EIE/IBC English Town in Daegu

Jan 22, 2019 at 12:32 PM

FastONE: Gangnam Campus (really all campuses, because the work situation is the exact same regardless of where you work). DONT BELIEVE THE ADVERTISEMENTS

First, their advertisement are straight up lies. They claim the starting salary is 1.8 for part time. It is 1.5 for 20 hours or 1.58 for 21 hours. No one in the entire company has ever been offered 1.8 for their part time salary. They also claim in their advertisements that there is plenty of opportunity to move up and advance in the company. During my entire time there, the only possible advancement was to become a senior instructor. That occurred once, for one person. There is no possible room for improvement beyond that. This is also true with the salary. Many of the best teachers have left because the company is so unwilling to raise employees salaries, despite raising class prices for students and putting increased pressure on employees to perform.

As far as the work culture goes, there is an overwhelming emphasis on student retention rates. Everything is geared towards keeping students. Teachers are expected to go above and beyond to customize every single lesson for every student, and are pressured constantly to keep their retention rates high. There is a lot of miscommunication, and information is often told to teachers last minute. For example: We got an urgent email one day that a good portion of the teachers were required to get another health check done within about a weeks time. It was incredibly inconvenient, expensive, and we were not reimbursed for these costs. They came directly out of our pockets.

However, BY FAR the worst part of working here is the structure of their working hours. For all E-2 teachers, they are required to have 20 office hours, which may or may not be booked for classes. They are paid 1.5 for these hours, and the company is absolutely, ABSOLUTELY unwilling to raise this amount at all, no matter how many of your hours are filled. Teachers all have profiles online, and students can book classes on their own, so naturally all the good teachers have had their schedules completely filled to the brim. For the better teachers, it is not uncommon to have 18-20 of their 20 office hours filled with classes. There is absolutely zero time to prep materials (or eat) whatsoever. You are expected to prep on your own time, unpaid. Factor in the fact that they dont pay for flights and dont provide housing, and this job might honestly be the single lowest paying job per teaching hour in the entire city of Seoul. To anyone in the company reading this: if you want to get and keep quality teachers, change your work hour policy.

In summary: misleading advertisements, zero room for improvement, terrible business model, hectic working hours, and a lot of frustration. Avoid at all costs.











EIE/IBC English Town in Daegu

Jan 11, 2019 at 12:42 AM

General

- They force you to set up a bank account you will not be allowed access to (they keep your bank card and book).

- Will not pay pension or health insurance (Or they will sign you onto the wrong health ins)

- Only negative feedback and lots of talking behind teachers backs if they are missing from meetings.

- Take 10 days pay from your first salary

- Although they claim you will be working less than 30 hours a week they don't mention you will likely be travelling up to 12 hours a week as you will work in a different school everyday (Private hagwons, public afterschool program,EVENTS in random public schools, adult classes, peoples homes and their business site). Travelling costs are not covered for this.

- Extra work is given which runs into your actual schedule and often you will be late for your scheduled class and have to pay extra for a taxi to get there in time.You are told you must lie and not tell them you were doing extra with with the company.

- Constant change in schedules

- Make verbal agreements and deny them or take them back (For me working and travelling hours)

Personally

- Avoided paying my last months salary until I left the country (Owe me ~1.5 million won)









Gangnam English Academy in Sinsa-dong, Seoul.

January 9, 2019, 7:39:30 PM

The marketing of this school is excellent. It gives you the impression that everything is professional and that you will love it here. WRONG! Firstly: This post is merely to make you aware of common incidents that occur at this school. It is not completely bad if you can put up with the overbearing boss who speaks down to you and makes constant empty promises and inconsistent decisions. The salary and location is good.

1 - Be aware that a month into your contract you might be given a "new" contract with an added "housing" addendum. This clause would mention that the housing would be in the school's name even though they do not pay the full deposit. Also, your rent would be deducted from your salary before tax and THEN reflected as such on your payslip - "obviously" for your benefit as you would pay less tax. Do note, your severance would then be on the amount that you get paid after your rent is deducted and not the initially agreed upon salary. So if you are not okay with this, have key money (housing deposit) available so you can put the house in your name.

2. The promise of working extra Saturdays so that you could receive extra PTO days does not exist. Rather, it is only available to certain staff members. You do not receive 15 PTO days either.

3. If you discuss something with management, be sure to get it in writing as it is sometimes conveniently "forgotten" when you need it.

4. Make ONE HUNDRED percent sure that you and management are on the same page before ANY decision is made. You will very often not be on the same page in terms of what is expected or what you know.

5. Ask about their staff turnover - every year more than 70% of the foreign staff leave and an even bigger percent of Korean staff.









Korea POLY School Suwon Campus

Dec 30, 2018 at 1:25 PM

Korea POLY School Suwon Campus was, in no uncertain terms, a nightmare. Where can I begin?

So right off they underpaid my pension by 2 months by claiming the first and last month I worked were "half months".

Cancelled my health insurance at 7:30pm on my last day (I clocked out at 7:25pm). Solid 5 minutes of grace should anything happen to me before I leave the country.

Constantly shorted me on vacation time. Not just typical Hagwon "Oh this Holiday is a Thursday so see you Friday!" but as in I worked almost every Red Day save Chuseok and Seolnal where I got a generous three days off.

Staff member sexually harassed female coworkers. Including calling them at 3am, trying to follow them home, constantly "hugging" them or buying them gifts for their birthday. Female coworker received adverse treatment/was punished when she spurned said advances.

Worked Saturdays like almost every month. Contract said twice a year I can count off the top of my head 5 or 6 Saturdays I was expected to work.

Constantly changing expectations with completely unreasonable demands. My students had a separate writing class but their writing teacher was a Gyopo so I was suddenly expected to design a writing curriculum from scratch so they didn't have to tell the parents no.

Demanded that I come up with two "special topics" classes which they then stole the syllabus for to recycle for their future needs. No compensation, not even a "Hey thanks that was a great class!"

Never had my back with the parents. Ever. I know, I know, hagwons are a business, but try having a 5 year old tell her mom you lied about something and then receiving a formal written warning over the words of a five year old. Bonkers, right?

Staff played favorites. Korean teachers got pizza like once a week, we never did. Also field trips cancelled at the whim of Korean teachers. List of excuses I hear for cancelled field trips;

1. It's too hot

2. It's too cold.

3. It's too dusty.

4. It's drizzling

5. The weather says it could rain this afternoon.

6. The park wants us to pay entrance fees (shocker right?)

Working hours are completely unreasonable. 9am to 7:30pm. Once got yelled at and written up for clocking in at, I kid you not, 9:01am because I was at the clinic.

Anything I needed to do had to be done while giving up my lunch break. This included LEGAL OBLIGATIONS like drug tests, immigration and banking issues, etc. If they said I needed to visit the immigration office that meant I wasn't eating that day.

5 minute breaks between class is counted as "prep time".

Overtime is factored into your base pay, so you're not really getting overtime.

You'll be encouraged constantly to take work home with you. But of course you won't be compensated for any of that time.

-----------

If you have any questions let me know, I'm always happy to answer. Thank you for the service you provide!









Kids Club Willy Campus:

Dec 29, 2018 at 3:36 AM

Attitudes and negative treatment have driven other foreigners to quit. Others have left from an Unfair Dismissal. Many foreigners don't finish their contract here.









Paedeaplus Icheon

Dec 3, 2018 at 4:06 AM

I'd like to add Paedeaplus Icheon to the list. This company is possibly the worst hagwon in terms of professionalism and employee treatment. The pay is extremely low compared to the little to no break times they give you between classes to eat or even go to the bathroom, they dont take it seriously when there is any kind of threat to the employees (their health is worsening or their personal information is on display for every other employee in the company to see on shared google documents), and they micro manage us by demanding proof of prep as well as routine observations to watch over us. The "managers" don't manage and just demand extra work from you and don't give you any support and this company favors korean nationals above any kind of foreigner or foreign raised person. They have very high turnover rate and no one lasts more than a few months because of the poor working conditions, very very low pay, and no benefits. They constantly gossip and are always saying bad things about each other instead of being grownups and putting their personal feelings aside. The management makes demands but never provides reward or even basic human rights.









Chungdahm Institute Yeongtong

Nov 30, 2018 at 8:06 AM

This may seem strange as Chungdahm, for the most part, is a very reputable institute. However, there are to many problems in this specific branch.

For starts, the administrative work at this branch is three-times worse than other branches. There are also these extracurricular classes that must be taught when in comparison, other branches have no such classes.

Additionally, the staff can be very problematic and unfair. Recently, we had a new teacher arrive from South Africa and they have been extremely terrible to her from making her hide the culture she is proud of, constantly being strict on her, and ignoring her when there are obvious issues. For example, she has been asking for a proper bed for months. She has been sleeping on a mattress on the floor of her apartment. Meanwhile, a new teacher from the United Kingdom arrived and within days of his request, received a new bed.

Finally, the staff is very manipulative. There are two Korean teachers, Emily and Jane, that have a bad tendency to bully the Korean staff that have more potential than them or are more liked by the students than them. Lately, they have been conspiring to get certain teachers removed in some manner due to a recent change in management, who is still in the state of understanding what is going on. Under old management, these two were scolded the most. However, now they feel that they have the upper-hand while smiling in your face.

Again, Chungdahm as a whole is a very reputable academy with multiple branches in South Korea. However, with everything that was mentioned above - stern administrative work, unfair treatment, and manipulative staff - it is a good idea to stray away from the Yeongtong branch.









