Korean Job Discussion Forums

wsiggins · Joined: 08 Jun 2008 Location: Chuncheon, Gangwon do

http://www.ybmecc.co.kr/index.asp?sub1=loca&sub2=2&seq=45

Hey, I know several of the ECC schools were blacklisted but what is the overall consensus on them and why? I used to work for Nova (big corperate language school in Japan) and with the exception of it going bankrupt I was quite happy working for them... I am figuring YBM is the same deal? Anyway my partner and I may be accepting a contract with them, as I like the sounds of this location, its a little bit more centralized.

Faunaki · Joined: 15 Jun 2007

I worked for YBM for one month and then got a job with a PS. YBM is just a giant hagwon and you'll have to work split shifts and no prep pay. Also the pay's low and students come first, not the teacher. - On that note, I was only there for a month so I don't know really but I got outta there fast.

UrbanStyle · Joined: 23 Jul 2009

I'm thinking about working at YBM ECC Dongdaemun,, anyone have any information on this particular hogwan?

Tigerstyleone · Joined: 01 Feb 2009

Hey, yeah, I worked for YBM ECC. They promised me single housing and dumped me in an old apartment with 2 other crazy guys. They promised me 10 days paid vacation, but they counted weekends in those 10 days.

I had to teach 8 classes a day with no break time and no food.
I had 2 hours of paperwork to do everyday before classes and an extra class to observe or teach on wednesday called Model Lesson.

Once I was sick with a throat infection and influencza at the same time.
I went to the hospital and the doctor insist I stay in to be monitored due to my fever and infection. The director came and told the doctor to release me right away because I have to work. I nearly died.

I think you get my point. Oh I got paid on time, most of the time.

UrbanStyle · Joined: 23 Jul 2009

Hey Tigerstyleone, which YBM ECC branch did you work at?

daveweave2 · Joined: 08 Dec 2008

[quote="wsiggins"]http://www.ybmecc.co.kr/index.asp?sub1=loca&sub2=2&seq=45

Hey, I know several of the ECC schools were blacklisted but what is the overall consensus on them and why? I used to work for Nova (big corperate language school in Japan) and with the exception of it going bankrupt I was quite happy working for them... I am figuring YBM is the same deal? Anyway my partner and I may be accepting a contract with them, as I like the sounds of this location, its a little bit more centralized.[/quot

Look at the history of YBM branches, there are more bad reviews than good. I worked at the downtown branch in Daegu, five months and I quit, absolute bullshit. These guys are only out for money, and they will take it from you the teacher, or the students, any way they can get it, no morals, absolute dishonesty. You and anybody can do better, I am on my second contract with public schools (EPIK) and I am doing great. I have multiple degrees and a teaching certification, YBM Your Blood Money, come on don't be another sucker, listen to us old timers.

definitely maybe · Joined: 16 Feb 2008

i worked for that very branch a few years ago. i know for a fact that supervisor i had, who was a ballbreaker, is long gone. the manager was nice enough. here's the breakdown back in 2006-2007:

-single housing for everyone (almost all in brand new private studios within a 15 minute walk of of cheongnyangni station)
-paid on time, every time
-no one was really overworked (kinder teachers went were there from around 10-5, afternoon teachers were there from around 3 - 8:30)
-no split shifts at ybm ecc, only the adult divisions.

there were complainers, but there are ALWAYS complainers. i'll agree that there are better places to start out than ybm ecc, but it ain't that bad! i know plenty of people who've been just fine and gone onto bigger and brighter things in and out of korea following their stints at ybm. hell, i worked for two eccs.

dongdaemun ecc isn't exactly what i'd call central though. it's a fair walk to the closest station (dapshimni) and you'll be housed about a 15-20 minute walk from the school. the apartments areclose enough to dongdaemun and jongno, but still a bit of a trip. are they pitching any other branches?

definitely maybe · Joined: 16 Feb 2008

checked the link you provided. it hasn't been updated for at least five years. you will not be near sindap station. the one couple's apartment they had, which was pretty nice, was actually nowhere near any subway station.

and remember, it's in dongademun-gu, which is not where dongdaemun station or market are.

snurglersons · Joined: 31 Aug 2009 Location: Busan

i've read good reviews and bad reviews of YBM ECC as i have with every other program, chain or whatever...remember, of course there are more bad reviews of everything online, especially here on daves...happy people don't spend their time gushing about it online.

daveweave2 · Joined: 08 Dec 2008

[quote="definitely maybe"]i worked for that very branch a few years ago. i know for a fact that supervisor i had, who was a ballbreaker, is long gone. the manager was nice enough. here's the breakdown back in 2006-2007:

-single housing for everyone (almost all in brand new private studios within a 15 minute walk of of cheongnyangni station)
-paid on time, every time
-no one was really overworked (kinder teachers went were there from around 10-5, afternoon teachers were there from around 3 - 8:30)
-no split shifts at ybm ecc, only the adult divisions.

there were complainers, but there are ALWAYS complainers. i'll agree that there are better places to start out than ybm ecc, but it ain't that bad! i know plenty of people who've been just fine and gone onto bigger and brighter things in and out of korea following their stints at ybm. hell, i worked for two eccs.

dongdaemun ecc isn't exactly what i'd call central though. it's a fair walk to the closest station (dapshimni) and you'll be housed about a 15-20 minute walk from the school. the apartments areclose enough to dongdaemun and jongno, but still a bit of a trip. are they pitching any other branches?[/quote]

