Korean Job Discussion Forums

[BeWareofSallyJayLee]

of KAU 2009 Summer Junior International English Camp and or Sally's Sangmyung University

Please BEWARE and BE WARNED if you decide to work for them. I have a MORE biased post here: http://bewarejaysallylee2007giftedcampkausummer.blog.com/

I also have a copy of their contract that I posted before but I will cut it apart for you now. They may have changed it, the contract and their email but they are still the same evil zebras who cannot change their stripes and refuse to admit so, so they lie and make EMPTY promises like how they did for me and the other 3 foreign teachers because we decided to NOT put up with their DISorganized and UNprofessional B.S. In the end, we were so stressed that we let our guard down and ALLOWED them to screw us over in which of course, they did AND then they even said because we "disrespected Korea and the DIRECTOR." No, YOU disrespected Korea (I have over 10 Korean teachers and C.A.s who all apologized on good Koreans everywhere quoted saying, "I am so ashamed of them (Jay and Sally). I am a journalism major after all, so I will shout about them to the rooftops.

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

Quit whining over trivialities.

[robot]

For a journo wannabe you sure fail at communicating info.

[tfunk]

[BeWareofSallyJayLee]

I want to warn people about them until they actually change their ways OR TRY to change their ways, so that nice people do not work for them grudgingly like we did (and have a HORRIBLE time in Korea WHILE working for them) AND so that maybe they yes, admit that they are WRONG and that they are TRYING to fix things and ACTIVELY do TRY to fix things. Otherwise, don't sidetrack the blatant truth and falsely hire GOOD teachers to work for you in hopes that you will at least treat them HALF WAY human.

PREFACE: Jay Lee has studied abroad in AMERICA and this was his 4th or 8th camp, so it's definitely not like he's a NOOB either.

1) The Instructor will teach English classes (regular and activity classes) from 9:30 a.m. to 4:25 p.m. from Monday through Friday. But the Instructor must come to school 30 minute before the first class and stay at the Camp Office for two hours after the classes for the staff meeting.

It is Monday through Saturday. Get it right on your contract. Often times, the teacher's meeting is NOT 2 hours long BUT the side work you MAY WANT to do is about that long because Jay and Sally have NOTHING PREPARED because they give you their WORD that the stuff is prepared, when it's really NOT. Also, if you want a good PERFORMANCE (for the last day) and depending on what type of C.A. (camp assistant) you have, you MAY have to make props AND costumes and BACKGROUNDS for all the students you have... that will be 15 students for P.T. and 30 students if you work F.T.

PLUS then there are the report cards and English daily JOURNALS. Which I will explain later.

2) a ) Remuneration will be \ 1,000,000 Won (approximately, $ 1.000 USD) for the camp and instructors coming from abroad will be provided in advance round-trip airplane tickets in and out of Seoul, Korea from the location of their departure. Nearby accommodation during the Camp will be provided by the Employer at no cost to the Instructor. It will have a refrigerator, a television set, basic cooking facilities, a bed and linens as well as other necessary amenities.

b) Remuneration will be \ 3,000,000 Won (approximately, $ 3.000 USD) for the camp and instructors should pay for round-trip airplane tickets and Visa fee. Nearby accommodation during the Camp will be provided by the Employer at no cost to the Instructor. It will have a refrigerator, a television set, basic cooking facilities, a bed and linens as well as other necessary amenities.

Jay may have FINALLY changed this but you are definitely NOT guaranteed a t.v., fridge and or basic cooking facilities. They actually asked me if I needed linens and a pillow. NO, I carry those things in my luggage for good measure...

The first dorm they showed me (though new and clean) had a fridge. Then for WHATEVER reason they switch me to a room without a fridge. Okay fine. I will let that one slide BUT THEN, the other 3 MALE foreign teachers show up and they ALL get what I was ALSO suppose to get according to the contract. ACTUALLY, Jay tried to make ONE couple of male Canadian teachers WHO KNEW each other SHARE a dorm because Jay wanted to save MONEY THOUGH HE TOLD THEM that they don't have to share PRIOR to arriving at the dorm site. Also, when I asked him about my fridge, t.v. and stove, he said he'll see what he can do and ask the dorm people. Jay NEVER got back to me. I asked him about the internet. He said he'll see what he can do. I had to ask him about the internet over three times before he made a C.A. come over and fix it for me. No fridge, no t.v., etc. Jay ACTUALLY said, "Oh, well it's not like there will be CNN or any channels in English anyways..." The male foreign teachers corrected me and said, "NO, there are THREE channels in English."

