Korean Job Discussion Forums

[eddie1983man]

Hello again everyone. Recently i have been in contact with LIKE school located in Daegu. From what i hear they have been in business now for 39 years.

Has anyone worked at the LIKE school located in Daegu, or for the LIKE chain in general? the hours seems appealing: 3PM or 4PM to 9-9:30 Mon-Fri and an earlier shift on Saturdays.

this position requires i work 3 saturdays a month, with a longer weekend during the fourth week. During these saturday shifts, what time do classes start? is it worth working saturdays?

if familiar please provide some feedback on the school:

do they always pay on time?
do they treat the foreign teachers fairly?
do they overwork you?
Is the Daegu location desirable?
what "extra" duties should i expect?

any information whatsoever would be great. It would be really nice to hear from someone working in this institution.

Thanks, Ed

BTW: i did try doing a search in the forums, but for some reason everytime i search lately all that is returned is a blank white screen. Maybe the servers are overloaded, but just to let ya know i did try searching.

[rhinocharge64]

Just my 2 pence but if I was you I would post your contract on here. Secondly, you need to speak to the foreign teachers who are working there, and not when the old hoggie boss is lingering in the background. That's just two helpful suggestions.

On a personal note I wouldn't work Saturdays nor would I work for a Hogwon. I'm a little surprised that this hogwon has been operational for the last 39 yrs. To my knowledge hoggies have only existed since the late 1980's and even then they were supposedly illegal.


Hope this helps-The Charge

[Mosley]

The weekday hours are appealing but I hate working Saturdays. That's one reason I chose a public school.

[garykasparov]

OP, Consider asking the following questions before you sign a labor contract with the school.

Talk to more than one of the foreign staff and ask pointed and specific questions when the boss is not listening.

1) What are the hours? (start time / stop time / breaks).

2) How many classes per day, week, month? Not hour many hours per month. 30 classroom hours can mean anything from 1350 -1800 minutes per week standing in front of the class. The difference can be up to 7.5 hours in front of the class each week.

3) Do they always pay on time?

4) Do they pay at the end of your month or do they have a hold back period (5-10 days after your month end) to prevent runners? (no=red flag 1)

5) Do they really pay overtime or avoid it with creative book keeping?

6) Do you get credit for classes on the national holidays or do you get the day off but still have to work your 120 hours before you get overtime? (no=red flag 2)

7) Do they have national medical (with the little booklet)? (no=red flag 3)

8 ) Do they pay into pension? (no=red flag 4)

9) What about the holidays? 10 or more working days? (legal requirement here) (no=red flag 5)

10) When and how do you get your holidays?

11) What extra stuff do you really have to do - mentioned or not in the contract.

12) Then consider the quality of life issues - things that are important to you that aren't mentioned here (housing, furnishings, bathroom, access to recreational facilities, shopping, banking).

13 Do they take additional deposits in addition to the delay in payday? (yes=red flag 6)

[the eye]

There are at least 5 locations in daegu. Each location is run differently.

[Poktanju]

[contrarian]

LIKE:

Between Daegu, Ulsan, Pusan and a couple of franchise locations they have about 25 locations.

I worked there my first year in Korea.

The always pay in full and on time. The housing is adequate, sometimes shared and generally OK.

Saturdays are a pain, but one weekend a month is a three day weekend.

The classes are easy to teach and require little preparation.

I don't know about 39 years but they have been going a long time.

A good startout place

[castor]

To contrarian:

Big thanks for sharing your experience.

I, too, have been offered a contract with LIKE school and have been following this thread with interest.