Korean Job Discussion Forums

[alphabetspaghetti]

Hi,

I've just had the final contract ''job offer'' with Chungdahm, through the recruiter Aclipse.

I have been looking to start my first teaching job in Korea for some time now.

If I do decide to take this up, I fly over early May.

I've been speaking to a lot of other recruiters recently (mainly Korean), although the chats/interviews have went well and they have clarified much more than Aclipse have, nothing concrete has came as of yet.

Well aware of the massive clause with Chungdahm- the issues with training and the possibility of failing and being left stranded looking for alternatives etc... the overall package offered (salary, holidays accommodation etc), if successful, doesn't look as appealing as most of the jobs i've been reading through with other companies/schools either.

There has also been an air of unprofessional administration with regards to the whole recruitment process, which I had went through, that sent alarm bells off.

Could anyone who has worked for Chungdahm (even through Aclipse) advise me please? I do not wish to make a huge mistake.

I have a friend who has worked for them in Seoul and says they are great, but i've read quite a lot of unsavory reviews about them- it's putting me off a bit!

A few other Korean recruiters still wish to discuss possible work with me, so am keeping my options open for sure.

[CentralCali]

Do a quick search on this site for CDI. That's Chungdam Institute. When you get done reading those horror stories, do a quick search for Wonderland. Remember to only search the site for ONE word at a time.

Then ask yourself why people say, "Friends don't let friends work for CDI/Wonderland."

[alphabetspaghetti]

Thank you for the input, but it would be nice if someone could give a more detailed outlook?

Given the fact that most of these reviews i've read so far seem to be from sources who have beef with CDI, hence give bad reviews, i'm wondering if anyone can provide something marginally constructive in terms of a full breakdown and general liaisons.

[tanklor1]

I work for the Royal House of Chungdahm and here's my take on it.

Out of four hogwans I've worked with this is the only one NOT to have national holidays off.

The only two holidays that we get off are Cheosuk and Lunar New Year and EVEN then we'd have to make up those missed days on the weekend.
You may also be teaching weekend classes depending on your schedule.

You only get about 1/2 out of 10 in flexibility in the class: everyone teaches the same way.

In the summer and winter odds are you'll be teaching nine hours a day due to intensive classes. (Classes that are offered when the kids have holidays.)

They seem to hire a lot of newbies that are full of piss and vinegar who are willing to be exploited. And when they come they often do it with a smile on their faces which always irk the hell out of me.

If you're willing to work in an exploitative environment while grinning like an idiot then fly yourself on over and learn about the magic that CDI can only provide!

[Beeyee]

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

[Kepler]

I think most of the negative reviews come from people who failed the training course and thus did not get hired. As with any hagwon, a lot also depends on which branch you'll be working for. See if you can get in touch with any current or former teachers and ask them about their experiences.

[CentralCali]

Perhaps some of the negative comments come from those who don't think it's peachy-keen for an employer to falsely declare their employees as independent contractors so the employer can finagle out of making pension and health payments.

And that "training course" is a load of malarkey. The employer, CDI, informed their government that they had employed someone to come over to work for a period of one year. The government issued an employment visa on the basis of that information. And then to turn around within two weeks and tell the poor person who pulled up roots and came to Korea that, "Hey, you didn't cut it. Buh-bye!"? Well, that's unethical and immoral, to say the least. And it should be illegal, to boot.

[faeriehazel]

I think Chungdahm is okay if you work for one of the major branches. I've worked for both a franchise and main branch. Main branch was a better experience.

Pros for working for Chungdahm main branch (or any of the bigger branches, like Daechi, Joonggae, or Pyungchon)

- You have a set schedule and you get paid on time. You are not asked to do extra hours outside of what you are given at the start of the term.

- You are given curriculum materials and your lesson is pretty much planned for you. If you are a first time teacher, this is probably a blessing.

- You have a lot of co-workers, which is nice if you are in Korea for the first time, as you can make friends easily. It's also easier to avoid people you don't like. If you work at a small hakwon there is really no way to avoid your co-workers.

- You almost always have enough hours. If you teach middle school you do lose some hours during exam times (they are too busy studying for school exams to come to Chungdahm), but most teachers actually enjoy the time off.

- If you want, there are opportunities to move into management or R&D.

Cons

- Not a whole lot of holidays. When I worked at main branch, we got Lunar New Year, Chusok, and Christmas off. That was it. Once you've worked there a year, you can take a week off, or take a term break if you want. The FM at the time was a good person and allowed us to take a few extra days off on top of our regular week off, as long as we used the vacation time during middle school exam time when things were slower.

- Teaching six hours a day until 10pm is physically exhausting. You get used to it after a while, I suppose, but it lends itself to an unhealthy lifestyle unless you are really disciplined.

- You have to deal with corporate idiots implementing stupid ideas in the classroom, and you have NO SAY in anything. The material is repetitive and pretty dry. You will hate words like "chunks" and "critical thinking" after the first three months.

- There are CCTVs in the classroom and your head teacher may be an anal asshole who rags on you about weird things like hand gestures and intonation during class. They may not though. In my experience it's really hard to get fired from Chungdahm. As long as you steer the middle course you'll probably be safe.

I really don't get the Chungdahm hate. I've been teaching in Korea for over ten years and there are far worse places. Some people really like it and stay there for years. It's not a terrible place to stay for a year.

Word to the wise: do NOT use their real estate service they offer through HR. It is much cheaper to find a place on your own.

PS - it is REALLY HARD to fail the training. I trained with a complete idiot who, on the day of evaluations, was blatantly prepping while others were presenting. He clearly hadn't done any prepping the day before. He was an ass and a terrible teacher. He still passed.

[Times30]

Anyone remember "Elmination" from Memory level?

That was never consistent and if you used the "RRODEE" rule it still wouldn't be the same as the answer sheet. Kids never ever learned anything from it and only were more confused by it. I've always wanted to email chungdahm about this giant hole in the curriculum.

[Beeyee]