Korean Black List

Sat, Oct 26, 12:47AM

Please reconsider working here. Really bad conditions. Pay is inadequate and overworked. The people in management treat you horribly, with poor social skills and poor leadership skills. Bad communication. School tells many lies. So much confusion and no set standard for anything. Really disappointing.

Oct 23, 2024, 8:22PM

I'd like to add Tag Members to the blacklist, mainly because of the xxx and xxxxx. I'll try to be short. Pros:

- BEAUTIFUL facilities. The photos on the website don't do it justice. It's really a beautiful campus. They have a full sized indoor gymnasium, and full sized auditorium. Unheard of for a kindergarten.

- Paid on time. Didn't have to ask for payslip/breakdown.

- Decent apartment in a niceish building.

- Nice area

- Not sure if this is a pro or not. On paper, they have short hours. But you have to use every bit of your free time checking homework, doing lesson plans, writing reports, or making a stupid sign for their events and be ON TOP of everything in order to leave on time. Not feasible for your average person, as many teachers stayed late every day.

CONS:

- You have to make your own lesson plans. Every week. These include page numbers for every class and every book. There is a rough year-plan to guide you, but you have to come up with a consensus among teachers in your grade level of which pages to do when. Someone SHOULD make a uniform master lesson plan for the year, but no one wants to bite the bullet and do extra work. And no previous teacher wants to share their lesson plans with the new staff. Should tell you something. If you have education background, this will be a nuisance. If you don't, you will feel annoyed.

- The kinders and elementary kids have a lot of homework. And I mean a LOT. Picture diaries, plus actual homework books that you're expected to check daily. You don't always have prep to do it before the kids go home, which means yep you guessed it: do it during your lunch or get yelled at.

- Have to eat lunch with the kids. The Korean teacher is "supposed" to take the lead here, but they don't always. They are given a lot of freedom to be lazy and not serve the kids properly, or too busy on their phones to give kids more food when they want it or clean up spills. You have to watch them when they play after lunch, too. Don't expect any time to yourself to check homework either, with kids coming up to you constantly.

- Event preparation. Tag for some reason thinks you're all Leonardo Da Vinci level talented. And I mean that literally. You're expected to decorate everything from your classroom door (there is a very rigged "contest" for best door), to the entire school including large elaborate posters everywhere for different photo zones and events. You are given access to a hot glue gun, large rolls of colored paper and felt, and glitter. That's it. If they dont like what you've made, you're yelled at and belittled for not being an Art major in college and made to do it again until they're satisfied. This was the most annoying part of the job for me, since this is all on top of the mountain of lesson planning and homework you're expected to check.

- Korean staff. Korean staff were filled with xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Don't ever expect to have a real partnership with a co teacher. You can, and will be thrown under the bus in every opportunity.

- Parent-Teacher conferences. 4 times a year. Yes you heard me correctly. 4 times a year, you're expected to not only write report card every month, but eat up the little prep time you have to meet with parents and talk about their kids. Most parents do not speak English, so you're at the mercy of your Korean co teacher to translate. Based on what I said about them being two faced and back stabbers, you can guess how accurate they are. It is every bit as a waste of time as it sounds, since no Korean parent actually takes to heart anything we say anyway. Dumbest thing I've heard of, for a regular non-International & non-accredited hagwon.

- Salary. They offer pitifully low salary for what they expect, and push you out the door if you ask for too much. Which is what happened to me and many others.

- When I moved out, the place was spotless. Yet they xxxxxx.

This place changes staff A LOT. There are a FEW teachers that have stayed, and out of desperation they ended up offering xxxxxxxxxx but every year I see the other staff quitting. If you ask those few for an unbiased opinion about TAG, keep in mind they're making at least 30% more than you for not much more responsibility so they're likely to be much more accepting of the bullshit and you should take it with a few grains of salt.

Oct 12, 2024, 9:20AM

I was really disappointed by this hagwon, since everything seemed great on paper during the interview process. First red flag: I was rushed into paying for my own plane ticket and coming to Korea within two days of receiving my work Visa, even though the school had promised to pay. This ticket never got reimbursed by the school. I also had to buy it the night before departure because everything was rushed, which caused problems at the airport.

The apartment provided by the hagwon was dirty, with broken furniture, and there was black mold in the bathroom. The foreigner-assigned classroom at the hagwon was also cramped and dirty, with desks in disrepair (this was not the case in the Korean teachers� classrooms). Adequate cleaning products were nowhere to be found, and the supply closet was in utter chaos. I had to use my personal Gmail account on the staff computers, which posed a risk to my online security because none of the computers were password-protected.

The hagwon itself had a hostile work environment with uncommunicative and unprofessional Korean staff (most of whom could not speak English despite being teachers of the language). Most spent their free time gossiping, including about students. A select few among the Korean staff were professional and kind, so I am very thankful to them. Unfortunately, there was no teacher training whatsoever. The orientation consisted of poorly written welcome documents prepared by a long-gone foreign teacher, which were not received until the second week due to lack of communication. The expectation was to figure out how the hagwon functioned immediately, without guidance. I was told I should ask more questions if I was confused but was met with annoyance and passive-aggressiveness whenever I did so.

At one point, someone in a position of authority cornered me alone in the staff room and yelled at me for not accomplishing certain tasks. I had not been informed that these tasks were my responsibility. Eventually this person switched to yelling in Korean due, I believe, to their lack of mastery of the English language. Similar intimidation tactics (such as the silent treatment) were used to try to make me take the blame for issues that occurred due to their poor management skills. They tried to show me CCTV footage of myself to pressure me into doing so. I was also falsely accused of playing on my phone in class, even though I used my phone exclusively to look up translations for my students. At the same time, I was blamed for not constantly checking the staff group chat on Kakao (on my phone) during class time. I was also guilt-tripped by a coworker into doing unpaid overtime and couldn�t take breaks because of the workload (8-10 classes per day with very minimal prep time).

When I expressed concerns about the hostility and lack of guidance in the hagwon to a person in authority, they were dismissive and said I just needed to adjust to their work culture. I raised concerns about these issues three times. The third time, I was immediately terminated (via text) with no notice. They gave 2 days to vacate the provided apartment. It was a real struggle to get them to pay me (late), and they continued to make accusations against my character and work ethic (calling me a liar) throughout the whole process.

This is all very unfortunate as I found that the students were lovely and a joy to work with. I hope that this hagwon can change their management style in the future, if only for the sake of the kids.

Mon, Oct 7, 8:54PM

I recommend not working here, and if you are considering working here, I highly recommend that you reconsider. Although it is an �international school,� it has no system and is worse than any academy or hagwon. Because there is no clear system, there is always chaos and drama and unnecessary stress on teachers as things are changed or decided at the last minute. They have no set curriculum for many of their classes. There is a *****, but there is only the position. There is a lack of any sort of leadership role, so there is always a lot of confusion. There is also a lack of financial resources, so it does not matter why teachers need supplies. When they request the items they need, the administrative staff decides if they need it. Teachers feel burdened by requesting to buy materials, so they often purchase class items at their own expense. Therefore, you would feel uncomfortable buying things. When a teacher is absent due to illness or other reasons and there is a cover class, the ****** has a lack of planning and seems to favor certain teachers when choosing a substitute teacher. The ****** always encourages confusion in relationships with people by lying and coordinating behind people�s backs. As for the contract part, they try to play tricks and not follow the contract closely. When teachers take measure to sort out the problems, they make ridiculous jokes because they just follow the contracts from the headquarters. The ownership is incompetent and has no idea how to run the school. They also don�t organize parent teacher conferences and have teachers do many meetings during their break time, not allowing them adequate time to plan for their classes. There is also no consideration in scheduling to make life easier for teacher. Loading many classes on one day and putting all break times on another day. With all of this chaos, there has been a high turnover rate with both administration and teachers, with nearly no returning members from when the school first opened. It is ridiculous that a place without an elementary school system is expanding to middle and high schools.

Oct 5, 2024, 4:09PM

I worked at Daejeon POLY for one year (I finished the contract). The entire management staff are the issue here.

