Korean Job Discussion Forums

[phinshaw]

I know there have been numerous posts about English Channel in the past. My question is different. I'm about to take a job with EC. As I understand it, English Channel has many branches, and these can vary widely in their management. I think I can handle the split shifts, and some BS, but what I'd like to know is, what are the good branches, and what are the ones to stay away from? If I take a job, I can chose which branch I get assigned to.

Thanks.

[Young FRANKenstein]

[phinshaw]

Well, I've seen posts on this site from people who work for them and have an OK time. they say it's all about which one you work at.

[Young FRANKenstein]

[phinshaw]

WTF?? If you're trying to help could you please shut the F up and taunt someone else. I'm trying to get advice here, not this crap.

[garykasparov]

Crap Channel


Well-developed curriculum ? Almost no preparation

At English Channel we teach adults one on one and have our own books and CDs developed in house. Because the curriculum concentrates on pronunciation, a good clear voice and a standard accent are extremely important. Because the curriculum is well-defined, very little preparation is needed once the teacher has become familiar with how the system works.


Self-study course ? Strict system ? Homework must be done

The English Channel system is based on self-study. The student (learner) is assigned homework and this homework must be done in order for the learner to benefit from the lesson. When the learner visits the school (clinic), he/she spends 25 minutes with a bilingual teacher (homeroom teacher) and then another 25 minutes with a native English teacher (language trainer). In order to diagnose and cure deficiencies in the learner's English a detailed file is kept on each learner's performance and progress. This �learner data file' is updated minute by minute during the tutorial. The lessons are very focused (even intense) and it is the responsibility of the learner to speak.


Learners come in at their convenience

The learner chooses when to visit the clinic by making an appointment just like in a doctor's office. While in the clinic, the homeroom teachers and the language trainers wear lab coats. This is to re-enforce the idea that our approach is clinical and learning a language is a serious business. We are not here to entertain. The atmosphere of the clinic is friendly, relaxed and quiet. The decor is modern and businesslike.



Schedule : Alternating block shift and split shift

Because the learners are mostly business people and university students, they are usually busy in the middle of the day. The schedules of the language trainers reflect this reality. During a one-year contract, the language trainers work a split shift for six months and a block shift for six months, but not six months in a row. The ideal schedule is a split shift for three months followed by a block shift for three months.



Average of six contact hours per day

The language trainer is expected to be in the clinic eight hours a day, five days a week, but this does not mean eight hours of teaching. An average schedule consists of about six contact hours a day, although this could vary a lot from day to day and month to month, depending on how many learners have signed up. A split shift usually runs from 7:00 to 11:00 in the morning and from 6:00 to 10:00 in the evening with the middle of the day being free. The block shifts are eight hours a day in a single unit.




Housing


Free non-shared housing - Key money and rent (450,000 won) paid by employer
Housing is single, not shared, but quite small due to the real estate situation in this country. The housing includes the basic furnishings such as a bed, stove and fridge. (Sheets, blankets and cooking utensils are not provided.) A cell phone is also provided. The employee must pay the utility bills and the phone bill.




Airfare Reimbursement



Reimbursement of airfare at end of contract

English Channel pays for a one-way ticket to Korea or half of a round-trip ticket to Korea . This will be reimbursed at the end of the contract. There is a ceiling of 700.000 won on this reimbursement. If the language trainer is hired in Korea , English Channel will reimburse the airfare of the visa run to Osaka .



Training



Three-day training period

The start date of a contract is usually the first workday of the month. There is a mandatory training period of three or four days before a language trainer starts work. The training period is not paid, but English Channel will provide temporary lodging and lunch money


Salary



Base salary

The Base Salary is 2,000,000 won per month. This is the absolute minimum pay a language trainer can receive in one month.



Saturday work optional

Language trainers who want to earn extra money have the option of working two or four Saturdays a month. The pay rate for Saturdays is 150,000 won per day. The schedule on Saturdays is always from 10:30 am to 6:30 pm .



Bonus and overtime

In most months the language trainer will receive a bonus in accordance with the average number of tutorials taught. If the language trainer conducts an average of 12 tutorials per day (six hours), the pay will be 2,150,000 won per month.

Vacation days are not paid, but the language trainer is paid 15,000 won per hour for substituting (outside the regular eight-hour workday) when a coworker is on vacation. Payday is the 10 th of every month.



Earn extra money

Note that a language trainer who opts to work four Saturdays a month (600,000 won extra) and teaches an average of 12 tutorials per day (150,000 won extra) will earn 2,750,000 won a month along with the free housing. That's a lot of work, but it's also a lot of money in the bank!



Severance pay ? Re-signing bonus

As required by Korean law severance pay equivalent to one month's salary will be paid upon completion of a one year contract. In addition to the yearly severance pay, Language trainers who sign up for a second year will be eligible to receive a 600,000 won re-signing bonus payable upon completion of the second-year contract


Holidays



In addition to Korean national holidays, there are ten days of unpaid vacation per year. The language trainer is allowed to take five of these vacation days at a time (often combined with a Korean national holiday and a weekend or two in order to make a longer vacation.) The language trainer must apply for vacations 45 days in advance.



Tax



The tax rate is usually less than five percent and all employees must contribute to the Korean National Pension Fund. Language trainers from the U.S. or Canada can get this pension fund contribution back, times two, upon leaving Korea . This is Korean law.


National Health Insurance



All foreigners working in Korea must participate in the Korean National Health Insurance Plan. The cost is shared equally by the language trainer and English Channel . By law all language trainers are covered starting from the first day of work at the clinic.



Policies and Procedures



English Channel has a Policies and Procedures Manual that we stick to exactly. We expect language trainers to follow it and they have the right to expect us to follow it as well. What is written here is basically a shorter, more user-friendly version of the Policies and Procedures Manual.

[recoba]

Hmm...to try to answer the question...some branches are directly managed from head office (Gangnam). Others are franchises. So there is some variance in management style. That probably does mean some are better than others, but it's all relative.

A franchise branch (possibly) being better than the normal ones only means it's slightly better than a hellhole.

Seriously, I'd avoid ALL of them. As for posts saying some of the branches are ok, I've not seen them.

Take a look at the contract. Drink some coffee if need be, and take a second look. A third look. Just don't sign one!!!!!!

If this does not dissuade you, just think of wearing that blue polyester lab coat.

[/i]

[KYC]

The question here is...with so many jobs out there, why would you risk having to put up with such nonsense?

It may seem that the posters are not being helpful as you've said you're willing to put up with some BS, but they really are being helpful by telling you not to sign. Listen to them.

[regicide]

[Young FRANKenstein]

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

Those 1:1 gigs are to avoided like the plague.

They'll try to sell them to you as high-earning but it won't happen.Schedules will be adjusted so you fall short,making the split shift thing and the inevitable rent payments putting you behind even entry level hagwon jobs.

Take advice or disregard-doesn't change the awfulness of those jobs.