Korean Job Discussion Forums

paperbag princess · Joined: 07 Mar 2004 Location: veggie hell

what's up with saying "oh i don't want you to work with any other recruiters, you have the job 100%" and then dicking you around at a good hiring season for that long? maybe i'm the stupid one, for beleiving my recruiter.

sure there are tons a crappy teachers out there, but seriously, things can get pretty bad here. if you aren't going to ensure you're teachers are going to be placed in nice, clean, furnished apartments that are roach-free, than don't promise it. if you are going to take off on the teacher even if the school isn't paying them for all their hours, then don't say that you're going to care about what happens after we sign. i've learned my lesson.

JacktheCat · Joined: 08 May 2004

bosintang · Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 3:39 am Post subject:

mithridates · Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 4:32 am Post subject:

Here's the worst application we've ever gotten (paraphrasing):

cellphone · Joined: 18 Feb 2004

Homer · Guest

Ahh cellphone...sorry to bust your rant here but I am not a recruiter.... Laughing

I was simply relating the experiences of a teacher I met in Busan back in 1997-1999 who is now a recruiter back in Canada. He does get many good teachers but he also mentionned it usually takes him 10-12 teachers to place one good teacher.

He works with a reliable partner in Korea (based out of Seoul) and only places at schools that have been visited and evaluated. His agency and his partners agency offer ongoing support to the teachers he places (and that is not just empty words).

Yet, he gets lumped in with the bad recruiters by most, including it seems tou Cellphone.

Talking about stereotyping...

Anyway, my point here (had you bothered to read more carefully) is that most teachers that have a bad experience with a recruiter are relating this from their own very limited personnal experience. Yet, they paint all recruiters with the same brush and do not bother to see that there are two sides to the coin here: bad recruiters and bad teachers....

Also, recruiters depend on the job market and on the jobs being offered when the teacher applies. Bad recruiters will not care about teacher preferences but bad teachers will also have idiotic demands. It flows both ways my friend.

kprrok · Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Location: KC

chronicpride · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

No doubt. 'All Wonderlands are bad' has been spun into such a tired and baseless cliche, started way back when a girl started a website about her bad experiences at one particular location.

cellphone · Joined: 18 Feb 2004

The wonderland I was sent to was awful. They immediately throw you into a guilt mode. But before that they say "why don't you sit down here" making you wait 15 + minutes all alone. Then they get smug with you in the interview. Then they start making comments about you that are somewhat deragatory. Then when you told them that it would be quite necessary for you to hear the basic conditions of working there - hours, pay rate, housing - they brush it aside and say that they don't want to talk about it until after their full interview is finished. They put two in a room with you, put on stern faces, and offer that attitude of "why should we even be talking to you?" They also make comments about "previous westerners" and how many westerners didn't meet up to their standards and got fired for it.

They also say that you will need to work several Saturday's in a year, each which last from 2 to 4 hours at a shot minimum, and they will NOT be paid, AT ALL. And then they have the nerve to ask you "that is our requirement, are you ok with that?" Wait, who said anything about ok?

They tell you that "your work day will start at 9:00 am and end at 8:00 pm. But sometimes, you don't have to come in until 9:10 am!" Wow, nice!

Had enough? Or should I have free day on more of what I saw?

chronicpride · Joined: 16 Jan 2003

You reference a lot of stuff about the management's attitude and behavior. All of that stuff can happen anywhere. Therefore, I think you'll agree with me then about the simple truth that a school's rep to a teacher is not defined by its name, but about how its run and managed by the guy who paid 80mil Won to use the Wonderland name and books/programs. One of the most reputable schools in Daegu happens to be a Wonderland. So good, that teachers sign extensions for more years, and the director has been appointed the head of the hogwan association down there.

Other than the interview, how was the rest of the working experience at that place you were at? Or any other Wonderland that you interviewed or worked for? Did you see a pattern forming that was uniquely Wonderland-esque, enough to support a case that all, most, or many of the 100+ Wonderlands are bad situations?

kprrok · Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Location: KC

cellphone · Joined: 18 Feb 2004

I have only been to one Wonderland. And the boss/wonjangnim as well as his 'lady assistant' seemed keen and appeared to have their skills highly sharpened and honed on how to deal with, pressure, corner and subjugate the average foreigner.

Some users here have said that some other Wonderlands are much better.

Grotto · Joined: 21 Mar 2004

Maybe the underlying problem with Wonderland is that they will sell the franchise name to whoever has the cash on hand and they dont check up to see whether or not the school is maintaining standards.

Thanks for the cash, seeya...almost like a recruiter Laughing

chronicpride · Joined: 16 Jan 2003