Korean Job Discussion Forums

[alas_peregrinas]

Has anyone heard of or know about this school/franchise? I'm looking at their ad posting and want to know all the good bad and ugly out there.
Thanks!

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Another day another question about YBM-ECC from another newbie who apparently hasn't heard that 90% of their franchises are crap.

Move your mouse icon up to search and type ECC in the box. It's really not that difficult.

[gang ah jee]

[bellum99]

nothing good to say.

[Hyeon Een]

I worked at an ECC for a year for my first contract. It was a franchise, not head office controlled (My boss was the youngest ever ECC 'owner' in fact at the time, he was very proud of that)

The classes are 40 minutes. The books vary a bit.. the ones I used were sucky but at least they didn't have too many mistakes (English Discovery and English Odyssey(sp))

I worked 3 or 4 until 7:30 or 9.

I taught 5-7 40 minute classes Monday-Friday, and 3 out of 4 saturdays I taught 4 classes.

It was better than some jobs in the town I was in, and not as good as others.

It was easy work on the whole.

I didn't have much stress, and little prep was needed or encouraged. I generally turned up to work 10 minutes before my first class. I could alternatively have prepped real well for all my classes, but then I would have had to arrive about 3 or 4 hours earlier. My boss didn't require it and I didn't get any complaints, so I didn't.

It was like working in a factory rather than a school:teach, go downstairs get next book, teach, go downstairs get next book, teach.. etc.

I liked the free time, I hated working Saturdays. The holidays sucked. The holidays are standard throughout franchise and corporate ECCs, 10 days a year spread througout the year. The longest vacation I got was about 5 days including the weekend.

I had a good boss who always paid on time in cash.

I had good co-workers whom I got along well with (foreign and korean)

I've heard one or two other posters say that its an OK first job, and I would tend to agree. I had a great year and work never stressed me out too much (unlike a lot of posts I've seen on this board)

I wouldn't go back to it because I have a much better job now, but it was still easier work than what I was doing back home, and left me plenty of time for martial arts and booze.

You should talk to your potential coworkers and ex-teachers before signing a contract with them as it can vary a lot from school to school in terms of the boss, the hours you work and your co-workers. Bear in mind that when they say 90 or 100 hours a month they mean 60 minute hours, not 40 or 50 minute hours (i.e. one class is only 2/3 of an hour)

My co-workers taught kindergarten, I didn't. If I had been teaching kindergarten at my place it would have sucked. They worked between 9-7:30 (same total number of hours but basically a split shift). I really wouldn't have liked that. In fact I think kindergarten takes a certain kind of person and that person isn't me. Korean age elementary (Western age 6+) is fine with me, but anything lower just isn't my cup of tea. Some people love kindergarten and thrive off of it though. Maybe that's you.

Anyway, an ECC can vary a LOT from place to place. Best thing to do is talk to the people working there and those who have recently left before making your decision.

[poet13]

Let's see. 18 months in an ECC.

-OT pay regularily reduced to near zero through the magic of accounting. (Some months I worked 170 hours)

-Income tax. Charged 100K a month on 2.0M (should have been about 28,600)

-Holidays and vacation not paid.....ever.

-Refused to pay into pension.

-Refused to provide tax receipt.

-Refused to reimburse for 50% of Health insurance. (not national)

-In 18 months, as the only foriegner, only took 6 of my guaranteed 15 days paid vacation. Reimbursed at 50K per day for 3 of the not used days.

-and finally... when I arrived, my apartment needed a new gas bottle. She charged me 50,000 won for a 26,000 won bottle.

[princess]

Just about 3 weeks ago, I had an ECC director call me and practically BEG me to take a job, if that tells you anything. She was ready for me to get there in 5 days, and she wanted an answer the moment she called, without showing me a contract or anything. She called agin two days later asking(begging) me again. I said no, and after 4 years experience, this was all a recruiter could find for me...hahaha!!!!! The other choice the recruiter gave me was SLP...another big hahahahaha!!!

[poet13]

Gee Princess, that director wasn't in Sangju, was she? If it was, lucky you didn't bite...

[Homer]

Franchise schools are a toss up and many of them are not run very well.

Company schools tend to be well run. They do pay a little less than other schools but they have a set curriculum and honor the contracts they offer. ECC can be a decent first job for a teacher with no experience.

As Yum says...franchises are on the bad side of the tracks usually.

I worked at an ECC for a year and have friends working for them now. They have all been paid on time and had no issues with pension. medical, overtime rate, housing or any other financial issues. They (like I did) work at a company school, not at a franchise school.

You want to know which schools are company run...go to the YBM ECC website (just google it) and check out their schools. some have pictures of the schools and accomodations. You can find standard contracts offered by YBM and such.

[Corky]

Three out of four Saturdays...

[jajdude]