DUX / DUKE English Literature Academy Daechi

Oct 29, 2018 at 2:15 PM

So, if you try to search for reviews on the Academy DUX or DUKE Literature Academy, you wont be able to fine much information. But, let me tell you, it is not a very good place to work at. They overload the teachers with tons of work that is not listed on the contract and basically make you to create their tests for free on your own time. They dont give you any real break time so you are teaching class after class after class. There is no standard in their student intake, even when they claim they have over 500 students on a waiting list and only take the best of the best. They make the teachers do new student interviews, but when the student fails, they still accept them and put them into a class which they are not at the level for. Since it is a literature academy, it is very difficult teaching kids who dont speak adequate English how to understand novels and write theme essays on them. In addition to this, there is absolutely no FUN in this school. They dont want to hear the students enjoying themselves learning. Study means quiet and no joy. They wont even let you play rock, scissor, paper with the kids. They never listen to the teacher when something is not working in the classroom, and the desk staff are like vultures waiting to cause problems or listen for any kind of noise. They have this idea of problem prevention of things that arent even occurring but end up causing a big miscommunication and eventually a problem of frustration. Also, if you are a person of moral grounds and question anything, they basically pick on you. If you are okay with being told what to do in the worst way, working on your own time for free, and not wanting to have a good fun environment in the classroom, then this is the perfect place for you!









MPOLY Bundang campus

Oct 5 at 11:39 PM

Long story short I highly recommend against working for MPOLY Bundang campus. I don't like making complaints about companies but this just seems like a really bad one to me (and others) the longer you work there.

They don't treat you like you are valuable. Eg. they were not ready to pick me from bus ride when I arrived in Korea after they said they would be.

The debate subject in MPOLY feels very forced and many of the lower level students are not ready for it. The school also extremely test heavy with full exams every 4th week.

They are very unclear about payment calculation methods (i.e. not stated in the contract) and seem to try to find ways to get out of paying you (lost approximately 1.3M KRW from unwarranted and probably illegal cuts out of pay). Don't have much time but hope to settle the matter legally since discussions failed.









iChristmas Korea in Seocho-gu

Sep 22 at 12:14 AM

iChristmas Korea in Seocho-gu (plans on moving in the near future) I'm going to make this as short as possible. If they contact you do NOT sign. They are going into bankruptcy and haven't been able to pay staff since July salary. There are only 8 students (including the bosses son and daughter) now at the school, the owners are in serious debt. As of now there is only one Korean teacher because I have finally got my letter of release and my time is almost up. They lie every other sentence that comes out of their mouth, they keep saying they will pay us at a certain time on a certain day and it never comes. They are telling us to say lies to the remaining parents so they also don't quit. They told me 3 times they would give me the LOR, then flat out denied it, and then finally after the 4th promise I finally got one but the tirck is they are trying to fire me without saying I'm fired (aka saying not to come in anymore but it's not firing so it looks like I quit instead). They are threatening and deceitful. Finally after a second month of no pay, the day after payday I kid you not, 6 children quit (we had 12), 15 different previous staff members have not been paid and about 7-8 of them plus all the parents of the children who quit all showed up because they either were demanding their pay for the past few months or a refund because half the staff didn't show up on that day due to no pay, and most of the parents were warned the day before of the events unfolding. The one other foreign teacher employed by the sschool also has quit They also couldn't pay my apartment rent this month, I found out by the landlord forcing open my door while I was sleeping yelling at me in Korean for money. The hagwon owner does not know how to run a business, they do not care who they run over to get what they want. I hope I can save someone from signing there (if they somehow manage to keep running) they are terrible people and the worst mistake I've made so far is signing with them.









CDI Songdo Branch

Sep 20 at 10:35 AM

I would advise anyone to NOT work for CDI, particularly this branch. At first, they put on a kind act for new teachers. However, there are too many negatives to this place that make it truly impossible and even a hostile work environment.

There is also NEVER any positive feedback. You only hear from the administration when a student and/or parent complains, even if its over something ridiculous, which you are expected to adhere to no matter how ridiculous the request. For example, the administration tried to blame us for poor homework rates and scores by saying that we the teachers were not encouraging and motivating the students enough to do their homework properly despite the fact that its the parents job to ensure that the students do their homework outside of the classroom. The administration is also super sketchy and refuses to be transparent, going as far as saying that they cannot explain decisions due to reasons that cannot be explained. Decisions are also made super last-minute (sometimes even after classes start), and the poor communication does not help this issue.

Money-wise, they dock your pay when youre sick. You also arent paid overtime for working makeup days for red days. The contract also states that you will get 15 vacation days, yet they only give you 6 vacation days, and you are not paid for the extra days you lose.

The discrimination in this branch is also rampant. White teachers are catered to even if they are aggressively demanding, while teachers of color are ignored and, on numerous occasions, yelled at. (FYI, if you are black, you will be told that you are behaving aggressively even if you are sitting quietly without saying a word.) Previously, the white teachers have also been paid more for Intensive courses, while the teachers of color received a smaller payment despite doing the same work for the same number of hours.

However, the worst action they have ever taken has to be their violation of teachers personal privacy. The Branch Manager and Korean staff members of this hagwon admitted to reading teachers personal KakaoTalk messages on work computers (we are required to use KakaoTalk and to leave it open during work hours in order to communicate with other staff members during class time). Not only did the Branch Manager and Korean staff members admit to reading teachers private messages without the teachers consent, but they also tried to fire a teacher over personal matters that they would not have known about otherwise.

The BM ACTS friendly to new teachers when they arrive, but be warned that it is just an ACT. I highly advise everyone to NOT work here, especially if you are a teacher of color.









Paedeaplus, Jamwon, Seoul

Sep 17 at 10:04 PM

Paedeaplus

This hagwon pays extremely little for the hours they make you work. They give the minimum pay with no breaks in between. That means working 1-9pm with no meal or tea breaks. In addition to those working hours, teachers had to write reports every month and create thick packets for all students. That meant an average of 30 packets a month. We had to print out all info, reports and admin stuff they wanted us to add in. Each packet would contain at least 20 pages. These had to be written outside of class hours, meaning in addition to the 1-9pm. I was pregnant twice and miscarried twice while at this hagwon. The first one they allowed me to rest for a week whereas for the second miscarriage, I had to work through it. To put it crudely, I was bleeding and working at the same time. I also had make up classes for that and of course "the glare" from colleagues for missing work. Quit immediately after and couldn't be happier after that. Worked in 3 hagwons for 3 years and this was by far one of the most inhumane hagwon.









Fastone, Gangnam branch

Sep 17

Fastone

This hagwon was just plain ridiculous. They claim to be a great place to work at, but it was simply unimaginable while I was working there. They tried to make me resign a new contract under a new hagwon name, due to some registration issues. Resigning would be ok, except that they had changed the terms of the contract. The payment was adjusted and hours were adjusted. If I had resigned it, I would be receiving less than half of my pay. Initially when I was teaching there, I was promised a laptop and prep hours of at least 1 hour a day. However, a week after I started, they simply filled my week with so many classes that I had no prep time and had to teach for 5 hours straight. They said I taught well and so they had to give me more classes. There were no laptops assigned and I had to search for a shared laptop everyday at work (laptops were required for classes). The senior teachers were not as experienced as they had advertised and some were simply throwing their weight around. This was in contrast to the real teachers who were there at the start (last year). After their payment scheme changes, of course these teachers all left. Their turnover rate is extremely high and most teachers leave within a year due to poor management and horrible treatment.









Avalon Yongin campus

Aug 27 at 6:50 PM

I'd like to submit Avalon Yongin campus to the black list. Why? Well strap in.

First of all, no foreign teachers re-sign for additional semesters or years. In my first campus, every single teacher wanted to re-sign under the then-current administration. In the Avalon Yongin branch, two teachers quit (which is how I got there) and later returned to Korea under new companies (so clearly teaching in Korea wasn't the issue, it's who they were teaching FOR). In my time there, one foreign teacher let her contract expire, and myself and someone else did the same when our time came, and the two newer teachers also indicated that they would let their contracts expire. No one wants to stay there.

You have to do more work than almost any other campus for Avalon, for the same pay everyone else gets. On top of that it's in the middle of nowhere, it's like an hour away from even Suwon. You'd think in being in the middle of nowhere they'd make the atmosphere and environment better. You'd think wrong.

They want you there half an hour before you actually start drawing a paycheck officially. So every week you're working 2.5 hours unpaid, every month that's 10 hours unpaid, and finally at the end of your year you will have accumulated 120 hours unpaid work. That's over two weeks unpaid work, congratulations!

The kids there are extra horrible. It's like they put a call out for the most obnoxious kids and the most petulant teenagers and gave them free admission.

Let's review:

-awful location

-awful kids

-pointless busywork

-unpaid overtime

If you pick Avalon to teach for, they're alright. Not the best, not the worst. If they want to ship you off to their Yongin branch? Run. Midnight run. Quit. Do anything else. A year is a long, long time.











Gwangmyeong SLP

Sep 2 at 8:25 PM

Gwangmyeong SLP is not a great place for new teachers to Korea. The unreasonable expectations and large amount of work is a recipe for disaster. This also makes it a bad place for experienced teachers of Korea to work as well. There is way too much B.S. for experienced teachers. Many staff members have quit in the past; including Korean staff. When the Korean staff is running for the hills or saying there is too much work, then you know something isn't right.

The foreign staff is treated very differently from the rest of the staff. You will feel like the commodity you are. Korean co-teachers are told specifically to keep information from the foreign staff during their (separate) weekly meetings. In the past the Korean staff would receive bonuses or gifts for holidays in secret. The foreign staff did not get one until the unfairness of treatment was brought up multiple times. Then we were told how lucky and grateful we should be.

Foreign staff are viewed by management as lazy and not to be trusted. The effects of their perspective create a negative air around the entire school. The students are smart and pick up on these feelings. Students who want to make trouble will usually be taken at face value and the foreign teacher will be considered a liar or in the wrong; even if you followed management's directions.

