Korean Job Discussion Forums

[The evil penguin]

Does anybody else out there work for the "SBSi kids" franchise? (not sure if I'm spelling franchise correctly but who really cares..)

I hereby nominate SBS affiliated schools as being the worst in Korea.

Any challengers?


The school director here apparently paid US$50, 000 for the SBSi kids franchise. For his money he received a few boxes of books (the best one so far being called "Where mommy?"- the first few of sentences being: "I am lost. Where mommy? Mommy? Mommy mommy mommy. Where mommy? Mommy is?") and a few other odds and sods.

No deviation from the SBS "teaching format" is allowed in class. This is a directive from the head office in Soeul. I am therefore stuck in 1.5 hour long class sessions armed only with a reading book (written mostly in konglish) and a few laminated cardboard cutouts. Each reading book (approximately 20 pages) is to last for 1 month. Thus one page per day. Doesn't sound too bad? Todays page contained one word: "Mommy". And I was given a laminated cardboard cut-out of what I presume was supposed to be a "mommy" but looked more like a french maid from some b-grade european porno cartoon. It actually got me pretty excited but thats beside the point....

Disregarding the fact that the word "mommy" was actually spelt incorrectly (i.e. it was missing the "U" and had an "O" instead - down with American english, down down down down) , how the hell do you entertain a class of savage little predators with such crap materials. Oh, and the promised 2 week teacher training? Somehow condensed to a 3 hour seminar in Soeul (for which I had to take a 4 hour bus trip to get there) which was run by a korean lady who was apparently fluent in spanish but had the english ability of ...............well, um..... maybe somebody who was taught english at an SBS hagwon. During the entire 3 hour session I understood about 5 words: "herro ev-re-boh dee", (hello everybody), "Coh-pee tarm" (coffee time) and "we kupa" (wake up).

I hereby lay down the challenge for the worst hagwon franchise. Ahh heck, why leave it at that...........

WHO WORKS AT THE WORST HAGWON IN KOREA???????


_________________
WARNING:After trying to teach english to a bunch of savage little korean goblins who would much prefer to poke foreigners in the bottom with sharpened colouring-in pencils then actually do any study, the evil penguin has gone mad. Weeeeeee!

[JackSarang]

I'm sure you mean "Seoul".. and as for worst franchise, your books may be bad, but do you get paid?

Wonderland is easily the worst franchise on the peninsula with the majority of horror stories of ESL teaching here involving a Wonderland.

[whatthefunk]

I posted here earlier, but now its gone....hmmmm. Ill post again.

I work for GnB and it sucks. It was good for a while, but within the last few months has gone sour.

I have used every book under the sun and have never changed levels. For example, my sixth grade class had done Let's Go level 3 once before I got to the hagwan. Then they made me teach with Let's Go 3. Then we switched books to Fun Fun level 3. Now I have to switch books again and start using the GnB books. So now I have a story book, no teachers guide, no workbook, no nothing...just a storybook that I would rate at maybe a level 2. Yes, Im unteaching them English.

So now I use GnB books and they are horrible. GnB emphasizes vacant memorization of useless phrases, so now I get to 'teach' them how to say such things as 'I see two ears' and 'Are you my mother?' The kids know what they mean, but they don't know how to modify the sentences so they can't for the life of them say 'I see three rabits,' they only know 'I see two ears.' So I say 'Hi, Sim-jeong, how are you today?' And she says 'I have are you my ears?' Assa!!

My training. I was told I would have a training session. After being here for nine months, I got what they called a training session on how to use GnB books. I had to go to Daegu for this. It was more like North Korea style propaganda than training. The man told us how wonderful the GnB program was and how it was the best way to teach Korean kids emnglish. We had to watch a video and in the video there were five kids in the class and they all sat very attentively and everything went perfect. Then we talked about how to use the books for maybe 15 minutes. It was strange because it was almost like the guy knew that the books sucked so he was avoiding the subject. Anyway, Id like to see anybody get any of that stuff to work in a class of 20 middle schoolers.

My teaching aids include a half box of flash cards from before the war and an old marker.

I can't punish kids because we wouldn't want the kids to think that the foreign guy doesn't like them. Sometimes it seems like Im a politician and I have to try to please every one at the same time because if someone is unhappy, i might loose the votes and the kids will run off and vote for some other waygook. So my classes are are mess and I can't do anything.

Down with GnB!

[chi-chi]

mods you may delete

[whatthefunk]

[chi-chi]

mods you may delete

[Gwangjuboy]

[whatthefunk]

[Seth Gecko]

[ulsanchris]

chi chi you have had some bad luck.
What ever happened with your degree

[gomurr]

I agree that Wonderland has an evil reputation . But another one is the Kid's Herald franchise. I used to work at the one in kangnam-gu just off daech'ong subway stop. The director/dictators there were just eeevilll . Before my own demise there a total of 4 other foreign teachers when through the revolving door in a 5 month period. I got shafted big time while my wife was giving birth. I was sold to my present location (which was agood thing) but I lost 1,500,000 won in the process and when through alot of stress. After I left 3 other teachers went through those doors and 2 that managed to stay a year got shafted on their bonus (-1,000,000 won).

The Songs are just evil . I would'nt wish them on my worst enemy.

[Saxiif]

The evil penguin: Just say "yes wongjangnim, I'll do exactly that!" and then do whatever the hell you want. Tomorrow is officially presentation day but as I've got a bunch of kindy and one nice and obedient but really really stupid class, friday is going to be teacher gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame. Am already selecting the music for music chairs, its going to be a good mix of Algerian Rai and Antiguan Zouk

[chronicpride]

Oh, yes, the Wonderland hate bandwagon. Korea's 2nd largest chain with over 100 schools which have employed 100's of teachers over the years. But 20 or so come online and complain and another couple make a website devoted to their personal frustration with their Wonderland hagwon and then suddenly every Google expert gets to play armchair critic about the whole company. Please.

[Ilsanman]

Wonderland is certainly on the list of bad places to work.

I have heard many bad things about Kids Herald School.

I know someone who works at the GnB in Daehwa (Ilsan) and she swears by it. I believe her.

In my opinion, unless you love ddong jim giving screaming spoiled brats, avoid any kindergarten.

[William Beckerson]

I guess I got the only good Kids Herald in all of Korea.

Bwahahahahahaha! Take that, suckers!