Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Golem]

I forgot to add things like the fact that the academic director was having an affair with one of the Korean teachers and was prone to calling the female staff fat and cows.

[Toon Army]

[plynx]

[jadefrog]

I know several people working for the adult division of YBM. The adult division salary and benefits are good compared to other adult schools.

[carp_specialblend]

okay... i know some of you will roll your eyes at this, but here goes. i just started a job at YBM this week. monday was my first day. i know i know, it's only been a week. but at least it's 1st hand account of a ybm in practice. first thing you should know is that ybm has many different branches. for example, i work at ECC. all ecc's should be run very similar withe the only differences being how lucky you get in terms of a director and korean co teachers. here's the scoop. whoever said you will work 8 classes a day was slightly misinformed. i work

mon- 6 classes, 4:40 hours, no break, start 2:45
tues- 3 classes, 2:45 hours, break from 3:25-5:00, start 1:40
wed- 8 classes, 5:50 hours, break 12-1/6-7, start 11:15
thur- 4 classes, 3:20 hours, break1:30-2:45/3:25-4:15, start 11:15
fri- 9 classes, 6:40 hours, break 12-1, start 11:15

kindergarten until 2:20, more advanced as teh day goes on. latest i work is 8.
i work with two girls from australia and one is extending her contract. thegirl i replaced left because she couldn't take the kinder anymore.
so basically, if you don't like kids and are donig this more to see a new culture then it may not be for you, but i hope that i at least helped you make an informed decision.

[carp_specialblend]

if you think that sitting with 6 kindergarten kids and teaching them a christmas song is hard work then once again, not for you. and i know someone out there in a-hole land will post "let's see who yo feel in 6 months?" and my reply would be.. i guess we will, but until then, teaching kids to draw a water fountain and reading one bear is all i need really doesn't feel like i'm being overworked. and if so, down a cass at the end of your shift at your local bar and soak in the fact your in effing korea!!!

[jjo]

[explorer25]

Did you get the right amount of pension? I was reported as "part time" ,and pension was 1.8mil at the end !!! Lower salary at previous school , pension pay was 2.3 mil... My salary was 2.4 mil at YBM got LOWER pension...I mentioned the amount being taken was LESS than what it was supposed to be, they blew me off, and got mad ))

[fancyzeta]

Does anyone know some info on YBM seomyeon. I have an interview on Friday and wanted to get some insight before then.

[Universalis]

I worked at YBM Shinchon in the regular language school as well as the 1 on 1 offices upstairs and really enjoyed my time there. They expect a lot from their teachers (I know of several cases of sup-par teachers being fired) and the teachers who do their job well are treated well (there are a couple of long-termers on the staff there, which says a lot). Heck, how many schools actually have a professional development day where teachers come from different schools around the city to learn new skills (I was asked to give a presentation on international student visas for study in America)?

I can't really comment on the various other facets of the YBM brand but YBM Shinchon treated me well. I can recommend it highly.

Brian

[bobbybigfoot]

I would advise people to listen to Ttompatz. That dude knows his sh*t.

[misher]

Adult language hagwon chains are mostly all the same. If you are a go getter and on the ball, don't complain and don't mind doing extras every once in a while then you will get respect and eventually things will go your way. It may take some time however and many individuals in Korea are simply too lazy and bail after a year or less only to complain.

Working for these companies is really like a company job back home when you start out. You get crapped on for the first few years and then things start to get a little better providing that you work your butt off. Too many people from North America these days are out for a free lunch IMO so my advice is to take all the heat these hagwons get from this website with a grain of salt.

[Fat_Elvis]

[Slowmotion]

Sounds like a nightmare working there.

[gnr05a]

from what i've heard YBM ECCs can be all different... but i've had many different friends who have worked for several different YBM ECCs... and they couldn't wait to get out. The kids are kids first. It doesnt make a difference that they are Korean kids, they are KIDS. so you must be able to work with kids and have patience.

When I was there, at first it seemed fine. but there were long hours and a lot of work. some days i stayed too long and had too much stress. I had about 7 classes a day and that didn't winter camp. During the winter camp, you worked extra classes and sometimes didnt have a break other than lunch. Some schools even require to eat lunch with the kids without pay. In addition to the long work days during the work week, you sometimes had Saturday training. Also, some teachers had to stay twice a month to do phone teaching, which is also not paid because it is not a class. If books were not completed for each student, as in EVERY single page filled, you were reprimanded and told you were not doing your job. ECCs are not real schools. Students don't pass or fail and you never truly evaluate the student's performance. Only good comments are allowed, so as to keep the students coming. It's first and foremost a business. Money trumps all.

what put me over the edge was when i had an accident that disabled me for a short time and the school lied to the insurance company to receive money, which they asked me to send directly to them. They also had me sign paperwork without actually telling me what the actual translation was. Now, the insurance company has decided they can't cover that accident and that I should repay the money.

you must be really careful about who you trust and what you sign, as well as, the legal actions to take if you find yourself stuck.

Enter at your own risk.