Many employees have had to work more hours than allotted in their contracts. When this was brought up to management, they were 'penny-pinched' with time. For example, bringing kindergarten students to the bathroom (a requirement) is not considered part of your working hours. These minutes were added up to prove that contracts were not being violated; which they were.

This hagwon teeters on the fine line of legal and illegal. I would not recommend accepting a position.









SEODAEMUN POLY

Aug 23 at 5:33 PM

SEODAEMUN POLY

-Long hours with expected unpaid overtime and pay that does not match workload (after working from 9:30-6:58 or 9:30-7:45 most days)

-40 minute lunch break (should be an hour)

-Clauses in the contract (notice, breaks)

-Undisclosed information in the contract (holidays, Saturday work days)

-Changing of terms in the contract after signing

-Holding meetings during lunch breaks and then being told it is inappropriate to get food during other break times

-Take away preparation periods and break times if management is busy

-Unjust firing of staff for superficial reasons

-Threats made about withholding pay and severance

-Lying to employees

-Falsifying student grades

-Cutting foreign staff and cramming as many children into classrooms as possible to save money

-Unsatisfactory training (if any) of teachers resulting in exhausted and confused newcomers (learn by being scolded for doing things wrong)

-Will bend over backwards to please parents (even fire you and boost grades)

-Will not support employees in times of conflict

-Bias treatment of employees (some can get away with being rude, sexist, and completely unprofessional while others are fired for simple things)

-Toxic work environment with exhausted staff (constant complaining and hiring of rude staff)

-Constant on screen monitoring

-Selfish and manipulative people(teacher well-being will be at the bottom of the priority list and foreign teachers are barely acknowledged, they are only money making pawns)

-Manipulation and poor treatment of Korean teachers (guilted into staying in the job and are paid poorly)

-Quality of education is lost as all that matters is how many pages have been completed in a book

-[Completely out of touch with the reality of life at a POLY school] training sessions are given by POLY headquarters

-Poor curriculum at times with outdated software while claiming to be designed by pioneers of education in Korea

-Curriculum not matching skill level or developmental stage of children

-Prolonged time before receiving ARC and being paid for the first time

-Mold problems in apartments

- Ignoring previous employees for letters of recommendation











Kids College Pyeongtaek (near seojeong ri)

Aug 19 2018 at 5:59 PM

Hi Jon, I would like to add the following to the black list: Kids College Pyeongtaek (near seojeong ri)

If you are reading this and have been offered a position at the above please take the following advice into account:

DO NOT WORK HERE!

no seriously

DO NOT WORK HERE!

and just to be sure you read it

DO NOT WORK HERE!

The school much like a lot of hagwons has poor organisation and will rarely take responsibility for their actions.

In addition we worked on a daily basis from 9 to 6 and would after work prepare for the next day up until 1 am in the morning every single night, every morning our performance would be observed and we would be constantly met with harsh criticism. we would have to attend mandatory work dinners on top of the time we didnt have and our supervisor would text us outside of work hours to make sure that we were prepared for the following day.( this includes your holiday time)

To sum it all up AWFUL PLACE TO WORK.

DO NOT WORK HERE!!

p.s. if you already work here as of recent i'm sorry i couldn't have gotten this to you sooner, if not and you have signed there is still time to change your mind









Elan Preparatory in Mokdong (Formerly T.T.R Academy)

Jul 29 2018 at 1:32 PM

This is long overdue. A school called Elan in Mokdong (or what was previously known as TTR Academy) really needs to be on this Blacklist. I can't even begin to tell you why the school was so terrible. But for starters we can say I was hired with the school under one name under one director, and when I arrived, without notice the school's name was changed and I had a new director. Contract was signed under the old school name and director, never renewed it. Then halfway through that school year I got my third new director. Also I went through two Vice directors as well. So that should just give you an indication right there of how poorly run the school is. During my year there at the end of it all, every one of the foreign teachers who arrived from the beginning of the year, +that was 7 of us) all left. One actually left three months in because he already knew what this was going to be and he did the smart thing. Also the majority of the Korean staff quit as well. Only 3 of the 9 or 10 Korean teachers stayed as well. Along with multiple Administration staff members either being fired or quit throughout the year, most of them did not make it. Went through 3 librarians and 3 gym teachers as well in one year. This place like many others, was extremely confusing and no direct instructions. We just had to go with the flow and hope everything was correct. The good thing was nobody was really in my business and if I messed up I didn't really get reprimanded because nobody was there to either care or notice. Of course I didn't try to mess up but when it happened I did not fear for anything so it was good for me but perhaps not-so-great staff-wise for how the school is run. The director himself seems like he came from California straight off the beach with his attitude. I had a disagreement with him once whenever I was sick and it was so awkward because we were standing in the hallway and it kind of felt like I was breaking up with a boyfriend versus talking to my boss about wanting to go to the doctor because when I approached him (he is never available to talk to anyone, if he is even actually at work) after finally finding him after days of looking he just stood there awkwardly like he didn't know what to say and I was thinking... You are my boss you're supposed to be the one in charge, I'm coming to you with an issue and we need to work it out. The school went through way too many changes way too fast, they got bought out by a company about three months into the school year last year in 2017 and did not report it for the teachers, so whenever I change to my school that I'm currently at this year I almost got in trouble because they claimed I did not report my change of school even though I never changed schools. They wanted to fine me, but I told them I stayed at the same school for the entire year and my tax form had showed two different payments so I personally assumed that the school had been bought out but I was NEVER formally told that.











Poly Mokdong campus, Seoul

July 28, 2018, 6:48:17 PM

I worked at Poly Mokdong campus. This campus was the most unprofessional workplace I have ever witnessed. Management was unprofessional and they took every question or inquiry personal. It was taboo to ask questions or to question management's way of doing things. They catered to parents to a point that is detrimental towards the learning process. They WILL try to push you out before your contract ends in order to avoid paying you. They do this by making you do 5 hours of lesson planning outside of work hours. The reason why this is worrisome is because you already work 11 hours a day. One of the perks was that you didn't need to lesson plan because the schedule was already written for you. If they do this to you, they are pushing you out. I saw them do this to at least 5 teachers. One of them had a legit mental breakdown from the stress the school was giving her and from them trying to push her out. They will also have regular meetings where they will belittle everything you do and threaten to fire you if you don't work extra hours prepping at home or correcting books. This is another tactic to push you out so they can keep their money.

They will come into your apartment when youre not home, without warning on a regular bases. They will try and suck every penny out of you. Throwing up, stick your head in a bucket. Sick with meningitis or broken a bone, be back to work within the week or they will replace you. They are petty, and unprofessional. The pay is alluring but the mental strain is not worth it. If you care about maintaining your well-being, look elsewhere. Most teachers don't finish their yearly contracts here because they find it so unbearable. Look for a school with teachers who have stayed on for more than one year. This will tell you a lot about the school.









Jungchul English Academy Geoje

Jul 26, 2018 at 7:22 AM,

Hi there,

I'd like to put a school on the blacklist please. Jungchul English Academy Geoje.

However, the academy was losing money and he shouldn't have taken on staff.

1) He deducted pension from my wages when I contacted the pensions bureau then informed me this wasn't paid. When I asked Jeremy, he told me his business was bad and that he would pay this by a lump sum at a later date.

2) My deductions from my apartment - heat, water, etc - fluctuated at times wildly. This coincided with his wok not going well.

3) I got paid properly in my first month. After this I was not paid on time or in full. Once month my wages was 3rd because he did not have the money.

4) I was supposed to get 5 days holidays I got 2.

5) I worked for 2 other hogwans when I was there, one on a Tuesday - and a separate one on a Thursday. So, he contracted me out to these places and got paid for me to go there.

I was basically told there's books and a computer- Jungchul is basically pushing a button and having kids repeat.









CDI Chungdahm Daejeon Review

Jul 3, 2018 at 3:15 PM

There are two branches in Daejeon run by the same management (Dunsan-dong and Noeun-dong). Both of these schools have TOXIC work environments and were utterly miserable to work at. The problems here are mainly due to the management. DO NOT be fooled by the fact that they have western managers. This school used to be good and treat people well so they may have some previous teachers from years back vouch for them. However, since the business has declined dramatically, things have drastically changed. Theyre very condescending, patronizing, extremely out of touch, and treat teachers like theyre ungrateful people who dont want to work. Ive had coworkers belittled and yelled at by the faculty manager, there were several claims of misogyny, and they hold grudges over every little mistake made. Youll be micromanaged into oblivion by the western management. Ive taught in other schools in Korea and never have I been so miserable at an academy. The management preys on the newer teachers as well by slandering other schools and scaring them into thinking other schools are worse. Ironically, the head manager has never worked for another school in his career and has no idea what hes talking about. Having worked across several schools in Korea in various cities, I assure you, CDI / Chungdahm Daejeon is the worst Ive worked at. They made me absolutely hate being a teacher.

This leads into my next point. The standards at the school have gotten so low that theres zero accountability and students are very poorly managed. Youll be disrespected left and right by students while faculty and management get upset with you for even trying to instill any discipline or not allowing students to disrespect you. Youre a glorified babysitter here. Parents control everything that happens here and students are far below the levels of the material youre required to teach. Your input is irrelevant and they never take your advice or input seriously.

The schools curriculum relies on good technology that is broken and outdated, making class impossible to teach and prepare effectively. As they use tablets and smartboards, you need reliable wi-fi, styluses, etc. to work. However, you might have to teach a class designed for a smartboard without a smartboard. Computers are extremely old and slow, wifi shuts off often, and the schools are doing so poorly they have no money to fix or replace things. Students never have tablets charged nor chargers, they dont have styluses they need, and the school wont do anything about it. The classrooms are filthy as well and I got respiratory infections twice over my year here.

