Korean Job Discussion Forums

[garykasparov]

happyspraffer wrote:

I can assure you I've had to turn students away from my class because it was too full...

If you answer these questions I think forum members and future teachers will have a better picture about ESS in Nampodong in Busan (Pusan).


( 1 ) Work hours:

( a ) When does your workday start?

( b ) When does your workday end?

( c ) How many hours of preparation do you work before the first class?

( d ) Does your employer force employees to work at other schools if they don't have permission from Korean Immigration Officials?

( e ) Does your employer provide you with time to take a break during working hours that you may use freely? If so, how long are your breaks?

( f ) Does your employer count time spent teaching in class as a "work hour" or time spent teaching in class including preparation between classes as a "work hour?"

( 2 ) Wages:

( a ) Are you ALWAYS paid on time?

( b ) Does your employer pressure you or force you to give access to your bank account as well as your cash card?

( c ) Does your employer pay you in cash or deposit your monthly salary into your Korean bank account?

( d ) Does your employer provide you with a pay receipt on payday stating the nature and amount of all deductions, taxes, and salary?

( e ) Does your employer give you holiday bonuses that are the actual deductions from your monthly salary for income tax, pension or medical insurance?

( 3 ) Overtime wages:

( a ) Does your employer force employees to work overtime hours?

( b ) Does your employer pay you overtime wages or avoid paying them with creative book keeping?

( 4 ) Paid annual leave:

( a ) Does your employer make deductions from your monthly salary on or during days of paid annual leave?

( b ) When do you use annual paid leave?

( c ) How do you use annual paid leave?

( 5 ) Korean National Holidays:

( a ) Does your employer make you work on Korean Nation Holidays?

( b ) Does your employer make deductions from your monthly salary during or on Korean National Holidays?

( c ) Do you get credit for classes on Korean National Holidays or do you get the day off but still have to work your 120 hours before you get overtime?

( 6 ) National Health Insurance Plan:

( a ) Has your employer provided you with a health insurance card?

( b ) Has your employer respected your medical privacy?

( 7 ) National Pension Plan:

( a ) Does your employer pay into pension?

( 8 ) What extra stuff do you really have to do mentioned or not in the contract?

( 9 ) Is the school having financial troubles?

( 10 ) Paid sick days:

( a ) Has your employer let you take a paid sick day if you were unable to teach?

( b ) How easy was it to take a paid sick day?

( c ) Did you have to make it up later?

( d ) Did your employer deduct from your monthly salary for the time you took off?

( e ) Did another (native) teacher have to cover your class?


( 11 ) Does your employer have a history of firing employees for the sole purpose of not providing severance pay, wages and a plane ticket home?

( 12 ) Does your employer have a history of being verbally or physically abusive?

( 13 ) Does your employer have a history of "pocketing " deductions for taxes, pension and medical insurance?

( 14 ) Housing & accomodations:

( a ) Did your employer provide you with ALL the furnishings stated in your contract when you moved in?

( b ) What were the overall conditions of your apartment including the furnishings when you moved in?

( c ) Does your employer make deductions from your monthly salary for housing deposits provided you signed a labor contract without a housing deposit clause?

( d ) Are the utilities in your name or your bosses name?

( e ) Were all the utilities paid from the prior teacher before you moved in? If they were not, did you pay for them?

( f ) Does your employer walk into your apartment when you are in your apartment without your consent or do apartment searches when you are not in your apartment?

( 15 ) Did you get your passport, degree and transcripts back from your employer after receiving a work visa from Korean Immigration Officials?


( 16 ) What are the English speaking abilities of the Korean Teachers and your employer like?

[happyspraffer]

Woooah!Ok I'll do my best....

1 ) Work hours:

( a ) When does your workday start?

My workday starts at 7am
( b ) When does your workday end? My work day ends at 9pm.