I actually loved my students, and put a lot of effort to have a good relationship with my Korean co teacher. Even though her English was TERRIBLE. And I do mean terrible. She couldn't even put a single sentence together and FLED when us FTs met our co teachers for the first time, which felt bad as everyone else was happily conversing away, talking about classroom decorations and whatnot. I didn't hold it against her, I held it against management, whose job it was to hire co teachers that have at least conversational English ability. Pretty hilarious, considering the Korean co-teachers are expected to speak in English only to the kids, as POLY's everywhere have a very strict EOP (English only policy).

Due to her shitty English, there were a lot of communication issues between what I wanted her to relay to the parents and what was actually said. Not only this, she blamed me for her own mistakes (it was her first year doing this kind of job) to the parents so I had a bad rep for most of the year, despite the kids all doing phenomenal test wise and no matter how much they improved, the parents still hated me because of her. I experienced a lot of gaslighting with Korean staff before, but she really took the cake. Even after the open class, and seeing even my lowest level kids speak in full English sentences and do extremely well, my co teacher did her best to make sure the parents knew it was all because of her. (Which is hilarious, because the one "class" the co teachers do is literally just a comprehension checking worksheet to make sure that the kids understand what I already taught).

A lot of teachers were micromanaged. I wasn't, but I constantly saw teachers being pulled out of their classrooms to get scolded for what I considered minor stuff, which they obviously only knew about through watching teachers through CCTV or being in their classes for the entire time. I'm all for managers offering assistance or ways to improve a lesson, but these managers seemed to only be interested in berating and LOOKING for ways to belittle the teachers rather than help them.

The management team as a whole can be summed up from the re-contract period while I was there. There were a lot of FTs at that branch (20+) and of those, only 3 decided to re-sign; two of which were offered Head Teacher positions (which, if you ever worked for POLY means an extra 100,000 a month and a TON of responsibility). Not only did they wait until the last possible second to decide to ask teachers if they'd like to stay (mere weeks before contracts were up), they were cocky and assumed everyone would. The first wave of teachers of course said they were leaving, so they got more and more desperate. At first, they hardly offered anything outside of the traditional +100,0000 per month raise. Hilariously mentioned they dont have to give raises, and offered an additional 4 days of paid leave like they were doing us a huge favor, as though it wasn't in Korean labor law. Then, they started getting really desperate and started offering pretty large raises. If you've ever had a re-contract meeting, then you can take a guess how bad the job is if you refuse +400,000 a month raise just to stay a second year.

The cherry on top was that despite being one of their best teachers there, not only did I not get a good recommendation but I heard from prospective employers they actually bad mouthed me and told straight up ***** just to try to screw me over from getting another job. Petty as they come.

Workplace toxicity from top to bottom, I'm not sure how the management team got their jobs, but until they're all fired or transfer to another campus (it's been known to happen at POLYs) steer clear from this one unless you enjoy being berated for actually trying to do a good job.

Fri, Oct 4, 2024 8:51AM

Working at Mavens has been an incredibly frustrating experience for many. From day one, teachers feel undervalued and overworked. The expectation to arrive 30 minutes before contracted time without pay is unreasonable, and if they�re not walking in the door exactly on time, they face scrutiny.

Prep time is virtually nonexistent unless a student cancels, which is absurd. Teachers are required to use ChatGPT to create homework based on news articles, but there�s zero training on how to do this effectively. When feedback comes, it often feels like blame rather than guidance, leading to a toxic atmosphere.

The demands don�t stop there. They�re expected to send encouraging emails, follow up on class sign-ups, and chase after students who haven�t completed their homework�all during those precious few minutes when a student cancels. To add insult to injury, teachers were pressured to work through illnesses like COVID and influenza, and one colleague was even threatened with calls to immigration while they were in the ER.

Management's tactics are alarming, including xxxxxx. The so-called "mandatory" Saturdays seem selectively enforced, targeting those the administration doesn�t favor. Salary gets xxxxxxx. At the end of your shift you cannot leave until someone at the front desk checks all your daily notes. And as everyone leaves around the same time, it's a rush to get there first.

Teachers have been banned from using the staff room, supposedly to prevent a "revolution." If they manage to work a split shift, they get a half-hour break, but taking it is frowned upon.

To top it off, the location near City Hall means constant protest disruptions, making commuting a nightmare and if you happen to have your office on the eastern side the noise from protests and sirens made it hard to hear the students.

Overall, Mavens lacks proper training, support, and respect for its staff as employees and as humans.

Thu, Sep 26, 2024 3:49AM

Unless you are 3+ years into teaching ESL in Korea I would avoid MapleBear Bundang at all costs. This is not a place for people looking to try out Korea - find a traditional hagwon for that. It is an all consuming job with no curriculum, misplaced management energy, and a very tough parent clientele. To be clear being a teacher in other countries probably will not help you in managing Korean standards.

The Korean teachers are great, the kids are not destructive, and operation managers at this location are helpful.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. From what happened there I would say again if you are seasoned in Korean Academies then you will should be fine.

Wed, Sep 25, 2024 10:47PM

At FTK Bucheon, you are overworked and in a constant state of stress. You are expected to create activities and supplemental materials among many (many!) other admin tasks in a very minimal amount of prep time, and usually at very short notice. This is because the curriculum is inappropriate for the kids, even though native teachers have been warning about this for years. Also, every 6-8 weeks a new cycle of testing begins and your workload doubles with no extra prep time or even consideration for your workload. During the busiest and more stressful times, admin will also schedule make-up classes for individual students who missed your (or other teachers) classes, which will be thrown at short notice and take your entire prep time that day. It is moments like that, where you get overwhelmed, that you're made to feel crazy for not being able to complete your work on time. I consider myself an organized, hard-working and caring teacher but could NEVER keep up with the workload.

There is very little regard for us as human beings from admin. They don't see us as qualified teachers, so our opinions aren't heard. We lived on the whims of parent opinions - if one parent made a complaint, suddenly the whole school had to make a new rule which often conflicted with an existing rule so it felt chaotic. We are also not given the legal minimum amount of self-chosen vacation days and so be ready to be burned out! Not 100% awful but avoid if you can

Tue, Sep 24, 2024 at 10:29AM

Retention rate is extremely low. Rarely given constructive criticism and schedules changed often monthly. Prep time is our official break times, often not until 4:30. When I joined no specific dates were listed on my official first contract. Coworker was told that she had to continue working past her end date because the year ended the first pay day, not the day she started. Overall school is not organized and events are left to teachers to organize with little instruction.

Sun, Sep 22, 2024 5:12AM

At first glance the school seems to be an International school but is far from it. If you thought you had great mental health this school will prove you wrong. After teaching at this school you will doubt your abilities as a teacher and leave teaching all together. This has happened to multiple teachers and they were great teachers and advocates for the students. You will be gaslighted to the extent that you will go home believing everything that has been said. The school's approach is that they pay your salary so they own you and that includes your personal time. Favoritism is a huge thing. You will be treated based on how much you are liked. No ownership will be taken for things that has been said or agreed upon. Please remember this is a business! The school has an extremely high teacher turn over rate and this will be blamed on people they have "fired" (whom have resigned).

Fri, Sep 20, 2024 6:31PM

Do not work at DYB Pohang. The director is not kind at all and you�ll quickly realize it�s a toxic environment. You�ll receive conflicting instructions that change frequently, and important information about new students and lesson changes may not be communicated, leaving you confused. Some KTs will distract your students and wait for you to make mistakes to report. Expect constant meetings about class preparation, and you may even be asked to change your accent.

FTs are treated like clowns, always expected to perform while KTs dictate what you should do, leaving you feeling inadequate. You�ll be expected to perform miracles and predict students' needs without proper guidance. You�ll be pushed to meet unrealistic expectations and are expected to smile through it all. You�ll be asked to teach during your first week with minimal training and resources, only to be critiqued later on policies and teaching methods. While the apartments might be decent, the stress of working here is not worth it. You�ll live in constant fear of being fired and feel like you're treated poorly. Please reconsider before accepting a position.

