So- you’re thinking of starting a new job in Korea and you’ve come to the age old question: public or private school?  Start with our totally scientifically accurate personality quiz and see what’s best for you.

1) I feel best:

     a) In the morning

     b) In the evening

     c) At night

     d) When I’m drunk

2) In my free time, I like to:

     a) Study online

     b) Surf the net

     c) Watch TV

     d) Hang out with friends

3) When I go out drinking, I usually come home:

     a) After one or two drinks

     b) Early

     c) After I throw up

     d) When the subway starts running again

4) When I enter a party, I usually:

     a) Head for the drinks table

     b) Quietly look for someone I know

     c) Get the attention of someone I know by yelling to them

     d) Say “Wazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzup” (or something more topical)

5) When I go out at night, I usually:

     a) Make a complete plan for my evening

     b) Make a loose plan for the night

     c) See what my friends have planned

     d) Wing it

6) When I meet someone new, I:

     a) Usually search for something to say

     b) Make small talk

     c) Talk comfortably with them about any topic

     d) Impress them with my jokes

7) When I am angry, I:

     a) Keep it to myself

     b) Calm myself down before talking about it

     c) Ponder a solution and then tackle the problem head on

     d) React immediately and confront the person at fault

8) When encountering an authority figure, I usually:

     a) Obey them blindly

     b) Follow their orders if they make sense to me

     c) Ignore them

     d) Yell “damn the man!” and expose my buttocks

9) Most of the time, I feel:

     a) Worried or stressed

     b) Calm and collected

     c) Bored

     d) Excited or happy

Now, for every a) answer add one point, two for b), three for c), and four for d).

0~18 points- PUBLIC SCHOOL

You are a self-starter who’s not afraid to get down to business.  In social situations, you can be a bit quiet—but only when you want to be.  You prefer to be in control.  Your friends often look to you to plan the evening or add up the bill. 

If you go public school, you’re required to work from 9 to 5 (or somewhere in that range).  Inside those working hours, you will have only 22 classes per week where you will teach the same lesson over and over again to different classrooms.  

This is where your need for control will help you get ahead.  In public school, you can plan every second of a forty minute period and then do it again and again until you reach perfection.  And, when your 22 hours is done, you have lots of free time to perfect your lesson plan until a trained gorilla could teach for you.

Beyond lesson planning, your time is yours alone.  Now, sitting at a desk for 5 hours a day of straight up free time can wear down a person’s soul.  But not yours!  You are a disciplined human with many interests.  Maybe you will start an online master’s program in LOL speak.  Whatever you will do with your free time, you will do it with determination and focus.

Lastly, it’s perfect you’re a tiny bit introverted.  As the only native teacher at your school, you could go for days without having a full-speed English conversation.  Seriously.  Days. Luckily, you’re a Thoreau-type human who thrives in alone time.  Although, Thoreau lived suspiciously near his mother and had company all the time, but you’re no lying historical wuss!

You are organized, thoughtful and don’t like being surprised.  So why not take a job where you can plan every second of class time and then spend your ample free time on one of your many worthy projects?  You were made for public school.

19~32 points- HAGWON

You are a social person who feels comfortable chatting to anyone about anything.  You may have trouble focusing on a task for a long time if left to your own devices.  You prefer going out partying to curling up with a good book.  You would do well in a hagwon.

In contrast to public school, hagwons are more “anything goes.”  Sure, you have a contract, but your principal thinks of you more as an indentured servant.  He flew you over here, so of course you can wake up at 5a.m. to dress as a chicken and hand out flyers!

Luckily, you’re one of those special individuals who can win an argument and leave the other guy feeling he won, too.  You’ll need your well-honed interpersonal skills to gently soothe your principal’s ego to get what you want.  You’ve got a strong head on your shoulders-- and you’re really going to use it, especially when you step into that classroom.

Those 30 hours of classes per week are really 30 hours so you can finally use your “relaxed organizational skills” to your advantage.  At a hagwon, you don’t even have to procrastinate because there’s absolutely no planning you could possibly do- not with your minutes a day of free time and Cube2-esque constantly changing schedule.

And when you see that group of children are staring at you, that’s when an extrovert like you really kicks off into high gear.  Whereas others might freeze up in sheer terror in the face of so many… um… tinier faces (?), you spring into action, instantly acting like you know what to do and earning the respect of so many minions.

Lastly, sweet think-on-your-feet human, you’re in good company at work.  Maybe your school employs one other foreign teacher, maybe ten.  Thank goodness you like almost everybody because you’ll be spending a lot of time with your fellow co-workers- probably going out drinking until the subway starts running again two or three times a week.  No problem for you, party guy, because you can wake up at 12 and still have a couple hours before you have to get dressed and go to work.

You’re a feisty, quick-thinking people-person.  You’re way more comfortable winging it than organizing it so you totally belong in a hagwon.

And there you go!  The age old debate cleared up in seconds.  Glad to be of assistance.

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