Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Winstonio]

If you (or anyone you care about) are looking for a job in Korea, let me advise that you NOT be fooled into working for BUNDANG KIDS CLUB in Mujigaemaeul, Gumi-Dong (Ori Station). My experience with the management there was the worst in my life, and I have taught ESL/EFL for at least 11 years.

The owner, GINA SONG, refuses to pay me OVER 1 MILLION WON that she owes me according to our contract. My salary was 2.7 million won. After hiring me (when she was desperate to hire a teacher), she decided my salary was too high, even though I was working from 10am to 7:30pm, and if I didn't have class her vice-president, Amber, made sure to give me extra work to do. Early on Gina tried to create a pretext to fire me, exaggerating the slightest imperfections that she could find in me (and probably making up others), WITHOUT any professional evaluation through classroom observation or anything of that nature. She gave me verbal "warnings" that she was "watching" me. In contrast, she briefly praised me for doing a good job on the "open class," the first time she really saw me teach a class for more than a minute.

After a month of virtually no complaints from her, she called me to a meeting and told me that I had two weeks to find a new job and move out of my apartment, and then she wrote a resignation letter and asked me to sign it. When I refused to sign, she threatened to kick out my wife, daughter, and me from our apartment immediately (which would have been very illegal), though it was an empty threat. A day or two later, she finally gave a written notice with the same termination date of her choice--about two weeks later--while the contract stipulated one-month's notice prior to termination.

I was upset, but at least I knew that according to the contract, I was to get one month's pay even if I am not given one month's advance notice. On the last day, Gina paid me only for the work I had done through that day (only two weeks after notice). When I questioned her about it, she first claimed that I had agreed. I had not been given a choice as to the termination date, and I absolutely had not agreed to be paid over $1000 less than the contract stipulated. Finally, she said, "Sue me." She knew I was at a disadvantage, and she would not expect me to actually sue her. I was going to be without a home in this country, with my wife and daughter, and all of us were foreigners on visas that were going to be cancelled within two weeks. If I got another job, the housing problem would be solved, and then I would be on another payroll, leaving me without any justification to claim that my old boss owed me any more money anyway.

The warning signs that Gina Song was bad news were not evident to me until after my contract began. However, in hindsight it is suspicious that she never inroduced me to the teacher I would replace. Even though I observed some classes, I was not allowed to observe the very class I would be teaching. Gina essentially said that teacher was not skilled enough. Perhaps so, but I didn't even get the chance to talk to him. That is a lesson to be learned.

I also later learned that, despite displays of Christianity, Gina seems to assume that lying is an integral part of her job. She lies to teachers, students, and--not the least of all--parents. In April, perhaps a day after I signed the contract and two weeks before my contract was to begin, she called me and asked if my wife and/or I could substitute (or take over, as it were) for some afternoon classes. She said that the previous teacher had broken his leg. I believed her at the time, but I later heard from other teachers that in fact that teacher had just quit. In another example, although Gina often hires teachers straight out of college in the U.S., apparently she decided that my 11 years of teaching ESL experience, including one full year at another hagwon in Bundang, weren't enough to please the parents. On the first day of my contract, she informed me that she had told the parents of my students that I had taught for a year at another branch of Kids Club, making sure that I knew so that I could maintain the lie. I am just not a liar.

More recently I have been told by a Bundang mother that the Kids Club that I worked for was not even legally authorized to use the franchise name. According to her, the original Kids Club franchise was LCI Kids Club (or Kids Club LCI), while my Kids Club was not "LCI". I haven't heard anything about this from anyone else (Let me know if you know anything.), but of course it reinforces my message nonetheless: STAY AWAY from Bundang Kids Club in Ori!

[Grotto]

take em to the labour board and you will get your money~!

[bellum99]

I know the school....check the past posts through a search and you will find more people unhappy.

[wylies99]

Good luck, OP. If you need any advice, there are some good people on this board who have been through EVERY situation.

[Winstonio]

[spliff]

[pocariboy73]

I have first hand experience there. I was part of the first batch of teachers hired for the Gumi-dong location. All four of us did NOT renue our contracts due to the constant lying and deciet within Kids Club. They are terrible people and do anything to make $$$. They will lie, cheat, and say anything to fool the parents and foreign teachers.

On a side note, I phoned the National Pension office 8 months into my contact and found out that Kids Club was NOT paying into the pension plan even though it was being deducted off our checks. It was not until the Pension Office personally visited Kids Club because of our complaints and MADE them obey the law that they finally did. All of us teachers were not in Kids Club good books for bringing up that matter, but Kids Club was trying to cheat us.

Many of us teachers were nervous due to the backstabbing and broken promises. We were ALL happy to get out of there and vowed NEVER to work there again. Definately, those two bosses were the worst I and my co-workers ever experienced. It's sad to know they are still in business.

I have tons of horror stories to say about Kids Club. If anybody wants to know more, send me a PM

[SHANE02]

Sorry to hear about your experience O.P.

[thu_tinh]

sounds crazy.
i'm surprised than that they are still in business. they must have had to lure people in with really high salaries just to get people to work for them.

[pocariboy73]

bump