3) Teachers traveling from abroad will be greeted by Camp staff at the Incheon International Airport (ICN) upon their arrival and transported to the Camp Office or the location of their accommodations.

First impression right? This was my FIRST time in Korea and I do not SPEAK Korean AND I gave him my flight itinerary over three weeks in advance. I am VERY detail-oriented and try NOT to be disorganized. Jay emails me within 12 hours of my arrival that quote, "Hi **** Unfortunately, our teacher's workshop schedule is overlap with your fight schedule. please when you arrived please give me a call 010-6220-56** I will give you solution."
You know what that solution was? He has me take a bus for 45 minutes (8,000 won) to Madu Station in Ilsan and then I waited 1/2 an hour for a C.A. to pick me up and drop me off at the dorm. I haven't even met Jay yet AND of course, I HAD to PAY for a rental phone at the airport BECAUSE well, HOW THE HELL ELSE am I suppose to know WHERE to go if I DON'T have a phone??? Yes, and that rental phone costs 75,0000 won for 35 days, NOT including minutes. PLUS I wouldn't have even received his email if it wasn't for my boyfriend informing me that Jay sent it, because of course, I was ON the plane during that time when Jay SENT the email.

THEN, there is a meeting the next day. I don't find out about WHERE it is until 10:20am and I'm suppose to be there by 1pm. I don't know about you but first impressions are important and I did not want to be late. So yes, Jay not only DOES NOT provide TRANSPORTATION to the teacher's meeting but you also have to pay for it YOURSELF. I took a bus, subway and taxi and these were ALL under the guidance of Jay. It costs me 6000 won just to GET there. It took me about 1 1/2 hours to get there, too. AND the only reason I only had to pay 3000 won to get back to the campsite (yes, he DOES NOT drop you back off either) was because I shared a taxi with the other three foreign teachers.

4) The Employer reserves the right to terminate this contract if the Instructor violates the conditions of this contract or fails to conduct oneself in a professional manner. The employee reserves the right to terminate this contract if the Employer violates the conditions of the contract or fails to conduct business in a professional manner.

That is B.S. because if you quit, the camp would be screwed and OMG, Jay and Sally would have to REFUND everyone. SO they lie, SAY they are going to fix things and SAY they are going to pay you an extra 600,000 won which is a lie but you should have just said so and I would have QUIT instead of dealing with your constant B.S. after B.S.

5) The instructor will be served lunch from Monday to Friday and should take care of his/her class at the cafeteria until the class finishes eating and walk back to classroom safely.

Yeah, you won't have much down time during lunch or your break because you'll be busy correcting journals. Read on about journals.

6) The instructor will be responsible for daily homework (English Daily Diary).

Though the journals are mentioned, Jay does not specifically INFORM you WHICH class of journals you are RESPONSIBLE FOR (it may even be a class you DON'T teach) during the teacher's meeting or that you have to grade those journals DAILY... the students (about 15 per class) write a journal EVERY friggin day and IF you work FULL TIME, that is 30 students, 30 journals... written EVERY single day. They actually have TWO journals so THAT they CAN write EVERY single friggin day... HAVE FUN. This is a 12 day camp for each student and 24 lovely days of journal entries for the teachers, times 30 kids (F.T.).

7) And finally: The Instructor understands that minor changes in scheduling can be made by the Employer due to certain events unforeseen at the time of the original Camp planning.

The Instructor is responsible for familiarizing himself or herself with all teaching materials and special activities relevant to teaching and interacting at the Camp before each class.

Minor, man that is horse poop let me tell you. They may be minor but when it's a FEW "minor" changes every day and you are NOT informed about them until seconds before it's about to happen, it gets KIND OF tiring, annoying, stressful, YOU NAME IT.

8.) Now, these are things I will point out that happened that are NOT stated in the contract.

