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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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 Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 7:45 pm Post subject: The cost of a bad hire |
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Being an owner, this is of course an important.
There is a blog I am following (http://wangjangnim.com/), most of his posts are common sense (a bit boring at times) but this week he did spark an interesting question.
Do teachers realize the cost they inflict on a school when a hire goes bad, irregardless whose fault it is?
Reading Dave's board, I get the feeling that you guys don't really care wether the school is succesful as long as you get your pay check. But your pay check is a direct consequence of your work.
Are teachers aware of this? |
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figshdg
Joined: 01 May 2012
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| Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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Do wonjangnims realise that their poor choices of teachers impact on the atmosphere in the office and in the quality of education delivered? In my experience, no. Far too little effort is expended on checking out their potential hires (both Korean and foreign).
For example, take the academy I work at as a perfect example of the harm wonjangnims can do to their own business when hiring awful teachers. We've lost 42 students in 3 months because of one dreadful Korean homeroom teacher. It only came to light after 4 months that the aforementioned teacher didn't even have a degree. It also came out that the wonjangnim didn't even check her references.
Teachers aren't the only ones to blame. Far too many directors only care about earning cash rather than providing a good service to their customers. |
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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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| Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 8:26 pm Post subject: |
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So you are saying the same thing.
A bad hire can cost a business. |
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Lucas
Joined: 11 Sep 2012
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| Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 8:33 pm Post subject: |
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- 'irrespective' would be better here.
Yes you are right though! - I think lots of people 'fresh off the boat' only think one month down the road (if that) and that teaching can be secondary to lots of other things.
But there are 'good eggs' and 'bad eggs' - if you choose to open a business such as an ESL hagwon you should either possess good judgment, or hire someone who does to make and choose a good teacher that is a good 'fit' for the school.....
A basic spelling test could also be a prerequisite for all ESL teachers (and owners in your case!) to weed out the 'bad eggs!'  |
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Kwai_Chang_Kain
Joined: 16 Feb 2005
Location: The Borg Collective
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| Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 8:51 pm Post subject: Re: The cost of a bad hire |
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| Juregen wrote: |
| Do teachers realize the cost they inflict on a school when a hire goes bad, irregardless whose fault it is? |
If the wonjangnim is at fault then why on earth should the foreign teacher "care" about the school being successful or not? 
Perhaps wonjangnim's should place a higher priority on hiring qualified employees rather than the first blonde hair / blue eyed picture that comes across their desk (not to say that a blonde hair / blue eyed person with the proper credentials are any less qualified than their non blonde hair / non blue eyed counterparts) |
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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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Juregen
Joined: 30 May 2006
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| Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 9:00 pm Post subject: Re: The cost of a bad hire |
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| Kwai_Chang_Kain wrote: |
| Juregen wrote: |
| Do teachers realize the cost they inflict on a school when a hire goes bad, irregardless whose fault it is? |
If the wonjangnim is at fault then why on earth should the foreign teacher "care" about the school being successful or not?
Perhaps wonjangnim's should place a higher priority on hiring qualified employees rather than the first blonde hair / blue eyed picture that comes across their desk (not to say that a blonde hair / blue eyed person with the proper credentials are any less qualified than their non blonde hair / non blue eyed counterparts) |
So you are saying the same thing. The responsibility of hiring the right person is adamant for this business.
Caution is required and growth should wait for the right opportunity to walk by.
It is obvious people on Dave's do prefer to blame everything on the boss and ignoring their own part in the downfall of a business.
There are 2 people signing the contract. |
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edwardcatflap
Joined: 22 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 9:16 pm Post subject: |
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| It's a fair point and teachers probably don't think about the actual cost of rehiring, just what they are getting paid. I imagine though as an owner it'd be something you'd have to build into your business plan as you can pretty much guarantee someone will do a runner or be completely unsuitable at some stage. |
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ewlandon
Joined: 30 Jan 2011
Location: teacher
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| Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 9:22 pm Post subject: |
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Woah woah woah... why so defensive? Writing well and spelling correctly is a sign of professionalism. You own a business my friend. |
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ewlandon
Joined: 30 Jan 2011
Location: teacher
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| Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 9:24 pm Post subject: Re: The cost of a bad hire |
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| Juregen wrote: |
| Kwai_Chang_Kain wrote: |
| Juregen wrote: |
| Do teachers realize the cost they inflict on a school when a hire goes bad, irregardless whose fault it is? |
If the wonjangnim is at fault then why on earth should the foreign teacher "care" about the school being successful or not?
Perhaps wonjangnim's should place a higher priority on hiring qualified employees rather than the first blonde hair / blue eyed picture that comes across their desk (not to say that a blonde hair / blue eyed person with the proper credentials are any less qualified than their non blonde hair / non blue eyed counterparts) |
So you are saying the same thing. The responsibility of hiring the right person is adamant for this business.