My hours of working are...7am-7.50am 8am-8.50am 10am-10.50am 11am-11.50am .....then.....7pm-7.50pm 8pm-8.50am

However there is always one foreign teacher who works 6 pm-6.50pm 7pm-8.50pm and this rotates every 2 months.

( c ) How many hours of preparation do you work before the first class?

Well that all depends on how good a teacher you are! The ECO program at ESS consists of 3 levels that use a book and a syllabus and 3 free talking levels. However we try to make it so that one teacher will teach Level 1, one level 2 and so on although this isn�t always possible. Therefore the preparation time is cut and the teacher is more comfortable with the material. Prep can be anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes-we have a well stocked resource shelf for those last minute lessons.
( d ) Does your employer force employees to work at other schools if they don't have permission from Korean Immigration Officials?

I've never heard of any teacher at ESS being forced to work at another school. They sign a contract and Ted follows that contract.
( e ) Does your employer provide you with time to take a break during working hours that you may use freely? If so, how long are your breaks?

We have a 10 minute break between each lesson and as we work a split shift we have 7 hours free during the day which are ours to enjoy.

( f ) Does your employer count time spent teaching in class as a "work hour" or time spent teaching in class including preparation between classes as a "work hour?"

Our 50 minute classes are counted as a 'work hour' as far as I know. If I cover another teachers class who is sick, I get paid for the hour he would have taught.

( 2 ) Wages:

( a ) Are you ALWAYS paid on time?

I am ALWAYS paid on time. My money goes into my account, on the 5th, at approximately 2pm EVERY month.

( b ) Does your employer pressure you or force you to give access to your bank account as well as your cash card?

Ted has never asked me to give access to my bank account. Ted does help teachers set up a bank account when they arrive as the Nonghyup bank is on the first floor of the building but since that point he has never interfered with my banking (except when I called him panicking because I lost my card and he had it stopped for me)(

c ) Does your employer pay you in cash or deposit your monthly salary into your Korean bank account?

My monthly salary is deposited in my bank account.

( d ) Does your employer provide you with a pay receipt on payday stating the nature and amount of all deductions, taxes, and salary?

Yes I receive a pay receipt each month which shows all deductions such as taxes and pensions. Admittedly it is in Korean but the accountant is happy to explain it for me.

( e ) Does your employer give you holiday bonuses that are the actual deductions from your monthly salary for income tax, pension or medical insurance?

I don't think we get holiday bonuses. However every three months (argh or is it two, timings aren�t my strong point!) we have teachers awards where the best teachers get a cash prize. This is scored by student numbers, punctuality and sometimes the results of the student evaluations. Student evaluations occur every three months where the student completes a form saying whether they are happy with their class. After the results we have a meeting to discuss any issues.

( 3 ) Overtime wages:

( a ) Does your employer force employees to work overtime hours?

At the beginning and end of each month we have interviews for prospective students which only the foreign teachers can do so this averages at about an extra 6 hours work a month. The contract actually stipulates that if you are available to teach and they need someone to teach then you must so yes in the past I had to work an extra hour a day for one week. However this isn't ideal and every effort is made to ensure that this doesn't happen.


( b ) Does your employer pay you overtime wages or avoid paying them with creative book keeping?

The interview hours are paid every month. I just get an extra hours slip signed by the management and I take it to the accountant who pays me the next day. It is the employees� responsibility to claim the hours but there is no 'creative book keeping�.

( 4 ) Paid annual leave:

( a ) Does your employer make deductions from your monthly salary on or during days of paid annual leave?

No, I am entitled to 10 days annual leave fully paid and when I took them no pay was deducted from my monthly salary .

Also, and this is important, I'd like to point out that ESS teachers only work 20 days a month. So this means a long weekend most months. I've just benefited from 2 days off plus a National holiday that meant that I had Sat, Sun, Mon, Tues and Wednesday off with NO deductions from my pay.

( b ) When do you use annual paid leave?