Thu, Sep 12, 2024 10:40AM

Has their favorite teachers, and those who aren�t are made to feel terrible. It felt like you could never do anything right because rules changed every day depending on their mood. For example scolded one day for not having extra work ready when the children finished their main classwork. The very next day, coming prepared with a worksheet for early finishers, and being scolded for �overworking� the children. You can�t win. Teachers (besides one or two) are not valued whatsoever. Zero communication. Extremely rude. Fosters a very toxic environment within the school. Was left crying on multiple occasions. Don�t do it. You�ll be sweet talked well, but the reality is much different.

Sep 5, 2024, 4:40PM

DO NOT GO HERE

Your days will be spent making plans only to be asked to change them 10 minutes before time then criticized for not doing well enough.

Administratively they will not come through. I will not say the specifics, but believe me, you will have problems.... serious problems that lead back to very important things like your v*** renewal and filing t****.

Socially, it's tiring, fake, gossip-y, and there is a lot of cruel commentary and talking behind other people's backs.

Lots of micromanaging except no one knows what is actually going on and if you ask for clarification they will physically run away from you.

Books are made by ****** and are wrought with grammatical errors. Kids don't learn anything properly and just become experts at copying from the board. Frequent incidents between kids that are pushed aside or covered up rather than dealt with.

******* will outright lie and then laugh about it. They also behave in a way that makes many employees uncomfortable and makes an effort to see employees outside of work.

Sat, Aug 31, 3:39PM

This school used to be a decent place to work, but the Bundang location has gone downhill lately.

Current issues:

Management has changed a lot over the past year. For years, teachers have been told the campus would "relocate" to a new building nearby, but it's always "next year." As a result of this anticipated move that never seems to happen, upper management is unwilling to provide proper funding to the Bundang location. The students and teachers have stopped being a priority.

There�s a lot of missing or inconsistent information given to both parents and teachers about these changes. This has led to a mass exodus of students, with entire classes leaving the school. I worry that the remaining teachers may resign before the move, and then they�ll be scrambling to find replacements. I feel it�s prudent to warn other teachers who might be researching this school�here's your warning.

Several highly qualified teachers have either been "let go" or pushed out as a result.

As class sizes shrink, teachers are being told they must work at other campuses within the franchise or face being sacked. We're also being told not to report the change in location immigration. To make matters worse, teachers are expected to commute over an hour to these other campuses.

Funding for events and supplies has been steadily cut back.

Teachers have been pulled from classrooms and told to prepare for new students, only for management to change their minds. Those without a class are left sitting in empty rooms or cleaning out storage.

During a two-week summer break, the school had no ventilation, and mould spread alarmingly throughout the classrooms.

Teachers and students started getting ill. We were told that professional cleaning services were hired, but in reality, the maintenance staff just painted over the mould.

Wed, Aug 28, 6:07PM

This private academy opened at the end of 2023 by the same who runs xxxxxx area. DUX focuses on essay writing, so the teachers must always check the journals for spelling mistakes, and it can be very time consuming to check so many writing journals. So there is a lot of out of class prepping. The new academy aims for higher level students but the majority of the students are way below the class level. Some students can't even read or write a basic sentence but are expected to write an essay. The books are impossible to complete within the given time frame and way above the students level. The hours are long and very little break time for the teachers, working 8 hours a day and a small break time. During the summer camp we worked 11 hours and also a very miniscule break time. We also must write student reports every month and the report has to be 5 paragraphs long. This job might be suitable for a person who really really loves teaching and has a lot of energy to teach and doesn't need time to eat and can also read minds because the person in charge isn't the best communicator.

Tue, Aug 27, 9:51PM

I'd like to add another SLP to this list.

A higher-up was recently fired for a lack of leadership and leaving the academy at or before the time when the teachers start working. This made work more complicated as administration was completely detached from how things should be done when starting a new session, including meetings, but administration has taken charge of these duties rather than hire another person to. They hire anybody to teach, which has resulted in great disturbances to the work flow such as frequent schedule changes. When classes get exchanged, you are expected to know every last detail about that class even if you've never taught it before which is just completely unrealistic. There is so much misinformation and lies spread around that no one knows what is happening. With report cards being written monthly, it's nearly impossible to stay organized and sane. There are only two printers available for printing for around 20 teachers, but they often break or are just unresponsive. They keep adding more admin work and classes without hiring new teachers when others leave so the workload has significantly increased without pay or break increases. That being said, there is no actual break time or meals provided by the academy for afternoon teachers.

Aug 27, 2024, 5:39PM

I feel it is essential to share my experience at Fastrackids Bucheon (Sangdong), highlighting several critical issues that future employees should carefully consider before accepting a position.

Disorganized and Profit-Driven Management: The administration prioritizes financial gain over the well-being of students and staff. Decisions are often erratic, and some xxxxxxxx treat teachers poorly, fostering a toxic work environment.

Inappropriate Curriculum: Kindergarten students are taught material far beyond their level, and teachers are unfairly blamed when students struggle. Native teachers often lack resources, curricula, and preparation time.

Overwhelming Workload: Teachers are burdened with numerous responsibilities and minimal prep time, making it difficult to manage effectively.

Unstable Housing Arrangements: Teachers may be asked to relocate mid-year during work hours with little notice and no assistance. High utility bills and inadequate support add to the instability.

Compensation Issues: Xxxxxxxxxx

Racial and Gender Xxxxxxx: Xxxxxxxxxx

Toxic Work Environment: Negative behavior among KT and NT xxxxx is common, with conflicts often left unresolved by management.

Student Welfare Neglect: Behavioral issues are unfairly blamed on teachers, with inadequate supervision and safety concerns for students.

Poor Hygiene: Restrooms and classrooms are poorly maintained, with basic necessities often lacking.

Intimidation Tactics: Xxxxxxxxx

Poor Communication: The management's communication is severely lacking, often leaving teachers uninformed and unprepared for changes or expectations.

High Turnover Rate: A significant number of teachers leave within the first three months. This year alone, four teachers have quit, reflecting the challenging and unsupportive work environment.

Prospective employees should thoroughly evaluate their options before accepting a position at this academy.

Aug 17, 2024, 11:18AM

Dirty classrooms, furniture falling apart, chaotic and disorganized, xxxxx will throw you under the bus. It�s a really awful place to work. low salary. Extremely high turnover of teachers and staffers. A few people even left Korea because of them.

Aug 14, 2024, 10:54AM

I BEG YOU DO NOT WORK FOR THIS COMPANY. I saw another creverse location already black listed here but a recruiter assured me since it's a different branch I had nothing to worry about. BOY WAS I WRONG!! Not only is this branch completely hands off, with little to no english speaking employees working as xxxxx (and tasked with helping the English teachers get visas, file paperwork etc) but they also go back on their word. (i.e xxxxxxxx will be reimbursed, then after I fronted the bill they stated they will not be reimbursing me, and many more instances such as these). Though I can not include claims of illegal activity due to group rules I MUST warn you do NOT go to this company and do NOT trust a certain recruiter who might push you for this position. Please be safe out there!

Tue, Aug 6, 8:52AM

Do not work at this school if you value your mental health. It is a hagwon disguised as a private elementary school. When I started working there, everyone seemed very kind and welcoming; however, I quickly noticed how toxic the working environment was.

First, there is a poor work-life balance. English teachers are consistently forced to prioritize work over their personal lives. I cannot count how often I've had to come to work on a weekend or an off day (school anniversary, etc.) to complete grading students' assignments, book reports, etc. You have to teach 24 classes during the week, create and do monthly quizzes, final tests, monthly lesson plans, monthly student reports, book reports, and progress reports, judge speech competitions, help the Korean teachers during sports day, and have open classes with parents.

Second, everyone will know your business. Gossiping is the norm at this workplace. I've never been in a working environment where staff members were consistently told a person's personal business. There are also a lot of cliques. Some teachers will speak to each other, while others won't. Some will have a personal vendetta against you, and you don't even know what you did to them.

