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Voyeur
Joined: 19 Jun 2003
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 Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 6:17 am Post subject: |
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Until this month the minimum salary at CDI was 30,000 per hour. It is now 25,000 per hour due to thei impending IPO, need to show profit increase, and expansion push.
SO a full Schedule is 6 hours every weekday which makes about 130 hrs a month. Do the math. And its not that hard to start a bit over 25k these days and go up a few 1000 k in the first 6 montsh or so I think.
There is NO help with airfare, key money, VISA runs, or housing in any way as a rule except for the MA and PhD teachers. Of course this is Korea and there will be exceptions but I havent heard of a BA teacher getting any help with any of that.
Sure, in the past they had some low quality teachers but from what I have heard from many reliable sources their avreage hire was a LOT more qualified especially after training and a month on the job with supllemental training than just about any other Hogwon. Of course there were many exceptions - but on average I bet that was true. After the lowered salary and sudden 25% expansion in teachers I don't know. Time will tell. Quality is certainly down but I bet their average is still better than most if not close to all other Hogwons short of some very small, elite boutique outfits.
I courrently teach a 4 hour and a 2 hour provate class each at 40k an hour plus 130 hrs a month at 27k at CDI. This is my first month at CDI. I should clear over 4 million on a tough, but not insanely grueling schedule due to everything being so nicely block scheduled and all my work being nearby.
If you want to go for really nice but not ridiculously high money and settl for a very hard but not insanely hard workload CDI seems like the idea platform from which to add a FEW provates and do this. FOr other types of revenue/workload combination objectives I bet there are better avenues. |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:14 am Post subject: |
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A bit off topic but a guy I met in Inchon has it pretty good. He works a regular block at a hagwon, somewhere between 3-8 or whatever, and the boss helped him get extra (easy) work for 2-3 hours in the mornings at an elementary school nearby. So, over 3 or perhaps 3.5 mil per month for not a really rough work life in an area with nothing to do during the week but work anyway. I guess this is common?
Work a lot M-F up to 40-45 hours per week and the cash is there. But if you enjoy the work, all is good. And you still got weekends for fun.
Damn what am I doing broke all my life! |
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Voyeur
Joined: 19 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:33 am Post subject: |
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| to truly succeed at CDI you have to wear shirt, jacket, and tie + shined dress shoes EVERY day - at least after a month or two and having gotten enough pay to spring for a big wardrobe so that will eat some cash too. |
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UnJef
Joined: 03 Jun 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2005 10:38 pm Post subject: Re: CDI warning |
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I worked at CDI for one semester, and I found it to be the most rewarding and lucrative teaching experience I have had in South Korea. I considered staying here for the summer just so I could teach one more semester, but I got into grad school and so it is time for me to leave the penninsula.
That being said, I'd like to clear up some of the things the OP wrote:
| ohfamous wrote: |
- internet access has been removed from classroom computers. only intranet is available. sux b/c no more easy access to supplementary material. |
Internet access is available immediately before and after classes, but not during. During class you can access certain "informational" websites (dictionary.com, etc.). The curriculum is such that you really have no need, or at least I didn't, for supplementary materials.
| ohfamous wrote: |
| - continuous weekly changes to the curriculum and how to teach it. (even more often than before, if that's even possible) |
In my experience, I didn't find this to be true. The curriculum was certainly not flawless, but it was far better than that of any of the hagwons I have worked at in the past. I experienced no "weekly changes" at all.
| ohfamous wrote: |
| - qualifications for the job have changed. more non-gyopos are being hired and you only have to have graduated from the top 100 schools in NA instead of the top 10. but this top 10 thing wasn't really enforced except during the early days of CDI. this might be good news for caucasians and other ethnicities, but the email system is in korean and almost none of the staff can speak english. :( |
The email system is now in English, and the staff members who can't speak English are now being trained to do so.
