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Anna_Louise
Joined: 22 Jun 2007
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 Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 12:27 pm Post subject: Kids College Gwangjin |
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Hi guys,
Just wondered if anyone has heard anything about this school-I have an interview with them Friday and haven't been able to find much info on either the school or the area. Thanks for any help |
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W.T.Carl
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 12:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Kid's College is a chain of hogwans. I worked for the now defunct one in Kimpo some years back. You will deal mostly with kinder types and be provided with a pirated canned cirriculum. Most of these places are in a word "shady". Good luck. |
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Anna_Louise
Joined: 22 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 4:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks. I've actually got a couple of other interviews now, so I'll still go ahead with the interview on Friday but I'd certainly be very careful before taking the job, if I were to be offered it. Thanks again for your help |
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vlcupper
Joined: 12 Aug 2004
Location: Gangnam
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| Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2007 3:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Anna_Louise wrote: |
| Thanks. I've actually got a couple of other interviews now, so I'll still go ahead with the interview on Friday but I'd certainly be very careful before taking the job, if I were to be offered it. Thanks again for your help |
I work at a KC in Gwangjin, and it bloody sucks. The supervisor acts all nice and friendly but is a total bully. You work from 9:50-6:00 with only a few minutes between classes and 40 minutes for lunch (which includes taking the little kiddies to the bathroom to wash their hands, so really 35-32 minutes). You hardly get a chance to pee, let alone do any of the office work that never ends. Which they always give you at the last minute. If you have a vacation, you have to make up for the elementary classes on a Saturday. I shit you not. For the last week of July, and the whole of August we've had intensives, and now, today, we have to make up for our summer vacation with a 6 hour makeup day.
Every teacher that hasn't quit has had some stress related illness bad enough where they've had to miss work and go to the doctor. Including the supervisor, who has missed work three times because she's been at the doctor. From September last year until July this year, we've had five teachers quit or bolt. We have two leaving at the end of August, and two leaving in October. The morale in the office has never been this bad at any school I've worked at; even the one where the boss didn't pay us! The teachers that have been here for less than two months are already thinking about quitting.
What gets me is that the kids are great. I love my students, and I hate to leave them, but it's not worth risking my health anymore. This is also the best staff I've ever encountered (except for my boss and supervisor), but nobody is happy with the job. Korean or foreign. And the thing that pisses me off most, even though the teachers have repeatedly said they hate it because of the excessive workload, low pay and absence of any organization, is that the boss and supervisor blame me and my negative attitude for everybody hating it! They had the nerve to say that to my face and then ask me to stay for another year! Stay the *beep* away from this school!
Last edited by vlcupper on Tue Aug 28, 2007 1:58 am; edited 1 time in total |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2007 5:39 pm Post subject: Re: Kids College Gwangjin |
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| Anna_Louise wrote: |
Hi guys,
Just wondered if anyone has heard anything about this school-I have an interview with them Friday and haven't been able to find much info on either the school or the area. Thanks for any help |
When it comes to the school - again - repeat - Do your own DUE DILLIGENCE.
All newbies get all starry-eyed when they interview for the first time. Don't be. You are signing away your life for a year.
1st - READ the contract over very carefully. If that doesn't scare you away then...
The best you can do is minimize the risk by talking to MORE THAN ONE of the foreign staff and ask POINTED AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS (*when the boss is NOT listening over their shoulder). Don't accept non-specific answers and broad generalizations.
No foreign staff references to talk to = walk away now.
Accept NO EXCUSES for any reason.
The hard questions to ask AND get acceptable answers to ARE:
-What are the hours? (start time / stop time / breaks).
-How many classes per day, week, month? NOT hour many hours per month. 30 classroom hours can mean anything from 1350 -1800 minutes per week standing in front of the class. The difference can be up to 7.5 HOURS in front of the class EACH WEEK.
-Do they ALWAYS pay on time? (no=red flag 1)
-Do they pay at the end of your month or do they have a hold back period (5-10 days after your month end) to prevent runners? (no=red flag 2)
-Do they really pay overtime or avoid it with creative book keeping? (no=red flag 3)
-Do you get credit for classes on the national holidays or do you get the day off but still have to work your 120 hours before you get overtime? (no=red flag 4)
-Do they have national medical (with the little booklet)? (no=red flag 5)
-Do they pay into pension? (no=red flag 6) These two are legal requirements (not optional) and are usually NOT complied with (to your detriment).
-What about the holidays? 10 or more WORKING days? (legal requirement here) (no=red flag 7)
-When and how do you get your holidays?
-What extra stuff do you really have to do - mentioned or not in the contract.
-Then consider the quality of life issues - things that are important to you that aren't mentioned here (housing, furnishings, THE BATHROOM, access to recreational facilities, shopping, banking).
Do they take additional deposits in addition to the delay in payday? (yes=red flag Cool
I would also like to mention for comparison:
My co-worker who is a green as grass, fresh of the boat newbie gets a base salary of 2.1 mil per month for 22 classes of 40 minutes each.
She gets 20k won for each 40 minute class over 22 per week and works from 8:30-4:30 each day. She usually averages 26 classes per week and her salary works out to about 2.5 mil per month.
She also gets (as required by law and ignored by most hakwons) NHIC medical, pension, severance, non-shared housing, airfare and 4 weeks annual PAID vacation.
Do NOT be in a rush to sign anything. There is NO rush or urgency in spite of what your recruiter may tell you.
Take your time. The job (or more likely a better one) will still be there next week and probably next month too.
There are 30,000 openings in Korea each year and only about 25,000 applicants to fill those jobs each year.
I hope that has been of some help. |
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Anna_Louise
Joined: 22 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2007 2:37 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks for your help everyone. The school actually never interviewed me in the end anyway, as apparantly someone else has taken the job....! |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2007 3:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Kids College is a chain of crapwons that cheat teachers out of pay and benefits. |
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