Korean Job Discussion Forums

[oatmealkooky]

Which is a better employer? I have friends at both, and they seem quite similar, at least for employees. One friend says the YBM pay is low but that he enjoys the "prestige", while another at Herald likes the more relaxed atmosphere but says it is not as stable a place for employment.

Anyone have any recent feedback or experiences about either? I'm in Daegu, for the record.

[World Traveler]

[knee-highs]

[oatmealkooky]

Yeah, I haven't found much about them online.

[World Traveler]

[amusedcoconut]

These two schools are as different as chalk and cheese!!!
I used to work in Herald (2013-2014) and actually extended my contract there.

And the poster above who said that Herald schools are dodgy doesn't know this particular Herald, as it is a family-owned and one-off hagwon and has no relationship with the chain (I think there's even one in Seong-seo but it's not connected). It is also one of the oldest hagwons in Daegu, open 30 years. Though it's not as big in recent years as before, due to the general decline of the ESL sector in Korea. Point is, I definitely wouldn't worry about it suddenly closing and leaving you in a bad position! They are very good people, and the director owns a lot of property in the city and is quite wealthy.

I agree with someone that YBM probably has more prestige, though I don't understand what they said about the low salary. From the ads I see for YBM they advertise their base salary as 2.5m... YBM will be much more structured, a set curriculum and possibly more serious students.

Herald teaches a variety of languages (English, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Spanish) and English classes (Conversation, Grammar, TOEIC, OPIC...). Native Teachers teach conversation and what you teach is entirely up to you. This freaked me out a little when I first went there, but after a while you get the hang of it, there are plenty of books in the classroom and all of the teachers I ever taught with (max 3 of us) were lovey and helpful. As it is not a kiddy cram school the students are usually more relaxed and don't want to feel like school. They definitely don't expect to get homework, you don't have to write reports, you don't have to submit lesson plans in advance ...

I never had any complaints, but bear in mind that your students are often paying for your classes out of their own pocket and choose each month whether or not to come again or to leave and take their business elsewhere. They will judge you, and you do have to decide what kind of teacher you will be. Some students prefer more structured 'school' style teaching, and others prefer a more free approach.

I don't want to go on too long, but this school is great to work for. The accommodation is great, most central of anyone I knew while living there.
The working environment is very good and you have a lot of scope to develop your own teaching style. You always meet a lot of really interesting people in your classes, and will probably become friends with some of your students. There are opportunities for overtime during the vacation months, and if you want, Saturday classes. All of which pay quite well.
You are ALWAYS paid EXACTLY on time. Every single teacher (at least 20 people) are paid on the morning of the 10th on a direct bank transfer at the same time. And they will definitely honour your severance and pay your return flights. They are really helpful in settling you in.

The CONS: The split shift becomes tiring after a while. This is unavoidable when you teach adults but in Daegu not nearly as bad as in Seoul. If you do the morning schedule (you will have to rotate schedules) expect to start at 7.30am, have lunch around 1pm and then finish around 6.30 or 7.30 depending on the month. You will always teach exactly 6 x 50 minute classes. Always a 10 minute break.
If you teach the evening schedule then expect to start at either 9am or 10am depending on the month, and you'll finish at 9.20pm.

You get used to and you don't have to spend any more time in there than your class time, and you live less than 10 minutes walk from the school.
The schedule can be a pain as it changes every month depending on the classes that people register for. Especially Jan/Feb and July/August your schedule can be a bit odd. Your schedule will not necessarily fit into 2 distinct and solid blocks.

The other thing you should be aware of (and this is the same for most adults hagwons I believe) is that you will not have a designated week or vacation in winter and summer. Schools usually teach for 20 days each month, in order to keep the fees the same for students each month. So, you will probably not have more than 5 days off in a row, and for sick days you really have to be sick because if they cancel your classes then those students are losing out. They are reasonable people though, so in emergencies they will understand but this is their model. You will have lots of random long weekends when you can get cheap flights and jet off somewhere but you probably won't have a vacation when your friends have 10 days off.

Overall, I complained about the schedule plenty while I was there, but they are lovely people and I have visited and kept in touch in other jobs. They have a very good track record of people staying and extending or even returning after other jobs don't work out.
I highly recommend Herald Foreign Language Institute in downtown Daegu as a first job in Korea, or even at all!
I only left because I was moving city!