| ohfamous wrote: |
| The reason behind these changes is that they're rapidly expanding and hiring teachers by the dozen but are still trying to keep a centralized system within the branch schools (their franchise schools are a different story). While it does serve to keep a single standard of quality and teaching/business format for each branch, this centralized model unavoidably creates a lot of bureacracy, confusion, and stress. Ultimately, it leads to inefficiency and teacher dissatisfaction, which leads to the high turnover rate they're experiencing now. |
I agree that CDI is expanding too rapidly, and I think that the quality of the instruction is dropping as a result. The balance between quality and financial gain is leaning a bit too heavily towards the latter, and I think that CDI's reputation will suffer as a result.
| ohfamous wrote: |
| As an addendum, the pay has remained the same. The average teacher truly does make around 3.4 million/month. So if you want, you can bust your butt, put up with the "system", and be treated like a robot teacher for the money, but I wouldn't. I'm so glad I left. |
The starting pay, I am told, has dropped somewhat, and the training is no longer paid for. That being said, I pulled 5.3 a month (I taught four writing classes), and while I certainly had to work hard for the money, I felt like it was worth it.
As for being treated like a "robot teacher," I simply didn't find this to be true. They do have a fairly strict curriculum, but they seemed to be very encouraging and accepting of different teaching styles, etc.
Other things I liked about CDI: I never had to interact with parents, I felt like I was actually respected for my teaching ability (instead of simply for my white skin and American accent), the level of the students I taught was very high, and I found the hours to be quite good (six-hour block shifts for 33,000+ per hour), and I also found the support system to be quite good.
I have a BA in English, and I had about a year experience teaching English here before I got hired at CDI. They did pay for my training (although they don't now), and they also paid for my visa run (I'm not sure if they do now).
And as for the dress code mentioned in another post--I wore jeans and a polo shirt most days, and nobody said anything to me.
Again, though, this is just my experience, and I'm sure there are many others. I am not saying CDI is perfect, but I am saying that it is one of the few language schools in Korea that seems to be doing most things right. |
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Voyeur
Joined: 19 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 12:42 am Post subject: |
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Good points about CDI.
The dress code is business casual to casual. If you aren't long-terming it no need to dress up. But IMO you are more likely to get raises, better schedules, promotions, etc... after 9 or so months if you wear true business ware than if you don't all other things being equal.
I think CDI's rep may suffer a bit but they will likely bounce back. |
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seungwun
Joined: 22 May 2005
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 3:36 pm Post subject: |
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DEL
Last edited by seungwun on Fri Mar 16, 2007 8:50 am; edited 1 time in total |
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ohfamous
Joined: 10 Jul 2004
Location: Off the beaten path
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 5:51 pm Post subject: Re: CDI warning |
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| UnJef wrote: |
I worked at CDI for one semester, and I found it to be the most rewarding and lucrative teaching experience I have had in South Korea. I considered staying here for the summer just so I could teach one more semester, but I got into grad school and so it is time for me to leave the penninsula.
Internet access is available immediately before and after classes, but not during. During class you can access certain "informational" websites (dictionary.com, etc.). The curriculum is such that you really have no need, or at least I didn't, for supplementary materials. |
I didn't know the details, just that it was in some way disconnected. I guess they had problems with teachers surfing during class.
| ohfamous wrote: |
- continuous weekly changes to the curriculum and how to teach it. (even more often than before, if that's even possible)
| UnJef wrote: |
| In my experience, I didn't find this to be true. The curriculum was certainly not flawless, but it was far better than that of any of the hagwons I have worked at in the past. I experienced no "weekly changes" at all. |
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Indeed, it is better than many other hagwons. But you're telling me you never had to go to a monthly/bi-monthly workshop where they changed the format or some other aspect of the classes? I know people who have worked there for a year and have complained that this past semester had the most frequent changes, which was really annoying.
| UnJef wrote: |
| The email system is now in English, and the staff members who can't speak English are now being trained to do so. |
That's good news, but the staff were learning English last semester too. Realistically, it'll take quite a long time before they can communicate effectively with the teachers.
