwons employ expatriate (American, British, Canadian, New Zealander and Australian) instructors for conversation classes. Some of the better institutes will provide housing for instructors. The typical full- time employee can be expected to work 20 to 30 hours a week. The majority of classes are conducted in the early morning and the evening. Therefore, many instructors have free time in the afternoon. Most classes have from 10 to 15 students — usually university students, or businesspeople who are contemplating overseas assignments or trying to improve their English skills. Many hakwons also have after-school classes for children as young as five years old.

All institutes are required by law to provide health insurance during the period of employment and severance pay on completion of a one-year contract, but some institutes fail to honour these provisions. The average monthly salary is currently about 2.2 to 2.7 million won.

While it is very likely you can find a better paying job with a hakwon than with a public school, you will likely have to spend the vast majority of your time teaching with little or no prep time whereas public school job are more stable and the pace is generally more relaxed.

If you are primarily motivated by money and don’t mind a heavier work load then a private school is a good option.