Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mattdsoares]

Obviously on a forum like this, you're going to get far more complaints about hagwons than praise...which makes sense. People who love their school are less likely to make a thread about it than someone being forced to work Saturday overtime without pay, while their school pockets their health insurance money and refuses to honor their vacation time.

The big question is...how often does this really happen? How often do teachers get forced to work Saturdays outside of their contract? How often do directors pocket health insurance money? Essentially, what percentage of ESL teachers get scammed and screwed by their hagwons?

In your experience/opinion...what percentage of teachers will get seriously taken advantage of by their employer when in Korea?

I ask because I have an offer on the table from a school in Daegu. I am currently negotiating a few things into the contract, and even if this school falls through, I've decided this is something I want to do. My main reservation however is that I'm going to get there, and despite all my research...still get taken advantage of with no real recourse.

That's why I ask...what are the real chances of this happening to a teacher? This site is the Mecca of ESl teachers, so while the majority of threads may be about negative experiences and horror stories, out of the thousands of teacher that browse this forum...how representative is that REALLY?

[The Bobster]

[runthegauntlet]

Granted, I don't know that many people, but I don't know anyone that has had that happen to them in 20 or so different hagwons.

[some waygug-in]

All hagwans will scam you in some way, shape or form...

It's just a matter of degree and whether or not it's worth complaining about.


Ask here:

http://hagwon.reliableteacher.com/

or

http://ratemyhagwon.com/

[dorian_gray]

[nomad-ish]

[VFRinterceptor]

Taken from the contract sticky:

Talk to MORE THAN ONE of the foreign staff and ask POINTED AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS (*when the boss is NOT listening over their shoulder)

What are the hours? (start time / stop time / breaks).

How many classes per day, week, month? NOT hour many hours per month. 30 classroom hours can mean anything from 1350 -1800 minutes per week standing in front of the class. The difference can be up to 7.5 HOURS in front of the class EACH WEEK.

Do they ALWAYS pay on time?

Do they pay at the end of your month or do they have a hold back period (5-10 days after your month end) to prevent runners? (no=red flag)

Do they really pay overtime or avoid it with creative book keeping?

Do you get paid for classes on the national holidays or do you get the day off but still have to work your 120 hours before you get overtime? (no=red flag)

Do they have national medical (with the little booklet)? (no=red flag)

Do they pay into pension? (no=red flag)

What about the holidays? 10 or more WORKING days? (legal requirement here)

When and how do you get your holidays?

What extra stuff do you really have to do - mentioned or not in the contract.

Consider the quality of life issues - things that are important to you that aren't mentioned here (housing, furnishings, THE BATHROOM, access to recreational facilities, shopping, banking).


Hope this helps.

[Tycho Brahe]

Out of all the people i have met since getting here I know nobody who has had a major issue with a hagwon.

from daves it seems like everyone who's come to korea has gotten screwed over.




I took a chance on a mom and pop, because i couldn't face moving back in with my own, and it has worked out amazingly. They treat me with respect and trust and have become like a second family to me in many ways.
But I'm aware that i am ridiculously lucky - i have found people that suit what I want perfectly.

With a chain I wouldn't have a boss who would call me down to his office and talk me through my pay check before finalising it with me, so as to make sure that any issues that might arise are dealt with before they can become an issue.

I don't mean to boast or anything. I'm just saying that daves is unrepresentative. There are many people who find themselves in great jobs.

[jiberish]

No employer is perfect. Be strong, know your rights and don't take crap from them. If you let them walk all over you they will. For example, my school was closed because of sinjong flu for a few days. So they wanted me to come in on saturdays to make up for the missed days. I refused, stated it wasn't my fault. I wanted to work but it was out of my control. I then said you should have a backup plan for situations like these. Anyway I kept refusing and in the end I didn't go on saturday. But the korean teacher did because she rolled over straight away.

Having a good contract is very important. Read it, and change/remove anything that could screw you. If they don't want to change it, you probably should work for them because it is a good sign they want to screw you over.

[DrugstoreCowgirl]

Most people I know are fairly happy at their schools, except for those at Wonderland. Whatever you do, stay far, far away from Wonderland.

[TheUrbanMyth]