Third, poor communication. There is always a lack of clarity or miscommunication about the teachers' expectations, assignments, deadlines, etc.

I have a lot more to say about the place, but it would go against the guidelines of this page, so I will stop here.

Sun, Aug 4, 7:20AM

I have no words for how truly bad this hagwon is, I'm surprised it's not already on the blacklist multiple times. This school is a revolving door of both native teachers and Korean teachers quitting and doing midnight runs. Even the kids are dropping out regularly. They will micro manage you constantly and interrupt classes and embarrass you in front of other colleagues and students. Teachers are burnt out due to the curriculum being so messed up and constantly angry parents as there is no structure/ materials and major favoritism and bullying of the students. The xxxxx has never had an academy before this and uses it as an excuse given at any inconvenience despite it being open for almost 2 years now. Obviously no research was done before opening. The native teachers are required to prepare everything and come up with all ideas for events with no time to do it except in lunch breaks or 5 minute bathroom breaks. The kids are always in the classroom and even around you in the teachers lunch room when you try to eat. They have no play room or gym so they run riot and there is no office or private teachers room so you have no privacy to do work without screaming kids. Any free time you have will be filled with classes so you quite literally teach non stop from 9-6. There is only 1 korean classroom assistant there to help 4 native teachers now and no cleaner so you must clean your classroom too after they eat snacks, lunch and in between classes. The environment is so toxic and stressful and my mental health was at an all time low there due to the passive aggressiveness and lack of empathy. You will get messages outside of work hours and calls too. You will also have to spend your own money if you want any materials as they seems to be in financial ruin. Please do not consider this place because on the outside it sounds much better than it is and they will not listen to any feedback given by experienced teachers.

Fri, Jul 26, 11:07AM

I'd like to add Elefuntree aka Alley Fun Tree at Hwaseong (now moved to Dasa) to the black list. XXxxxxx has no idea how to function. Not only does the xxxxx show blatant bias towards some staff over others, they are very rude to everyone who's not favored. There is no communication between what you're doing wrong until the mistake has been made for months, then you suddenly get a harsh and unprofessional final warning. The school loves to overwork their foreign employees and take advantage of them. STAY AWAY from this company!

Sat, Jul 13, 2:37AM

Working at Twinkle Songdo is a decision I regret. You are a total work horse there! When Twin.kle states, �escape the ordinary�, what they mean is escape the ordinarily fair working conditions you�re probably accustomed to working if you happen to be from a nation that has stringent worker�s rights and protections. For context, I was a non-fiction teacher there and was slammed with a 30 hour teaching schedule off the bat.

Your time is definitely exploited as is your mental health. The teaching material at Twinkle isn't your ordinary one, so lots of prepping. When I say a lot, I mean it! It is very dense. Between all the lesson planning, marking and administrative tasks you have to conduct, (e.g., monthly homework schedules, daily parent communication via chat, and micromanaging) you feel squeezed. And there are no actual resources that come coupled with the lessons, just the books and maybe some YouTube videos. Also, my '30 minute' lunch break was never really honored as I often had to gulp down my dinner and stress about prepping stuff for the next three-hour class block. Moreover, you get about an hour of paid work time before students show up for class to do all the aforementioned unless you don't because there are weekly meetings that eat into that time. There was no tenable way for me to manage the aforementioned in a qualitative way, which was a requisite of course, without having my personal time taken advantage of.

For context, let me share a vivid memory of how I felt squeezed. In a given day, I had to manage marking extremely LONG stories written by students daily. As a teacher, I was happy to read the written work by our bright students, but what was stressful was having to mark eight students writing in a span of three separate five-minute breaks before the end of the three-hour class. Here�s what�s interesting though. You don�t actually have time to mark them because during class, you have to teach the dense material that is beholden to a strict book schedule and during the breaks, you�re constantly bombarded by students trying to guess answers to the daily riddles on the walls for them to collect Class Dojo points, so where was the time for me to mark I still wonder? When I made this point, I never got any meaningful answers other than my time management sucked and that I had to get adjusted.

You WILL be constantly criticized and micromanaged thereafter. I was not privileged to the reasons for the onslaught of criticisms I received, but I worked hard to receive them in a meaningful way. One major criticism I got had to do with how I marked student�s writings, but you know the context. However, what became clear over time was the absence of any leadership within the school and the broader Twin.kle network. The managers on site were clearly inexperienced and I understood why as they�ve only worked for Twin.kle. Varying perspectives, meeting someone at eye level and leadership were sorely lacking. Lots of groupthink. What was ironic about all of it was the incongruency to which I was praised and criticized by the same individuals. In the end, I attributed the ineffective leadership of those individuals to their youth and inexperience and Twin.kle�s culture.

I resigned from Twin.kle on good terms. I came to Korea to not only teach, but have leisure time too. Luckily, I was able to do this as I was on an F visa, which allowed for me to have greater autonomy on where I chose to work in South Korea. Here�s my advice. If you�re thinking of working at Twin.kle, don�t! They may pay a smidgen more than other places, but considering the volume of work and the intensity of the curriculum, it just isn�t worth it unless you really want to be challenged. I fell for all the fluff about wonder and the vision of reforming education, but in my experience, the students there are already gifted because they test in and quite stressed by Twin.kle�s work load in my opinion.

In summary, Twin.kle is part of the very problem that they aim to cure, so find a school that won�t exhaust and overwork you and its students. If you�re someone like me who wants to be a good teacher and seeks an engaging and innovative workplace that will stimulate your professional growth, trust me, Twin.kle isn�t it albeit appearances.

Sat, Jul 21, 10:10AM

I've been meaning to write this for quite a while now. Do not even consider this job if you care about your own well-being. This place has a cycle where teachers quit after just one year. Out of 10 teachers, I believe only 2 actually worked there long-term. In terms of all the administrative stuff, this place was alright. The bare minimum expectations were met. Salary was paid on time, vacation days were given.

However, xxxxxx side with teacher interaction and workload were the worst part. You will be spoken down to with rudeness, passive aggressiveness, a lack of empathy and respect, and as if you're stupid. This will happen most days of the week and will happen one-on-one, amongst other teachers, and even in front of the kids. If you don't understand something right away, you will be spoken down to. If you make a minor mistake, you will be spoken down to. If you don't follow the lesson perfectly, you will be spoken down to. This is the type of place where you will be scared to ask questions because you will be told that you should know everything already. This place needs to find management that actually knows how to speak to people. Otherwise, I think they will keep losing teachers on a regular basis.

The workload was the other worst part. Even though your contract will have defined working hours, I'm sorry to say that won't be entirely true. Just to keep up with the workload, most nights you will have to work at home after work. One type of homework given to the students is recordings. These will take the bulk of your time. Checking and correcting all of this homework takes about 2-4 hours depending on the day. You do have prep time before class to check these, but then you're left with no time to actually prep your classes. Then there was also lots of other homework to check. These kids are given more writing homework in books and writing homework online. There's a bunch of other stuff to mention, but to get to the point, you will have to work outside of your contracted hours every single week.

So if you want a job with an always tense working environment, xxxxxx that speaks down to you every week, and no resting and recharging time after work, then consider this job. Otherwise, please think of your own mental and emotional health.

Sat, Jul 20, 8:22AM

I strongly advise against working here if you don't want to be treated poorly. The workload is excessive, and there�s a complete lack of respect and appreciation for your efforts.

The school�s situation is rapidly deteriorating. The management is clueless, and the headteacher lacks authority and direction. Since March, over three foreign teachers have quit and returned to their home countries.

The provided housing is dreadful and small. The curriculum is disorganized and ineffective; the textbooks are not beneficial for the students. The STEAM and STEM programs are chaotic, and we are often required to add to the incomplete work left by previous teachers who had quit. By March, we discovered that 5 of the 7 foreign teachers had quit, a fact hidden from new hires.

Facilities are inadequate, with only two adult toilets, both mixed-gender and offering no privacy due to open-door designs.

The treatment of Korean teachers is also poor. Foreign teachers openly discuss their salaries, revealing significant pay disparities. Less experienced teachers often earn more, leading to favoritism and neglect of others. Positive feedback is nonexistent; instead, faults are found in everything you do.

