Korean Job Discussion Forums

[HollisWoods]

I looked all over and found no reviews for this specific school/branch. I worked there for over a year and thought I'd add my experience for anyone who googles this school.

There are two branches in Daejeon run by the same management (Dunsan-dong and Noeun-dong). Both of these schools have TOXIC work environments and were utterly miserable to work at. The problems here are mainly due to the management. DO NOT be fooled by the fact that they have western managers. This school used to be good and treat people well so they may have some previous teachers from years back vouch for them. However, since the business has declined dramatically, things have drastically changed. They’re very condescending, patronizing, extremely out of touch, and treat teachers like they’re ungrateful people who “don’t want to work”. I’ve had coworkers belittled and yelled at by the faculty manager, there were several claims of misogyny, and they hold grudges over every little mistake made. You’ll be micromanaged into oblivion by the western management. I’ve taught in other schools in Korea and never have I been so miserable at an academy. The management preys on the newer teachers as well by slandering other schools and scaring them into thinking other schools are worse. Ironically, the head manager has never worked for another school in his career and has no idea what he’s talking about. Having worked across several schools in Korea in various cities, I assure you, CDI / Chungdahm Daejeon is the worst I’ve worked at. They made me absolutely hate being a teacher.

This leads into my next point. The standards at the school have gotten so low that there’s zero accountability and students are very poorly managed. You’ll be disrespected left and right by students while faculty and management get upset with you for even trying to instill any discipline or not allowing students to disrespect you. You’re a glorified babysitter here. Parents control everything that happens here and students are far below the levels of the material you’re required to teach. Your input is irrelevant and they never take your advice or input seriously.

The school’s curriculum relies on good technology that is broken and outdated, making class impossible to teach and prepare effectively. As they use tablets and smartboards, you need reliable wi-fi, styluses, etc. to work. However, you might have to teach a class designed for a smartboard without a smartboard. Computers are extremely old and slow, wifi shuts off often, and the schools are doing so poorly they have no money to fix or replace things. Students never have tablets charged nor chargers, they don’t have styluses they need, and the school won’t do anything about it. The classrooms are filthy as well and I got respiratory infections twice over my year here.

As the management micromanages you watching your CCTV footage looking for any little mistake, you’re held to a high standard without the necessary tools or students that can do the material. You’re set up to fail. The management also tells people (myself included) that they want their best teachers working as much as possible. As such, there’s zero incentive to work hard. Being a good employee just means you’re more under the microscope and working extra classes for free. They also have summer and winter classes that are utterly miserable to teach. Kids are all over the map and not matched for the level, you’ll teach all day long, and never make a penny extra due to their extortion-like overtime scheme. One teacher had a herniated disk injury during their summer classes and they never gave him a break and insisted he teach regardless. It doesn’t matter how sick or injured you are, they expect you teaching at 100% and never to complain.

The management likes to claim that the school is good because they pay on time (that’s not a benefit, but the bare minimum of a job), but this isn’t even true at times. If there’s a holiday, you’re paid AFTER the holiday if payday lands on it. On one major holiday (Chuseok), it was a week long and teachers only got half of their salary on time. The rest was paid a week later. Completely absurd. They also just don’t follow the contract like they claim they’re so good about. The contract says to be there 20 minutes before class but they got upset when people weren’t coming in an hour before so they changed it. They’ll make you teach classes for things you were never trained in nor reflected in the contract, and they also have a manipulative flight policy they send people after they arrive saying you only get the AVERAGE cost of a flight (not the 1 million that your contract reflects).

I could go on and on about why no one should ever accept a contract with these schools but this is already very long. Just heed my advice and don’t get suckered in. The management is very nice to potential teachers or those they’re trying to re-sign, but once you’re locked in or tell them you’re leaving, they’ll treat you poorly.

[frankhenry]

Now that you have told us the positive points of these schools, are there any negative points we should be aware of.

[isitts]

[ttompatz]

CDI has had a crap reputation since 2002 if not before (not sure when they first came into being).

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