Korean Job Discussion Forums

[meangradin]

My Korean wife and I just had a most unusual conversation with a director whom I was thinking of working for. In short, she told me some of the local hogwan owners have formed an association and as a group decided to not pay the foreign teachers over a certain amount per hour (collusion?). Furthermore, they frown upon hiring F-2 workers as their wives know too much about Korean practices. In her own words, it is easier for the owners to get what they want from E-2 workers, than F-2s. Finally, she said there are many teachers who want to come to Korea, so the owners have all the power.

After gathering my composure, I told her that she could not be more mistaken about the ease in finding teachers willing to come to Ulsan. I am constantly asked by hogwan owners to help them find teachers who will actually come to Ulsan. In my time in Ulsan I have noticed that many potential teachers agree to a contract one day, but within a week they have changed their mind. In reality, I think teachers in Ulsan have quite a bit of bargining power as most schools realize the difficulties they face in replacing teachers, and thus I always negotiate contracts I am happy with.

Anyway, what really pissed me off was that we had an agreement in principle but then she wanted to take 100,000 off the contract for the before mentioned reasons.

Have any of you been told this bs before? I have often suspected collusion was being practiced, but I had never been told as much untill today.

[ilovebdt]

At my first hagwon gig in Pohang there was a Hagwon Owners Assoc. but, I never head of them making any sort of agreements re: wages like you mention.

ilovebdt

[just because]

There is a hagwon association in every medium and major city.
My city only has 500 000 and there is a sizeable one...

It is true that there is collusion taking place in every city but it appears that since the peak in about 2002 of supply they are slowly losing their grip....

How do i know???
-I work at a hagwon(which is well-run) which the director is the vice-president of this association. I ended up getting 30% over what the colluded figure was and she is urging me not to tell anybody due to the fact that if people find out they might go back to their directors and tell them what i make and where I work...
-So of course I tell people what i get if they ask. I want them to push their directors as well to match it so generally across the board it will go up...

-We have a had a couple of conversations about supply and demand of teachers. She is very concerned and said every year it is getting harder and harder. I told here with China on the rise and both it and japan much more of a popular destination in NE asia than korea they will continue to find it harder and harder yet...i told her the only way you will be able to get people to come here is higher wages and better conditions across the board....

[spliff]

OP, do you still want to work for her...I wouldn't!

[hubba bubba]

I have worked in Ulsan, and I would say that this is almost certainly true. They do have a "Hagwon Association" where they sit around and fix prices and figure out ways to screw their teachers. My old boss was most likely the ringleader.

The not hiring an F-2 because they "know too much" sounds perfectly inline with this.

BTW, owners are completely deluded into thinking EVERYONE just can't wait to get in line and move to amazing Ulsan, even when they have difficulty getting people. They are completely deluded. I mean, Ulsan is the richest city in Korea!!!!



Having said that, I did really enjoy living in Ulsan. The people there were really cool, and I am considering going back. Not becasue of the crappy hogwon jobs, or because Ulsan is even a good place to live. It's becuase of the cool people I met there. However, I would never go through a recruiter or anything like that.

[meangradin]

Well, I told her that I would accept the original contract, but not for a penny less than we had previously agreed on. Let me clarify that it is a great job; 15 hours/week for 1,900,000. Not bad for a hogwan.

[Kimchieluver]

That is a great deal for a hogwan.

[Sod_em_and_begorrah]