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Pagoda or Wall Street?
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cdninkorea



Joined: 27 Jan 2006
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 7:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Young FRANKenstein wrote:
bizrandom wrote:
The quarterly bonus is merely meeting sales goals.

They require you to be salesmen?


No. Think of it as a restaurant where tips are pooled and a portion is given to the kitchen staff; they may not be responsible for service, but just as good food results in higher tips, so do good teaching lead to increased contract renewals and new contracts.
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Young FRANKenstein



Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)

PostPosted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 8:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whistleblower wrote:
Nah, you ain't a salesman but they give staff a bonus if things go well. The Korean staff are mainly sales people but the good thing is that all staff are rewarded, not just the top management (which is what happens at most schools in Korea).

Everyone gets the same bonus, or different jobs get different bonuses, or you are evaluated on your performance and the bonus size is related to your evaluation?
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Whistleblower



Joined: 03 Feb 2007

PostPosted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 8:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Frank are you interested in joining? There is bonus % based upon the sales for the coming months, whether you are in a more responsible position, etc but it is all equal no matter how good or poor a teacher you are.
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Young FRANKenstein



Joined: 02 Oct 2006
Location: Castle Frankenstein (that's FRONKensteen)

PostPosted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 9:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whistleblower wrote:
Frank are you interested in joining?

Not really, but I keep my options open. An ex-coworker of mine works at the one in Hongdae(?), I think, but I still don't know much about the place. Sounds like a solid and more honest alternative to the other big adult hagwons. What does their contract look like?
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Whistleblower



Joined: 03 Feb 2007

PostPosted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 9:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I guess the contract is pretty standard for a year but you got to way up the positive compared to the other adult hagwons:

1. Quarterly bonus (but not promised all the time)
2. Housing allowance
3. Paid vacation (something which CDI and other adult hagwons don't understand)
4. Key money for housing
5. Professional training for non-experienced teachers (a scarcity in this country)
6. Class feedback and observation by experienced teachers
7. Workshops to relax (abroad and in Korea)
8. No more than 6 classes a day if you are full time (3 classes per day part-time)
9. Health, pension and other benefits paid
10. Tax refund at the end of the year
11. Possible examining for the right people

Everything is done by the book and this is the one reason the hagwon is successful. The other adult hagwons have socks here to knock it's reputation but that is really because they are scared of WSI's success and reputation.

I have not met a teacher who hates WSI. 90% of the staff re-sign their contract and they are pretty happy with their employer. That speaks volumes.

A happy employer from WSI.
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jadefrog



Joined: 17 Jun 2008

PostPosted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 1:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Its my understanding that YBM's adult schools DO pay performance bonuses every two months, as well as severance anc contract completion bonuses. I not sure what Whistleblower means about "slavery" so I can't comment on that.

Like I said earlier, the talk of WSI teacher's not being paid was simply a rumor.[/quote]
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artyom



Joined: 28 Jul 2007

PostPosted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 7:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've been looking into WSI and they seem to be a good company to work for. I didn't see any mention of flights being paid for on the website though. Does anyone know if they will pay for flights?
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wire



Joined: 01 Aug 2006

PostPosted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 12:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anyone have WSI's website?

I stuck out a year teaching kids in 2006. Not for me. I'd like to come back and work with adults.

Thanks!
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Whistleblower



Joined: 03 Feb 2007

PostPosted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 5:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

www.wsikorea.com
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aerialsimulacrum



Joined: 11 May 2008
Location: Space is the place

PostPosted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 6:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I wrote to WSI and was informed that they've already done all their hiring for the time being but expect to do more hiring in October.

The response had my name wrong - as in a completely different name, not just a misspelling. Laughing
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hagwonnewbie



Joined: 09 Feb 2007
Location: Asia

PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 1:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I applied to WSI. The HR person there told me they only hire teachers with 2+ years of EFL teaching experience.
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jangsalgida



Joined: 11 Jan 2006

PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 9:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whistleblower wrote:
I guess the contract is pretty standard for a year but you got to way up the positive compared to the other adult hagwons:

1. Quarterly bonus (but not promised all the time)
2. Housing allowance
3. Paid vacation (something which CDI and other adult hagwons don't understand)
4. Key money for housing
5. Professional training for non-experienced teachers (a scarcity in this country)
6. Class feedback and observation by experienced teachers
7. Workshops to relax (abroad and in Korea)
8. No more than 6 classes a day if you are full time (3 classes per day part-time)
9. Health, pension and other benefits paid
10. Tax refund at the end of the year
11. Possible examining for the right people

Everything is done by the book and this is the one reason the hagwon is successful. The other adult hagwons have socks here to knock it's reputation but that is really because they are scared of WSI's success and reputation.

I have not met a teacher who hates WSI. 90% of the staff re-sign their contract and they are pretty happy with their employer. That speaks volumes.

A happy employer from WSI.


