Korean Job Discussion Forums

[meghall17]

Hello,

Can anyone offer any info on the chungdahm CDI branch in Gimpo?

How is this particular branch and the area?

I also heard that they have cameras in the classrooms - not sure how i feel about this?

Thanks!
Megan

[Coltronator]

Cameras are no problem. They are the least of worries.

Pros
~Structured curriculum (helpful if you have never taught before)
~1 Week training (helpful if you have never taught before)
~Salary is often 100$ to 200$ higher than going rates.
~Almost all locations pay on time everytime.
~Locations almost always have other foreigners so you are not alone at work
~Staff often have better English ability than other places
~Large social organizations and inter branch clubs/competitions

Cons
~Hourly contracts are terrible unless you know what you are getting -demand 33k/hr. & Min 90 hours per month- they have no pension or healthcare or severance
~Training is unpaid
~Idiots do fail training, it isn't particularly hard but not a game either
~If a Main Branch they are quick to fire people and replace them
~Very few National Holidays -3-4 days a year-
~The Holidays that you do get will often have their classes rescheduled to the weekend
~Breaktimes are ridiculously short -Work 6 hours with four 5 min. breaks and one 10 minute break usually-

Overall
~If you are new to Teaching and or Korea then it is not the worst option
~If you have a years experience then it is most likely not a good option depending on other factors. -IE: you want to live in X-gu and it is the only place hiring near there-

Personally I would suggest looking for something else.

[Aine1979]

CCTV is nothing you should be worried about, unless you hope to laze about and not do your job.

There's CCTV in all the classrooms at my school, and I actually find it reassuring - I had a student stab another student with a pair of scissors when I had stepped out of the room for a moment - not only did the CCTV show I had only been out of the room for less than a minute (so I wasn't held in any way responsible), it also showed that the act was deliberate, and not an accident as the student claimed.

On another occasion a mom came up to complain that a teacher had torn her son's book in half. CCTV showed the kid tearing his own book in half and throwing it at the teacher.