Korean Job Discussion Forums

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

I'm posting this because I'm in a bit of a different position re: discussion of a hogwan this time. I know a teacher / director of a small GnB Academy through our mutual students. She's asked if I can help a prospective American teacher she wishes to hire answer a few questions about life in our area. The GnB director has also never hired a foreigner before. She seems like a very nice lady, her level of English is much better than most hogwan teachers, and our mutual students seem to respect her a lot. However, beyond that, I don't really know anything about how this franchise works. Overall, do they have a good, bad, or mixed reputation? What are their curriculum and course materials like? Should I have no worries giving the director a good reference based on what little I know or is this chain so plauged with troubles that I should be more guarded.

Thanks in advance for any info anyone can provide.

spliff · Joined: 19 Jan 2004 Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand

Good luck w/ finding your answer as the school has never had a native speaker teacher before and these franchise chains are probably run in any number of ways depending on the individual manager/owner...

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

I've heard nothing but badthings about their in-house texts.

ilovebdt · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Nr Seoul

I worked at a GnB school my first year in Korea. At that time, the chain was in its infancy and there were no texts for FTs so I made my own lessons. I have since heard, as Captain Korea said, that the inhouse texts are rubbish.

GnBs are just like any other hagwon chain. Each class is 40 mins and the FT sees each class once a week. At my GnB, there were no Kindy classes and no paper work to complete or tests to give. You just showed up, taught and went home.

ilovebdt

Yu_Bum_suk · Joined: 25 Dec 2004

Thanks for the feedback. What does GnB stand for?

ilovebdt · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Nr Seoul

Girls and Boys

ilovebdt

ED209 · Joined: 17 Oct 2006

Got no balls?
Great nose bogies?
Ghosts n Boogymen?
Grope n Breakfast?
Greedy n Broke?
Glutinous n Bipolar?

Girls n Boys club

babtangee · Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 6:48 pm Post subject:

My (Korean) wife worked for a GnB for a year. She had to go to some intensive teacher training program which was nothing but a bunch of lectures and subsequent tests on the lectures. She said she learned very little from the 2 day ordeal. One thing she did learn, however, was that the GnB franchise discourages the use of foreign teachers. They said foreigners are not useful because they are expensive and they don't understand Korean. Gyopos are better, they said. My wife also said their text books are terrible.

Corporal · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

Your wife is right.

shifty · Joined: 21 Jun 2004

The only good thing about working at a GnB is that you'll become one fine teacher.

GnB supplies the books to the students and they are paid for as part of the tuition fees. The FT will need to stretch a 3 week story book over 3 months in order to save costs. . The sight of the students' lips curling as you once again launch into one will stay with you for some time.

You'll need to scour normal EFL books such as Let's Go and cobble lessons together. Also, some good games. Then be ready to fend off attacks from the director for not sticking to the GnB texts. As they are generally business people they haven't a clue what's effective. If they knew, they wouldn't have bought into the GnB system.

In time you'll realise that the only worthwhile English the students are getting is from you. From the Korean teachers they do a parrot style regurgitation. Stick in one wh question and you'll draw a blank.

Stay away from them.

venus · Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Location: Near Seoul

Worked at a GnB for three months. If you want to have to design, make and implement a whole years worth of curriculumn yourself - then go for it.

I also found their in-house texts awful.

But as mentioned before it is a franchise so they are run differently from director to director. However that said, if it is a fist time outfit and she's never had a foriegner before - I wouldn't reccomend it.

I was in the same boat at the GnB I worked at and it wasn't good. She was too busy with running the school, learning how to run the school and finding new business etc to be of any support whatsoever to me. It was tough, she just stuck me in a class with crappy text books and told me to manage the class. Also, she never disciplined the kids and they ran riot over me, as I wasn't allowed to discipline them myself as she needed as much business as she could get - it being a new school - so she just treated the kids like spoiled brats.

Tammie Hughes · Joined: 14 Mar 2006

I am working at one of the GnB academies, and I like it. It is simple and straight forward - I make up heaps of my own practice activities, but I get to use them over and over again on heaps of other classes. The books dont teach the students too much, but i try and make the discussion sessions go on for a long time so that they are using their language and constantly practicing questions and answers. It's about just getting them talking. the book is just a guide to review words that they are already learning in their school.

You've got to remember that if you work in one of these schools you are not considered a real teacher, you are more like a play group leader! in which case, I think the books are fine for that. i dont think GnB are professional outfits so we should keep it in perspective.

In fact I am currently looking for a repalcement teacher as I leave end of January. Anyone interested? It really is a good job, and they are paying 2.3 million plus benfits - and Cheongju is a cheap and brilliantly located city.

Email me on [email protected]

Thanks,
Tammie

sheba · Joined: 16 May 2005 Location: Here there and everywhere!

I work for a GnB academy now too and I love it. Im into my second year here. It does kinda suck for the Korean teachers, they have to attend meetings, trainings, seminars etc and have to use the GnB books which have to be taught in a certain way blahblah they have a very set curriculum, time frame for completing books etc.

However, I do not have any of that. I can choose my own books (they dont have to be GnB books), have games days or puzzles whenever I want, Im basically free to teach as I please. I can take as long as I want to finish books, I dont have to give tests or write reports.... it works out quite well for me.

babtangee · Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2006 4:35 am Post subject:

So basically, if the boss is willing to stray from the crappy GnB curriculum and pay out for some decent books, the gig could be fine.

shifty · Joined: 21 Jun 2004

Any prospective recruit of GnB, should take a browse through early 2005 posts of ROCK. Do a search.

Feel his pain.

Admittedly, not nearly as bad as it can get in K.