Korean Job Discussion Forums

[padsam]

Has any body got any experiences of YES Youngdo in Gangdong-gu? I have a job offer there, I have done a bit of research and there are a lot of negatives, but then do people ever write nice things on forum?? Thanks

[youtuber]

Youngdo prides itself on hiring Canadian and American teachers. If you look at their webpage for the Gandong branch, there are only one or two foreign teachers currently. The rest of the names are first names only, with no picture - that means the rest of the staff is Korean. So obviously, they are having a hard time getting the teachers they want to teach there. And since you are Irish (presumably) you are not their first choice.

I used to work at Youngdo and I know all aspects of it very well. PM me for details.

[reactionary]

Youngdo wasn't a bad first time hagwon for me. I worked at a different branch but knew some people working in Gangdong. One complaint they had was that they didn't live within walking distance and were basically told to share a taxi everyday to come to work. This was back in 2006 though.

[youtuber]

^Incorrect. The housing was very close to Cheonho station - a quick subway ride (10min) to work.

[Raeddie]

The negative is that you will work more hours for less pay then anywhere else. The positive is that you will get paid on time.

[chaillandc]

I was also offered a position at the Gangdong campus. The HR person I am in contact with mentioned that there are currently 8 English teachers there. From my online research, I feel YES youngdo is a more legit company to work for, but would GREATLY appreciate any advice, especially if you are working for YES youngdo now/past or know of people that are.

Finally a few specific inquiries:
1. Are all teachers required to teach Intensives and do they pay additionally for these extra hours?
2. I have a dog (from Korea) that I will be bringing back with me. Is this ok?
3. Are vacation times pre-selected or negotiable?

Thank you for any advice. Such forums are excellent in helping future teachers make wise decisions. ^^

[soviet_man]

As a former YES Youngdo vet, let me explain what you are walking into:

* Cameras in each classroom
* Monthly observations of your classes by management
* Weekly staff meetings
* Weekly staff training meetings
* Monthly report cards for each child
* 3 hour long classes on certain days
* Compulsory winter and summer intensives
* Dealing with Korean counsellors who call each parent monthly.
* Rigid curriculum with little freedom to deviate from structure
* Interference by management at every turn
* Heavy monitoring of you and your performance

I could go on. I found the company had a stifling internal culture.

This is just my personal opinion, based on my experience there.

[chaillandc]

Thank you for your feedkback. That is exactly what I am fearful of; as a former CDI employee, things were run much the same way. I really appreciate your insight and help in this matter. Cheers

[meowzaX3]

I just got an offer at this branch as well, and seeing as how this topic is a year old, I thought I'd bring it back up.

Any new experiences or enlightenment to shed by anyone?

Thanks!

[Gamecock]

YES Youngdo is a company that burns out its teachers quickly. Yes, summer intensives are almost always required and the vacation dates are set by the company. When i was there they gave 5 days in the summer and 5 days in the winter, but they wouldn't even give us a mon-fri holiday so we had 2 weekends around those days (9 days total to travel). They ALWAYS gave a wed-tue holiday so you only had one weekend...for no other reason than a power play, from what I could ascertain. (This vacation practice may have changed since i was there).

You will get paid, but teachers are not valued at all. They will give you the bare minimum of what is written in the contract and not one iota of professional courtesy or even human consideration more. When i worked there (as a head teacher), I saw them constantly demand loyalty and sacrifice from their teachers and never reciprocate.

I would disagree that this is a good newbie gig. You can do much better for MUCH LESS work. If it were my first time in Korea, I would take the chance with a mom-n-pop hogwan before I would go to YES Youngdo.

[meowzaX3]

Did you make it through the entire year?

I'm really torn because I wanted a job in Seoul and haven't heard back from any other locations, besides one in Busan which isn't even a sure thing.

That one pays slightly more, but the apartment provided looks about the size of my bathroom, and I think the age group is really young like preschool or kindy or something.

I'm afraid to turn down this offer and not get another one for months.

Was it really that bad?

[Xuanzang]