Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Danofthepeople]

Hello English teachers! I have been in Korea for one year teaching in Gimhae at a small private academy. After a year of "interesting" employment, I want to find an academy with a curriculum and good organisation.

I am speaking to YBM at the moment and wonder if any of you are either teaching or have taught at a YBM school in Busan.

Is it a decent place to work? Are you respected? Do they pay you on time? etc etc.. Im sure you know the usual Hagwon questions...

Anything about your experience with this company will be useful as I want to make the right decision for my second year in Korea.

[Whitey Otez]

It's a franchise, meaning every branch is going to be different, depending on who owns it and who is running the show.

FWIW, I didn't hate my time at an ECC in Seoul. I stayed for eighteen months. The owner was a tough guy, but the manager held it together nicely. I put my focus on the students and did a decent job.

[geedeebain]

I work in an ECC franchise.

Not bad at all. Pay on time, small classes, good hours and only have to teach one lesson one Saturday a month.

They are always helpful when you need help and the manager runs a tight ship.

However, as the previous poster mentioned, if it is a franchise the quality among schools may differ quite alot.

[Danofthepeople]

I am sure the one that I was applying for was Company Owned - which they state means that head office is directly involved in what goes on there. As to whether that will make an overall difference is still to be known.

what are their textbooks like? do they have a decent curriculum to work from? What kind of freedom do you have to make the lessons your own?

[smoggy]

I worked at a franchise and the books were terrible. They were filled with mistakes. The students did not want to be there, and they were losing students. The manager was ok, but she was more interested in fashion than in teaching. She only had 2 years of teaching, and she knew more than the "older" teachers. They had a funky way of paying. They did not have regular vacation and they only gave you a day off when they felt like it. It was ok, but I hear that ECC is the worst Hogwan in K. land. I agree.

[PatrickGHBusan]

[wesharris]

YBM' Corporate is quite nice to work for.
I 've enjoyed my two months so far. 10 more to go of course.
I find my classes to be enjoyable and the hours are short.
Depends, if you do go corporate OP. You'll be alright.

[Whitey Otez]

[Tigerstyleone]

I worked at ECC in Busan, Deockcheon. It sucked
Two weeks of unpaid training oh i got 10,000 won a day for food and transport.
Then day one I had 8 fourty minute classes a day 5 days a week with no break and no food and only 5 minutes between classes. NO heat or aircon not to mention model lessons every Wednesday so come in an hour early for that and weekly teacher meetings don't forget to mention the piles and piles of ridiculous paper work grading journals, evaluations, checking for speaking contest, stupid lesson plans, but what takes the cake was when I had a throat infection and influenza at the same time.
My doctor said I needed to stay in the hospital one day for evaluation and take IV fluid, fevers can be serious..
The director came to the hospital and pulled me out of their telling the doctor that I had no choice but to work.
The korean teachers were very distant and didn't seem to enjoy working there either. They were always leaving before their contract was over.

[Toju]

Simply - don't.

[Danofthepeople]

Yeah Tigerstyle I got the same thing in my third month teaching in my academy. I lost my voice and was unable to speak. Director took me to the doctor and told him that I needed to teach in 30 mins so he had to give some medicine. Crazy stuff.

I think ill be at the YBM in Geumjeong if you have any specifics about there?

Are there any larger Hagwon chains that are reasonable? ChungDahm perhaps?

[PatrickGHBusan]

[smoggy]

I worked at a franchise ECC. The owners followed the same methods as the corporate ECC's. The same books were used (terrible with lots of mistakes), and 6-8 page tests. Often, there were 10 students per class and it took 40 mins. to grade the tests, but then you had to write a progress note. If the Korean teachers didn't like what you said, they would make you re-write it. Fortunately, I knew how the game was played when writing those reports. Some teachers refused to write what they wanted. We had to turn in everything within 3 days. We also had to do telephone teaching 2 times per month.

The school paid us in an unusual way. They counted M,W,F and paid us on the 2nd Friday only 600,000W and then the remainder on day 12. They did not pay as the contract stipulated. If there was a holiday, they would pay you the following M or W, which ever worked for them. They picked the vacation days that you would get, so you could never have 5 days. Some of my vacation days fell on a Tues. Only during Christmas did we get 4 days off. How nice of them. One teacher never traveled, but everyone else wanted a week off, and the answer was "No, it's impossible - who would teach your classes"

There was no welcome for a new teacher, and often, you were lost. You had to learn how to fend for yourself. I would never work for ECC again. My hours were good (sometimes I only had 3 classes, but Mon. & Fri. were 8 classes.) Everything was the teachers fault, never the child's. The head teacher was a fashion designer and knew not very much about teaching.

Don't work at ECC.

[candyteacher]

I worked for a franchise ECC and they were brilliant to work for, however I put that down to the people running the place more than the name. Like other posters have said, franchise schools are run separetly to the company so its hit and miss the same as any other hagwon.

My hagwon director always paid on time or early if he knew some of the teachers were going away for the weekend and may need the money. He gave bonuses at holidays and regulary took us out for dinners, weekends away etc. The principal was very professional while still being extremely fair and conscious of the teachers needs. The text books were fine not amazing certainly not bad and the students did well. Iv never known any teacher to have any problem with the school.

Im returning next week to teach here again for another year, with more money, a bigger apartment and extra holiday time. So all round I cant fault them.

[Whitey Otez]