| ohfamous wrote: |
As an addendum, the pay has remained the same. The average teacher truly does make around 3.4 million/month. So if you want, you can bust your butt, put up with the "system", and be treated like a robot teacher for the money, but I wouldn't. I'm so glad I left.
| UnJef wrote: |
| The starting pay, I am told, has dropped somewhat, and the training is no longer paid for. That being said, I pulled 5.3 a month (I taught four writing classes), and while I certainly had to work hard for the money, I felt like it was worth it. |
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I've seen on the boards that they're starting some people as low as 25,000/hr. But I agree that if you're willing to make work your life, you can easily exceed 4 mil/month.
| UnJef wrote: |
| As for being treated like a "robot teacher," I simply didn't find this to be true. They do have a fairly strict curriculum, but they seemed to be very encouraging and accepting of different teaching styles, etc. |
This is related to the "weekly changes" topic. I guess if you didn't agree with that, you wouldn't feel like a robot teacher. I think CDI is still much more strict about the curriculum than other hagwons. How many hagwons give you a minute-by-minute timetable to follow for a 3-hour class?
| UnJef wrote: |
| Other things I liked about CDI: I never had to interact with parents, I felt like I was actually respected for my teaching ability (instead of simply for my white skin and American accent), the level of the students I taught was very high, and I found the hours to be quite good (six-hour block shifts for 33,000+ per hour), and I also found the support system to be quite good. |
These are definitely the biggest pluses about CDI. The pay might be decreasing, but you never have to talk to parents, you're not hiring because of your white face, block shifts (almost always), and a very formal and professional business atmosphere. That last one can be a minus too when you factor in the bureacratic system, "big brother" control, and "oldboys" network.
| UnJef wrote: |
| I have a BA in English, and I had about a year experience teaching English here before I got hired at CDI. They did pay for my training (although they don't now), and they also paid for my visa run (I'm not sure if they do now). |
I think you got a better package than most due to your degree and 1 year exp. You also probably did great during the interview and essay!
| UnJef wrote: |
And as for the dress code mentioned in another post--I wore jeans and a polo shirt most days, and nobody said anything to me.
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That seems quite casual. Jeans were always allowed, but very few teachers wore them because it was kind of an unspoken rule.
Anyways, glad to hear you had a good experience and thanks for the corrections. I poseted about CDI to shed some light on the mystery and then wanted to update on how it's changed. I never said it was a terrible place to work, just that some people can jive with it while others, like me, can't. |
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ohfamous
Joined: 10 Jul 2004
Location: Off the beaten path
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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| seungwun wrote: |
| I have recently been hired by CDI, and the accommodations have changed. For example, I have a BS (Bachleor's of Science) from UCLA, and I was offered 2.5 million won minimum per month, plus 600,000 per month for housing. I was also offered 1.6 million won for key money, and an airfare allowance of 1 million won (to be paid after 3 months) plus the usual 50% medical and severance pay. I negotiated the terms with Brian Park (their HR rep) and he was very accommodating. And like Voyeur said I was told that I could work more shifts for a higher pay if I wanted, given that I only work a minimum of 30 hours a week. Compared to other hogwons the benefits were much better, and given their size, I didn't think it was likely the hogwon will go belly-up and not pay up. I haven't started yet, because UCLA is in a quarter system and have not ended for the year yet, but I am really looking foward it. |
I don't believe the accomodations have changed. Did you opt for the monthly salary or the hourly salary option? Hourly would have given you 30,000 per hour with no housing, which averages 3.6 mil/month. Monthly would be 2.5 mil/month with housing. So you'd make less with the monthly. That is, if you did start at 30,000. It appears they're starting some people lower at 25,000. Airfare allowance was always given to those who come to Korea specifically to work for CDI. |
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prosodic
Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Location: ����
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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I've got a confession to make. I just started teaching two Saturday classes at CDI. The main reason I'm doing it is that I'm getting bored of teaching freshman English classes and at CDI they have me teaching Hemingway, Orwell, etc. Don't get me wrong, I'm not quitting my regular job. My uni gig still beats going full time at CDI. It's just that the CDI classes provide a bit more intellectual stimulation. Also, they started me at 40,000 won per hour. Admittedly, my qualifications are a little bit better than those of their average new hire. Still, I feel like I'm giving up my Saturdays in exchange for classes that provide more intellectual stimulation than my weekday job and almost a million a month. Not a bad deal.