In summary, working here is a massive headache. Avoid this place like the plague.

Wed, Jul 10, 6:11AM

I worked at Bano Willy during that time we always had to work during our lunch hour, during my time there native and Korean teachers were overworked. Xxxxxxxx who hires misrepresents the job greatly.

Tue, Jul 9, 10:32AM

Please please please be very wary when applying or worse excepting a job at Rira English Academy in Cheongju. The environment is extremely toxic and some of the Korean teachers are very difficult to work with and go behind your back in order to increase their own standing at the academy. Then there is the xxxxxxxxxxxx (who) does not see or value you as a person but rather a work horse and as for your wellbeing - I'm not sure that word is even in her vocabulary! Korea is an amazing country and if you are lucky enough to come here, please do your research throughly before accepting an offer to ensure you get a good school. I've heard that there are a lot of nice Hagwons but sadly Rira English Academy is not one of them.

Jul 5, 2024, 6:03PM

Please be wary when applying for BHCS Big Heart Christian School located in Jukjeon, Yongin, Gyeonggido. I have seen their job ad on xxxxxxxxxxx. At last check they were hiring for SEVERAL positions without detailing the exact duration of the expected work period, only the start of the work period but not the end. They brand themselves as a religious xxxxxxxxx International School but are not registered with the local xxxxxxxx even after xxxxxxx years in business. They rely on the tuition paid by wealthy parents of xxxxxxxxxx school students as their xxxxxxxxxxx graduates do not write the Korean university entrance examination but all apply for admission in foreign universities, namely xxxxxxxxx universities and so write the SAT. As a money-making and cost-cutting strategy they only give ten-month long contracts to teachers which means that even after the teacher successfully completes the contract, they are not entitled to pay severance pay to the teacher. They only xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx pay to teachers, who renew their contract and set to begin a second year of teaching after summer break. I was originally given a letter of intent in the spring asking for my response to their wish to renew my contract but they suddenly changed their mind xxxxxx weeks later when I tried to arrange a meeting to negotiate the renewal contract which was never written up. I was not even given an apology from the xxxxxxxxx regarding the sudden change.

The xxxxxxxxxx who is in charge of xxxxxxxx and his family of four run the school together as a family. His xxxxxxxxxx is the principal of the primary school division, xxxxxxxxx is a xxxxxxx and his xxxxxxxx has a title related to managing the attendance records, but xxxx came to work only twice all school year. The family of four all receive salaries and severance pay in accordance to the titles that they were appointed among themselves. On average, they only come to work, two to three times a week but some weeks they do not come to work at all. You can see that this is a family business that takes advantage of the perks and privileges of being the family that runs the school. There was a time in the past that they ran the school while briefly living abroad in the xxxxxxx as they have xxxxxxxxxx residency ties as well. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. The school is able to reduce their expenses by not paying two months of summer vacation to teachers who do not teach summer school and because contracts are less than 12 months long, they can get away with xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

I was given a warning for my performance just two months beore the end of my 10-month long contract because of some issues which I was able to improve but one day before meeting with several members of the xxxxxxxxx, I found a really harsh critique of my performance written by xxxxxxxxx addressed to xxxxxxxxx and that printout was just left on a shared printer in the copy room for several hours for other teachers to see, which showed the lack of professionalism on the part of xxxxxxxxxx. The school does pay on time and the cafeteria food is fair but the teacher has to pay 300,000 won per semester out of pocket to pay for lunch if they don't pack their own lunch. The accommodation provided was fair but it is an uphill walk or drive to the school, as the school is located on a steep hill, and parking on the steep hill can put stress on the parking brakes after a full school year as my car experienced. Be careful for unpleasant surprises and if you have limited options, do negotiate for the best possible conditions for yourself as they are hard and stingy negotiators. Don't sell yourself short and if their offer is well short, don't be afraid to walk away. It is their loss.

Tue, Jul 2, 10:06PM

I worked there for a while and got to know the school well. Honestly, I wouldn�t recommend working there unless you enjoy chaos. There's no level of desperation where it would be worth working here.

It's disorganized, and even the elementary students notice. The STEM curriculum they brag about? Almost nonexistent. You�ll end up creating all the class materials yourself. The xxxxxx and xxxx are barely managing.

Most people are overworked, and teacher turnover is high. Leaders are constantly dealing with complaints from demanding parents and will do anything to appease them. The whole place feels like it could collapse at any moment.

Despite this chaos, they keep opening new campuses without investing in teachers or academics. This is a bottom-tier international school, if you can even call it that. It's a hagwon pretending to be one, which is a risky gray area xxxxxxx. Xxxxxxxxxxx. You�ll thank me later.

Jul 1, 2024, 9:29AM

This academy has a history of various issues, which warrant careful consideration before taking up a position here.

You are often made to feel like you are always in the wrong, and it's never just about the work. You are constantly reminded that this is a business, and they use this to justify their threatening behavior.

The xxxxxxxx acts as a mouthpiece for very impatient and very angry management. They are ready not just to micro-manage but to tear apart any mistakes you've made, even those that seasoned teachers could make. Their expectations are extremely high while their patience is very low, creating a toxic power dynamic. This environment is particularly harsh for those trying to find their footing, with power trips from management being the norm.

They have a high number of midnight runners (teachers who leave without notice) and frequent firings. These issues affect not only foreign teachers but also Korean teachers, with former teachers issuing warnings through friends.

The long history of hagwons (private academies) cutting corners is evident here, to the extent that even seasoned teachers, both foreign and Korean, find fault in these behaviors.

It might be wise to avoid working here, as doing so could teach these choosy beggars that unfair treatment will eventually have consequences.

Thu, Jun 27, 10:05PM

I would avoid this school at all costs no matter how desperate you are.

They claim to be a Christian Montessori academy but this couldn't be further from the truth. It is a hagwon that forces employees to undertake Montessori work with no training or qualifications.

They lie about what is truly happening. By the time you realise what has happened, you will have been a teacher, a janitor, a nurse and a punching bag.

*****.

Your Korean co-teacher is your inclass boss and will constantly belittle you even though this kind of position requires qualified individuals and not *****.

They have a 3- 6 month probation period where you only get paid *****

They will promise on-the-job training and provide nothing or condemn you to 4 hours a week of evening training (***** )

The after-hour training is unpaid and you will not be supported xxxxxxxx at all.

Fri, Jun 21, 7:46PM

I'd like to warn everyone about ECL Academy located in Incheon.

If you see their job ad, they admit they are NOT covered under the Labor Standards Act. That's a big red flag. No one should work without minimal legal protections. There are many technical reasons to avoid these situations, but one of the big ones is that smaller operations have more leeway in firing employees, and oftentimes that is done to save money on return airfare and 1-month severance bonuses, among other reasons.

ECL senior staff prefers not to train new employees, they prefer a more seasoned applicant, (but not too seasoned) which is a recipe for disaster. No one is a mind-reader, and without knowing the standards and the rules, there will always be conflict.

Additionally, the job ad highly encourages "creativity" and "personalization" of lesson plans which is code word for, "You have to make your own materials," which is extremely time-consuming. Their schedule has 12-2pm of prep time, which is usually used for lesson planning because they expect everyone to make their own materials. You are a teacher, not a curriculum and design specialist. They should have curriculum for each teacher to use and modify. They are fairly new, they likely haven't built up any resources yet. -Check that.

All users should do a deep dive on these and other questions before signing a contract with ECL. Ask for a full weekly schedule to see if there are enough legal break times during the day so as to avoid excessive stress and burn-out. -Check, check, and check again.

Be smart, good luck out there!

Jun 7, 2024, 3:51AM

I would like to add InBloom Academy (which may also go by InBloom Institute) to the hagwon blacklist.

Let me start by saying that there are two branches that currently exist for this hagwon. One branch is located in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do. The other branch is located in Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do. While you may think one branch may be safer than the other, you would be mistaken. Why? Because xxxxxxxxxx.

