Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bluefox808]

I'm trying to narrow down a list of places in Korea to apply to. Has anyone worked at these schools?

Oedae Language Institute (Jongno)
Korea Poly School (specializes in returnee children)
CDI
YES Youngdo
Jackie's Clinic
Sejong Language Institute

Insights? Warnings? Better schools? Comments on students, curriculum, management, housing, hours, contracts, and other working conditions would be very helpful.

My situation: I'll receive a B.A. in English Creative Writing in May 2005. I'll be applying to Korea from California. I've worked as an assistant to a high school English teacher. I graded papers, tutored students, and taught some lessons. I'd like to start in Korea sometime in the summer or early fall. I'm leaning towards Seoul or one of its satellite cities, like Ilsan or Bundang. If you have any more questions, you can PM me. Thank you all for your advice!

[Gamecock]

I work at Yes Youngdo, and they really do a great job taking care of their teachers. Although I have heard that how annoying your boss is depends on the branch. As well, they actually have a clue about cirriculum and an education philosophy (well, most of the time anyway), which is far more than I can say about the other hakwons I've worked at and encountered. I was a high school english teacher in the States before coming to Korea. If you want to actually educate as opposed to entertain, this is a pretty good situation. If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me.

[Saxiif]

CDI has a very good reputation (although there's a difference between the "real" CDI and the new franchise schools).

[Derrek]

Poly is often talked about on this board.

There are a few angry former teachers who like to bash the place, so it's difficult to know what Poly is really like. Someone currently has a great deal of angst for Poly Bundang, which is right across the street from my apartment.

After watching 3 years of Poly posts, both positive and negative, I would say that they definately work you hard with long hours, but seem to be a more professional place than most, however in terms of Korea, that means they let you go easily when they don't want to pay you more money or if you don't cut it. If you work there, be prepared to work your butt off. Oh, and I heard you can't sit down there while teaching. That seems to come up a lot.

[mumblebee]

I work at an SLP school, and it has been a great experience for me. I think that it really depends on your individual school. For example, my school has been requiring ever-increasing amounts of work from us (in terms of prep, developing materials, marking, reporting etc), but our boss has been transparent about why this is happening (increased competition in our area, due to the opening of new academies). This level of communication and friendliness can make a big difference in the work setting.

Be sure to contact current teachers privately (and be aware that even these teachers may have a strong interest in getting you onboard) and try to find out as much information as possible before signing.

Check out Asia-Pacific Connections recruiting...I got my job through them, and could not find a bad word said about this outfit--and I really looked into it beforehand.

[Plume D'ella Plumeria]

Long ago and far away, I interviewed at four of those schools. At none of them did I end up working, for various reasons. I came away from three of them with some pretty negative feelings; long stories. If you want to know more, you can PM me.

[KorJen]

There is a thread going on emglishschoolwatch.com for Kangnam Poly, I don't know if that is the branch that you are interested in, but you can read this if you like.

http://www.englishschoolwatch.org/webboard_detail.php?topic_id=1057