My feeling is that this thread needs a little bit of perspective. I mean, if I remember correctly, the complaints are that they stopped paying for training, lowered the starting wage a little bit, have secretaries who can't speak English, limited the internet access, and have frequent meetings.
In other threads, people are complaining about not getting paid for the last two or three months, and having lower salaries to begin with. In other threads, people complain about being thrown into a classroom with a book and being told to teach without training, and then getting berated for not knowing what they're doing. In other threads, people complain about having directors (not to mention secretaries) who can't speak English. In other threads, people complain about having to attend frequent meetings in which all the business is conducted in Korean.
I'm not saying that ohfamous's complaints aren't valid, I'm just saying that some perspective is needed.
By the way, ohfamous, we should get lunch together again sometime soon. I'd like to hear how the semester's going for you over at your uni. |
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UnJef
Joined: 03 Jun 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 7:17 pm Post subject: |
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| prosodic wrote: |
My feeling is that this thread needs a little bit of perspective. I mean, if I remember correctly, the complaints are that they stopped paying for training, lowered the starting wage a little bit, have secretaries who can't speak English, limited the internet access, and have frequent meetings.
In other threads, people are complaining about not getting paid for the last two or three months, and having lower salaries to begin with. In other threads, people complain about being thrown into a classroom with a book and being told to teach without training, and then getting berated for not knowing what they're doing. In other threads, people complain about having directors (not to mention secretaries) who can't speak English. In other threads, people complain about having to attend frequent meetings in which all the business is conducted in Korean.
I'm not saying that ohfamous's complaints aren't valid, I'm just saying that some perspective is needed. |
My feelings exactly--well said. |
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buymybook
Joined: 21 Feb 2005
Location: Telluride
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 8:04 pm Post subject: |
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| eamo wrote: |
I backed out of signing for CDI for a few reasons..
They told me I would be working at at least two different locations. Perhaps Junggye-dong (Very north-east Seoul) one day then Bundang the next day. I imagined I would be on the subway a lot!!!
Classes usually finish at 10pm. There is a possibility of a meeting then being called. That could mean leaving Junggye at say, 10:45, getting on the subway for 45 minutes, then getting home at some time approaching midnight......I couldn't accept that. I need have a few hours downtime before I go to bed.
CDI teach 365 days per year. They never close. This could mean working weekends and public holidays. Of course, you will still only work 5 days each week, but it would be crap if all your friends had organized something fun for a weekend and/or holiday but you have to work.
They were very honest with me in the interview process and told me of the downsides frankly. |
Didn't tell me/us anything about the downsides. They asked for my social security #. I didn't give it to them, I wasn't hired.
They pay 30,000 Won for the interview process(I wrote a 4-5 paragraph essay) = ILLEGAL = ILLEGAL ACTIVITY AT CDI from the get go.
I did not accept the 30,000 Won.
Recently, I was the only true foreigner at the interview, while there were 3 Kyopos. My opinion is they're going KYOPO.
Did everyone that works there give them your Social Security#.
How stupid!!! I would never give a Korean my Social Security #. |
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UnJef
Joined: 03 Jun 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 8:16 pm Post subject: |
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| buymybook wrote: |
| eamo wrote: |
I backed out of signing for CDI for a few reasons..
They told me I would be working at at least two different locations. Perhaps Junggye-dong (Very north-east Seoul) one day then Bundang the next day. I imagined I would be on the subway a lot!!!