Not the same branch, not the same year, adult division. I didn't work for your branch, no I don't like being treated like dirt. Stealing my money, lying, treating employees like dirt, really high turnover. I stand by my opinion, there are many better places to work in Korea. YBM has a bad rep, for a good reason. You know being a complainer and not putting up with dishonest people are not the same thing, things only change when people have the balls to speak the truth, kissing ass doesn't help. Been here for years only bad experience was YBM. I would not recomend anybody work for these people, although there may be decent branches the company has a rep for being greedy and dishonest, why take the chance you can do so much better, I did.

definitely maybe · Joined: 16 Feb 2008

daveweave2 · Joined: 08 Dec 2008

[quote="definitely maybe"][quote="daveweave2"][quote="definitely maybe"]i worked for that very branch a few years ago. i know for a fact that supervisor i had, who was a ballbreaker, is long gone. the manager was nice enough. here's the breakdown back in 2006-2007:

-single housing for everyone (almost all in brand new private studios within a 15 minute walk of of cheongnyangni station)
-paid on time, every time
-no one was really overworked (kinder teachers went were there from around 10-5, afternoon teachers were there from around 3 - 8:30)
-no split shifts at ybm ecc, only the adult divisions.

there were complainers, but there are ALWAYS complainers. i'll agree that there are better places to start out than ybm ecc, but it ain't that bad! i know plenty of people who've been just fine and gone onto bigger and brighter things in and out of korea following their stints at ybm. hell, i worked for two eccs.

dongdaemun ecc isn't exactly what i'd call central though. it's a fair walk to the closest station (dapshimni) and you'll be housed about a 15-20 minute walk from the school. the apartments areclose enough to dongdaemun and jongno, but still a bit of a trip. are they pitching any other branches?[/quote]

Not the same branch, not the same year, adult division. I didn't work for your branch, no I don't like being treated like dirt. Stealing my money, lying, treating employees like dirt, really high turnover. I stand by my opinion, there are many better places to work in Korea. YBM has a bad rep, for a good reason. You know being a complainer and not putting up with dishonest people are not the same thing, things only change when people have the balls to speak the truth, kissing ass doesn't help. Been here for years only bad experience was YBM. I would not recomend anybody work for these people, although there may be decent branches the company has a rep for being greedy and dishonest, why take the chance you can do so much better, I did.[/quote]

easy dave! i gave the op exactly what he/she asked for. specific information about dongdaemun ecc. don't presume that everyone got walked all over because you did. don't presume that everyone kissed ass either. i was talking about complainers i worked with there, not you. i was treated well during my time with ybm, had exceptional hours, and have very little to complain about.

by the way, i've worked at head office, and i'm not as convinced that they're villians. i have and will continue to agree that there are better places than non-franchised ybm eccs, but i'm also more than certain that there are worse. i worked for one before ybm. why not admit that there's room for more than one opinion?[/quote]

So you were YBM management, are you still? I realize it depends on who runs a certain branch as to how they conduct themselves. But I have talked to so many people who have just been screwed by this company, where there is so much smoke there is also fire. Yes there's room for any opinion, but that doesn't excuse that the head office is well aware that many of their branches screw their employees and they just do nothing, as long as the money keeps rolling in. YBM is a business first and everything else is second. No matter how much you may try you can't make a greedy dishonest company out to be anything but what they are. If your a management guy trying to minamize the damage done to YBM on this site it isn't working, so predictable

definitely maybe · Joined: 16 Feb 2008

r&d. hardly management, so table your conspiracy theories. they're making you sound petty. the job sucked. i spent a lot of time in different branches around the country trying to better prepare teachers for the job. more often than not, there was simply not enough structure to really help with anything. very little focus was placed on teachers actually learning to teach. i left that job after a year, and that was it for me with ybm. that was a couple of years ago. i work at a university now.

you've got a serious ax to grind, but i'm not the one you're looking for. you'll notice i listed some negatives about the location in a second post. i didn't have much to complain about beyond that. i realize that you'd probably feel a lot better if everyone was as miserable as you were there, but i can't help you with that. if you want to hate me because i was treated better, so be it.

i can honestly say that ybm doesn't seem that different than the other big companies in the korean english industry. i know people who've worked higher up in slp and cdi, and they aren't saying anything different. let me say, yet again, that i DO agree that there are better places to work than ybm. good luck with your crusade.

UrbanStyle · Joined: 23 Jul 2009

Hey definitely maybe, thanks for the info , about how long of a walk were you from the nearest subway stop? also do u know of any other hogwans that are good which I should apply too?

thanks

definitely maybe · Joined: 16 Feb 2008

if the teachers are still housed where they were when i was there, it's about a 15-20 minute walk to cheongnyangni station on line 1. the apartments were very close to Seoul University, but there wasn't much around there.

in terms of quality hogwans, i don't know of an overwhelming difference. it's been mentioned that branches vary drastically, and i'm inclined to agree. i have friends who've had good experiences with ecc, slp, lee bo-young talking club, and a number of other places. then again, there are tons of people who hated working for the same organizations.

i don't have many friends that are still affiliated with hagwons, but i do know a number of people who enjoy working in public after-school programs. those positions have their own baggage, but they seem to have relatively relaxed hours comparitively.

now let's wait and see if daveweave2 accuses me of being the owner of asn or win education, two more of the countless corporations that seek to make money of english language education in korea.