As the management micromanages you watching your CCTV footage looking for any little mistake, youre held to a high standard without the necessary tools or students that can do the material. Youre set up to fail. The management also tells people (myself included) that they want their best teachers working as much as possible. As such, theres zero incentive to work hard. Being a good employee just means youre more under the microscope and working extra classes for free. They also have summer and winter classes that are utterly miserable to teach. Kids are all over the map and not matched for the level, youll teach all day long, and never make a penny extra due to their extortion-like overtime scheme. One teacher had a herniated disk injury during their summer classes and they never gave him a break and insisted he teach regardless. It doesnt matter how sick or injured you are, they expect you teaching at 100% and never to complain.

The management likes to claim that the school is good because they pay on time (thats not a benefit, but the bare minimum of a job), but this isnt even true at times. If theres a holiday, youre paid AFTER the holiday if payday lands on it. On one major holiday (Chuseok), it was a week long and teachers only got half of their salary on time. The rest was paid a week later. Completely absurd. They also just dont follow the contract like they claim theyre so good about. The contract says to be there 20 minutes before class but they got upset when people werent coming in an hour before so they changed it. Theyll make you teach classes for things you were never trained in nor reflected in the contract, and they also have a manipulative flight policy they send people after they arrive saying you only get the AVERAGE cost of a flight (not the 1 million that your contract reflects).

I could go on and on about why no one should ever accept a contract with these schools but this is already very long. Just heed my advice and dont get suckered in. The management is very nice to potential teachers or those theyre trying to re-sign, but once youre locked in or tell them youre leaving, theyll treat you poorly.











Chungdahm Learning (CDI) Incheon Cheongna Branch

Jun 26, 2018 at 2:52 AM

I would like to add Chungdahm Learning (CDI) Incheon Cheongna Branch to the blacklist. Also goes by name of Chungna/Chungra.

Reason for Blacklisting: Tweaking/changing original contracts and pressuring signatures. Made to work 13 days straight as make-up for holiday. Very, very poor communication flow from both Head Instructor, Branch Manager and Desk Teachers. Absolutely no autonomy. Blatant sexism/discrimination in the workplace. General shady politics behind the scenes. Absolute disregard of how hard or how much effort put into your work. ABSOLUTELY no positive feedback even if you have had zero complaints and the kids love you. Scare tactics. Toxic work environment.











I Love Clover English (or ILCE) in Daejeon

Jun 18, 2018 at 2:52 AM

I worked at an independent hagwan called I Love Clover English (or ILCE) in Daejeon and I wanted to advise perspective teachers to avoid this place at all costs. From the moment I started I was given no practical advice on how my boss wanted me to teach my classed and by the time I had to actually start teaching on my own I had almost no idea on what to do and I was at a loss. At most hagwans teachers are given the materials to teach with and how they taught them was mostly up to the teacher. At ILCE the methods are so specific that I was regularly berated for not doing a certain activity exactly the way my boss wanted.

The biggest problem was that if I had any legitimate concerns about my job my boss would delegitimize my concerns and simply make me feel stupid for bringing it up. I should mention that the owner was an American and I was hoping that I would be able to come to him with any real concerns but he showed no sympathy even when I spent my first two weeks coming to work three hours early just to make sure I got my lesson plan exactly right.

I would often teach a class with full confidence and yet my boss would rudely interrupt my class, demoralize me in front of my students, and take over the class. If anything wasn't up to his standards he would often threaten my job and he even deducted my pay by 30 percent for "Being in training" bu that was a complete lie.









Gangnam English Academy (GEA), Apgujeong

Apr 27, 2018 at 2:44 AM

I wish I had never worked at Gangnam English Academy. From start to finish there were issues. New students put in your class without warning, a lack of every material you need and a general 'you're on your own here' feeling.

If you heard this was one of the best academies to work for, that seems to be the story a year ago. Now it's trying to cling to old practices that don't work for a school their size.

There were issues with teachers being withheld or not receiving their correct final wage and/or severance. Half the teachers leaving reported issues with their pay... it doesn't seem to be a coincidence.









LIA Seocho

May 24 2018 at 8:19 PM

I would like to make a post about my school YSO Kids Club in Seocho. Run far far far far (as far as possible) from this school as you can. It looks so nice and pretty and the person who interviews you is so nice but it is all a lie. Run.

This school has been open for many years. That means that you should already know how to run it. The organization of this school is trash. They have no idea what they want until it's too late. They will make their workers redo things over and over with no clear direction. You are literally "learning" through your mistakes because they have no idea what they want. They will only tell you mistakes you have made AFTER you spent an hour working in your free time.

By the way, EVERYTHING is done in your free time. There is no overtime unless it is acknowledged by the heads of the school (it almost never is unless it is an event). You will write long reports, grade tons of books and essays, and compile huge amounts of data for evaluations/parents' day events, and more all on your free time. Each of these takes hours upon hours of work. You will never see a dime for it. This school is desperate to have parents' approval and so they will force foreign and Korean teachers untold of amounts of work in order to make it look to the parents like we are well-run and prestigious. Instead, it's actually all the teachers' work and it's all trial-by-error frustration. Nothing makes sense, everything is last minute changes that are usually unimportant. By the second week into your work here you will hate everything.

Finally, the Korean teachers. They deserve so much better than this job it's sick. Each of them are so kind, funny, and work so hard. They get paid part-time wages for doing even more work than the foreign teachers. If you form a close bond (you will because they're great) with any of them, you will hate YSO even more because the owners are so cruel to them. They come in at 9AM and don't leave until past 9PM. They are constantly calling moms, doing meaningless paperwork, ordering everything you use, and also teaching classes. They're exhausted, underpaid, and under-appreciated. If they mention any of this to the owners, the owners are snide and will punish them even further by making them do even more work. Therefore, none of the korean teachers can do anything.

You need to understand that so many people quit here every month. MONTHLY. That is the sign of a bad school. Your interviewer will say "many people resign". Don't believe it. That is 3 people (who are not management) out of over 22. One person pulled a night run this year in order to get out.

It's terrible. Run.









LIA Seocho

May 23, 2018 at 5:32 PM

I have submitted this school for a variety of reasons. First, the xxxxxx of the school is impossible to work for. In addition, the housing that was provided was overrun with cockroaches in the summer and the school did nothing to provide alternate housing. Moreover, you will be expected to work 10 hour days if you are a kindergarten teacher and if you are an elementary teacher you will be expected to teach 12-13 classes in a day for 4 months of the year and 8-9 classes a day for the rest of the year. If you bring up your contract or put up any fuss at all you will receive a horrible reference at the end of your contract. The only positives about this school are it's location and that they always pay on time. If you liked being worked to death with no appreciation this is the job for you, otherwise stay clear of this school.









Wingsturn Kindergarten/Academy near Sindang

May 8, 2018 at 11:22 PM

Hi, I'd like to add Wingsturn Kindergarten/Academy near Sindang, Seoul to the blacklist. Put simply the management is very poor. Being run by a married couple that know nothing about either teaching or English the kindergarten is rough for teachers. As a result the owners hire poor head teachers/managers and teachers have to work hard to make curriculums, lessons plans and resources in the very little free time you get. Lunch times and break times are spent supervising kids so there is no rest throughout the day. The parents pay through the nose for the kindergarten and as a result they are super demanding and anything done slightly wrong gets a reply to the head teacher/manager who then has to come and berate you. Cleaners aren't hired so be ready to vacuum and clean your own class room. There is a reason no one renews their contracts here, if they do even make it through the year.











Norian Kindergarten, Dong-gu, Ulsan, South Korea

May 5, 2018 at 5:39 PM

After a couple months to cool down and think things through, to remember what I had gone through in those short 3 weeks in Ulsan, I can finally write this out with a clear head.

As beautiful as it were there, with the ocean so clear you could see the bottom of it. And the sky so open and clear, it seemed like the place to be - along the coast where Foreign Street was but a two minute walk from my apartment and voila, I was feeling at ease and at home, but that's not what you came here for.

You didn't come here to read about the wondrous scenery beyond the hilly roads and various apartments, restaurants, and stores that were stacked up on another, oh no. You came for that "Black List" goodness!

Let me tell you, working at this school was complete and utter hell all on its own for a Hagwon. Hah, thinking to myself that this wouldn't happen to me because I read everything but had failed to listen to my gut, to the red flags that went off in my head.

The children were lovely to teach and the parents were great to meet (the school was turning into an international supposedly), but due to the hostile work environment created by xxxxxxx I will kindly call "Kimchu", a nickname given by my mom and to keep it confidential in that aspect.

1. I was interviewed by a nice looking woman of the school, me thinking it was the head in charge, but when I arrived, my eyes landed on a "change of scenery" and something in my gut told me something was up. Should have known when none of the three FTs had no idea that I was even coming in at 11pm that cold night in Ulsan.

2. 4 days in and I learned so much (necessary) details about the school and how teachers before were fired and treated, including the ones before they left me there with the Kimchu and three new Korean teachers she hired days before the new semester would start.

3. Her level of English was atrocious. I only preferred talking to the kids as they understood me way better than she did. She couldn't communicate what she wanted of me but she had many requests that make you question whether you're a beginner English/ESL teacher or a slave.

4. Abusive - that's what she was to us (the teachers) and the students. She yelled, touched, and manipulated others to have her way. If there is one thing that you should not take is their degrading practices. She had tried it with me and I wouldn't take it. Every day in the 3rd week, we argued consistently in front of everyone to the point where it would have ended poorly for us both. I took it as my time to leave immediately.

