Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Firearcher]

This offer on Dave's seems ok to me:

- No severance
- No National Pension Plan
- Hourly Rate about 30,000 Won per Hour
- Vacation - 1 week
- Furnished Housing Included



If person works 25 hours weekly for 12 months they actually earn more than if they'd been given a severance at 2.5 million.

What I get from this is that the money usually given at contracts end is given evenly throughout the year.

The vacation is sub standard but the chances of making 3.0 monthly are very possible. CDI is the school.

Anyone have any experience with them?

[aarontendo]

I don't think hourly employees get housing, just some key money to put towards it.

[Firearcher]

[tophatcat]

[aarontendo]

If you're an hourly then I think so. I've not worked for them so I'm not sure, but that's what I've seen from other posts and their previous job ads.

[plynx]

CDI is NOT it. you could be making 3 mil. at another institute working those hours (with even less classroom hours), getting health insurance, severance, housing, and all of the additional perks. at CDI, you most likely work holidays on an hourly contract, have crappy vacation, and the hours are neither guaranteed nor pleasing. think it over a bit longer. there are WAY (stress, WAY) better deals out there.

[Voyeur]

You probably pay the rent.

CDI isn't the horrible deal that people make it out to be - esp. @ 30k/hour.

A lot depends on your priorities.

Generally, CDI will keep you on site less than many other jobs - even if you do all your prep at school.

The teaching hours will be higher than public school, but about avg. overall (~120 / month).

There are many chances for extra money, promotions, etc... And you can get a nice salary bump in the second year if you resign.

A lot depends on your location. This is especially true vis a vis what your rent will be.

30k / hour is definitely a competitive option for a first year teacher. There was a time where CDI offers trumped all (or almost all). That probably isn't true anymore. The edge, if it exists, isn't huge. But people saying 30k / hour at CDI is a BAD offer are being stupid.

[enns]

The vast majority of CDI workers that I've spoke with are happy with their academy. After paying rent and everything(assuming it's in the $500 range), you can pull down over 3.0 a month. It's better than 90% of the offers out there if money is your top priority. Depends on the branch as well. Overall, a good offer and probably the best of what you'll get emailed from posting your resume on Dave's or worknplay.

[Suwon23]

I am a salaried employee for CDI, and we were told that ALL of the hourly employees pay for their own rent. We also get airfare, pension, health insurance, and severance, so unless you live in a cheap city you'll have to work a lot of hours to make more money in the hourly route. But as others have said it's great for a first-year teacher.

The people who say it's a bad deal are probably old-timers working at Holy Crap University and getting paid in gold and virgins. What other job pays 3.0/month for someone with no experience and a degree in basket-weaving? The materials are very good, so you can go your entire contract without having to really plan a single lesson (if you want to just coast along- passionate teachers will do otherwise). My one bit of advice is...

Do not let them put you in a franchise. You must go to a branch school, i.e. a school owned by CDI itself. Then you have all the advantages of a large corporation (timely payment, leashed bosses who can't get away with murder, relatively low probability of unabashed fleecing). I work at a franchise owned by some dude with no connection to CDI headquarters. I might as well be working at a mom-and-pop what's-a-labor-law hagwon.

So yeah, good luck! Remember, young-yang-tang is really just bo-shin-tang.

[Whistleblower]

Look for another job. CDI is a terrible employer with terrible employment policies (no health insurance paid by school nor the pension).

[enns]

[Voyeur]

CDI often gives the chance to earn more total money than other jobs.

However, if you look purely at the compensation-to-effort ratio, then CDI is usually ahead, but not that far ahead.

People who know about CDI only from Dave's tend to dismiss the company without knowing anything.

CDI veterans sometimes overestimate the offers based on having been inside CDI's culture for so long. CDI's culture, based on historical facts, tends to promote the idea that CDI has the best paid teachers and we offer the best salaries (excepting boutique Kangnam hogwons). And importantly, they promote the attitude that this gap is a large one. Unfortunately, this isn't always so true anymore.

I find the truth to be in the middle. CDI generally, some franchises excepted, does have no secrets. So do the math. See what is important to you. CDI is usually a competitive option depending on your priorities. But it isn't the only game in town anymore either.

Note: When you do the math, you really have to do the math. It is the little details that make all the difference in terms of whether the offer is good IMO.

[Whistleblower]

[SaveTheWhales]

I've worked at a CDI franchise for 2 and a half years. There are a few things that go funny from time to time, but I don't have any big complaints.

I think there are around 500+ (?) foreign instructors working for them right now . The business model is sound enough to keep the vast majority of them happy.

[enns]