Examinees take a provisional score in a third-grade classroom at Jeonghwa Girls’ High School in Suseong-gu, Daegu, on Nov. 17, the day after the 2024 college entrance exam. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Korea Bizwire) – In the past year, high school seniors who received private education on career and college consulting spent an average of over 1 million won on an annual basis, while those who sought tutoring for essay writing spent around 4 million won, according to recent data.
According to the “2022 Private Education Expenses Statistics for Elementary, Middle, and High School Students” report released by the Ministry of Education and the Korea National Statistical Office, the average monthly cost for students who participated in career and college consulting among high school seniors last year was 90,000 won. When calculated annually, this amounts to 1.08 million won.
While the monthly figure may appear relatively modest, it is important to consider that the majority of students typically rely on consulting as a one-time investment to support their applications for both rolling admissions and regular admissions. Consequently, the cost per session is estimated to be considerable.
Indeed, the cost of career and college consulting services ranges from tens of thousands to millions of won per session.
The expenditure on essay writing tutoring was particularly noteworthy, with high school seniors accounting for the highest spending across all grade levels. The monthly average spending on essay writing tutoring for high school seniors last year was 330,000 won.
This translates to an annual expenditure of 3.96 million won solely on essay writing tutoring.
Test takers wait for the start of the 2024 College Scholastic Ability Test. (Yonhap)
Especially striking was the revelation that essay writing tutoring expenses remained relatively stable during the first and second years of high school, with monthly averages of 173,000 won and 206,000 won, respectively. However, as students entered their third year, the costs sharply increased.
It appears that high school seniors, facing the imminent challenge of applying to university, relied heavily on essay writing tutoring during their third year.
However, when taking into consideration the students who did not participate in private education, the monthly average expenses for career and college consulting among high school seniors drop significantly to 6,000 won (72,000 won annually).
These findings shed light on the significant financial investments made by high school seniors and their families to secure professional guidance in navigating the complex landscape of career choices and university admissions.
The figures underscore the significant importance placed on private education and tutoring services in the competitive South Korean education system, especially during the crucial high school years.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
