"There are no students" Local academies facing closure crisis... Educational polarization deepens due to concentration in school districts

The decrease in the school-age population due to low birth rates is shaking the local educational ecosystem. While local academies are being pushed to the brink of closure due to a lack of students, the phenomenon of 'educational polarization'—where students flock to major school districts such as Mok-dong in Seoul—is becoming distinct.

"From 66 to 14"... The 'Seed Drying Up' phenomenon hitting local academies

According to a video from the YouTube channel 'Stories of Self-Employed People in Their 30s', Director Noh Byeong-hun, who has been running an English entrance exam academy in Suwon for six years, is facing the closure of his academy this coming October. The number of students, which once grew to a maximum of 66, has plummeted to the level of 14. Explaining the reason for the closure, Noh said, "It is not because the competition is fierce. It is difficult because there are no academies to even compete with," describing the reality of disappearing students.

Noh described the decrease in the number of students in the region as a 'seed drying up' phenomenon. While graduates continue to be produced, the influx of new students is so low that the foundation for the academy's existence is disappearing. He stated, "I sensed the seriousness when I saw two first-grade classes for the new semester with about 12 students per class," adding, "Even though it is the Suwon area and not a rural province, the entire local commercial district is suffering, with nearby tteokbokki shops and PC rooms closing down." He also mentioned the aftermath of the low birth rate, saying, "I witness three-story kindergartens being converted into coffee shops because the ratio of the toddler population is falling."

Noh also gained popularity from students by developing a unique learning method called 'CDI' that allows them to find correct answers without even understanding the English passages of the College Scholastic Ability Test. This method, which even received a patent, drew suspicion from students asking, "Is this a scam?", but it became popular enough to be compared to top-tier instructors as it led to actual scores. However, such teaching ability alone was not enough to overcome the limits of operation. Noh lamented, "Since the profession of a teacher is also that of a self-employed person, I have to earn rent and money to make investments, but as students decrease, the operation itself has become difficult."

Concentration in school districts... Instructors moving to reduce 'fixed cost burden'

In contrast to the crisis of local academies, large academy districts like Mok-dong in Seoul remain vibrant. Noh is currently continuing his lectures at the main building of HCNC, a large academy in Mok-dong. He cited 'fixed costs' and 'degree of work concentration' as the differences between running a local academy and working as an instructor at a large academy.

A director of a local academy must handle all operational tasks, including not only lesson preparation but also promotion, distributing flyers, parent consultations, and payment management. On the other hand, large academies have separate marketing and design teams, providing an environment where instructors can focus solely on teaching. Noh said, "Local academies have a large operational burden such as rent and labor costs, but large academies have a low fixed cost burden, which is also psychologically easier." He is currently conducting online lectures in parallel by building an environment where live broadcasting is possible by connecting a laptop to a TV. The intuition that "I will definitely fail with the local academy operation method" became the motivation for his transition.

Director Lee Ho-jin, who runs an academy in Mok-dong, analyzed the reason why parents flock to that area as "because it is densely populated with proven instructors who represent South Korea, so the quality of education is sufficiently recognized." In fact, one academy in the Mok-dong area was found to have approximately 3,000 students. Regarding the unique learning atmosphere of school districts, Lee explained, "There are areas where if a friend next to you plays, you end up playing together, but in school districts, an atmosphere is formed that cannot be ignored."

"If you have teaching ability, go to a large academy"... The changing education market

As the polarization of the education market deepens, the survival strategies of instructors are also changing. Deciding that survival is difficult with the local academy operation method, Noh moved to the entrance exam market centered in Mok-dong. He advised prospective instructors to first ask themselves, "Do you want to manage an operation, or do you want to teach?" and recommended, "If you want to make money, I recommend going to a large market (large academies) when you are confident in your teaching ability."

Changes in the local community are also continuing. Noh analyzed, "Overall, a polarization phenomenon is occurring where those that are not doing well do not do well, and those that are doing well do even better," adding, "The local academies that survive are those where the director's capabilities are excellent and they put their lives on the line, working to the point of barely being able to sleep, on marketing, promotion, consultation, and teaching."

Meanwhile, Noh added his concerns as an educator. He stated, "There are many times when I feel guilty about receiving money after having raised the children at a local academy. I realized that it is because I do not have money," and revealed, "My final goal is that if I make a lot of money later, there will be no cases where anyone cannot learn English because of money."