Job Discussion Forums

[cynthialynn]

Hello,
I am interested in ESL teaching in Korea, but have read the horror stories. While I realize these are extreme cases I am trying to find preventive measures I can take to assure they don't happen to me. Are there site you can look at like The Better Business Beaurea should you go to a US Embassy as soon as you get ther etc. I already know to make copies of all memos, pay stubs, utiliy bills and payments made on utilities. Any other suggestions??? Should I let the consulting agency I went thru try and negotiate any problems I have 1st???

Second question is if I do end up getting screwed over by the school, if you have encountered this problem what has your experience been in getting a Letter of Release from your hogwan?? What are the procedures if you can get that letter to get your visa switched to another school (do you have to make another visa run etc.). If I do leave and decide to come back to the states will, does the school have a legal right to make you pay for your flight out there??

Finally has anyone heard of a company in Korea called Daekyo that produces educational materials?? They have started 3 schools called the Calritz. They have hired 7 teachers and are looking to bring on 4 more. Does this sound like a safe school since its so big and affiliated with a large company??
Thanks for any help you can offer,
Cynthia

[Shaman]

Hi cynthialynn.

Check out this link:

http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/~jonb/blacklisted.html

There are many more like it. Just do a net search using keywords like blacklist, Korea, ESL etc.

I wouldn't count on a letter of release. You're there and they want you to stay. Don't know about switching visa from school to school. Visa run? More like midnight run. Most teachers take it on the run. If you do not complete the contract, you are on the hook for your exit from the country. That's a stipulation of the paid airfare.

Good luck.

Shaman

[Shaman]

I forgot to mention that if you don't complete the contract, the school may very well demand that you reimburse them for the money they invested in your ticket.

Shaman

[ls650]

[cynthialynn]

IS650
What other countries will offer comperable wages and benifits to new teachers? Do you currently teach and if so where?

[Gordon]

[ls650]

I came to Indonesia with an unrelated bachelors degree and a 4-week TEFL Certificate - but no experience. I make about $900 US a month working for a well-known franchise school.
The first 4 or 5 months I blew a lot of money, but now I'm banking most of what I earn. By the time I go home in June I'll have banked about $5000 US.

[tarzaninchina]

The following webpage is not only for Korean schools, but for those around the world. Definitely check this out before signing up somewhere.

www.englishschoolwatch.org/notebook.php

[ls650]

[Glenski]

I'm not sure if this applies, but here is an article that I just got from http://workabroad.monster.com/articles/researchcompanies/

Research International Companies
by Allan Hoffman
Monster Tech Jobs Expert

While researching US companies is now easier than ever, the same cannot be said for international firms. If you're seeking the scoop on a company in Israel or Italy, prepare to do some sleuthing or translating, if you're up for it.

Resources on international companies exist in scattered directories and online yellow pages. And these, in turn, may be in languages unfamiliar to you.

Is online research for international businesses a lost cause, then? Not at all. You'll simply have to scout out multiple sites to piece together an adequate picture of a company. Don't settle for the bare-bones listings available at digital versions of the yellow pages. Instead, look for newspaper articles mentioning the firm. Find financial reports. Follow a virtual trail, as it were, in order to inform yourself about a company. Here's how, with links to assorted resources to help you get started.

A company Web site may have more to do with marketing than presenting objective information, but for international companies, it can often be a good place to begin your research. Areas of the site devoted to investor relations, press releases, news coverage and products can help inform you about the firm. Look for the firm by typing an obvious Web address (like www.att.com for AT&T) or searching at a Web portal, like Excite or Google.

Kompass ( http://www.kompass.com/ ) enables you to do basic research on companies all over the world. You may not find tons of information on any given company, but it's a great tool for getting some of the basic info: names of companies in certain industries in a country or region, numbers of employees, addresses and executive teams. Once you have these bits of data, you may be able to find more by doing a search on Google.

News media sites provide another resource for international company research. Search Google for the country name and "newspaper" or "media," and you may, if you're lucky, turn up an English-language paper. Globes, for instance, is a daily English paper covering business in Israel. Media outlets may help you find information you wouldn't get from a company home page or basic business directory.
At any of these resources, you may encounter materials in another language. If that's the case, visit AltaVista and select the Translation link. With the site's translation service, you're able to enter a Web address and have the page translated into English from German, French or other languages. Don't try it with Sartre -- the literary element would be lost -- but with business-oriented information, the Web's translation services come in handy.