Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ntwrightsmom]

I worked there last year. It sucks. All the employees I talked to felt felt similarly. Ian and Rockie will screw you. I would give specifics, but I don't want to identify myself. Phil is a good guy but still a company man. Some branches have more students and therefore pay better. The ladies at the Jongno branch are lovely. :)

[postfundie]

I don't think the company would put him in the position that he's in if he were not in some way representing the company and looking out for the company's interest

[Privateer]

[mountainous]

[Young FRANKenstein]

[postfundie]

How do you weeeeed out the bad teachers who actually do make the students quit??

[suadente]

I worked at Pagoda a few years back. It was, honestly, the worst year of my life. It was worse than in elementary school when a popular snack that rhymed with my name was introduced and I was teased constantly...

The hours now are 8:00 am to 9:00 pm? That's actually improved. I'm 99.5% sure that I worked until 10 (classes would start at eight or nine o'clock, and then finish at ten).

I remember one day, Pagoda Day to be exact, that we had a company lunch. We were happy to have a day off, but we had to attend a lunch that was conducted 100% in Korean. Wine was provided. Nice. The company announced that it was donating something something like 5,000,000 won to a charity. I believe it was an orphanage. It then announced that it was donating a greater amount to the Korean guy who was about to scale Mount Everest, with a Pagoda badge on his coat, and a Pagoda flag to be raised, of course. After the lunch, we had a workshop. Yes, after drinking a few glasses of wine midday. The workshop was three and a half or fours hours long. It was pointless. They spoke about nothing we encountered in the classroom. Plus, the CEO came in and gave a motivational speech. The translator suggested we work hard. Friends of mine that could understand more Korean at the time later said that she actually called us all lazy foreigners that work illegally. Yeah Pagoda!

I worked six days per week, plus full daily schedules and interview times for them, but they didn't realize that until our exit interview when they begged me to stay. My exit interview lasted at least fifty minutes. I'm even listed as a co-contributer (or was at least, if they changed their copyright page) in two of the SLE books.

I was excited at first to be teaching adults and to have earnings potential. I was excited to make 3 million per month, substantially higher than my 1.8 mill contract before that. Then I saw the real Pagoda. After a year I was the third or fourth most senior instructor at Gangnam Pagoda, out of about thirty. They promise raises, but they don't deliver.

I then joined CDI, along with several of my Pagoda coworkers, plus other Pagoda teachers from different branches, and have been happy. Yeah, my students would rather talk about the Wonder Girls rather than the new Sex in the City movie, but at least they're attentive, and while 3 million was exciting...Aah, CDI! Every Pagoda instructor that I know that has joined CDI has eithter stayed with CDI or has joined a university.

Please excuse any spelling or grammar errors. I'm not proofreading this message. If you do decide to correct an English error, I would be happy to explain the correct grammar or the reason that I had a typo.

[bassexpander]

I interviewed at this place several years ago, although I can't remember if Ian is the same chap who interviewed me.

Whoever he was, he was a total shister and a cheat. The add said one thing, and during the interview, he was showing me the schedule, which seemed quite agreeable. Then in walks a Korean girl who was supposed to be in on the interview. She sees him going over the schedule with me and says, "Why are you showing him the PT schedule? Didn't he come here for the full-time job?"

He gets embarrassed and chews on her in some Korean, then flips the paper over and shows me the REAL schedule, which includes hours at a 2nd location (Jungno).

He was trying to get me to sign onto a contract by pulling a bait-and-switch with what the true hours were. Since that time, I avoided Pagoda like the plague. Whomever that guy was, he was an absolute snake. I laughed at him and walked out. He followed me to the elevator, but it was like I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Along the way, he apologized about how he couldn't get anyone to take the job by showing them the real hours, because they were so steep. He said that he was under a lot of pressure to fill the job. What an absolute ass! The pay was pretty dismal, anyway. Something like 1.9.

Besides, I've always been under the impression that the real reason most male teachers want to teach there is so they can meet members of the opposite sex.

[OneWayTraffic]

That wasn't Ian. It was the previous guy. Ex army sgt. I think his name was Jonathon?

[i4NI]

What exactly is the teaching like at pagoda? How many students on average?

I thought about taking a job there, but after reading this thread it doesn't like a good idea. I should probably look into public schools instead.

[cdninkorea]

[shaunew]

When I worked at Pagoda Ian was honest with me 100%. He gave me extra hours at the top payment for my hard work. I think the ones badmouth Ian are social outcasts that have a very difficult time interacting with anyone other than a video game or other social rejects.

[sulperman]

[Stout]

[happiness]

ok, so is the idea of working for Pagoda/Direct English still bad?