Korean Job Discussion Forums

Philo · Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Location: Korea

After a horrendous experience in S.Korea, I would like to blacklist my former school (as would several other teachers). Can anyone please tell me how to go about this? Thanks in anticipation

Corky · Joined: 06 Jan 2004

You can start by telling us all about it.

Philo · Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Location: Korea

Well, it seems to be a lot to do with personality clashes. I'm sure many teachers have experienced (directly or indirectly) how Korean bosses can suddenly turn on people. The boss I had is positively schizophrenic, as is his wife. At one point I must have asked for something which they didn't like, and that was it. They said nothing until there came a time I had a big abcess in a tooth. I asked for permission to go for medicine, and was told that if I did, I would be fired. And yet another teacher who had a cough was whisked off to hospital and given all sorts of help.I asked in advance to visit my mother in Scotland for her 80th birthday party; I was given 48 hours! Unpaid. Another teacher needed surgery to his feet - he was offered 2 weeks' paid leave in England. The bosses began picking at me like a scab until I finally decided to quit.(I could have done a runner, but in my honesty/naivety I followed the contract and gave 30 days' notice.) Within 3 hours, I had been invaded by the employers and literally thrown out of the apartment provided by the school.I was forced to leave a lot of things behind. The Koreans were actually talking about who got what from the food I was leaving! On top of that, there were 4 policemen there to see I went to the bank and paid the utility bills -PLUS I got fined for resigning, because once I had resigned, they decided to fire me to save face. The police knew I was following the contract (it was also in Korean) but would do nothing to help. I was given 2 days to get out of the country. Other teachers have different stories to tell, but it is illuminating that this place is extremely well-found, with loads of materials and activities, day trips and other treats, and yet out of all the teachers - a full complement is 8 foreign teachers - in 3 years, so far only 2 have completed their contracts.
Of course, you can say "Sour grapes" about my case, but you would only be partly correct. In hindsight, I'm very happy I had to leave when I did, and now enjoy a much happier life as a private teacher. I genuinely want to warn people - especially those with little experience - against going to this school where the boss is a paranoid schizophrenic and will suddenly - and violently - turn on you at some point, usually when that end of contract bonus gets closer... And he doesn't have to pay the bonus from his own pocket, as the local education department sees to that - he just gets nasty because that is his nature. I hope that's made it a little clearer...

Philo · Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Location: Korea

I found out that more than 2 people completed their contracts, sorry! Altogether it comes to 5 who completed,3 leaving after 1 year, and the other pair opting for a second year (that was where the figure 2 came from!) It's still a pretty bad track record...

can93 · Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Location: Bundang

Please see this link for my addition to the blacklist, and for a checklist of other bad and good schools.

http://www.hagwonchecklist.com/hagwons/index.php?method=create_form&list=advertisement&fromlist=classifiedscategory&frommethod=showhtmllist&fromid=11&fromfromlist=classifiedscategory&fromfrommethod=showhtmllist&cid=11

can93 · Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Location: Bundang

sorry... this is better:

http://www.hagwonchecklist.com/hagwons/index.php?method=showdetails&list=advertisement&rollid=219&fromfromlist=classifiedscategory&fromfrommethod=showhtmllist&fromfromid=11

Philo · Joined: 22 Nov 2006 Location: Korea

Thanks for the link - it makes you wonder why ANYBODY sticks it out in Korea...the buzzwords: Cheat;liar;illegal;awful and so on...! No doubt there are some places which are good - as mentioned in the link - but generally speaking, it seems that most teachers stay only for two reasons.... 1) All the money they think they're going to make, and 2) if they happen to have nice students. It's very obvious that foreign teachers are only tolerated as a necessary evil, and it wouldn't take much persuasion to make Koreans turn on all foreigners violently. This may sound alarmist, but I have a feeling lots of teachers can sense the undercurrent of resentment ! I will not return to Korea...