Korean Job Discussion Forums

[DosEquisXX]

I got an interview offered to me by recruiter from a hagwon franchise that was opening up a new branch.

The overall question is, "What are the risks in working at a new franchise of a chain or a brand new academy in general?" I just want to be sure that this will be a worthwhile venture if everything looks solid.

Another question is, "Are these branches actually new branches? Or do they say that to avoid having to answer questions about the operation and prevent you from talking to foreign teachers?"

Never had an interview with a brand new place. So, I'm not sure what else to take into account.

[talltony4]

I had a new school go bankrupt on me, and that was in 2002 when the economy was much better than it is now.

It sounds like a very risky proposition, unless it is backed by some major cash and/or you do some kind of a deal that gets you your airfare upfront and your severance payment included in your monthly pay check

[DosEquisXX]

[Skippy]

If it is a franchise it can mean two things. One a person bought into a new franchise aka name for their school. They get a premade reputation and system. Or two the main office opened a new school. The first one can be more problematic and the second not as much. Now franchises can do pretty well to start off with. Brand names help a new school.

Still you want to be aware that new schools can implode. Schools/New owner spends a bundle hoping to get a whole bunch of students right off the bat and a few months later he has spent all his start up capital and he has only 1/2 the students he wants. He might very likely call it quits and cut corners meaning either your job or your benefits/pay and even your sanity.

New schools can be good for you, too. As the owner / boss wants to keep you happy so he/she will be a whole lot kinder. They will be kinder as they want keep you, also they have not yet learned bad habits towards teachers. Also a new school does not have its attendance and schedule completely filled up. So the first few months can be pretty slow and quiet which can be good for a new first time teacher.

Thru it can easily go the other way. A new owner can feel like he owns you and treats you like a tool to be used. Teach more hours, more classes, sorry classes know go till 11:00.

[TheresaTheresa]

Don't do it!

Chances are they don't know their asses from a hole in the ground and will blame you if things go wrong. It is also quite dicey on the financial front so I would say don't do it. There are much better options out there.

[hagwonnewbie]

My last 2 jobs were new academies

First one- Quit after 5 months. Owner was an idiot who blamed the teachers for all his problems. The teacher who stayed took a huge voluntary pay cut.

Second one - Awesome new academy, excellent staff, high salary, low class size / work load. Stayed 2 years.

Neither one has had any success. However, the well funded one is still operating and appears to have some future.

[interestedinhanguk]

[sojusucks]

[plato's republic]

I'd argue that a sizeable number of hagwon owners/directors don't have a lot of business sense. You've just got to hope that they have a lot of money so that the school doesn't go bust overnight.

[Saudiman]

I would recommend it only if you have a chance to sit down for a long talk with the boss. Find out as much as you can before you commit.

[DosEquisXX]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

I really don't want to reveal the actual name of the franchise in question in this thread. Though I will PM some if interested.

So then the ultimate question is:

How can I feel out if a new school is being run by a good businessman (or woman)? What questions will give that away?

Doesn't seem wise to open up a brand new office in a recession. Isn't the hagwon market beyond saturated as it is?

I guess I should go in with an immediate backup plan if I were to accept a position at a "new" place.

[Skippy]

It is always good to have back up plan! Even for tried and tested schools too.

One thing I look about how to test the school is English Ability. If the boss can not speak a lick of English then why is he or she opening an English school. Not a great test but it does give good second for pause.

[Son Deureo!]

New schools are inherently risky. Since there's no previous teacher working there, it's impossible to get any intel on their track record with previous teachers. Add to that the increased potential that the school will go under or need to shed teachers due to under-enrollment and it's just not worth the risk, IMHO.

My worst experience in this country, hands down, was the one and only time I worked for a brand new hogwon. They hired five foreign teachers at the same time and never came close to reaching their enrollment goals. In the second month, the Korean teachers were paid late. In the third and fourth months, we were all paid late. Fifth month, three of us were laid off and they deducted airfare and the recruiter fee from my final paycheck leaving me with virtually nothing to show for an entire month's work.

The ONLY advantage to working for a new school, as has been mentioned, is the likelihood that in the first few months they won't have enough classes to keep you busy for the entire work day so you'll have short days. However, this particular school still required us to keep "working hours", on-site, from 2-10pm every day. Some days we'd only have one or two classes for the day, so we'd be stuck deskwarming in the teacher's room for upwards of six hours a day. If you do decide to sign on with a new school, make sure the office hours policy is spelled out clearly in the contract.

I don't know how desperate you are for a job at this point, Dos Equis, but I'll never work for a new hogwon again.

[mollayo]

I'm at a new hogwan, and I love it. There are only three teachers - the director, his wife, and me. We only have 25 students, but since I'm the only paid employee, we're doing fine. Every month more students trickle in. They treat me very well. I have no complaints.

[joeyinasia]

I've worked at new schools twice since 2002. The experiences had their ups and downs but overall it worked out.