Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Meggiebea]

I just had an interview with the Canadian International School. It all sounds great. Their website gave a lot of information, www.cischool.com.
Anyway, is anyone teaching there now? I could only find one review about the school on Dave's and it was from a year ago. Apparently this school used to be a Wonderland?!?!? Is this the same school? It said it changed a year ago, but CIS has been around since 2001, so I REALLY hope this is a mix-up.

Any advice about the school would be great.

Thanx guys.

[Meggiebea]

No one?

I can't seem to find any reviews about this school on the internet.

[just because]

Likely scenarios are one of 2.....

1. Same owners but decided to change the franchise name due to one reason or another.

2. Different owenrs, either the original owners moved to another place or they went bankrupt and new owners moved in and changed the franchise(or school) name.

I can assure you it is just another hagwon...not an international school.

[Meggiebea]

Do you know the school at all? What makes it a 'real' international school rather than just a hogwan. They teach Canadian Curriculum... I don't know. Any advice would be great.

[Aussiekimchi]

Real International schools have to be certified.
A good way to tell if it is a real International school or not is to look at your own resume.
If you do not see Bachelor of Education somewhere on it you won't be getting an interview.
Legitimate International schools are very competitive worldwide whether they be in Korea, USA or UK.
CIS is not an International school. Just a normal Hagwan which has had a face lift from their past Wonderland glory days. CIS schools are usually owned by people who want nothing to do with the reputation surrounding Wonderland.
If all seemed good in the interview and the contract though, you should take the job.
The thing that always worried me about CIS was that a lot had not changed from Wonderland.
I kind of saw it as "mutton dressed as lamb". Kinda like the Aussie girls who go to the big dance parties in the bush. At the start of the night they look like Grace Kelly in their beautiful gowns. But by the end of the night they look like Keith Richards on a bender.

[Meggiebea]

I have a B-Ed, teaching certificate and experience. I'm not really too sure what it matters, if it is international or not I mean.
I just wanted a first hand account of the school, teaching conditions etc. I got four email addresses of current teachers but I never really trust those recommendations. First of all the school selects who they want you to talk to, usually seems to be someone who just started or someone who is just leaving and hoping for their severance. There are a couple of bad reviews and a couple of great reviews floating around the internet. I just want an unbiased opinion.

But thanx aussie. You're right, if the contract is good and the offer is good then I should just cross my fingers and hope I make the right decision.

[some waygug-in]

You should be asking a lot of questions, like "were there any problems with pay?" What kind of resources are there?
What's the schedule like?
What are the accomodations like?
Was the director an interfering ^&*()!?
Does the school have a discipline policy, if so what is it?
How many students are there?
How many teachers, total?
Are there any surprises like -phone teaching?
Does the school try and push kids up level too fast? (this one is common)


How big are the classes?

What age are the beginners, and up to the top levels?

Are you allowed to bring in your own ideas, games etc?


After you ask all these, then compare notes between the people. You should be able to figure out enough to know if it's a scam or not.

Did you check the hagwan checklist? The school may be listed there or on the englishschoolwatch site.

Hope this helps.

[wylies99]