As long as you are agreeable, you will be liked. As long as you are willing to dance on some puppet strings, you will be liked. If ******** doesn�t like something you say, do, or even think, they will demonize you in conversations with other people. ******** will always be thinking of ways to inconvenience you or make you suffer. All while wearing a smile on their face.

******** is an emotional decision-maker, so you�ll want to keep that in mind if you ever find yourself interviewing for a job at the academy. That means that if ******** is in a good mood, you�ll be able to breathe easily. However, if ******** is in a bad mood, you�ll be walking on eggshells until their mood shifts with the tide.

Let�s move on to payment.

This job offers race-to-the-bottom rates. You will have a hard time negotiating for a higher salary because ******** refuses to acknowledge that things like inflation exist. Almost everyone who ends up leaving this academy states that money is the reason for their departure. The academy has had several staff members quit within a matter of months from each other due to the low pay rates and unreasonable working conditions. And if they don't quit? They're fired and replaced with cheaper labor. Instead of hiring full-time staff with better pay, ******** prefers to hire part-time staff with worse pay, so they can be cycled between the branches.

Yep, you read that right. ******** makes teachers teach at both branches. ******** prefers to hire a handful of yes-men who will do whatever�s asked without objection. And if you�re thinking that working at both branches comes with some incentive like bonuses or better pay, think again. You will not be reimbursed for traveling between the branches either, so it really is a lose-lose situation for you no matter how you look at it. ******** only offers housing allowance (if they bother to offer anything), so if you're looking for a job that provides accommodation, you're better off looking somewhere else. The housing allowance is laughable to say the least, and it is probably one of the lowest allowances being offered these days.

If you're wondering about the workload, you're in luck. It's not too strenuous at all. However, ******** is extremely disorganized. As a result, schedules are always being changed at the last minute, so good luck with trying to prep beforehand. Of course, you have to be able to adjust to these abrupt changes in the blink of an eye and without any complaints. If you find yourself wanting to discuss any issues or hoping to suggest a better solution for these problems, you�ll end up on the chopping block. None of the staff likes ********. They have all complained about the things mentioned above and more. That is why people are always being rotated in and out of the academy. It doesn't help that ******** has managed to lose an alarming number of employees (through resignations or dismissals) within a one-year period.

Wed, Jun 5, 2024 6:48AM

To be fair, I don�t know if things have improved at the school for the current group of new teachers after ALL the previous foreign teachers, including myself and two Korean teachers QUIT! This was the SECOND time ALL the foreign teachers quit except one within a few years of opening the school.

*PLEASE READ THAT AGAIN*

I was so excited to work for the school in the beginning because during the interview, I was told it was play-based learning, a refreshing change from previous hagwons where I�d worked. When I asked about the curriculum, I was told not to worry about that because I�d be the �homeroom teacher� for the youngest ones (4 to 5 year-olds) who only use a few books, a �premade curriculum� and again play-based. It turns out that I was also teaching 2 to 3 year-olds which I was not expecting to do.

I discovered that this was actually a Korean-style school not an international school and the foreign teachers were NOT homeroom teachers but were to follow the lead of the Korean teachers which was not made clear during the interview. Lack of transparency comes to mind.

Things did not go well and here are the lowlights:

�Overall chaotic and toxic work environment

�Books/materials not available, lacking or not delivered in time for class

�A few Korean teachers would gather in the classroom and have full loud conversations during my lessons

�Numerous employees cried at work myself included

�School lunch provided for students and teachers that wasn�t eaten, was often reused for lunch the next day and sometimes the day after too. Sometimes hair was found in the food.

�Not allowed to order your lunch so made to eat the used food.

�Foreign teachers manipulated through gossip.

So many other things that I can�t mention here. Trust. Find another school.

Wed, Jun 5, 2024 6:48AM

Sierra Canyon Seoul staff have been screwed over from December 2023 to the closing of the school in June 2024 - with monthly late payments of at least 10 days and notice thereof given on the day we were supposed to get paid (even on the promised delayed payment days, were salaries also delayed a few times).

In the first 3 months of 2024, The director was fired (for insisting on better practices and in this way not following what he was told), and 3 teachers left.

On May 20, 2024 we were called into a meeting to advise us that the school will be "suspending" their services and the last day for all staff would be June 28.

The school will not be closing down completely, but rather laying off staff in order to save money to plan better for when they open again. I'm writing this to warn anyone that might come across this school in the future to stay away no matter how much money they offer. Poor management and inconsiderate attitude toward teachers is their MO.

Wed, May 29, 2024 1:33PM

Working here was extremely stressful. It felt like working for modern-day Scrooges. During our first charity event, we received a certificate from the charity organisation acknowledging our donation (over five million won). However, a year later, after a similar event, we heard nothing about which organisation received the funds.

In most Korean workplaces, employees receive gifts for Chuseok or Seollal, but here, we have nothing. It's a clear sign of their stinginess which makes you realise how little they care about their employees. Here are a few more issues:

- Constantly changing weekly schedules

- Inconsistent salaries

- Short or unpaid vacations, especially during summer camp (with only 80% of the salary)

- No disciplinary action for troublesome students

- Writing almost two-page student reports for each student, which is a complete waste of time

May 24, 2024, 11:12PM

Good: housing is new and close by, salary is on time, xxxx is friendly and approachable (but has no say)

Bad: make the curriculum yourself, a lot of lesson planning (worksheets off the internet), a lot of unnecessary admin work (Kidsnote everyday, overviews, newsletters and more), no actual lunch break, change students for swimming classes, hand out snacks, clean your own classroom, a certain person was always spying on teachers on cctv, one or two event days in a month which require NTs to prepare and stay after work hours for, the salary doesn't match the workload, no overtime pay, dishonest about student's behavior and progress to parents, higher ups don't speak in English and don�t care about the high teacher turnover, there's no record of student's progress because they do not care about education or teaching so you can guess what type of kids you end up teaching, midnight runs, management give the parents the impression that this is a day care centre and all the parents wants will be met even if they have to squeeze it out the foreign teacher

Tue, May 21, 2024 10:47PM

School: KPI Institute / KPI Kids Education - Gangdong-gu, Seoul

Review:

KPI has recently changed their name and branding, but are still the same horrible institution. Please read the reviews about KPI or "Kangnam Pride Institute" and take every word seriously � if fact, they�ve only gotten worse since their recent blacklist posting. PLEASE do not work here. YOU WILL REGRET IT

Tue, May 21, 2024 at 8:02PM

I'd like to add Jin Academy in Oksu-dong, Seoul to the blacklist. They changed their name from Jin English Language Institute because they rebranded and added more subjects.

When I first came here, I�ve had multiple teachers and TAs warn me of the horrors of this hagwon before they quit (most of them before the end of their contract). Firstly, the workload is absolutely crazy and everything is so unorganized. Be ready to spend hours of overtime grading ON TOP OF the full 7-8 hours of teaching. Based on grading alone, teachers try to find their own way to keep up with the workload, whether it's staying up until 3-5 AM or waking up at 5-6 AM grading OUTSIDE of the hagwon, and the teachers' 1 hour break time per day are basically used to finish their work, do extra administrative work, do conferences, etc. Basically, no break time. The schedules and rooms change all the time, and both the teachers and students don't know anything: who's moving up and down, what room classes are, etc. It's just absolute chaos.

The craziest part of this hagwon is xxxxxxx. XXX holds grudges against the teachers for MONTHS, even over a simple administrative mistake, and will give you extra classes, change books without asking, force you into conferences with crazier parents, talk about you behind your back to other teachers to turn them against you, and treat you basically like you're invisible for the month. Meetings and group chats are a power trip for public humiliation: some meetings lasting almost an hour of straight monologue-ing by XXX to criticize a teacher while all of the other teachers sit there silently and listen to XXX rant. Many of the teachers, both part time and full time teachers, have tried talking to or even exploded at XXX multiple times throughout the years, only to be gaslit into submission or quit in frustration.

