Korean Job Discussion Forums

Skarp · Joined: 22 Aug 2003

What exactly is the connection between these 2 or 3 organisations?

Are they the same school. Different branches of the same organisation?

I have a phone interview arranged soon and am after any information about them.

The particular bit I'm dealing with is in Chongno. It's the CELP program.

I've been through the old threads, looked on balcklists and had a PM from a former teacher which broadly confirmed what I thought and didn't raise any concerns.

I'm just confused by who I'm actually dealing with.

Thanks

Skarp

Kyrei · Joined: 22 Jan 2003

YBM Sisa is a large corporation that has many, many branches. One of them is the ESL series of school, another is ECC. There is also a Record Company, and a publishing company. There are lots more but off hand I don't know what they are called.

Kyrei

Squid · Joined: 25 Jul 2003 Location: Sunny Anyang

YBM (Parent Co.)
SISA (Division)
ELS (English language school)

Same as overseas, but I forget what the first two stand for.

paul · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Taiwan

YBM are the initials of the Koreans who started the chain way back when, and SISA is actually short for Sisa-Young-O-sa, another bunch of Korean names made to sound corporate. To confuse things even more, ECC is the childrens' branch, and ELS is actually a world-wide ESL school that is operating under the YBM company head in certain parts of Seoul.

If in fact you are interviewing for an ESL teaching position in Chongno, there's even more confusion: There are three YBM branches in the same area, all of them comprise what people sometimes call YBM Plaza, because they are all within spitting distance.

The first one is the biggest and you can't miss it, right across from the Dream Palace, and it is the HQ which also has the National Geographic and Newsweek offices on the top two floors. This building is the main ESL conversation school, and it is called YBM/ELS. The one next door, on the same street, is called YBM Education Center, and I have no idea what they do in there but the building is very impressive. The YBM E4U building is directly behind this one in the alley, and it has mostly one-hour con classes and TOEIC prep classes.

If you are dealing with Keith Parnell, then you are in the right place. He is the director of ELS and will give you a fair deal. The school is fine with about 30-40 ESL instructors and well structured adult ESL classes, really one of the best in Seoul for its size.