5. Workload - every day was something new for me to do when the teachers left that I had no clue about. I was in charge of all English classes, creating the curriculum for all, making the books, watching the children, feeding them during lunch time, helping them use the bathroom (yes, I was wiping them clean before they washed their hands), and cleaning up after them. From there, I realized - I'm not a teacher, I'm a daycare worker. We all were!

6. Spell it with me now - B R O K E. Broke. She was broke. I know she was now. Why had it taken so long to get my Visa? Why was she asking me to pay for my own flight and to reimbursed later when I find it later to not be so? Why was I only seeing $60 bucks in my bank account for working a full two weeks since my arrival? Oh, did I mention that she tried to say the days I worked were training days and avoiding to pay me? Kimchu asked me, "What? Do you want money?" Boy, if these eyes could roll! Yes, I want money! Why would I be here? To work for free? If only I knew her intentions.

These are just tips of the iceberg, but my warning to anyone who receives a crummy job offer from this school (if it still stands somehow) to refuse it, burn the contract, and look elsewhere for suitable work.

I had wished to have had support when I needed it most. I gained it from the locals who knew of the school and its reputation. Heard its name changes due to it "opening" and "closing" again. But they really made me feel welcomed in Ulsan where she had left me to my own devices like getting my own medical check and Visa submitted for the ARC. A lot of them spoke English and gave me hopeful words.

However, it wasn't enough. The abuse wasn't worth it. Being kept there like I had nowhere else to go but to work and the apartment Kimchu had me in, I left with just the change in my pocket.

She didn't pay the last 3 FTs that worked for her nor the Korean staff so what made me believe she was ACTUALLY going to pay me?

It's. Not. Worth. It. Value yourself, do the research, ask questions, and leave if a situation turns dire.

I don't want for anyone to suffer what I went through, be tormented from sun up to sundown by her tyranny, be given no personal time or space, and in debt.

Norian (whatever it's name since it was English Academy and then Kindergarten when I arrived) should be avoided at all costs!











Korea Christian International School, Yeong-deung dong

April 18, 2018 at 8:08 PM

Dear Sir or madam,

I would like to help inform potential teachers about a terrible school in Iksan, South Korea. The name of the school is: Korea Christian International School . Korea Christian International School, Yeong-deung dong

Specifics: Terrible accommodations. One can expect mold in the bathroom. A piece of the door broke during my stay among other things. The apartment will be dirty no matter how much one cleans.

If one does not renew their contract for another year the supervisor will be angry and bitter. Do not ask for references.

Korea Christian International School in Iksan believes in spanking children. If you do not condone hitting or spanking this will be the worst school for you.

Korea Christian International School in Iksan treats Korean native teachers much worse than foreign teachers. The supervisor Mrs. Kim informed me that she would never hire a male teacher. She prefers female teachers.

Expect a lot of additional work and an intrusion of privacy. If you value your privacy it is best to be brief and say very little.

Korea Christian International School in Iksan expects teachers to pay for elaborate decorations.

Many of the foreign and native teachers at Korea Christian International School in Iksan were stressed or sad all the time. There are a lot of fake smiles at this

school. I hope this information is helpful.

Thank you. Have a great day!











Jung Chul academy

April 15, 2018 at 7:53 PM

I would like to submit Jung Chul academy located in the suburb of woryeong-dong in Masan, Changwon City, Gyeongsangnam-do.

I worked there as a foreign teacher in 2017, i regret my involvement in this institution. It is very poorly managed with an angry and stressful work environment, and one man who would constantly yell bully and belittle the teachers.

It doesnt matter how hard you try at this place, everything will always be your fault. I was told this on my first day and turned out to be true when i was fired for unspecific reasons two months before my contract ended. I was really devastated but didnt fight it due to the bullying nature of this one person. I worked out the end of my notice period because i had become involved in a local korean church and wanted to stay to do some community work, but in hindsight i would not have done that. I feel like i have PTSD from working so hard at a job where i was completely set up to fail, and then geing denied the completion of contract dignity. If you are newto the teaching job, dont accept their job offer because they are expecting qualified passionate and dedicated people with several years experience. If you are a qualified and talented teacher, find somewhere else.i saw a colleague of mine, a foreign teacher of ten years reduced to tears for being berated for some minor fault. There is no respect or gratefulness, anyone can be a target regardless of how comoetent they are.

Some other specific problem are the jung chul new junior curriculum is old and the students are made to study above their level, you spend a lot of time making presentations, which are basically videoed marketing docments to trick the parents into thinking their child can speak english, and are stressful and unpleasant to make. You write tte script and coax them into speeaking it, at the end of every book. They also make you teach cappytown which is a reading phonics computer program that is not really designed to have a foreign teacher at all, with no assistance. Oh and the windows xp system is all in korean and you have to navigate the most labryinthine file system ive ever seen to find your presentation files for class. The recruitment agency i used was people recruit, i never heard from them again once i signed the contract, i had no help at all.











Redwagon Academy

March 22, 2018 at 9:21 PM

I wish someone had posted something about this hagwon before. It is a poorly run, unorganized poor excuse for a kindergarten. Although the salary is decent, and the housing they provide is good, there are other factors to consider that made this place feature on this blacklist. EVERYTHING is done last minute. Your schedule will change at random and you will be notified 5 minutes before the time. Your class could have up to 4 or 5 different English proficiency levels of students and you would be expected to make the best of it. There is absolutely no curriculum and you will be given books to work from with no guidance whatsoever.

The management has never taught before so the feedback they provide staff is more of a personal nature than a professional one. Any misunderstandings are excused as a lack of English proficiency on their part.

RED FLAG - Not much information about the academy online.

RED flag - The staff was paid 5 days late because "Not all the parents paid the school fees at the time the staff was supposed to get paid."

RED flag - The school could not provide 100% correct/accurate pay stubs and there were always discrepancies which were eventually rectified after it was exposed. The questioning of the accuracy of pay stubs was challenged buy the authorized parties and expected not to be challenged.

RED FLAG - In the space of one month, 2 new teachers were hired and one month later one of the teachers were "retrenched" because the academy realized that they couldn't afford all the teachers.

RED flag - In ONE year, SEVEN foreign teachers worked and left the academy. Staff (foreign and Korean) turnover is HIGH.

RED FLAG - A member of management had no qualms with shouting at a teacher even in front of the kids during their class.

If you are offered a post at this school, I urge you to think twice as the package might sound like a good deal, but the stress that comes with it, is not worth it.











English Book Ladder, near Jeongja

March 22, 2018 at 5:26 PM

Hello. I would like to add English Book Ladder, located near Jeongja station to the blacklist. I didn't work there for too long for good reasons, some of which I'll list below.

I'd like to remain as anonymous as possible. I'd like to also state that I'm not writing this post out of reasons for defamation.

I currently do not have any hard feelings for the hakwon in question, but I'd like to provide my side of the story to help others that read my post to make the better judgment call when offered or looking to take upon a job opening at this institute.

PROS: They were never late on payment.

CONS: Oh I can go on and on about it all day, but I'll list some of the main cons about this place.

1. Hours.

I had to work Mon/Wed/Fri from 9am - 8pm, and Tues/Thurs/Fri from 2pm to 8pm. These were way more hours than the hours that were initially agreed upon, but since there were "no one else to teach the morning classes", I had no choice but to take them.

2. Payment.

Although they were never late on payment, they said the best they could do was 1.9. I told them that since I already had a place in Korea, I did not need them to provide housing, but would still like housing allowance. They did promise that once I got settled in, but the topic was never brought up again, and the topic was avoided whenever I brought it up. For the hours that I had to work, I was severely underpaid. What's worse is that my former co-teachers had housing offered to them practically the moment they signed the contract.

3. The 4 major insurances.

As Korean law states, the employer must cover all 4 major insurances, so they have charged the costs out of my salary. HOWEVER, about 5 months after quitting the job, I went to a walk-in clinic to get a shot for my flu. They've told me that I didn't have my insurances covered since June, 2016. It was a no-brainer that the hakwon basically took the money that paid for my insurances and kept it for themselves. I would never know what happened to the money, because A. They would just avoid the topic again, and B. I do not care at this point since it was a long time ago, and I do not want anything to do with anyone from that hakwon.

4. Management.

In my opinion, there were too many rules that limited your freedom and creativity in doing anything. I'll list some of the things that you couldn't do.

- No sitting in your classroom alone while preparing for your classes, taking a break, etc.

I'm a person who likes my privacy, but every teacher was forced to come to the tables in the main reading hall and prepare for classes, because the place had to look to the people passing by the hakwon as if the teachers were hard at work and lively. Even if we had nothing to do, I was required to just sit at the main reading hall.

- No listening to music or texting (or whatever) literally 10 mins before you get off work (i.e. when all the students went home, cleaned up your classroom and you're just basically waiting to hit 8pm)

I was literally yelled at by XXXXXX for doing that.

- There was literally no time to have dinner, while you were required to work from 9am to 8pm on certain days of the week.

I can go on and on, but I'll just list a FRACTION of the things that I was annoyed with.

- You were literally just EXPECTED to constantly work overtime with no overtime pay during winter/spring/summer break. They had these extensive programs that ran during those times, and I was fortunate enough to part ways from the place in question before those programs started.

All in all, this is just my side of the story in terms of what I found to be flawed/frustrated/unfair with the hakwon overall. Although I would like to say a couple more things about the frustrations I felt back then, I, from the bottom of my heart, do not have any hard feelings with this place, so I'll end my rant here.

I also think that talking about this place is not worth my time, so I hope that reading this post will be worth YOUR time in so knowing that you stay away from this place.











