Korean Job Discussion Forums

Street77 · Joined: 10 Dec 2012

So I start in Seoul in a few months. I took the job because of good reviews I read on another site for the school. The INDIVIDUAL school ranked very well. The chain is Wonderland. Need I say more?

Anyway, I know there are a few good Wonderlands out there, but I wanted to hear from someone else who worked at the one in Junggyedong (Nowongu, Seoul).

Any of you out there?
Are the reviews true?

No offense to anyone working at another descent Wonderland. I'm just being cautious because of reputation.

newb · Joined: 27 Aug 2012 Location: Korea

You'll have a wonderful time in Wonderland. Razz

YTMND · Joined: 16 Jan 2012 Location: You're the man now dog!!

Street77 · Joined: 10 Dec 2012

like I said, i wanted to hear from more people on the location. i've got a year old review on a site not associated with the school from four teachers (reliableteacher.com's hogwan review). i also spoke often to (almost interrogated really) an american teacher currently there. before i go, though, i wanted a few more sources. i was wondering if anyone had been there.

like any chain, there are good schools and bad schools. just as i have heard over-generalized horror stories about all hagwons or the entire esl experience in korea as opposed to anywhere else, i know it is a school by school matter.

i am, though, skeptical and cautious. i've seen enough, i'm not often surprised by anything. i can take care of things if it doesn't work out.

newb · Joined: 27 Aug 2012 Location: Korea

Then take the job and let us know when things go south. Good luck.

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 6:35 am Post subject:

Well if you have a FIRST HAND source on the particular school then this trumps whatever is said on here.

Good luck.

young_clinton · Joined: 09 Sep 2009

PatrickGHBusan · Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 6:59 am Post subject:

Street77 · Joined: 10 Dec 2012

That is good advice.

EZE · Joined: 05 May 2012

Don't work at Wonderland. If you do, please come back and tell us all what happened.

Son Deureo! · Joined: 30 Apr 2003

OP, I've never worked at that school again, but I think you really need to read those reliableteacher.com reviews (http://hagwon.reliableteacher.com/wonderland-english-%E2%80%93-junggye-junggyebon-dong-seoul/, this is the school you're thinking about working for, right?)a bit more carefully. In between the parts where the teachers tell you how much they love that school, notice things like this:

Street77 · Joined: 10 Dec 2012

there's a three hour lunch on the longer days. also, a teacher who will be living in the same building as me says it's a five to ten minute walk to the school (I will treat this with caution though).

I did speak with two more teachers who seem to like it there and there's another review here

http://greenlist.tokyojon.com/

the only thing is, I don't care for split shifts. a few of the teachers I spoke to at the school have a MUCH better schedule, so i'll have to negotiate this with the director. otherwise, I'll have to call this as I see it

ttompatz · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Location: Kwangju, South Korea

Let me be perfectly clear.
Like SLP and CDI the devil is in the details and it is all spelled out in your contract. Wonderland had earned its reputation over a LONG period of time.

You will work longer, get paid less and have issues with medical, pension and holidays (contrary to law and contrary to what is said in your contract).

If you are desperate to get to Korea and/or get ANY job then it is that.

You will get paid.
You will get your airfare.
You will get your severance.

You won't get pension.
You won't get NHIC medical.
You will work long days (a 3 hr lunch just means a long split shift day).

It is a job and it gets you to Korea.

BRING an EXTRA set of documents (CBC and degree copy with apositlle) so that when things go to hell in a hand basket you have options other than to just "suck it up".

Make sure you save enough out of your 1st 3 months to tide you over till you get a new job/visa should you decide that you have had enough of the crud when the honeymoon phase is over.

.

samanthabananas · Joined: 19 Aug 2013

SeoulNate · Joined: 04 Jun 2010 Location: Hyehwa

Actually, believe it or not, that particular wonderland is not that bad.

I used to live in Nowon in the same building as teachers at that wonderland.

Afaik, they hold up to the contract, pay on time, provide good apartments (probably the best part about the job, if they still give doota ville apartments in Nowon) which is about as much as you can ask for a kindy w/ an afternoon shift.

However, just realize that you will be working 3-4+ more hours per day that half of the other foreign teachers in that area, of which there are a ton, for the same pay. Personally, I have never worked in a kindy with a long after noon shift like that, but I can tell you 100% that you will be up in front of a class for 6+ hours a day, which will burn you out fast.

If you really want to work in Nowon, there are a TON of entry level jobs being posted across the net on the three big sites for finding jobs in nowon with better hours.

IMO - school is good. hours are terrible, as they are with any kindy. As people keep accepting these contracts, schools keep pushing the hours further and further into the evening. Not that long ago, most of the kindy/afternoon jobs that I knew ended around 4-4:30, about a 7 hour shift, these days its closer to 7pm... ugh.