A camp and school, well, you would EXPECT there to be SCHOOL SUPPLIES right? Is that TOO much to ask for? Pens, pencils, paper, SCISSORS? Apparently, for some reason Jay always says, "Oh we have them..." Then why do I NOT see them? Why does the C.A. not know where they are? Actually, WHERE are these so-called supplies?? Please, do show.

Also, during the meeting Jay asks the teacher's to volunteer for the electives which are picked according to the students. It's stuff like arts and crafts, science and making a Book or the sort. I asked him, "Jay, are you going to provide the supplies for the craft?" YES, all you have to do is teach it. I got supplies for the first class and after that... there was nothing except last minute cheesy CHEAP crafts made from colored paper (paper in which we teachers had to request over five times before Jay actually shows UP WITH the paper. He also won't REfill the supplies once they're gone. His way of SAVING money so don't give TOO much to your students), toothpicks, paper clips, a stapler and colored cotton balls. This is NOT what you call a PREPARED craft.

Also, we had a WHOLE ordeal with the scissors. There are four craft classes and 247 students enrolled for the camp from Monday through Saturday. How many pairs of scissors did Sally and Jay have/buy? About 10. How EMBARRASSING is it that you have to constantly tell little kids to share 5 pairs of scissors? AND we even had to tell the kids to bring their own crayons, colored pencils, markers, etc. The kids pay 800,000 won for 12 days. Is it asking too much to PROVIDE these things during an ARTS and CRAFT class?

9) AND then meals. Jay called me the first day I was there and asked if I found out how to get my meals. I said yes. There was no tour of the fact that laundry and the gym is on B1 floor, I can forgive that BUT then... a WEEK after I've been eating in the dorm cafeteria Jay announces to us (oh so EFFORTLESSLY and without any CARE in his voice), "By the way, you know the cafeteria you've been eating at. We're not paying for that." YOU were the one who INSTRUCTED me to EAT there, you did NOT provide me with a FRIDGE or a STOVE and now you tell me (a WEEK later) that you want me to pay for breakfast and dinner also? Oh, buddy you are SO not professional and did you know each meal is 2500 won? That is dirt cheap and just plain arse DISRESPECTFUL if you know Asian culture and how EVERY Asian always asks and offers you FOOD... Jay should have just TOLD us from the beginning then we wouldn't have to feel so TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF... all in the name of PROFIT and saving THEM money.

10) Immersion Activity. This includes Introduction (we did a Scavenger hunt type game), Flea Market, Golden Bell, Karaoke, Movie day, Mini Olympics, KAU Museum, Cake Decorating, the FINAL EXAM and the last day's PERFORMANCE and some others that I don't remember.

The final exam. You would think since Jay provided the curriculum he could at least provide the tests right? Nope, YOU have to make up the test and whoever teaches 7th period GIVES out and "grades" the exam. It probably won't even be your exam either. AND Jay does not INFORM you that you are EXPECTED to grade the exam that you GAVE OUT (not the exam that you prepared). So, if you get an exam from a teacher who has 75 questions, you are expected to grade 75 questions, at 15 kids per class, 30 kids if your F.T. BUT if DO decide to work for Jay and Sally, DON'T bother grading the exams because the kids just stress about it, FAIL IT and NO results will EVER be given back to the kids or you. So, ultimately it's just a USELESS test.

The Cake Decoration preparation is horrible. The students provide their own cake and supplies but more importantly, what Jay does NOT provide are instructions to the teachers and the C.A.s along with the poor people who WORK in the cafeteria WHO the heck is CLEANING up the mess. Oh, and with 150 kids for one portion of the camp, that is a LOT of cleaning up.

Mini Olympics. OMG, I was in charge of tango and they gave me a broken plastic BAR with sharp edges around it for the kids to TANGO to... We decided to use an old telephone cable instead, which is still pretty embarrassing if you ask me PLUS at least 3 kids ran NECK first, straight into the STRING... IMAGINE if it was the PLASTIC bar with the sharp edges on it... Actually, it was more like a broken piece of the classroom... the bottom borders near the flooring... that was what it was.