Roy's English Academy in Songjeong-dong, Gumi

March 22, 2018 at 3:05 PM

I would like to add Roy's English Academy in Songjeong-dong, Gumi, Korea to the list. Have you heard all these stories about hagwon owners firing their employees one or two months in advance in order to avoid severance and flight tickets? Unfortunately, this school has one of those hagwon owners. I was recently fired in my 11th month. The reason the owner gave was that the students didn't like me (even though my classes grew and he opened a second hagwon and wanted me to work there?!?!) Even when I referred to Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor, the owner still refused to pay me the hours I worked, my housing deposit, and the 30 day advanced payment required of dismissal without notice. To be honest, I should have seen this coming. Xxxxxx is on a constant ego trip and throws giant childlike tantrums when xxx doesn't get xxx way. Nobody wants to work with xxx but they don't say anything, of course, out of fear of getting fired. Xxxxx is equally problematic. xxx is insanely passive aggressive and will shit talk the teachers in xxxx office all day. Stay clear of this place.











Mapo Youth Center/KEST

March 19, 2018 at 11:56 PM

Im merely going to share my experience and leave judgment to the reader. I applied for an English teaching position with Mapo Youth Center/KEST while in the US. It had normal business hours (9-6pm) and a decent salary with the standard benefits. But no housing, no visa sponsorship (they only want F visa holders) and no airfare reimbursement. Shortly thereafter, I had a Skype interview with the recruiter. I specifically asked her if there were any other duties involved besides teaching. She replied, No, you will only be an English teacher. She offered me the job on the spot, sent me the contract and I hurriedly bought an expensive plane ticket to Korea with one week to spare before having to arrive for orientation. It should have been a red flag to me that the recruiter only had a week to fill this position. Long story short, I had to teach six to seven 50-minute classes per day with a ten minute break in between classes with very sparse provided materials to 5-7 year old kids, some classes having over 20 students. But the most important part is that the recruiter completely failed to tell me that there is a 2 hour swimming class 3 days a week that the English teachers have to participate in (of course the job posting made no mention of it either). It consists of: going down to the locker room, stripping naked in front of your coworker/s and changing into your bathing suit, helping the 20+ kids strip and put their swim gear on, getting into the pool, and pulling the kids from about half way down the lane to the other end. After swim class ends, we had to help them get out of their gear, help them shampoo their hair while they showered, blow dry each head, and help them get dressed. Again, the recruiter did not tell me anything about this entire swimming ordeal before I arrived to Seoul. If she had, I would have said no thanks and moved on with my job search.











Hwajeong POLY

March 09, 2018 at 1:41 PM

Stay away from here! Lots of micromanagement. When the staff and management make mistakes, you're always to blame. They are never at fault. Lots of last minute reminders. Sometimes they keep teachers an extra 10-15 minutes after work for "special meetings". The workload does not match the pay. Even when you do everything right they still criticize you over nonsense. Break times are limited. They expect you to help students pass the exams when some of them come really late or in the middle of class hours. The environment feels like a prison system. A few of the TAs fail to do their responsibilities. Better to find another hagwon!











TOPLY English Institute, Bucheon

Feb 28, 2018 at 8:54 PM

I would like to remain as anonymous as possible.I worked at TOPLY from 2016-2017 and it was one of the longest years of my life. I took the job against my better judgment being told that I wouldn't get jobs in Seoul teaching kindergarten and that these were standard hours (2 pm to 9:30 pm) Monday through Friday.

The good:

~ Always paid on time.

~ Got severance pay on final day of work.

~ Had a nice enough place to stay even if it was a 20 minute walk.

~ Some of the students were sweethearts and others were not.

~ The director really does care for each of the students.

~ Taxes were paid.

The bad: ~ The XXXXX of the hagwon was out of the country for 9 months of the year due to family reasons. Instead, I had to deal directly with the XXXXXXX who did not like me at all and pretended I did not exist.

~ There was no technology in my classroom whatsoever, but the rest of the Korean teachers all had laptops and a projector.

~ I was told that my job was to make the kids sound fluent. That was already hard enough because my class and the F Visa teacher's classes were the only time they would hear English. The rest of the Korean teachers only spoke to them in Korean. ~ I had to teach each class there once a week. I would only see them once a week and those 4 times a month would be what I had to see if they were a good enough student or not.

~ The schedule would change at any given moment. I would find myself having to teach 7 classes in a row with no break at all some months. The only time I would have off would be my prep hour for the day and that would be the first class hour. I also never had time for dinner.

~ I was expected to correct all of the writing homework without any warning. Since I was the Native English Teacher, I clearly was the expert for it.

~ The students would mostly not even listen to me or their own Korean homeroom teacher, even if they were yelled at by the supervisor. Students would make fun of how I acted or dressed and would call me names in Korean. They would then act like they didn't when I would come and get their homeroom teacher.

~ Books changed constantly and if they finished a book, we would then have to review the book since every month the class would change in size.

~ Students had to take a monthly test every month to see how their progress was. Students would either move up or move down at the start of the next month and be made fun of by the students for not being smart enough or for being too smart. ~ I had to fill out a weekly plan once a week and if it wasn't done correctly, I would be yelled at. I also had to fill in a monthly eval for each student at the place and had to keep the scores consistent but not bad.

~ When I told Xxxxxxx I was leaving, they were still out of the country so I had to email. When they came back. they asked me to stay on until September because they couldn't find a replacement for me yet. By the time they came back, I had already lined up a job but they wanted me to change the dates of my contract to stay until September. They didn't even want me to go to immigration since they said it was okay. Because the new teacher wasn't there before I left, the director had to take over my classes for a week until they came.

~ Was not given pension or healthcare.

~ I was not told in advance when the winter or summer vacations were as well as red days. I was told the day before each time or the week before. Winter vacation was only 4 days off, and that included the weekend which was already scheduled off. ~ Korean staff told me nothing about schedule changes. They would tell me the day of and act like I already knew.

There is honestly more that I could go into detail with. It was the hardest year of my life and having to watch my back. If you get a job offer from this place, run, run away.











Junggye POLY

Feb 27, 2018 at 8:47 PM

I would like to add Junggye POLY to the list.

Pro: kids were super cute and fun To teach

Con: From the Begining I had problems. I was told to come on over to Korea and to do a Visa run. What they failed to mention was they wouldnt pay me for 2 months and then that Id get taxed extra. Also, I was not helped at all with setting up phone, internet, moving into my apartment. They were not helpful at all. Also management was clueless and didnt know what what going on. They tried to get us foreigner teachers to sign papers in korean and lied to us about what it was for. Luckily, he had a korean American teacher who informed us that it was a paper saying we agreed and read the manual for POLY, which is in korean...which we didnt read...Winter came and we were told to leave our heating system on and leave water dripping that it wouldnt make a big difference. Everyones electricity bill shot in from $100 to $300-400 and all management said was that we have to pay it. Also, I was threatened to be fired 10 months into my contract because I was sick for 1.5 days. I was told I was easily replaceable even though its the middle of the semester. I was made to come in when deathly sick (couldnt move, had fever, couldnt sleep, throwing up) and was told not to look sick...o.O. There is zero amount of appreciation for the employees and youll get thrown under the bus without hesitation. We were talked to as if we were children, werent helped with anything, and management never took responsibility or apologized for messing up. PLEASE AVOID JUNGGYE POLY FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR SANITY!









YBM's Adult division

Feb 20, 2018 at 8:48 AM

I'd like to add YBM's Adult division to this list. It's a completely mismanaged organisation with poor staff overall. The interviews are conducted unprofessionally, the recruitment process puts the cart before the horse and the entire business is run unprofessionally. If it wasn't for South Koreans being so enthusiastic about studying English and going to one of the few adult institutes, a company like this would not be able to compete on a professional scale.









Avalon English

Feb 9, 2018 at 7:25 PM

Avalon English location. The Xxxxxx is a horrible person. XXX has bad money management and has gone into debt. XXx never follows the contract and you have to pull teeth to be paid. After a few months I resigned and xxx refused to pay what xxx owed. Even after telling xxx I would go to the labor board xxx still refused. xxx is rude and blustering. The contract xxx created had so many illegal stipulations that i learned about from the labor board. I would advise everyone to stay away from this location.









Daegu Chungdahm/April,

Feb 9, 2018 at 4:25 AM

Daegu Chungdahm/April, The management is incredibly bad. They not only lie to you about things but will try to strongarm you into signing contractual amendments in their favor, my manager told me that as a foreigner I had "no legal working rights" in Korea. He only relented when I called the labor board and they called him with me in the room. There is absolutely no support from the Korean staff there, you are not allowed to discipline students, they instead tell you to send them to Korean staff who just give them candy and send them back. Additionally, there is blatant favoritism. Myself and another foreign teacher had to work 6 extra hours a week because a teacher pulled a midnight run, when we asked if our other teacher could split the time with us as he was already working less hours in April, they informed us that no "he could not because he was black and students would complain." They then hired a black teacher to replace the midnight run teacher. This branch is a nightmare to work for due to Xxxxxxx. I had to threaten legal action to get my severance pay and another teacher is going to start a suit to claim his as well. Please please avoid the Sangin CDI, I've heard very good things about the other two in Daegu, but please do not accept a contract in Sangin you will be treated like trash and abused.









Chungdahm April, Cheongdahm Branch

Jan 30, 2018 at 11:20 PM

I would like to add Chungdahm April, Cheongdahm Branch to this list. I have spent enough time here to recognise the difference between a good and bad school and am writing to warn everybody to stay away from this branch.

Why should you stay away from this Branch?

1. The kids are TERRIBLE. They are mainly spoilt rich kids who complain about everything and act horrifically entitled. Since this is a business and not a school, kids who can't read get to stay into the higher levels because their parents pay for it. You are there to spin money. Not teach. They are rude, disrespectful, undisciplined, and some of their parents don't care. They won't pick up the phone if you get the school to call them. They don't want to learn and will just spend all of their time treating you like paid entertainment. You'll be powerless to stop these kids from making your life unpleasant because student retention is more important than your wellbeing.

