Korean Job Discussion Forums

scott oer · Joined: 23 Jan 2003

This is a warning!!! Mr. Mun Song-il is currently recruiting for his GnB Donghae and Cheongju sites. Mr. Mun is a very shady character who will promise you the moon and stars and then drop the bomb on you once you arrive. Not only did I go through my own personal hell with him (I worked at his school) but others had their fair share as his recruitees. When one teacher arrived at the airport, Mr. Mun tried to get him to work at a different school illegally, for much less pay, no vacation, etc. The truth is that the school he was actually hired for didn't even need anyone!! If you come to Korea Mr. Mun will pull a number of fast ones on you, and then most likely follow it up with his favorite line "i'm sorry, but I'm afraid you don't have a choice."
I know this is Mr. Mun's post because of his email address and phone number. GnB schools are best to stay away from to begin with because they are franchised out to owners who have no or little english proficiency and have no or little skill in running a language school. The catch to GnB schools is support from the corporate office (in the form of unique GnB textbooks ((which are full of mistakes)) and advertising materials) and low tuition rates, which mean large class sizes and limited resources. I'm sure there are some honest GnB's out there, I don't mean to make rash sweeping judgements, but in the past year i heard nightmare after nightmare stories about them, as well as my own.
My problems with Mr. Mun started the night i arrived in Jeju. He had promised me a private, studio apartment in Sinjeju (new jeju) and instead put me in a remote neighborhood outside of Gujeju (old jeju) in the village of Hwa Buk. This was a shared, tiny 2 room apt. with an older Korean man. Luckily I got along fine with him, but if not it would've been tough cuz the place was really small - not to mention i couldn't lock my bedroom door. The school was in Gujeju, so it was a 10 minute walk to the bus stop and then 20 minutes on the bus, once it eventually came which usually took 10 - 20 minutes.
From then he tried to force me to work a 6:30 AM class everyday and then 5 teaching hours spread out through the day, finishing at 7PM. Although my contract was for only 5 hours a day, he said "if you don't do the morning class, I'm afraid I won't be able to pay you." His school was very disorganized. My training consisted of him giving me a student book and saying "go teach." He promised me my airfare upon arrival, and after 2 months I only saw half of it. As for insurance, when I asked him about it he said "you look very healthy, i do not think you need insurance." Trust me and pass on this one. There are plenty of honest schools with ads up on this website. If you do take a job with mr. mun, remember that you've been warned.

Dan · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Sunny Glendale, CA

what in holy hell :/

sorry to hear, that is some nightmare story.

DrunkenMaster · Joined: 04 Feb 2008

Thanks

Scarlet13 · Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Changwon

SHANE02 · Joined: 04 Jun 2003

Sorry to hear of your bad time.

The insurance thing ("You look healthy Rolling Eyes

) is very common, as is the lack of English and hopeless texts at hakwons. The bait and switch is also not uncommon.

Good luck and stay strong.

Oreovictim · Joined: 23 Aug 2006

You'll have to be a little more specific. My friend works for one of the GnB schools in Cheongju, and he loves it. Maybe you should mention which "dong" it's in.

daz1979 · Joined: 29 Apr 2006 Location: Gangwon-Do

Why has this post from 2003 been dragged up?? I think the situation has changed with GnB Donghae. One of the GnB schools has closed and the other is quite a good school by all accounts

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

Scarlet13 · Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Changwon

Yup they do, but I was actually refering to paying pension, NHI, etc. My school is very well run, the director is great, the apartment is decent, I haven't had any problems whatsoever. It is an excellent school in that respect Very Happy

xingyiman · Joined: 12 Jan 2006

I worked at a GnB school my first year here. The GnB materials look good in theory but they are put into the hands of Korean teachers with little or no command of the English language. The GnB job was probably one of the easiest I've had but there wasn't any real learning going on there just getting the students able to pass the written tests was what it was all about. I do have to disagree with the tuition thing. The tuition at my school was pretty steep. I think thats up the the individual owner. As for working with recruiters once you land a good gig with one it's best to stick with that recruiter as well as recemmend others to them. Builds your repor and they'll make sure you have the best pickins. [/url]

jadarite · Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:51 am Post subject:

I am at a GnB and have mixed feelings about my experience. I am paid well and on time (which is a plus for the school owner, not necessarily GnB overall). However, I have experienced the same things noted by the original poster.

I never got an apartment (I am in my 6th month). The GnB books have about 8 chapters per book with 6 lines of text. It's true you only teach 30 minutes, but how hard is it to read 6 lines of text in 10 minutes? This leaves the teacher having to set up lessons without any material provided by the school. With the older students, I kind of like the freedom, but with younger students it has become a babysitting job.

In addition to the apartment, or lack of, I am not getting pension either as agreed to in the contract. The main reason why I haven't taken any action is because my salary is good compared to other offers I have seen. Being out in the country has nothing to do with this school, so I wouldn't factor that in.

The main problem I see is that recruiters are too aggressive getting teachers to commit, and we don't get a chance to see photos of the classroom and apartment before being given a chance to take the job. They expect us to give them a resume and photo, but when we ask for a curriculum and photos they say it is impossible.

This seems one-sided and we need to know what we are getting into. The fact I didn't know what I was getting into isn't a negative against the school or me. It's just a sign that more needs to be done earlier on to secure the right teacher for the right school.

mrsquirrel · Joined: 13 Dec 2006

This thread should be deleted

somerandomguy · Joined: 02 May 2008

wylies99 · Joined: 13 May 2006 Location: I'm one cool cat!

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

8th month firing (fired on New Years Day). The school (not the one the OP is talking about, mine was a particular GnB franchise branch 'somewhere in Korea') had;
-management like evil midgets
-huge classes, low tuition, like the OP said
-impudent, outrageous, worker unfriendly evil bits in the contract

But I've got to say I enjoyed the campy, comical attempted maliciousness at every turn. The peer pressure and psychological manipulation. It was definately like being haunted by evil midgets (boss and K head teacher were both very short and nippy). Bittersweet, totally transparently money-grubbing and crass but hey, it was funny as hell! It was almost too petty to be real. And for that reason it was one of my favourite places to work. Not because I'm a masochist. But because it was like working at a shady carnival. Management were these amazing, half-human half-cockroach creatures perfectly evolved to being, well, vermin. And so well worthy of observation. A feudal fiefdom of little boxes in their minds. Incredible to encounter; it was awesome.