Are These Kids' Academy Fees for Real? (Elementary School Edition)
I have one kid in fourth grade, and I tallied up the academy fees.
- Math: 220,000 won
- English: 280,000 won
- Taekwondo: 130,000 won
- Piano: 150,000 won
- Essay writing: 180,000 won
All together, that's 960,000 won. Add school lunch fees, textbooks, snacks, and transportation, and it comes out to over 1.2 million won a month.
People say this is average for my neighborhood, but is that true? How much do you all spend? Also, if there's anything here you think is 'not really necessary,' please let me know. Honestly, the essay writing class feels too early for my kid, but I'm debating whether I should keep at it.
3 answers
Essay writing in 4th grade is a bit early, agreed.
I'm the parent of a 5th grader, and we spend about 1.1 million won a month. But the most divisive items on that list are essay writing and piano. We quit the essay academy and cut down to once-a-week reading/essay (80,000 won), and my kid actually reads more books. We're keeping piano because my kid likes it. We keep Taekwondo for fitness + character, but honestly, with piano and Taekwondo, if the kid isn't interested, you should drop them right away. If the reason they stick with it is 'because Mom makes me,' that's just burning money.
Where did this "neighborhood average" number even come from? If you heard it from an academy director or a moms' cafe, don’t just believe it. Every kid is different and every neighborhood is different, so 96 isn’t on the low side or the high side. But I don’t think you need to drag your kid to essay-writing classes just to meet other people’s standards.