Caution is required and growth should wait for the right opportunity to walk by.
It is obvious people on Dave's do prefer to blame everything on the boss and ignoring their own part in the downfall of a business.
There are 2 people signing the contract. |
I think about these things when I sign the contract of a new year. How much more can I get before it would be worth it for them to hire someone else. |
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Kwai_Chang_Kain
Joined: 16 Feb 2005
Location: The Borg Collective
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| Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 9:29 pm Post subject: Re: The cost of a bad hire |
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| Juregen wrote: |
| So you are saying the same thing. The responsibility of hiring the right person is adamant for this business. |
I completely agree with this statement 100% and perhaps you should've included it with your OP.
Instead you started this thread in order to lash out at members of Dave's board for not caring about a school being successful even when they're the ones getting screwed over by greedy / crooked bosses.
| Juregen wrote: |
| There are 2 people signing the contract. |
You of all people should know that a signed contract in Korea, especially one coming from a hagwon can change at anytime without notice whenever it suits the wonjangnim's desires (just like the topic of this thread LOL  ) |
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No_hite_pls
Joined: 05 Mar 2007
Location: Don't hate me because I'm right
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| Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 9:38 pm Post subject: Re: The cost of a bad hire |
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del
Last edited by No_hite_pls on Mon May 27, 2013 10:26 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 9:42 pm Post subject: |
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If I may be so bold as to add my own self inflated opinion:
As one who is the administrator of a school and directly responsible for 120 faculty, 30 support staff and more than 2400 students I think this goes directly to the heart of the problem.
MOST people don't take a job with the intention of doing a bad job.
Granted, some people are just incompetent (not intended to point fingers at anyone especially NOT the OP) but they would (or should) be in the minority if the person in charge of HR management is doing their job.
Far too often a problem arises and instead of tackling the issue it is easier to attack the respondent(s) (points finger at OP and other managers who do the same thing).
Yes, a bad hire is expensive in terms of:
- lost business / bad PR,
- bad feelings in the teacher's room (hard to hire decent staff if the teacher's room is poisoned) and
- the expense of replacement.
That finger waves both ways. Far too often the employer, rather than dealing with the issue at hand simply goes after the employee like an angry dog chasing a bone with the same net result.
Then there are those employer's who attempt to keep ALL the customers happy and in so doing end up micromanaging the classroom ending up with frustrated teachers who rebel and become a "bad hire" who care nothing for the business or students and only about payday and themselves.
Suggested solution:
-Check your new hires before you hire them. If they are properly vetted then there should be little or no worry about a bad hire. If you take shortcuts you will get burned.
-Immigration may set the minimum requirements for E2 applicants but you, as the employer CAN and should set your requirements higher (for foreign and Korean staff). There is no reason not to and every reason why you should.
- Treat the staff with the dignity and respect that professionals expect and deserve. They are NOT your friends or co-workers. Don't treat them as such.
...They are hired as professionals. Treat them that way and make it clearly known that you expect them to behave as professionals or they can find a new job.
- have clear expectations from the outset both in terms of duties, hours, expectations (in the teacher's room and in the classroom), and outcomes.
++ People ARE interested in a paycheck and their benefits. Why else do you think they took the job. They are not working at your (or any other) hagwon for self-actualization and self-fulfillment. Their time is valuable to them. Treat their time accordingly.
-Expect them to treat your time just as invaluably. You are paying for it.
.
Last edited by ttompatz on Mon May 27, 2013 9:44 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Lucas
Joined: 11 Sep 2012
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| Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 9:42 pm Post subject: |
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Well, as a CEO I'd say you are doing a pretty bad job - reading between the lines your business is failing, so you've come on Dave's to 'vent'
Okay I get it - SURE there are loads of unqualified people who just happen to be born with the 'gift' of speaking English (i'm guessing you were not) (German?)
Sorry for pointing out your spelling mistakes - and i'm sorry your business is failing/has failed!
Again (I�m assuming) you had a small hagwon - and you 'entrusted its reputation' to a foreign teacher (after all they represent the hagwon) and they failed you.........You lost numbers.............. Lost money.....
Here is an analogy for you.
You plant a seed into barren land and the first green shoot penetrates the earth - the joy of that feeling cannot be underestimated.
Now - do you give it a load of water and leave it for a few weeks in the sun - it'll be okay - right?
Or do you lovingly come back hourly/daily - plucking the weeds from around it and giving it more water........? |
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sirius black
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Its tough to have sympathy for a business model partially based on the picture on the resume and not the qualifications. |
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