Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dragonlady]

Hi,
Does anyone know about LCI Kids Club Seocho/Bangbae or Mokdong SLP? Good, bad, ugly??? In general, I've read some pretty negative things about SLP as a franchise...and LCI has mixed reviews. The most recent reviews of LCI-Seocho/Bangbae were good but are from 2009. I'm looking for some more recent reviews. Thanks for your input!

[ttompatz]

[dragonlady]

not necessarily... I've worked in Korea for 3 years; contracts can be pretty standard and don't always give a clear idea of what the working conditions are. I'm asking if someone worked at these particular locations and what their experiences are/were.

[ttompatz]

[tophatcat]

[dragonlady]

ok, thanks for the info tophatcat..did your friend work there recently?

[Weigookin74]

[teacherbunny]

I refused that mokdong job twice from 2 different recruiters..
I heard a lot of bad things about SLP in general and there are a lot of funny little details in their contract.
Also..I refused that one in April..if the same job is still going now..I think it is something to worry about..

It is also very near Gimpo airport..so it is not exactly central..

[tophatcat]

[tophatcat]

[PaperTiger]

[frankhenry]

My best friend worked at this SLP school last year. She was harassed into doing a lot of unpaid work. She was typically putting in an extra 5 plus hours of time beyond classroom and preparation time every week. Don't do it.

[Koreaman]

For anyone who’s considered working at this school, I would advise against it.

First, like most hagwons, this school is a privately owned business, and secondly an education. Profit is king. While it’s understandable that a company values profits, it shouldn’t do so at the expense of the time and money of a student and his or her parents. There are many classes in this school that have students improperly placed. This often means having to teach students who don’t understand the material at all.

The work demand of this company is not ethical. Overtime is mandatory, and so is lesson preparation and grading. However, due to the strict requirements enforced by the head teacher, either one must arrive early or stay late in order to meet the expected demands. It’s simply not enough time to do this during class time.

The head teacher is not easy to get along with. Professionally speaking, communication and respect is key to a healthy work environment. There is a heavy separation between the head teacher with his friend/assistant, and the other teachers.

The reason being is that they both have been teaching ESL for a long time. ESL is a job that anyone with any college degree can do. In order to create a status as “elite teachers” they try to separate themselves from the other teachers, and often treat them as less important. They draw a false sense of security by being overly rigorous, and expect others to follow the same misguided mindset.

The added problem is that many of the Korean parents believe this is a good environment for the students. Pressure and perfection become more important than understanding unique differences and variances in skill.

There is a “bonus system” that is corrupted. Basically, if the boss or his wife likes you, then you’ll get paid a bonus for that month. I worked there for a year, and even when my students got stellar grades, I never received a bonus once, even though my co-teacher had received it multiple times. If any of your students drop for any reason, even if it wasn’t your fault, you will be deducted merit from the system because you are “responsible” for losing a student – even when it’s not your fault, with something as uncontrollable as them moving away.

I’ve worked at many places, and this has been the worst professional experience for me. Unless you enjoy a semi-corporate environment that wants to squeeze your every drop of energy for the lowest cost, I would advise against it.

[Stain]