Korean Job Discussion Forums

[chachee99]

I have seen a lot of advertisments lately for teaching TESOL courses to Korean for Herald Media and Times Media. Has anyone worked for them before? What's it like working there?

[livinginkorea]

It's a place to avoid. The students were great and really motivated but the staff and especially teacher turnover is amazing. I was there 10 months and in that time I saw 18 teachers come and go just in my branch alone. Also, they will move you from location to location depending on student numbers so once you are settled in Seoul or Busan expect to be moved to Daejeon or Pohang or some other place, typically in a university, on a moments notice with your stuff to follow a week later.

I wasn't paid pension or insurance either until I fought with them a few months in. The full-time schedule is from Wed to Sun, meaning you have Mon and Tue as your weekend. Sat and Sun are the real busy days and because the course is intensive you will be working 8 or 9 hours with the same class (Sat 1-10; Sun 9-6). Wed to Fri classes are from 9 to 2 but you have to stay there until 5 at least to do level tests or meetings or prep. When I was there the management was crazy about meetings, typically 2 or 3 a week.

It's your typical hagwon, expect a lot of last minute changes, staff giving you gripe about this and that, students complaining to you about the staff and vice versa, co-teachers that stay for a couple of weeks and then get canned or quit. Seriously, I have known only 3 teachers in the entire school with it's many branches who lasted a year and got their bonus. Another reason is that since the course is intensive many teachers can't hack the large amount of preparation or do not have enough knowledge about TESOL. The students aren't stupid either. Once you do not know your stuff or prep your heart out then they complain since they are paying 2 million for the intensive two month course. This isn't English conversation after all and you could have a few non-Koreans in class who spot easily if you are not up for the job. I had one co-worker before who just read from the book and gave some lecturers during the class. Students found him boring and he was canned. Most teachers are pushed to quit to be honest, firing is rare enough.

All in all I would stay away. The place cares too much about money and not enough about the staff or students.