Classes usually finish at 10pm. There is a possibility of a meeting then being called. That could mean leaving Junggye at say, 10:45, getting on the subway for 45 minutes, then getting home at some time approaching midnight......I couldn't accept that. I need have a few hours downtime before I go to bed.
CDI teach 365 days per year. They never close. This could mean working weekends and public holidays. Of course, you will still only work 5 days each week, but it would be crap if all your friends had organized something fun for a weekend and/or holiday but you have to work.
They were very honest with me in the interview process and told me of the downsides frankly. |
Didn't tell me/us anything about the downsides. They asked for my social security #. I didn't give it to them, I wasn't hired.
They pay 30,000 Won for the interview process(I wrote a 4-5 paragraph essay) = ILLEGAL = ILLEGAL ACTIVITY AT CDI from the get go.
I did not accept the 30,000 Won.
Did everyone that works there give them your Social Security#.
How stupid!!! I would never give a Korean my Social Security #. |
I did give them my Social Security number, and have been regretting it ever since. These guys in black suits and sunglasses have been following me everwhere I go, and whenever I say anything negative about CDI I get these sudden and intense migranes. Oh, and I've also been getting 5.3 million won deposited into my bank account every month.
I wasn't offered 30,000 won for the interview, but I would have taken it had they offered. It would have been stupid of me not to. |
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prosodic
Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Location: ����
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 8:16 pm Post subject: |
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| buymybook wrote: |
Did everyone that works there give them your Social Security#.
How stupid!!! I would never give a Korean my Social Security #. |
Well, I would assume that their Canadian and British employees would be unable to provide a Social Security #. I know some Canadians who work there. Obviously it didn't hurt their chances of getting hired that they left the line blank. You might want to consider the possibility that there were other reasons why you weren't hired. |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 8:54 pm Post subject: |
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| buymybook wrote: |
| eamo wrote: |
I backed out of signing for CDI for a few reasons..
They told me I would be working at at least two different locations. Perhaps Junggye-dong (Very north-east Seoul) one day then Bundang the next day. I imagined I would be on the subway a lot!!!
Classes usually finish at 10pm. There is a possibility of a meeting then being called. That could mean leaving Junggye at say, 10:45, getting on the subway for 45 minutes, then getting home at some time approaching midnight......I couldn't accept that. I need have a few hours downtime before I go to bed.
CDI teach 365 days per year. They never close. This could mean working weekends and public holidays. Of course, you will still only work 5 days each week, but it would be crap if all your friends had organized something fun for a weekend and/or holiday but you have to work.
They were very honest with me in the interview process and told me of the downsides frankly. |
Didn't tell me/us anything about the downsides. They asked for my social security #. I didn't give it to them, I wasn't hired.
They pay 30,000 Won for the interview process(I wrote a 4-5 paragraph essay) = ILLEGAL = ILLEGAL ACTIVITY AT CDI from the get go.
I did not accept the 30,000 Won.
Recently, I was the only true foreigner at the interview, while there were 3 Kyopos. My opinion is they're going KYOPO.
Did everyone that works there give them your Social Security#.
How stupid!!! I would never give a Korean my Social Security #. |
Are you mad!!?? I accepted the 30,000 won with glee!!!
They still like to hire gyopyos, but are now hiring many caucasions too.
So what's so dangerous about giving someone your social security number?
Maybe you didn't get the job because you came off as some overly-defensive, "I know all your tricks buddy. Don't try it with me!!". Not a good indicator that you will be a team player. |
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T-dot
Joined: 16 May 2004
Location: bundang
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| Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2005 10:24 pm Post subject: |
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They told EACH and EVERYONE of us that we would be paid 500,000 for the training session. No miscommunication whatsoever, considering none of us knew each other and we were told the same thing by HR.
Then, near the end, we were told it was only for failure that payment was given. If passed the training was for our benefit at free of cost.
So, half the class couldn't speak english. I was almost guaranteeing a few failures. But, low and behold; the failees are told to re-train rather than given their cash as a fail (they all got put into select locations).
Yes, i passed. Turned them down right after. |
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