Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Aidge]

I want to think about working for YES Youngdo schools. Would anyone like to share their experiences with me? I think there's good and not so good opinions. Just the facts please, people.

[nateyb]

I work there now, and it is pretty good.

They are a pretty stable company and the management is good. One thing that is not great is the cameras. At my school, they are not even used, except for nosy parents who want to make sure their kid is being good.

Overall, I like it.

[Aidge]

Which school do you work for? Are the cameras really the only downside? I've seen a lot of iffy opinions on this program.

[fidel]

xxxx

[Dalton]

Sounds awful to me. Why don't you post a contract? Maybe there's something redeemable in that. Six 50 minute classes of that would be hell on earth IMHO.

OTOH I'd do it for 2.5 and four 45 minute classes a day with 15 minute breaks.

But then I don't have an acting background. I'll bet someone with an acting background would enjoy memorizing 6(?) hours of script in 2 hours and performing for the camera day after day, week after week, month after month for a whole year. BTW what's the pay like?

You can get jobs here for 2.0+ where they throw you a book and point to the classroom. No unpaid prep time, no memorization, no strict and structured performance requirements, 6 classes or less a day. 1 class hour = 50 minutes + 10 minute break time.

[Aidge]

But don't you think it might depend on the individual school? Some people have said that they like it there.
I DON'T think I would like to have everything so scripted, though. I want a little creativity.
The contract is not bad at all...

[Dalton]

What I think is that 2.0+ for 6 or less hrs of just walking into a classroom and doing your best with no required prep time is pretty standard around here. If you want me to do more- 2 hours prep time, memorizing, precisely following a script or else etc. then I expect better compensation than what's standard here. Is that unreasonable? After all 1 liter of coke costs less than 2 liters so shouldn't more work cost more than less work?

My suggestion is to lower the teaching hours and raise the pay. Others may have different ideas with respect to compensation for doing more than a standard contract requires. You may have different ideas again. Like not hiring someone like me.

As for the contract I can't comment on it since you haven't posted it here or provided a link. In fact you haven't said anything about it at all except that it's a good one. Many here believe the schedule is equally important. How many classes, when are the teaching times, OT, prep time, schools expectations of teachers. Pretty basic stuff. Some people believe this stuff is more important than the contract.

Are you going to show us a contract and a schedule? Refer us to a paid ad on Daves maybe?

[Aidge]

Okay, the hours are 2- 10pm with 6 teaching hours. As long as the pay is over 2.0 I think it's okay for a first-timer... But if it's monotonous and thankless, yuck. Need some creativity.

[Dalton]

I don't understand why you think it would be ok for a first timer. I wouldn't advertise a job by saying that. It's sounds too much like: I need a sucker. In fact any job I've seen making that claim has higher hours, lower pay and heavier demands on the teacher. YBM is the classic example of this.

This country has far more jobs than teachers. People coming here for the first time don't have to accept these kinds of jobs. People with experience here probably won't.

A maximum of 120 fifty minute classes a month. No prep time. Here's the book, there's the class. 2.0mil salary + or -. Heavier workloads or higher hours should pay more. You have both these things. Your job offer isn't very good at all. The description from a previous teacher suggests that the working environment is not very good either.

Keep up the search for a sucker- oops I mean first timer. You never know. people do take these poor jobs and as long as they do, these poor jobs will continue to exist.

Good luck.

[slap it]

aidge...i work at yes youngdo right now and its not like what fidel says. sorry pete. if you want the real scoop, ask for the telephone numbers of some of the teachers there and talk to them firsthand, that's what i did. the curriculum is actually one of the best i've seen in korea. those books that fidel talked are the basic curriculum and we usually only get one of those classes. fidel...guess you didn't get any of the higher level classes.....that's strange the manager at our school is awesome, his name is grant and all of us(there are 28 of us here) swear he's just an awesome guy.
dalton, nothing against you but the school is pretty good. i've been teaching in korea for about 3 years myself.
give the teachers a call at the school you're applying, i'll think you'll get some straight answers.

[Dalton]

Slap It. When did you give up your 10-10 job for more money and rejoin the ranks of ESL teachers?

I remember that thread since it got me thinking about how foreigners get management jobs here and whether I'd be happy with that if the opportunity came up. I remember you because I was curious about what kind of money here would get one working 12 hour days.

So what do you do or did you do for YES Youngdo?

Looks like damage control to me. However, your point about talking to other teachers at the school is fair. Even better advice IMHO is to talk to former teachers from the school. That would be Fidel and he doesn't paint a very pretty picture. The extra demands on the teacher in and out of the classroom for an undislosed paycheque still swing me towards avoiding this school.