Inconsistencies in promises and in your contracts are the norm. Teachers through the 3rd party recruiters AND xxxxxx were told directly that they would not have to do parent-teacher conferences before they started. However, now, parent-teacher conferences, whether it's in person or an angry phone call not concerning you at all tossed over to you, are the norm. Incentives for admin work are promised to specific teachers, and as soon as you get on XXX's bad side, you just don't see it in your next paycheck even though your work stays the same. Teachers are verbally promised something by XXX, whether it�s a contract date, pay, etc., and then XXX goes back on their word, saying that they�ve never said such a thing.

CCTVs are reviewed and used as weapons, and XXX even has a folder of private conversations that teachers had with other teachers or students they deem problematic. And for vacation, 6 months have to be worked before you're even considered for a vacation. Vacations are also sparse (3 in the winter, 3 in the summer), but XXX convinces you to take 2 days instead (not even back to back) and take pay for the 3rd one.

I can go on for pages, but I left out the worst parts to follow the rules of the site. Working has given the teachers here so much stress and anxiety. Honestly, run away while you can.

May 21, 2024, 2:19PM

**Job Review: Ellen Langer Institute**

Working at Ellen Langer Institute has been a challenging experience, primarily due to the immense workload within very tight time frames. The demands placed upon teachers are often unrealistic, making it difficult to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Additionally, the behavior of some students is problematic, as they can be disrespectful and rude, yet they rarely face any consequences for their actions.

The institute clearly prioritizes the satisfaction of students and their parents over the well-being of its staff. This imbalance is evident in several instances, such as when native teachers have fallen seriously ill and required hospitalization. Instead of receiving support, these teachers have often been met with indifference or even anger from the administration. This lack of empathy extends to the end of contracts as well; when other native teachers requested their letters of release, the school's response was notably cold and uncooperative.

While Ellen Langer Institute may not be the worst among hagwons, the treatment of teachers and the overwhelming workload make it a place to avoid. The job demands and the lack of support from the administration significantly detract from the overall working experience.

Sun, May 19, 2024 10:11PM

This place was a hellscape to work in. I only managed to do a full year there because I didn't know any better.

They will xxxx to you repeatedly about your duties, like for example... Asking you to come on a company weekend vacation with the rest of the team. Sounds nice, right? They don't tell you that they expect you to babysit their kid while her and her friend go shopping.

They will tell you how to teach a class and then tell you you're doing it wrong, before completely switching what they want you to do and saying "This is what I wanted."

They will give you an apartment.... with no bed. I had to spend the first 2 nights sleeping on the couch before they bothered to help me look for a bed.

Then to top it all off, after my contract was up, they refused to pay me xxxxxxx and then charged me a cleaning fee for the apartment, despite the fact that the landlady and I (who was a lovely person) spent 4 hours cleaning out the apartment ourselves.

AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE

May 17, 2024, 8:01AM

I would like to add CANB Unjeong to the Blacklist

The work environment is very stressful. Hours are long with no breaks, or completely devoid of work.

School has a high turnover of native teachers, low pay, often working weekends or before opening hours.

There are equipment issues on a regular basis and issues with the program (we have been told we are beta testing). There are also frequent schedule changes on short or no notice.

We are under surveillance in our staffrooms and will often be reprimanded in front of students. Also have frequent visits and reviews from headquarters.

Would recommend avoiding like the plague.

Tue, May 14, 2024 at 1:44AM

I would like to add CCS Hagwon in Yongin City, Gyeongg-do to the Black List. To start, they tell every teacher when they are interviewed that the provided housing is a 5 minute walk from the school - in reality, it�s inside the school (and you still have to pay a 600,000 won deposit for it). CCS English Kindergarten and Pureun Korean Kindergarten are under the same ownership, so they will expect you to work at both schools for one (low) pay. Also, even though you are only allowed to teach conversational English on an E-2 visa, they will xxxxxx. During your first month of work, you will be training under another foreign teacher, so the school will claim you are not really working and try to pay you xxxxx of your monthly salary. The school will also change xxxxxxx without your consent and try to gaslight you into believing you signed it. Overall, if you value your mental and physical health, as well as your hard-earned money, avoid CCS Hagwon in Yongin City at all costs.

Fri, May 10, 2024 8:14 AM

This place is a xxxxxxx. I wish I could go into the specifics, but to adhere to the guidelines of this site, I will not be able to share certain details.

Firstly, be VERY vigilant. Check everything before accepting a job. Their contract is very long and wordy and could catch you out if you're not careful.

They have a very high turnover rate of teachers, with VERY few completing their contracts; many have quit months into the job.

The pay and hours are atrocious; they will squeeze as much out of you as possible. Expect pointless busywork, petty behavior, and ridiculous demands from xxxxxxxx.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. I have worked at many hagwons and have been teaching in Korea for many years; they were by far the worst employers I have ever had. Xxxxxxxxxxxx.

I would like to say more here, but PLEASE take my word for it and DO NOT SIGN WITH THIS HAGWON!!!

Mon, May 6, 2024 at 10:23 AM

Twinkle Academy, with branches in Seoul, Bundang, Ilsan, and online, presents a good program for students and parents. However, behind the facade of innovation and educational reform lies a troubling reality: the dismal treatment of its teaching staff. Despite priding itself on fostering critical thinking and curiosity in students, the school's treatment of teachers remains archaic, reminiscent of the disposable mindset common in many hagwons.

Teachers at Twinkle Academy, endure grueling working hours from 1 pm to 9 pm (yes, similar to many Hagwon's), but with a mere 20-minute break�an arrangement not only counterproductive to fostering sharp, energized educators but also xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. With seven hours of student contact time and only a brief 20-minute break squeezed in between, teachers are left exhausted and burnt out. Their concerns are dismissed with a callous "this works for our parents and students" attitude, contributing to a high staff turnover rate, particularly evident in the Bundang branch where almost all teachers have left within the past year.

Important communication regarding significant changes to working patterns is often relegated to last-minute emails sent late on Friday evenings, indicating a blatant disregard for teachers' time and input.

While the salary may be average to adequate, it fails to compensate for the excessive workload and dearth of break time. As Twinkle Academy expands, it seems to have lost sight of its founding principles of revolutionizing education in Korea. True educational reform must extend to the treatment of its educators, recognizing them as valuable stakeholders rather than expendable assets.

Tue, Apr 30, 2024 12:48PM

There are a plethora of reasons not to work at Berkeley, so I'll try my best to describe and list them here. They xxxx in their advertisements. They say they are new but have been running for more than 20 years. They ask for flexibility on your part, but that because their pay is always late so they want you to be more flexible with them. They don't do a good job training their staff before they start. People have gotten fired for the school's inability to keep then on due to finances. They are trying to open a new branch when they can't even keep the ones they currently have full. They actually started to close down their operations at the new branch as they have had issues fully acquiring it and have a cohesive system that works there. The two branches are treated differently and are not supposed to coincide together financially, but there is a big suspicion that they do. Korean teacher, bus drivers, chefs and many more are paid months late with promises of being paid in full, but it always happens in chunks. They make a lot of promises just to keep breaking them every time. There is a lack of communication and when confronted about late pay there is usually no response from xxxxx. They are very nitpicky about everything you do. Beware!!

Sat, Apr 27, 2024 2:42PM

MESSAGE: Lighthouse International School-Ilsan I wanted to leave a few warnings for those that are considering moving way far away from civilization to isolate themselves in a converted building inside a noisy/dusty industrial park called Lighthouse International School.

1. It�s not an international school. It�s not accredited by the Korean government. It�s an alternative school, meaning it�s similar to what is called a hagwon or private academy.

2. Some people working there erroneously believe if you sign a contract, you are required to do absolutely any additional tasks they can possibly dream up whether it�s outlined in the contract or not. It�s an open contract, open to the vast limits of their imagination. So even though you respect your personal time and space to refresh yourself after a long day, other people don't.

3. Look at the amount of vaguely explained duties in their advertisements when you see them. Who has time for half of that? That�s a great example. They expect you to do a full class load, then be on a bunch of committees, do after-school sports chaperoning, weekend events, homeroom tasks, meetings, religious retreats, winter&summer camps. And then get all your lesson planning and grading done at home too. They also low-key expect you to be a full participating member of a church on Sunday. Not really enforceable, but expected. It�s two or three jobs when you count up the hours.

