Korean Job Discussion Forums

cazador83 · Joined: 28 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

Hi, I'm leaving on a flight Monday for Bundang, and I'll be teaching at a school called Bambini. I'm just wondering if anybody has had any experience with them, taught there, heard stories, or anything! I've only heard great things so far, but I was just curious. Thank you!

ilovebdt · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Nr Seoul

Sounds like a school for small kids or young deer.
Bambino being the Italian for child/baby sounds like you are going to be teaching Kindergarten.

cazador83 · Joined: 28 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

yes, it is for ages 3-6. I do know that, but that's about it! I wasn't aware that it was an actual Italian word though, cool.

ilovebdt · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Nr Seoul

Karabeara · Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2006 9:36 pm Post subject:

Don't worry.

I worked for them 2 years ago, out of their Hannam-Dong location (they moved last year to another location in Hannam-Dong).

In general, they are a very good place to work for. I left because I found a public school job after the contract was finished. The new contract at Bambini wasn't as good. As far as jobs go, it was easy because they often have Korean teachers in the room with you (they did at the Hannam-Dong location, but this may be different in Bundang, as branches differ). Pay was never a problem. They paid me a day or two late once, but informed me of that.

I also left because they decided to change the English program around, and it meant I would be working several more hours at the same pay. Also serving lunch to kids (which I didn't like). In fairness, my schedule was a dream before they changed it. I was spoiled.

The thing about Bambini is that the owner (a woman) is friendly to your face, but you never really know where you stand with her. I didn't learn until after I left that she had a sort of grudge against me because of the way I talked to one of her managers too informally. I was friends with this manager, but the owner seemed to dislike that. She didn't like that I joked too much about different things. I like to do that to make people smile and laugh. She just didn't care for it at all. She seems to value workers who just shut up and work. She even laughed at my jokes, but privately told her manager she didn't like my joking (I learned all of this from the manager after she quit).

Most of your dealings will be with a guy that acts as her 2nd. I can't remember his name at the moment, but he had glasses. He was a pretty good guy, and was generally fair. He totally works his butt off day and night for the whole chain.

The chain's owner and founder, although friendly, is a real hard-ass on the Korean staff. Being that this location is in Bundang, I don't know if the owner will be there much or not. She usually hung out in Hannam-Dong or Chungdam. She is rich, rich, rich, and was divorced. We're talking owning her own big building for a home, with several floors all to herself, backed up to a mountain in Bundang.

Movie star kids often attend this chain. Hwang Sin Ae's daughter was one. They were charging upwards of a million won per month for the kids to attend. At one point, I heard that the Korean gov't cracked down on the Chungdam location and made them lower their rate to something like 800,000 won per month. Oh, and they do hire gyopos, but I don't know if they pay as much for them.

As a Korean school goes, Bambini schools are very clean and generally well-run. I know an American guy who worked there maybe 3 years, and the owner just loved him (he spoke Korean; former mormon missionary). He tried to leave several times, and she kept upping his pay. I think he was making over 3 million a month for her, and she didn't want him to go because the parents loved that guy. I wouldn't count on that happening to you, unless you can speak Korean and really earn the love of the parents/work very hard. He moved back to the USA, last I heard.

The owner seems to have no problem hiring/not re-hiring people. Just be warned about that. It was not uncommon for 2/3 or more of the Korean staff to quit after a year of VERY hard work. That is just rare for Koreans. They usually stay and endure hell just to have a job, but this woman OWNED them for a year. They had no social life, I'm telling you. The owner didn't care. She just replaced them if they left. In that year, they worked SO HARD. Like slaves. Foreigners fare much better, and have a set contract with set hours. But again, if she feels like replacing you, she will do it with no scruples. Even if you're a good teacher, and everyone tells you, she might not offer you another contract. I saw it happen there more than once.

I felt guilty as I came in and left while the Korean girls there worked 8:30am to as late as 10pm, or later, every single day, and half a day on Saturdays.

Working there as a foreinger was not bad. As a Korean: I'd never ever do it.

Oh, and as for the apartment, make sure they provide what you were promised. If they don't, then keep reminding them about it in a friendly way. They will take care of it, but in the typical Korean fashion, it may or may not happen immediately. If they already have a place picked out for you, then it will likely be fine.

By the way, I know Bundang and where your branch is. It is 2 years old, and probably doing very well. You are in the Jeongja area. Lots of nice, new buildings. Beautifully clean area. You'll want to learn how to take the buses to Seoul for nightlife (although Monkey Beach in Seohyun is good for cheap alcohol and meeting other foreingers, I've heard).

cazador83 · Joined: 28 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

wow, awesome information there, thanks! Is the guy you're thinking of named Edward? That's who my recruiter keeps talking about (I thought they said he was the owner, maybe they said manager though).

jacl · Joined: 31 Oct 2005

Doesn't sound good to me.

beast · Joined: 28 Jan 2003

You'll be absolutely bored out of your skull. They had 9 midnight runs at that Bundang branch in 2 years too.

cazador83 · Joined: 28 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

Karabeara · Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 8:53 am Post subject:

Beast, you are kidding, right? I have a hard time believing what you said. Even if it were 2 or 3 instead of 9, I would have a tough time believing it.

Mills · Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Location: Incheon

Bambini? Is that what Disney called the Italian release of Bambi?

cazador83 · Joined: 28 Feb 2006 Location: Seoul

ok so, 9 midnight runs means what exactly?

Karabeara · Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 6:20 pm Post subject:

It does not mean anything, because it is not true.

I know that boss. If she had more than 2 midnight runs in just two years, she would just quit hiring foreigners, or do something to figure out why it was happening. She never lost foreigners like that at her other schools. I am sure I would have heard about it from my former coworkers, too. The has no qwalms getting rid of Korean managers either, if it is not working.

This beast poster is lying and gives us no facts.

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

A midnight run means a person disappears and flees his job with no notice.

beast · Joined: 28 Jan 2003

I am not lying. My girlfriend worked there during that time. I know exactly the branch you are talking about. The one right in front of Warwick in jeongja-dong Bundang right? i even know which building you'll probably be living in...Intellige Apartments right? That's where they put all of the Bambini workers. If they hadn't done midnight runs then I guess the only explanation is that they were abducted by aliens because here today and gone tomorrow only equals one thing. By the way jmoore, you should question why someone like karebeara or whatever their user name is, would go out of their way to right a 1000 word post about Bambini and talk about it so glamorously if they didn't have some kind of vested interest in it.