The basic job offered in this land is simply less work for more or the same pay. Many of those schools would be happy to have a real teacher that wants to do lesson planning. One doesn't need it stated as a mandatory clause in a contract if one wants to do that. Unless of course the contract clause includes extra pay for doing the extra work.

[fidel]

Slapper
So you don't have to follow the set-in-stone curriculium?
So you don't have to clock in two hours before class?
So you don't have tedious reading books for the lower levels?
So you can deviate from the script and teach at your own pace?

I'm sorry for being misleading please feel free to post any corrections you deem necessary.

Like I said, it's not a bad gig, but check on what the teachers think about the managers and head teachers. Some are good ,and some not so good.

If Matt is still the head teacher in Bundang, go for him, top man and really cares for the teachers.

Bare in mind that it is a hogwan, and you don't have the freedoms and responsibilities associated with actual teaching jobs.

[endo]

Here are some of the things that are mentioned in the contract:

Regular Daily Time Table
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. Preparation and Free Time
4:00 - 5:50 p.m. Class 1
6:00 - 7:50 p.m. Class 2
8:05 - 10:00 p.m. Class 3
Summer/Winter Intensive Program Time Table
8:45 a.m. Report to Work
9:00 - 12:00 p.m. Class 1 (15 minute break at 10:30)
12:00 - 2:00 p.m. Lunch and Prep Time
2:00 - 4:55 p.m. Class 2 (10 minute break at 3:30)
5:00 - 8:00 p.m. Class 3 (15 minute break at 6:30)
*Class 3 is overtime. You are paid for 3 hours of overtime per day at this time.

Monthly Salary with housing:
2.0 to 2.3 million won
Furnished single and two-bedroom air-conditioned apartments
3.2 to 3.5 million won for two months out of a year due to overtime classes


Benefits
1. E-2 Visa Sponsorship
2. Furnished Single Apartment
3. Complete Airfare to Korea and Back
4. Medical Insurance 50/50
5. Severance Pay at the end of 1 year contract (equivalent to one month's salary)
6. Unused sick day bonus : W400,000
7. Vacation - 10 working days in addition to all national holidays
8. A school that has never paid any teacher late
9. A school with a structured curriculum program- tests, quizzes, homework books, monthly curriculum, etc.- all set and done
10. Teachers have their own classroom
11. Big Foreign staff
12. Beautiful school with all the conveniences: internet access, refrigerator, microwave, teacher's room, etc
13. Fluent English speaking management
14. National Pension Fund

[Saxiif]

Three hour classes

[Dalton]

So it's 8 hours a day for ten months and 11 hours a day for two months and the contract is worth from 26.2 to 30 mil a year. Average- 2.16 a month to 2.5 a month. How does one get to the top end of the payscale?

I wouldn't work those hours for 2.16 a month. Not Ever. I get that now for less than 6 hours a day. My wife gets 2.35 for about 5 hrs a day. 6 hours a day ranging from 1.9 to 2.1 is not uncommon.

It's also not clear that any teacher has commented here other than Fidel and his report is not good. The whole idea of phishing for employees on a job discussion board rather than paying for an ad to help support the board does not speak well of management.

A guy who fails to mention that he's mangement posting to express what a wonderful school it is to work for? Ok. But what's it like for the teachers? That was the question. Have you really been teaching for three years?

'Want to maybe work ~~~ ', and 'I want to think about working for~~~ ' aren't exactly what prospective English teachers say in these parts are they? how do you pronounce Aidge? If I'm wrong I'll apologize now but...

All the above causes me to be concerned about this schools integrity and respect for it's staff. The boss or management can make or break any experience working here no matter what the contract is like. Your contract isn't that special.

Listing mostly common and expected contract conditions is a far cry from an actual contract. I've never been paid more than 1 day late from 4 schools here. They had a good non-monetary reason and I knew I had no worries. My antenna always goes up when a school states this as a benefit. It's not a benefit it's an expectation. It's a weird thing to say.
A structured curriculum sounds like extra work to me. Indeed Fidel verifies this as his experience. Mixing free time, lunch time and prep time together seems a bit obfuscating considering Fidels post.

The conveniences at the school aren't particularly special either but I'd never use them anyway, that's assuming I'd get a chance sharing with 28 other people. After 8 or 11 hours of teaching and prepping I'd be outta there so there fast you'd forget I was ever in the building.

I assume you can leave the building for lunch and during breaks? Yes that's a question.

This school sounds like the type that would house all the teachers in a single building with shared kitchen, common room and bathroom facilities. Is this the case?

What furnishings do the rooms come with?

Bottom line here is that this school sounds slimey and I wouldn't advise working there. IMHO If anyone cares.

EDIT - saxiif