It is preferred that you take your 10 days annual leave at one time as it is less disruptive for the school and easier to find a substitute. However this is open to negotiation in special circumstances. I was able to break my 10 days holiday into 6 days and 4 days.

( c ) How do you use annual paid leave?

None of your business!

( 5 ) Korean National Holidays:

( a ) Does your employer make you work on Korean Nation Holidays?

No.

( b ) Does your employer make deductions from your monthly salary during or on Korean National Holidays?

No.

( c ) Do you get credit for classes on Korean National Holidays or do you get the day off but still have to work your 120 hours before you get overtime?

No we never work National Holidays.

( 6 ) National Health Insurance Plan:

( a ) Has your employer provided you with a health insurance card?

Yes.

( b ) Has your employer respected your medical privacy?

Yes and came to my rescue when I was vomiting all over the place. I was taken to the doctor but forgot my medical insurance card but ESS still paid my prescription fee. I didn't feel pressured into coming back to work until I was ready. Another time when I urgently needed to go to the doctor a Korean teacher came with me and it was no problem when as a result we were late for classes.

( 7 ) National Pension Plan:

( a ) Does your employer pay into pension?

Yes

( 8 ) What extra stuff do you really have to do mentioned or not in the contract?

As the longest serving foreign teacher at ESS (13 months) I do the interview schedule which takes about 5 minutes. We may have a meeting once every 2 months to discuss any issues we have about the program. I may be asked to have a meeting with Ted to discuss suitable candidates for a job at the school.

( 9 ) Is the school having financial troubles?

Not that I'm aware of.


( 10 ) Paid sick days:

( a ) Has your employer let you take a paid sick day if you were unable to teach?

The situation has never arisen.

( b ) How easy was it to take a paid sick day?

Well I vomited on the doctor�s floor so it was a pretty good indication I couldn't teach! If I call, and say I'm sick-I'm sick. However if it is doubted whether a teacher IS actually sick then a visit may be made to the teachers house. I have known this to happen on one occasion when a teacher used all 3 sick days in 4 months which was not only inconveniencing the students but also co-workers. In that instance the teacher concerned was asked to make up a one hour class.

( c ) Did you have to make it up later?

No.

( d ) Did your employer deduct from your monthly salary for the time you took off?

No- we're entitled to 3 days paid sick day. This is broken down into hours so I get 18 hours sick. So for example if I miss my evening classes because of sickness only 2 hours is deducted from my 3 days. If a teacher doesn�t use all 3 days then any hours not taken as sick are paid to the teacher.

( e ) Did another (native) teacher have to cover your class?

Yes, sometimes the classes are merged which isn�t ideal but it�s difficult to cancel a class at 7am in the morning. On other occasions the class was cancelled.

( 11 ) Does your employer have a history of firing employees for the sole purpose of not providing severance pay, wages and a plane ticket home?

I've never heard of this happening.

( 12 ) Does your employer have a history of being verbally or physically abusive?

I have never heard of any instance where Ted was verbally or physically abusive.

( 13 ) Does your employer have a history of "pocketing " deductions for taxes, pension and medical insurance?

Not that I'm aware of.

( 14 ) Housing & accomodations:

( a ) Did your employer provide you with ALL the furnishings stated in your contract when you moved in?

Yes.

( b ) What were the overall conditions of your apartment including the furnishings when you moved in?

Hmm ok my first apartment wasn't too hot and when I complained then I was moved straight away to a different apartment. However my first apartment was ok, it had everything it said it would, but not so much natural light and I found it really messed with my sleeping so I moved. Howeevr it was only 20 mins walk from school- there are pro's and cons to every apartment I think.My new apartment is a studio apartment, everything in one room, but it's modern and has everything I need.

( c ) Does your employer make deductions from your monthly salary for housing deposits provided you signed a labor contract without a housing deposit clause?

ESS pays my actual rent but I pay my guard bill which varies from apartment to apartment but usually averages around 60,000 won a month.

