Korean Job Discussion Forums

plutodog18 · Joined: 01 Feb 2007

Have been made an offer to work at Wonderland in Seoul......

Any information about Wonderland????????????

I did speak with an ESL teacher who has worked there for 18 months. He is from Australia...great guy. Says he loves this place and could not imagine working anywhere else (has been in Korea for almost 3 years and has worked other places).

I understand the hours can be long, so what would be a fair salary for such a place?????

So is Wonderland any good???? Any horror stories????

Thank you for any help.............

Young FRANKenstein

ilovebdt · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Nr Seoul

Run very fast in the opposite direction.

ilovebdt

kprrok · Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Location: KC

yada yada yada.

blah blah blah.

Two posts with absolutely nothing to say. Any school in Korea has potential to be good. Some will be great, some crap. The name on the school does not make it evil.

I've worked at two different Wonderlands. My first one was great. I loved it and they loved having me. My second one is ok except for the supervisor.

The best advice for anyone looking at a school...Wonderland, GnB, whatever, talk to the current teachers and get their take. Talk to more than one. Do your homework on that school. The reputation of the chain is irrelevant if the school is good.

Yes, Wonderland does have a terrible reputation. But I've met probably 50 teachers from Wonderlands and only 2 have every complained about getting screwed. And those two, after I found out more about their situation, probably had it coming to them for the stunts they were pulling at their school.

Ignore the people who tell you to run away quickly from Wonderland. They are probably ignorant to what is actually going on and just trying to scare people away. They probably have no first-hand experience. If they do have first-hand experience, then listen to them. But ignore most of them.

TALK TO THE CURRENT TEACHERS THERE AND DO YOUR RESEARCH ABOUT THAT BRANCH!!!!

That is the only advice you need to know when looking at any school.

Thanks.

KPRROK

PS - No, I'm not a Wonderland recruiter or anything. Just a teacher.

plutodog18 · Joined: 01 Feb 2007

Specifically it is Dongjak Wonderland............

OK but what is so bad about all of these places?????

ilovebdt · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Nr Seoul

RACETRAITOR · Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Don't worry, if you don't like your boss, you can just beat the christ out of him.

kprrok · Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Location: KC

Milwaukiedave · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Location: Goseong

The problem is you need to talk to the teacher when the boss isn't around. You never know that teacher may be protecting his own *** to get his severence. Now I don't know where he was when he was talking to you, but I'd make sure to get a private conversation with him via either email or when he's at home. We hear enough stories on here about bosses listening into conversations like that it's worth it to make sure this guy isn't being pressued.

Just a suggestion. I would definately do more research then you have.

ilovebdt · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Nr Seoul

kprrok · Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Location: KC

Yeah, there will probably be some Saturday work. I've probably averaged maybe 5 Saturdays per year for various events...Sports Days, Summer Camp, Graduation, etc.

The hours and pay will depend on your contract. Don't settle for the standard contract. Edit it and make it more beneficial to you. I did that and it has helped. Also, spell out that Saturdays are paid, and also get your vacations to be more clearly defined.

KPRORK

Merlyn · Joined: 08 Dec 2004 Location: Korea

My first job here 5 years ago was at Suji Wonderland and it was also the worst teaching experience I've had in Korea. Basically working from 9-6 each day with an hour break for lunch. Kids in the morning, older kids in the afternoons. Your day should end at 6 but after 6 you're seemingly making schedules for everyday,every week and every month and if you're not doing that you're doing meaningless phone teaching or constantly filling out what seems to be an endless number of meaningless report cards. Add to that, breaks between every class are not really breaks because the time is needed to prepare supplements for the following classes. This all leads to poor class effort on your part, and of course management is usually unwillingly to solve classroom problems you might have. Of course your employer will probably sit in the computer room all day spying on you and the other teachers with the cameras he's installed in every classroom which he says are for parental use. A terrible place to work.

Young FRANKenstein · Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 9:09 pm Post subject:

plutodog18 · Joined: 01 Feb 2007

Admittedly, I did speak with the ESL teacher at work.......

Also I did use the search and find function and have read other posts.....

Still I was hoping to get specific information about this specific place Dongjak Wonderland........

By the way anyone know this area of Seoul at all.....any comments?????

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

Wonderland has beat out some very fierce competition to win the reputation as the worst English educational institute in Korea. This one branch may be unusual, or the current teacher may be BSing you for a variety of reasons, such as wanting to find a replacement so that he can get out. Ask him if the kids use 'banmal' or 'jondaemal' when speaking to him in Korean. Ask him how many times he's been ddong-chimmed. You may find out that he likes it because he likes goofing around with kids and being treated like a mascot. Is that what you want? If so Wonderland might be for you. Circumstances at such institutions can also change in a heartbeat. Finally, if any foreigner working in Korea sees Wonderland on your CV that year is going to count for almost nothing if he has any say in any future job you may wish to get here.