You�ve got to be the biggest �Sock� for WSI on this board.
1. �Quarterly Bonus for WSI employees.� Ha! Most WSI employees aren�t considered full-time. This is against Labor Ministry Laws. Yes, WSI discriminates against those who work 4 hours per day M-F and two Saturdays per month. Most WSI employees work more tha 20 hours per week/ 80 hours per month. With the 2 Saturdays, most employees work 90 + hours per month. Yet, for whatever reason, WSI Management/CEO believes they can CHEAT WSI employees out of the �Quarterly Bonus.�
2. �Housing Allowance,� what is it 50,000 Won per month, is it really worth mentioning when you are expected to go drink with students once per month on a Friday night and spend your own time/money? Oh, and then if you work the next day(Saturday) you could be given a complaint for smelling like alcohol whether you smell like alcohol or not.
3. �Paid Vacation,� the contract probably says you receive it after 1 year but that is not true. You will not receive a paid vacation unless you work there 2 years. If you go on vacation after your 1st year you will not receive the pay until/if you work there 2 years. Sad but true!

#5 . �Professional Training,� Ha! Give me a break, you aren�t serious are you? I thought non-experienced teachers were not hired?
#7. �Workshops to relax,� if anyone has ever been to a Korean Workshop they know that it is best to avoid these like the plague. If you go abroad you will eat Korean food, visit Korean businesses, be expected to buy the products after you are forced to hear their sales pitch, get on and off the bus many times, because it is a �package deal.�
#11. What does it mean?

Note to all WSI Teachers, you should file a complaint at the Labor Ministry after your contract to receive all quarterly bonuses that you didn�t get while other Foreign Teachers did. Those Teachers that receive the bonus are considered Full-time employees and those that don�t are considered �Part-time� employees, when in actuality/legally all WSI employees who work 80 hours per month should be eligible for the Quarterly Bonus. It is the practice of WSI to CHEAT employees.

And, they might help you get an after-school program position, there you will be cheated on your taxes, won�t be considered an employee, therefore not receive pension/severance. You will be considered an �Independent Contractor,� and be responsible for filing your own taxes at a much higher tax rate. Yes, WSI helps you get cheated/exploited by the public school where you teach an after-school program.

If you are a "happy employer"(Did you mean employee?) for WSI then why are you leaving and why the following post�?
http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=128445&highlight=
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KoreanAmbition



Joined: 03 Feb 2008

PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 10:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jangsalgida,

Interesting rebutall.

I think though, with regards to your last point, that whistleblower is leaving because he is disliking Korea as well as job-related issues.

However, I did wonder why he said "the lack of breaks and vacation" after he had just talked about how good his job was.
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TECO



Joined: 20 Jan 2003

PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 11:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wall Street Institute of English has always been a pretty crappy school to work for the world over.

Here's a rating.

Link: Wall Street Institute of English

Quote:
All in all, I've received only negative reports about Wall Street. Apparently, there are several British teacher supervisors working there who have poor leadership qualities and no formal training in Education or TEFL methodology.

There is also apparently a lot of in-house fighting among teachers and the British supervisors who are, I've been told, 'lazy' and try to pass their lessons off onto junior teachers so that they can do admin work.

The wages are low. I was told that they average out to about NT$475 per hour after working approximately 27 to 30 hours per week. Split shifts are the norm, where teachers are required to start in the morning until 12:00pm and then return at 4 or 5pm and then teach until 9:00pm. Also, I was told that Wall Street Institute contracts teachers to a 6 day work week.

The facilities look clean and new and there is normally a teachers' room at all branch locations to sit down in between classes and eat lunch or prepare for lessons.

Wall Street also uses its own in-house materials and I am told once you learn these materials it cuts down on class preparation time dramatically. In fact, one Wall Street Institute teacher told me that he had become incredibly bored with the material after a year of working there and that the job was not very challenging or interesting.

As well, like many schools in Taiwan, Wall Street does not provide housing for English teachers. I have also been told that Wall Street does not hire teachers from overseas and that they require applicants to come in and sit an interview in person. This may have changed since I received most of the above information on Wall Street in 2003 and 2004.

Final word on Wall Street Institute is - high turn over rate, grumpy and autocratic British head teachers, boring materials, low hourly wages, split-shifts and 6 day work week.

The presentation at Wall Street is very slick. Many computers and classrooms with glass walls and glass marker boards. The compay is actually a Spanish company and has branches in China and Bangkok, Thailand. I have also heard reports from other teachers that they may have already expanded to Japan as well.

Ranking:

Salary: Poor
Hours: Poor - Fair
Facility: Good
Location: Good (close to MRT Stations)
Mangagement: Very Poor


Last edited by TECO on Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:20 am; edited 1 time in total
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jangsalgida



Joined: 11 Jan 2006

PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 7:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

KoreanAmbition wrote:
Jangsalgida,

Interesting rebutall.

I think though, with regards to your last point, that whistleblower is leaving because he is disliking Korea as well as job-related issues.

However, I did wonder why he said "the lack of breaks and vacation" after he had just talked about how good his job was.


Why was it interesting, are you the Whistleblower's buddy? I did not give all facts concerning the # of hours necessary to be considered a full-time employee. The Labor Law states that 15 hours per week/60 hours per month is considered full-time.

Most WSI employees work 92 hours per month(4 hours per day M-F + two Saturdays per month = 92 hours per month), so WSI discriminates against those employees. The other special or so-called full-time WSI employees who get bonuses must work 6 hours per day M-F( = 100 hours per month), but do not have to work Saturdays.
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