Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pangaea]

Can anyone give me some input on these 2 schools? I am looking for a hogwan job to begin in May but what I have been able to find on YBM varies widely. I have been avoiding the big chains but so far it sounds like YBM honors the contract, pays on time, and provides decent housing. I would like to be in or near Seoul so I think I would like living in Ilsan and Geumjeong in Busan sounds like a good location also. If anyone has specific details about the location and work environment of either of these schools, I would appreciate it. I have worked with preschoolers for years and I taught kindergarten and elementary classes in a hogwan for over a year and really enjoyed it. I am fine with kindy classes so that would not be a problem. What I want to avoid is teaching split shifts, having way too many classes per day (I have read that some teachers had 8 or more classes per day), and working a lot of Saturdays. (Every now and then is ok.) Thanks in advance.

[soviet_man]

Some YBM ECC's are company-owned, others are franchised.

I am reasonably confident that both of those branches you mentioned are company-owned.

I worked at a YBM ECC in 2004/05; back then yes there were 8 x 40 minute classes on Mon,Wed,Fri and 4 or 5 x 40 minute classes on Tue,Thu + kinder in the morning.

I did it for 12 months and was exhausted and burnt out by the end of it; but I can say that nonetheless the pay was never late.

If you do kinder + afternoon classes it will be something like 10am-7.30pm with maybe 90 minutes off in the mid-afternoon between say 1.30pm-3.00pm.

Typically you will have 1st-4th grade until 7.30pm and the 5th-6th graders past that hour, so depends what age you want to teach as well.

[NatalieIlsan]

I worked at YBM Buk Ilsan. My advice is don't work there!! During my time there one teacher did a midnight run after 2 months. It took ECC MONTHS to replace her. That meant all the foreign teachers( 3 of us) worked overtime for a lonnnngg time.ECC also had a tricky way or figuring out the hours with vacation time and it worked out so we didn�t get much overtime pay.
Eventually a couple came to replace the teacher. Everyone was so excited!! Wow 2 extra teachers!!!!Too bad they left after their first day. It then took another month to replace them. There were also several Korean teachers that came and left. Basically, I was working 8-13 classes a day my whole contract. There were some days when I taught EVERY class, no breaks. It was horrible!!!

Oh and let's not forget the kindergarten graduation, where the director hit the kids with sticks and yelled at them with a megaphone. I also had to do the monthly reports on EVERY student. I had over 100 students.

Also, Buk Ilsan is North Ilsan, meaning the school is in a small town called Tanhyun, far away from LaFesta and everywhere else in Ilsan. Also you are 1 hour from Seoul, so don't let them fool you into thinking you are 20 minutes away.

I did hear good things about the Ilsan ECC. Personally, I teach at a public school and I love it. Please do yourself a favor and DON'T WORK THERE!!

[pangaea]

Ok. Thanks for the warning!