Korean Job Discussion Forums

[smaulik]

I was wondering what you guys made of this: I was recently offered a job with a hagwon and then had a nice conversation with someone who works there. She answered my questions thoroughly until I asked if I could be given the email addresses of a few past or current teachers to ask a few questions about making the transition to Korea (I did this when I studied abroad). She said they wouldn't let me talk to teachers until I signed the contract.

Does this sound a little suspicious to anyone else? Or is there perhaps a reasonable explanation for this?

[TheMeerkatLover]

Huge red flag.

Walk away...and don't feel bad at all.

Meerkat

[Perceptioncheck]

You can't talk to them until you sign the contract?!!

This is not just a little suspicious. This is totally, absolutely, top-of-the-line suspicious.

Do not sign that contract. Find another hagwon that is willing to put you in touch with previous teachers.

[asams]

Tell them they are not allowed to contact any of your references or previous employers until you have a contract signed. See what they say to that. Then tell them they are doing the exact same thing.

But yeah, run fast and far.

[kmr538]

I WAS given e-mail and contacts of one person right before I signed my contract; however, the person they directed me too was a Canadian (such as myself) but she was part of the admin team of the school. She was feeding my the answers I wanted to hear.
I decided to take matters into my own hands. I went google and searched the name of the school. Often blogs, chats etc will pop up in the search go and contact those people. Also go on facebook and type in the school's name many people may have it listed under their current/past empolyment...write them!
Remember even when you are given contact information it can't be 100% trusted...they can direct to someone has something to gain by getting you to sign.
Search it out yourself.

[schwa]

When I was applying for my first job here I was told the other teachers were too busy entertaining visiting family to respond to emails. Naively I thought if they're happy enough to invite their families over it must be okay. I signed on.

Turned out to be true! Call it a gut feeling. I spent a couple really good years at that hagwon.

But I dont like the "until you sign" ultimatum in the OP's post.

[morrisonhotel]

Print the contract off, sign it, scan the signature page in, email it to them and then ask if you can get the details of a teacher. If they ask if you've sent your documentation, just say yes.

[Gnawbert]

I wouldn't sign, personally. My current school was more than happy to provide me with references, email addresses (of current AND past employees), and answer any followup questions way prior to contract signing. Definitely a pretty big red flag and worth looking elsewhere.

[halfmanhalfbiscuit]

I wouldn't sign either. Likewise if they just slag off the previous person (weighing up their stronger and weaker points at school as they saw them would be fine)

[ontheway]

[Kikomom]

Turn this around and instead of them giving you contact info that they may consider confidential, ask them to please give your email/Facebook info to the current teachers and have them contact you.

[smaulik]

Well, I just decided to sign the contract and hope for the best.

[Perceptioncheck]

[Hornbill]

They've got something they want to keep hidden from you. Maybe their turnover is atrocious. Maybe they hire and work teachers illegally. Maybe they intimidate teachers into not revealing the truth to potential new fools.

It's not unreasonable to demand at least emails from teachers on the ground at your potential new employer. If you go there and walk into a big spider web, it'll be your own fault. But do come back here and post what you see after arriving there. We have gone through the trouble of reading and responding to your OP, after all.

[The_Source]