2. Management there is awful. The XXXXXX in charge listen to no reason and just go ahead with what they think is best. Pretty typical in Korea but if you raise any concerns they will be ignored. The XXXXXXXXX is useless at best and the XXXXXXXX is a tyrant who rules the place with an iron fist, often yelling at the other staff and commanding them to come to her like they're her slaves. You'll find everything is very disorganised and nothing gets done that needs to get done. Especially when it comes to the big events which brings me to the next point.

3. Expect to work weekends and get underpaid for it. Something the recruiters never tell you about is Winter and Summer Camp. These are there at all April branches. I worked both of these and each time we got a lot less money than we expected. You end up working 60 hour weeks for a month by being given a book by management and being told to "make a curriculum" in your prep time the month before. How do you get underpaid? They make you go home early so they deduct that time from your hours.

Working for April might seem like a good idea and I understand that you are desperate to come to Korea but I beg you to look at other options and yes, there are better ones out there. Good luck if you do come here.











SLP Gwanak-Gu

Jan 29, 2018 at 8:02 PM

I accepted their offer to teach only at the satellite school they had, Mackley. I was supposed to only teach elementary school students. It actually said specifically in my contract that I was to only teach elementary. I only took this job because I didn't want to teach kindie because kindie is the worst.

Half way into the the year, management changed (again) and I was forced to teach extra classes at the kindergarten for no extra pay.

I was teaching 35 classes a week for 2.2 mil. It was ridiculous.

I was livid and I complained. They told me pointedly to take it and shut up. I had daily "meetings" with the XXXXX and the XXxxxxx of both schools. These were nothing close to professional. Basically them screaming at my pointing their fingers down my throat, telling me what an awful and selfish person I am.

Then 8 months into my contract they want me to resign in 2 months. HAHA! Really, everything they put me through and they wanted me to leave without collecting severance. They're the worst. And they wanted me to wait 2 months so they could find my replacement. I told them simply "no". I threatened to go to the Labor Board and that shut them up.

In the end, I stayed the 12 months. I made sure I got my severance, which I had to fight them for by going to the Labor Board. But, I think that if I wasn't so scrappy they would've really taken advantage of me.

This hagwon was going down when I was there. So many students left. Management changed 5 times in the year I was there. They fired 75% of their Korean staff and then blamed the new teachers when students dropped out, threatening to fire them if any more dropped out.

I would avoid this SLP and Mackely like the plague.









JC English School in Jecheon.

Jan 23, 2018 at 7:50 AM

I taught there for 11 months back in 2014 .Why 11 months when my contract was 12? Because Xxxxxx of the Hawgon fired me with little notice before I completed my 12-month contract and received my completion bonus. Xxxxx cited financial issues but it's been 3 years and the school is still up and running. Xxxx would pay me in different and weird intervals (half next week, 1.7 two weeks form now, .65 three weeks from the payment date) all in an attempt to confuse you and not pay you your whole paycheck. At the very end Xxxxx owed me 2.7 million won for which Xxx only paid me half. Xxx withheld my pension too and more than once belittled me in front of my students. Xxxx is a pathetic little Xxxxxx who uses xxxxx position to take advantage of ESL and Korean teachers. I left S.K. right after but not without some sweet revenge. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. Stay away from this school!!









ABC LEARNING CENTER in Haendang.

Jan 21 at 5:01 AM

I am writing this to warn potential victims of ABC LEARNING CENTER in Haendang. While I was applying for the job, the boss was a dream. Very helpful. This all ended on my first day at work, when it became clear that Xxxxx (who is also the center Xxxxxxxxxxx) is the one calling the shots. While this is not a problem, since she is the supervisor, the way in which she treated the foreign teachers (all 3 of them) were disgusting. During the interview process, they repeatedly tell of the fun and friendly environment, that its like a small family. Little did I know that they meant, STEPFAMILY!

Neither the Xxxxxx nor the XXXXXXXX have any teaching experience, the wife also does not speak fluent English but she constantly corrected teachers who, combined, had more than 7 years paid experience. The overall atmosphere is very negative and it feels like you are walking into a battle every day.

The contract states that you will only teach for 25 hours a week, this is true since classes are short but you are actually stuck in the hagwon from 9AM until 6PM. In the first week, during an off period, my coworker asked whether he could go to the 1st floor (the hagwon is on the 2nd floor) to get a coffee, the supervisor responded with 'well, teachers are not allowed to leave the center during break times. You are welcome to bring your coffee from home and have it here'. The only real break that you will have is when you leave to go to the restroom. Otherwise, please be aware that you will not see the outside world between 9am and 6pm (unless you peek through the kitchen window coz that is the only place with a window and fresh air.









Pyeongtaek English Education Centre

Jan 11 at 5:01 AM

I would like to add Pyeongtaek English Education Centre to the list. I was thrown in on the first day without any training, teaching kids and adults. When the adult numbers started to fall, I consulted the supervisor who assured me that it was normal for this time of year. She later inspected my class (along with everyone else's) and gave me good feedback.

Then three months after I started she took me into my classroom and said that due to complaints about my lessons, they were terminating my contract. She told me it was not her decision but the director's. I asked to have a meeting to the director and was refused at every attempt.

Throughout this horrible month, I was expected to attend a staff dinner with my replacement, give her advice with the materials I prepared for the camp. Then on my last day, the director had the nerve to ask to see me so she could say goodbye.

The stress and hurt that they put me through is hard to put into words. And through all this, they acted like everything was normal and playing happy family with the other foreign teachers.

I advise anyone who is thinking of teaching in Korea to stay away from this horrid place.











Lighthouse English Center, Hagwi

Jan 3 at 1:20 AM

First of all, they refused to pay me what was promised; they paid me less than that. When I raised an issue on this they blatantly lied to me that I was making a wrong calculation on my payment, although I was referring to the wage agreed to by both the employer and I (the employee) before my employment. When I pointed out another labor law they broke in regards to my employment (they did not write a labor contract for me) they first made me feel guilty for asserting my rights (you are a bad teacher, etc...) and later hesitantly paid me for what I should have been paid in the first place.

I do not know if this happened to all employees, but they refused to sign a labor contract with some of the employees, which can potentially put them in legal jeopardy.

To simply put, they do not have the fundamental respect for human dignity. They prioritize money over the labor you will provide; money > your labor. Therefore they will do anything to save a dime instead of appreciating your labor. Avoid working with such people at all cost. You deserve so much better.









Gangnam English Academy, Apgujeong

Dec 26, 2017 at 9:52 AM

High salary, 15 days PTO, "a curriculum centered around fun"... Sounds like a dream, right?

Sadly it is. After a comprehensive interview process (to serve the purpose of tricking you into thinking the school is exclusive), it doesn't take more than a week to see that this school doesn't care at all about its teachers. They are desparate for staff, and you are just a commodity. It usually takes less than a week before you get that sudden feeling of dread as you realize that your next 12 months will be filled with weekly doses of unappreciation and belittlement.

Expect to be disciplined instead of retrained, zero assistance with troubled kids, frequent last minute changes to your schedule, poorly leveled classes, filtered/edited report card comments, and an incredibly mind-numbing curriculum. Most weeks you can forget about prep-time, but don't you dare exhibit any signs of unpreparedness unless you enjoy stern talking-to's from your boss.

Oh but it's not all bad... you can expect the occasional cookie-cutter compliment before being given an additional task outside of your normal job duties. And those 15 PTO's that you can choose whenever you want... they make it easy and choose most of them for you! Bonus for next year is that they are increasing the class size!

No need to look any further than the yearly turnover of staff to see the unhappiness. Maybe 4/20 teachers re-signing for next year (that doesn't even begin to describe the rapid turnover of Korean staff). It's sad that a team of such positive and qualified teachers feels so unmotivated and under appreciated.

Wake up before signing the contract and don't let this promised dream job turn into a nightmare.











SOT (school of tomorrow) in Seocho

Dec 6, 2017 at 7:20 PM

This is about SOT (school of tomorrow) in Seocho. I am writing this to help future teachers avoid a possible negative experience teaching in Korea. My contract with them has ended. I will only state facts. This school has 16 teachers with only 4 who are resigning. There is a legitimate reason for this. Though I cannot state specifically as to why, please take this into consideration. The contract may seem appealing but the stress from the micromanaging, little to no classroom support, curriculum, and the very long teaching hours with only a 30 minute lunch break is something that former teachers did not think about until it was happening to them. There are other issues but for legal reasons I cannot state them. Please think over your decision to accept a position with them carefully, otherwise RUN!









Global Aviation college affiliated with Guardian airlines in Gangseo gu near Gimpo airport

December 5, 2017

It seems oh so enticing at first, the world of aviation conjours up images of travel, and the life of luxury. The students are all young student pilots studying to become the future of Korean Airlines, Asiana and the like. What could look better than to have this kind of teaching experience on your resume? The owner and managers of this school use this image to lure unsuspecting teachers only to rip them off in every typical way you've already read about on this blacklist site. This includes late payment, no payment, no visa sponsorship, no key money, sudden extra classes, non of which you will ever get paid for etc. You know it's bad when the students are already warning you that you're never going to receive your salary and it's only the second day you've taught them. To make matters worse, the students at this school also get ripped of if they decided to quit. No wonder why the company has changed it's name so many times.









English Kindergarten, just outside Migeum & Dongcheong-dong in Bundang/Suji area.

Nov 30, 2017 at 10:54 PM

Hello, I want to blacklist PIA school. It's not that new now but it also hasn't been around for long so there is no information online.

It's an independent English Kindergarten located just outside of Migeum and Dongcheong-dong in Bundang/Suji area.