( d ) Are the utilities in your name or your bosses name?

My bosses name.

( e ) Were all the utilities paid from the prior teacher before you moved in? If they were not, did you pay for them?

In my first apartment one bill came for a former teacher. I gave it to the accountant and never saw it again and there was no deduction from my pay. My co-worker who left recently left the accountant some money to cover any bills that arrived and I shall do the same when I leave.

( f ) Does your employer walk into your apartment when you are in your apartment without your consent or do apartment searches when you are not in your apartment?

No, never.

( 15 ) Did you get your passport, degree and transcripts back from your employer after receiving a work visa from Korean Immigration Officials?

Yes

( 16 ) What are the English speaking abilities of the Korean Teachers and your employer like?

Ted speaks good English, we�ve never had a language barrier and my co-workers also speak very good English.

[cbclark4]

Holy Crap!

You should ask Ted to kiss you.

It's just nice to get a kiss when your getting F***ed!!

Unless your gettin 3 Million Won a month.

[Daphne]

Come to think of it anyone dumb or desparate enough to apply for an employer that states "salaries paid no matter what our financial situation" fully deserves the ESS experience.

[IncognitoHFX]

You should take the people's names down.

Looks like you need to read up on Korean libel laws. I think you can get in big trouble for this post.

[Daphne]

During my time in ESS Ted would have non-native speakers teach English courses, but reported them to the labor office as instructors of their own mother tongue (such as German or French).

This is still going on today and very well might be another illegal act by ESS management.

[glass23]

[happyspraffer]

You were at ESS THREE YEARS AGO.

Yes, that's right THREE YEARS AGO.

I don't know why you can't seem to comprehend that somehwere has changed in THREE YEARS.

Points to make..

Teachers live in Beomnageal-that in a 10 minute subway ride to ESS. A 4 minute walk to the subway station at Beomnageal and a one minute walk at Nampodong.

Bonuses.

When my father visited me in Korea Ted paid for two rooms for us in the Novotel in Haundae so we could see the beach. Now that is nice, he was under no obligation and didn't need to do that.


About the bank account- the only reason he cancelled my bank account is beacuse I can't speak Korean-how the hell am I supposed to cancel my bank crad without some help from someone who speaks the language. It's a no-brainer, I ask Ted for help.

Now I'm a good employee, I know I am. This is why I have been promoted in every job I've ever had.
I go into work and I do my job. I'm nice to my co-workers, I'm nice to the management. I don't expect this job to be any 'cushier' than a job in England, I do it to the best of my ability and enjoy it.
Hence why I've received extra money, lunches out and free hotel rooms and why I enjoy a good working relationship with Ted.

Please, move on with your life. I don't know why you're keeping this up after THREE YEARS. Let it go.

[happyspraffer]

Oooo and one extra point...

If someone is from Montreal they aren't 'native French' as you keep claiming

[garykasparov]

[happyspraffer]

Hey,

I extended my contract for 2 months.

We had an American teacher return to ESS

We had a Canadian teacher return to ESS for an extra year. They weren't contract extensions as they did go back to their native country inbetween but they returned which says something about the quality of the school.

We have also had a Korean-American teacher return to the school.

3 teachers returning within a 3 year time span?I think that's a pretty good record.

[atomic42]

What's with all the ESS haters?
Sounds like they made some bad decisions in the past which have since been rectified. Move the eff on already, don't you people have something better to worry about - like a life?

I know ESL teachers are an odd lot, but the locals here are bloody mentalists.

Move along, folks, nothing to see here but the train wreck that is glass23 et al.

[Daphne]

As long as the fellow running the show is the same the heat needs to stay on.

[atomic42]

Heat?
The same poster posting the same garbage about the same experience three years ago is heat? It's terrible that he had a negative experience, but what good is the info when he comes off as whiny little prat?
Put the stick down already, the horse has been dead for years.

[garykasparov]