Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bueblo]

I'll try to keep this clean and concise.

I am blacklisting the Avalon School in Gumi, specifically the one in Okgye-Dong (there are two. Unsurprisingly, the other one had already been blacklisted for its own reasons).

It may also be known as Ding Ding Dang or Langcon.

Good
* If you are white and 'attractive' by their standards (they also prefer males), you will probably get treated like their golden boy.
* Pay is almost always on time.
* Good accomodation.
* Most of the staff are nice people.
* Most of the kids are great (especially the little ones!)

Bad
* If you are not white and/or 'attractive' don't expect so many niceties.
* One small act of defiance or disagreement is all it takes to deserve being treated like crap.
* Their manager is physically abusive.
* Their loyalist headteacher is controlling and nasty.
* Most of the nicer staff don't last very long.
* The directors have gone into the English staffs' living quarters without their knowledge or permission.
* They will harass you if you don't eat what they want you to at group dinners and the like.
* In the course of approximately two years, at least eight teachers have been fired, with at least twelve leaving. Of those twelve, half of them left on bad terms with the directors.
* Harassed and threatened, including death threats, threats of blacklisting, calling your next job to get you fired, lying to others about you.
* They are dodgy with the taxes they pay for teacher salaries.
* The female director has admitted that she 'has no need to be nice to foreigners'.

My personal reason for quitting, other than the constant harassment is they refused to let me attend my grandmother's funeral after she passed away (in Seoul). They let two other staff members attend their family needs, but refused me on the basis that 'it was too busy' (they don't like me enough). The final straw was the male director telling me he was apologetic I 'couldn't go', then handing me a wafer 'to compensate', also adding that it might be melted because it was in the car for a while. With that insult, I realised it was time to go.

The worst part is one of my friends (who still works there) still thinks them to be honest people who will help you, despite knowing everything that has happened.

If anyone wants any of the more personal details, including the flood of nasty texts sent to me (translated of course), feel free to PM me. If PM doesn't work, [email protected], I've linked it to my IM program so I know when I get new e-mails immediately.

If you work at this school knowing what I've told you and end up regretting it, I'll have no sympathy for you.

[JustinC]

Melted chocolate? I'm surprised you didn't throw it in his face!

Oh, the humanity!

[bueblo]

[JustinC]

[bueblo]

Yeah, she passed away this month.

I'm surprised you find the wafer bit insignificant.

Take my post how you will, I just want to do my part in ensuring these people don't continue to be enabled for their abusive behaviours. I'll edit out the 'teaching' bit since that seems like sour grapes.

e: It's the standard Korean "야 이 ****** 아, 너 죽고싶어?!", but considering how exploding with rage he was..

[schwa]

[newb]

Despite their disapproval, I hope you went to your grandma's funeral after giving them 30 second notice.

[young_clinton]

[newb]

[sigmundsmith]

Sorry for your loss and I know this doesn't give you comfort or help in your situation but a friend of mine grand father past away and requested to take 2 weeks off to fly home (on his own expense and was planning to return) to attend the funeral. Of course the same excuse was we are too busy.

My friend just said: "well, I don't know about Korean culture but in my culture family is very important and we have great respect and care for our grand parents. But if your Korean culture and your company doesn't have that same level of respect as my culture, then I am more than willing to say good bye to you now".

They gave him the time off and when he returned after 2 weeks they were suddenly all concerned about him and his family.

Koreans??? Go figure

[bueblo]

I wish I had done the "I have to attend, it's Korean culture" bit with them, because well, I am Korean (F4) but I am really bad at confrontations, so.. I don't think it would've worked for me anyway.

Hopefully this isn't getting too personal, but this director has her brother hired as a bus driver and treats him like any other employee, and even her mother seems to get the same treatment (when I met her mother, the director gave me no other impression other than that she was a hired cleaning lady for chrissakes ).

In the end, I can only tell myself I took the best possible path. I did buy a cake for my grandmother's 92th birthday (she would've been anyway), and I'll be doing more things for her probably during Cheusok.

[xihtug]

How was the manager physically abusive?

And @ Death Threats

[bueblo]

[coratheexplorer]

[ajosshi]