Korean Job Discussion Forums

[inseoul]

This is 100% true. I would hope therefore that Eslcafe would not delete this thread in order to try and protect its advertisers, when this information may be of interest to teachers.

There were about 8 teachers in the recent staff meeting for a new manager appointed to Direct English Kangnam (part of the Pagoda group and in the Pagoda building).

I can refer anyone who is doubtful to the Faceboook addresses of other teachers who were in the meeting and heard her state it.

It was to this effect:

" We are in the process of organizing another meeting between the various school managers around Kangnam and in that meeting we will discuss the setting of students fees for the schools in this area".

Teacher 1 " You mean you guys meet and discuss what level to set fees?"

Manager " Yes, of course".

Teacher 2: "My God, that would be illegal in a Western Country, it is like a cartel. How often do you meet?"

Manager: "Regulary. Whats a cartel?"

It would be a fairly logical assumption that they also set the level of pay offered to foreign teachers in these meetings also.

Thereby putting a ceiling on the quality of teachers students in that area can get access to (at least in the big schools anyway, perhaps not the smaller or niche players).

I guess it can be confirmed by the simple fact that all the contarcts offered by those large chains (YBM, Pagoda, Direct English, BCM, Wall Street etc) are almost exactly the same.

[spliff]

It's smart business practice, wouldn't you agree?

[boyne11]

It's no news. Hagwon associations throughout Korea set the fees and salaries.

[agoodmouse]

A hagwon owner in suburban Seoul told me the government (local or higher) already sets this. He can't charge higher than what's allowed.

[MarionG]

First, let me say that I don't know whether or not the schools with managers holding a meeting are all part of one company (for example Pagoda) or whether they are all independently owned but in some sort of association or alliance, perhaps with interlocking ownership/directorship..

If the schools are all part of the same company or franchise (think of McDonalds, where each one is independently owned but part of a franchise) then all the managers, or the top brass, setting prices is perfectly OK. As you move into more and more tenuous relationships, ie down to the local hogwon association, then in the US at least "price fixing" might well come into play.

When I was asked to teach part time at a local university, and my boss gave her consent and we marched thru the steps to make it legal, I didn't find out until 1 week before the semester started that my boss considered this work "overtime" and she would keep, in my case, 70% of what I earned at the university. When I discovered this, I explained that for that I wouldn't want to do it.

The point of this story is that while we eventually made a very amicable agreement about this, her words to me were "don't tell anyone how much you are keeping, I don't want the hogwon association to be mad at me.

[saw6436]

The government does in fact set tuition fees for hagwons. All schools are required to post their government fee schedule in a prominent place in their school (usually near their business liscense).

But, hagwons and their associations regularly disregard the fee schedule and charge what they feel they can get.

[wylies99]

[wylies99]

OP- Thanks for the post. Those flaming you probably own hogwans or serve as slavemasters.

[spliff]

^ You forget to quote sources..

[agoodmouse]

[wylies99]

The hogwan associations harrass those hogwans that do not follow their agreements. Examples? They call pension, health insurance, immigration, and tax offices, and file bogus complaints. Also, they try to steal teachers and students. It takes a lot of courage to stand up to a local hogwan association.

[agoodmouse]

I'm sure he gets a lot of that, too, because he's the only foreign owner of a hakwon in his district and his face is plastered all over the building advertising classes. He probably gets a lot of business as a result, but doing so must certainly draw concomitant harassment to some degree or another.

[hari seldon]

double

[hari seldon]

[hari seldon]