The top school is… really, quite hard to find.  Ratemyhagwon.com has a combined 20 years of experience in the ESL industry and has worked with hagwons small and large, private and publicly owned, and we know that a “top school” can be many things.  There are few absolutes in the ESL/EFL industry, especially in as dynamic a market as the one we work in every day in ultra-speedy Korea.

Nevertheless, we can point out several key factors to successful schools that would qualify them to appear on our listing as being a top school. 

1.    For one thing, top teachers count.  Hardly news?  Those in the profession for more than a few months already know that the quality of the teachers is a reflection of a wide variety of things in a learning organization.  High quality recruits don’t just mean that the teachers have an Ivy-league degree or (Country name)’s Top university (e.g. McGill, UBC, Cambridge).  Likewise, it doesn’t mean that the teachers are full of energy, passion, and presentation only.  Top teachers are a combination of academic achievement, a continuing curiosity to learn, the presence of an intellectual mindset, and a solid record of teamwork and communication skills.  Any hagwon with people such as these working for them is likely to be very successful in the classroom, and any hagwon worth its salt will do everything to keep them on board.

2.    Secondly, a top school has organized systems.  Any engineer can tell you that you can’t build a solid bridge without a blueprint.  Any education administrator at any level (preschool-post doctorate) can tell you similarly that you cannot teach children without a plan.   We recognize that the best schools have a clearly organized curriculum, combining scheduled content instruction with detailed assessment.  It doesn’t stop there.   The teachers need systems too.  There must be a detailed training system designed around the acquisition of content, the mastery of the skills being delivered, and the practice required to deliver it well. And also, a system that encourages teachers to develop themselves for future transition (be it graduate school or career advancement) is needed.  Look for a rewards system as well.

3.    A top school needs to care about its students.  One time, this editor, after his first day of teaching at a school in Mokdong, was surprised to see students bowing to their school director in courtesy before leaving for the evening.  This editor was doubly shocked when he saw that same director counting cash in her hands while saying goodbye to the children.  The standard is high, when it comes to caring about children.  This is a universal value, which any adult should know.

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