-No training or guidance as to what is expected when you first arrive. Day 1, straight in there with the crying kids who miss their parents and you have no idea what to do.

-Teachers are often made to CLEAN the whole school, DEEP CLEAN, after the working hours without pay.

-Sometimes work Saturdays for parent meetings, it's okay(ish), BUT you don't get paid for it.

-Threatened to fire a foreign teacher after minor disagreements in the school monthly craft projects. Refused to calmly discuss a resolution.

-One bus driver yells at both kids and teachers.

-NO break time. Lunch time is for helping kids eat and pee. Good luck trying to eat your own lunch. "Free" classes are for preparing your other classes but in reality you are still in the classroom and expected to observe and look out for kids or help them go toilet.

-When the students go home and you think you can finally do lesson prep but NOPE you need to supervise the kids whose parents pick them up late or you need to tutor elementary kids. Again no extra pay.

-Agreed to extend a foreign teacher's contract for 6 more months with a pay rise but 2 weeks before this new contract was supposed to come into action they told the teacher to stay 1 year or not at all, in hopes they would stay another full year in this hell. Leaving the foreign teacher with 2 weeks to pack up and find a new job. (that teacher dodged a bullet I guess)

-Decided to combine 2 classes into one and thus cut a foreign and Korean teacher from their jobs with just 3 weeks notice. This particular foreign teacher had been at the school for 2-3 years and had not received the full severance and will not receive this year's one either without a fight since they cut their job early.

-Told a Korean teacher who had an accident and needed time to recover to come into work, and if not would be replaced, coworker proceeded to work in a very bad condition.

-Took money out of pay each month for medical insurance. After leaving the school the foreign teacher received a bill for unpaid medical insurance... the school were taking it out of the pay but not paying it to the medical insurance.. After contacting the school, was then told its not their problem now.









KnK International Homeschool / Bundang

Nov 29, 2017 at 4:20 PM

This school is hiring teachers on the wrong visa. Teachers are teaching a variety of subjects besides conversational English (like Social Studies, Literature, etc.). Immigration can bust in at any time and deport the teachers.

The pay is high so it seems like an attractive school to work at but IT IS NOT WORTH IT.

If you take their housing, it's terrible. It's run down and unlivable. And the owner does not pay the housing bills and rent on time!!! We are all constantly getting signs on our doors to pay our rent and even getting people knocking on our doors and yelling at us!!!

If you get housing allowance, expect to get shorted or the owner will 'forget' to pay the housing allowance.

The kids are all spoiled rich kids and won't listen to you. They think they're the smartest kids in the world because their parents have been paying for their grades so far so if you break their reality they'll go nuts.

All of my coworkers were miserable working there and I'm so glad I left. I hope they are able to escape this hell soon as well.









5 Touch Language in Giheung, Yongin

Nov 29, 2017 at 3:08 PM

This is a kindy childcare center. You don't actually teach English, you teach them art in English. This means that E2 visas should not work here as it is illegal. You should have an F visa to work it.

For the native English teachers here we are basically dancing monkeys for the kids. We sing, dance, and clean up vomit from the kids.

Pay is constantly late and they short us by like 50,000 won here and there and when we ask about it they say, "that's nothing. not a big deal. Forget about it. It will be fixed next month."

If you are on an E2 with them they can threaten you that you are working the wrong visa at their school, but it's actually THEM who hired you on an E2 so it's illegal for them too. But you will most likely get deported while they'll just get a small fine, so they do have an upper hand with this aspect.

They are losing a lot of students (other staff members are very rough with the children!!!) so they are cutting left and right while trying to hire (coughtrickcough) some pretty blonde female faces to attract new students.









Triple A English Academy near Seohyeon Station in Bundang

Nov 29, 2017 at 3:00 PM

This hagwon has a HUGE turnover rate. On my first day of work, I met all 4 of my other coworkers - it was their first day of work the day before me! I was the only native English speaking foreigner working at the time, they stopped having native speakers a couple of years ago and started hiring native Koreans (not Korean-Americans/Canadians or gyopos) and South East Asians who had a decent grasp of English.

The owner seems REALLY nice but she is not a good teacher and cannot seem to handle the students well. The students run all over her and speak to her in banmal (informal speech).

She fires people when "things don't feel right" so that's why there's a huge turnover rate. Doesn't matter if you're a good teacher or not.

Curriculum is all over the place and she just photocopies stuff for the teacher to use day by day instead of giving us a full copy of the textbook or just spend 10,000 won and give us a textbook! All the kids have their own textbooks, thankfully. But that means we can't prepare for our lessons in advance by more than a day.

You get your schedule the day you arrive at work so you really don't know what the heck you're doing and what you're teaching until the minute you arrive to work so you have to arrive to work early if you want to prepare. And there's no paid preparation time.

Since I left, I heard that she is just hiring people on an hourly basis. Not sure if she even hires native English speakers anymore or if she's sticking with native Koreans and South East Asians.











Worwick Franklin Institute - Wirye (New town/ Shindoshi)

Nov 28, 2017 at 9:22 PM

Find another school! There are so many other options in Korea which pay better money, have better hours and are less demanding. This school does not give you a break everyday even though you work 9hrs and your contract says you should have one. When told that this is illegal, the school made no changes but said to resign if not happy. On days with no lunch break, you are also not allowed to leave the building and you don't get paid overtime for staying. There are only ~5hrs of prep time per week because they keep adding afternoon elementary classes. Even though your contract says max of 30 teaching hrs per week, they don't count all the hours that you are forced to feed or supervise kids as "active teaching hours" so you end up spending ~35hrs with them with no time to plan or complete all the administrative things they want done for each class you have. If you take a job here, don't expect to be hired as an English Instructor: you're perceived as a general labourer: lunch giver, classroom cleaner, private tutor, r&d (i.e. you create all the tests which are given multiple times a week). Some kids (5 and 6 years old) don't know how to wipe their butt after they poo and if the parents want you to do it for their kid, the school expects you to do it - the head teacher will tell you to. There is a ridiculous amount of micromanaging ("stand up at lunch while you supervise the kids"). Do yourself a favour and just don't get involved in this! There are greener pastures I promise you.









Kaylee English School in Cheonan, South Korea.

Nov 24, 2017 at 6:19 PM

This is for Kaylee English School in Cheonan, South Korea.

I just want to start with AVOID at all cost. The school is extremely disorganized and is literally a walking contradiction. No training is given, yet teachers are expected to be the very best in the business. Guidelines are given on how to address the class, but is met with contradictory and new guidelines of how to teach the class.

AND don't even think of explaining how that works; you will never be correct and never gain any praise for anything you do. All criticisms and ALL you'll hear is everything you have been doing wrong, even though it might not be your fault.

FURTHERMORE, before my arrival, Xxx hired two native teachers Xxxxxx. One of these workers had no bank of account because of this and paid his utility bills by giving money to the owner to have her pay for the bills, but for 2-3 months, Xxxx never paid and kept all of it.

In ADDITION, no workers were given any sort of pension and health insurance, even after asking and mentioning it, which is just plain ridiculous.

THEN, Xxxx takes advantage of one of my co-workers by making her work at a different location that not even related to the hagwon Xxxx signed with. Xxxx also refuses to pay for any holidays, like Chuseok even though our contract explicitly states we are all salary and not paid hourly. So we get pro-rated from our pay.

This all sounds excessive, but I at least was able to get a 1 hour voice recording of yelling and them admitting that they KNEW we were not being given health insurance and pension even though it is illegal by Korean law. I also have proof from monthly payment of my transfer that excludes any deductions for health insurance and pension.

There is definitely more I can say, but I'll stop here. This is definitely not a place to work at.











SPEP/One-Stop Prep, Based Out of Gangnam in Seoul

Nov 21, 2017 at 2:18 AM

SPEP/One-Stop Prep, Based Out of Gangnam in Seoul The following is a description of a short and costly mistake I made agreeing to accept a teaching position with SPEP/One-stop prep, based out of Gangnam in Seoul. Before accepting any job with this organization I would suggest reading the following article very carefully. I sincerely hope that by sharing this experience it will prevent other foreign teachers from making the same mistake that I did.

As a new teacher to Korea I was targeting the adult hagwons during my job search. After a month of looking I had two job offers and SPEP/One-stop prep seemed like the better choice because you teach during normal work hours, instead of having split shifts like most adult hagwons. Immediately after reading the contract I could see that it was very one sided, half of the document talked exclusively about all the different reasons you could be fired with just 24 hours-notice and the various penalties you would be forced to pay (for your reference, if YOU wish to cancel the contract you need to give 3 months-notice). Ill admit this made me feel very uncomfortable, but during the interviews on Skype the staff seemed nice on the surface, and adult teaching positions without split shifts were hard to find, so I cautiously went ahead.

(It is very important to note: based on what I was told after I arrived, the driver would pick you up early in the morning to take you to your client offices, and from there your classes could be spread out throughout the day until the early evening. Before arriving in Korea I had been told I would just be teaching during normal work hours, along with block scheduling. So, it was a very unpleasant surprise to find out I was going to be working split shifts anyways. The only difference was going to be that I would have to spend the hours in between classes hanging around company lunch rooms, instead of being in an apartment next to my school. This is what the other position was offering, an apartment of my choice, near my branch location and with split shifts.)

At this point I naturally began to ask questions about accommodation, but only received vague answers. I had assumed since they gave a 400,000 won housing allowance, instead of providing the accommodation themselves, that I would be able to choose where I wanted to live. Well, that wasnt the case. I requested that I be allowed to select my own apartment during the time after I arrived in Korea, but before my contract started, which was denied because of time constraints and language barriers. It was at that point that their HR officer explained that they select your apartment for you and minimal furnishings meant a completely empty apartment with nothing except a fridge and microwave. After I was to move into my apartment the after