The report cards. Jay and Sally quote, "Oh, the report cards are nothing. They are EASY." It's a 12 day camp for each set of kids and I have to do at least 30 report cards. Is it really as EASY as you make it sound? There is also a comment box. I guess you could just cut and paste something GENERIC... I doubt Jay and Sally will ever care to know but if you wanted to be a worthwhile teacher who cares, the "right" thing to do is write SOMETHING about your student's academic performance, improvement, etc.

Oh, and I thought of more. Jay has some stupid sticker system going on but you're not provided with any class chart TO GIVE OUT the stickers... so either you end up making it, your C.A. makes it or you just forget about it, BUT the sticker system is mentioned to the kids on their PASSPORT, so you just end up looking bad right.

The workbooks are also photocopied, along with the curriculum. Not only is this not professional but this is ILLEGAL. I mean, I'll be darned if these people were doing Korean kids a service and charging them next to nothing to LEARN ENGLISH but really... It's 12 days. Your an English camp. Why do we have spiral bound workbooks?

Then it's the "little" things that are NOT mentioned. The C.A.s don't even have their salary filled in for the contract and what's not mentioned is that though the camp starts at 9:30am, they have to get on a bus at 7:30ish and be part of the bus pick-up service. Wow, that is a big deal that SHOULD be mentioned.

I also feel bad for the Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday camp group. Since Jay does not buy enough supplies, whatever candy or "rewards" that they have for M,W,F are not replenished for T,Th,Sat. 800,000 won per kid. Candy cannot be THAT expensive.

The Korean teachers, God bless them but they have to do PHONE COUNSELING which SHOULD be mentioned in the contract. So F.T. teachers have to call about 30 kids for the course of the 24 days of the camp. No one ever finishes and who wants to speak to parents when you know what happens behind the closed camp doors... It's stuff like that that just makes me think that maybe you should highlight these extra DETAILS so that we can know what to expect, and then NOT mention stuff that is NOT going to be DONE. 24 days is not a lot for a camp, so really they could have AT LEAST had supplies and some type of organized curriculum, or at least try to comply when we ask them for these things, since really, it just makes everyone look better and things run more smoothly.

[BeWareofSallyJayLee]

I didn't expect the thread to be read so quickly, so in the mean time I was busy writing the following, AND I'm not done and editing it.

[DCJames]

[BeWareofSallyJayLee]

Buddy, it's sarcasm. Besides, if I had INFO about the camp, I would not have signed up. I don't care if anyone disagrees or agrees but if ONE person was considering working for them, I just informed you on what to expect. So THAT, makes me feel as though I gave in return something that I wish I would have received. A review and WHAT to EXPECT from these two people. Have a nice day.

[Changwon Charlie]

Sounds like a normal camp....you are being too much of a princess about it sweetheart. You got paid, just suck it up and chalk it down to experience.

No preperation and everything at the last minute is to be expected of most camps in Korea. That is why it is much better to have experience in these matters.

...and you had to do REPORT CARDS and JOURNALS!!!!! Hahahahaha. Cry me a river.
Good luck with life because if this ruffles your feathers you have a lot of shocks coming.

[BeWareofSallyJayLee]

A 12 day camp and there are report cards, AND the exam wasn't even reflected in the report card. That is some B.S. in the school system but whatever, we do it for the children so at least no one got seriously hurt.

[vonnegutjr]

Have you worked in K-land or at a camp before? Sounds fairly normal to me. Usually nothings prepared they just hand you a crappy book. Make the kids make the props and costumes with crayons and 10,000won at the stationary store.

[prideofidaho]

My camp was ten days, and we had report cards. It was plainly obvious the report cards were purely symbolic. Nobody got below a C grade. It's just for show.

Sorry, I can't read your posts because you choose to capitalise certain words for effect, and that just makes me nauseous.

[BeWareofSallyJayLee]

I know other people have negative experiences about overseas teaching but do they really not provide BASIC SUPPLIES? I forgave the accommodation and everything for the first 4 days but it's just more surprise after surprise. So, at these performances, do most teachers do an awesome job or just wing it like the camp directors?

[Demophobe]

....edited 21 times in total



Wow...makes a blog to hate on them, makes his username to hate on them...kind of....obsessed. People who put the quoted text below the reply are broken.

[BeWareofSallyJayLee]

Point across and then I'm done. I will forget about them but remember my kids and Korea.