Most teachers are required to do administrative work and
engage in after-school programs. This is a major drawback for
teachers. In my interviews of 16 teachers in Korea, when asked
if they would opt for a teaching career again if given the opportunity
to start over, only 3 of 16 responded favorably. This
group included the two master teachers who responded positively.
The other 13 teachers who professed dissatisfaction with
their teaching careers complained about administrative workloads,
the large classes (they cited an average 40 students; there
were 36 in the two classes I observed) and work in after-school
programs that was expected of them. Some teachers explained
that they had to work as long as 15 hours daily, leaving little
time for a personal life. While this group represented only a
small and admittedly nonrandom sample, their responses were
an indicator of some of the serious problems that Korean teachers
are facing.