4. Parents are essentially paying for results. They fully expect their children to be pampered all the way through school, apply and get accepted to foreign universities. Did they learn anything? Doesn�t matter, get them accepted abroad by any means. They post the names of students and foreign universities they got accepted into on their website.

5. So-called Christian students need to have an extra grading category for behavior. Of course, that grade and comment about it are edited by another staff member before it reaches the parents� eyes. Then what�s the point if there are no teeth in it, it�s not accurate, and no consequences ever occur from it? It's Ok to smooth off some rough edges but not the meaning entirely. Parents pay money, they should know how their children behave when apart from their family.

6. People don�t leave on good terms, people get disgruntled, leave disgruntled. A Christian school ought to have higher standards than that, but unfortunately, too many people don�t practice what they preach.

7. Frankenstein. Good morning __________!

(Errrrr!)

Good afternoon _____________!

(Errrrr!)

That�s the response you get from some people who can�t even work up the courtesy to greet staff or paying students. Like Frankenstein, Errrrrr!

8. Silent treatment. You can literally have your desk 2 meters away from a certain staff member, and they will waltz in (late/leave early), ignore you, speak to the other staff members, and then text you information while you are literally 2 meters away from each other and can see each other! That also shows disrespect and contempt, and that�s why people get disgruntled and leave disgruntled, because of childish behavior like that.

9. Which Christian staff member will graciously invite you over to their house for dinner to get to know you? Make you feel welcome, and part of your new community? Who will take you on a tour of the area so you feel a little bit at home, know where to shop and do things, considering how isolated it is? Zero. That will never happen. No one cares at all.

I could go on and on regarding the morals and high levels of Christian altruism one would expect from followers of Jesus, but it's too disappointing. I think you get a sense of the indifference at least one person felt while working there. Exhaust all other alternatives before you consider working with this bunch.

Thu, Apr 25, 5:38AM

If you value your hard-earned money and sanity, steer clear of ECC YBM Dangbong-ro . This place is a nightmare dressed up as an English institute. Firstly, expect your salary to mysteriously ******* as they deduct money for things you never agreed to. It's like they're running a scam under the guise of employment. And let's talk about ******* - good luck getting what's rightfully yours. They'll find every excuse in the book to ******** you.

Oh, and forget about breaks. Lunchtime? Nonexistent. You're expected to work like a robot and if you dare ask for a day off on a public holiday (the rare "red days"), be prepared for a battle. They make it seem like you're asking for a kidney, not a well-deserved break.

Not only does this hagwon mistreat its staff, but it also fosters an environment where students run riot with no consequences. The kids here behave like they�re auditioning for a juvenile delinquent reality show. They litter without a second thought, turning the place into a trash heap. And graffiti? Oh, they�re practically Picasso with a spray can.

But here�s the kicker: the management couldn�t care less. They turn a blind eye to the chaos, leaving staff to deal with the mess they've created. It�s like working in a zoo with no keeper in sight. You�re left to fend for yourself against a horde of unruly children with no support.

Save yourself the headache and avoid this hagwon like the plague. Your mental and financial well-being are worth far more than what this place has to offer.

It is also worth noting that they also run another YBM ECC kindergarten in Geomdan Ara Incheon which suprise, suprise is also on the blacklist.

Tue, Apr 23, 11:24PM

This school looks great on paper because every year they are increasingly desperate. When I was hired, almost everyone was new despite the school being allegedly open for a while. The only teacher that had re-signed with them quit two months into the semester.

They tried to trick a teacher into working longer hours than the others, and then ************************. Teachers are lied to about aspects of the job that magically change once you�ve signed (no after school, having to bring heavy food trays up two flights of stairs every morning, you can not leave the school during your break)

There is unequal standards among the teachers. They love to make deals behind backs. Some teachers get extra breaks, some get to come in 15-20 minutes late without any repercussions. Some have less physical labor to do. If you try to bring it up, you will just be told not to compare.

There is an extreme amount of gossiping by everyone. The Korean staff is often rude and unhelpful. They will complain about any little thing you ask for help with behind your back and to your face. Xxxxxxxxx

They are desperate to keep students so you are at the whim of the most ridiculous requests (teachers were told not to use the word "silly" because a mom complained). The school will not have your back or believe your side of anything. Whatever a 5 year old or their mom says is the truth and that�s the end of it.

I was able to get into contact with an old teacher from the school and all the problems stated have been experienced by past teachers.

Tue, Apr 23, 6:33 PM

Consider this a word of caution for any aspiring teachers: heed my warning, because I've been there.

From the moment I signed with this school, warning signs were glaringly evident, but I was optimistic and brushed them off. However, in hindsight, those warning signals were clear indicators of what was to come.

Short Version

1. Poor housing conditions

2. Lack of leadership

3. Lack of Communication breakdowns

4. Incoherent curriculum

5. Low wages (a part-timer was earning more than me, a full-timer)

6. Xxxxxxxx severance pay

7. Dishonesty and manipulation *******

Long Version

1. Housing

First and foremost, the housing situation at iGarten was far from ideal. I was provided housing with less than 24 hours' notice before having to vacate my previous accommodation, resulting in not one, but two moves on short notice, and the additional burden of double moving costs. Moreover, during the interview process, there was no mention of having to cover realtor fees, which amounted to nearly 800,000 won, including the moving fees. Despite these challenges being beyond my control, there was no offer of reimbursement for the second move.

The daily commute to work was equally challenging, consuming a total of 90 minutes each day on unsafe subway routes. It's disheartening that basic arrangements for housing were not adequately addressed for foreign teachers. Despite numerous emails exchanged regarding finding housing within a reasonable distance from the school, ideally with a 20-30 minute commute each way, a satisfactory solution was not achieved.

2. Lack of Leadership

The absence of effective leadership is glaring at iGarten. The school seems to run itself, with those in charge either physically absent or lacking the awareness needed to foster accountability, communication, and organization. This lack of oversight undermines the overall functioning of the school.

The 6th floor, housing all the 5-year-olds and new 6-year-olds, lacks proper supervision. This often leads to native teachers shouldering the majority of the workload instead of fostering an equal partnership with Korean teachers. Many times, Korean teachers are found either sitting in a corner of the room on their phones, taking selfies, or shopping, or they're outside the classroom engaging in gossip with the front desk or lunch staff. As a result, native teachers are left to manage 12 kids all on their own, without adequate support.

3. Lack of communication

The communication breakdown at this school is astonishingly pervasive. Here are 3 instances that exemplify the lack of communication and organization:

I. School Events:

Many school events end up being organized by the native teachers themselves. Simple things like scheduling a meeting or notifying teachers about upcoming events seem to be foreign concepts to the management. Instead, information trickles down through word of mouth from veteran teachers, leaving newcomers in the dark. Even when management does inform us of an event, it's usually with minimal notice, often just a week or two in advance, and downplayed as not being a significant affair. This lack of transparency and foresight puts unnecessary stress on the teachers.

II. Science Fair:

The handling of the Science Fair is a prime example of this chaotic communication system. Despite being aware of the event as early as August, no concrete plans or meetings were held until December, just before winter vacation, only because parents demanded to attend. This procrastination left teachers scrambling to prepare. It's frustrating that management only takes action when faced with the threat of embarrassment, leaving teachers to pick up the slack with little support or guidance.

III. Report Card Comments:

The lack of communication extends to the crucial task of writing end-of-year report card comments. Shockingly, this important information was only relayed in the last week of school, not by management, but through hearsay from a veteran teacher. This last-minute notification left teachers with minimal time to prepare thoughtful and personalized comments for each student. It's disheartening that such a critical aspect of our role as educators was treated with such disregard and lack of foresight by the management.

4. Curriculum

The lack of coherence in the curriculum is a significant issue at this school. It often fails to align with the students' proficiency levels, leaving teachers to navigate classes without adequate resources or materials. Many classes lack essential textbooks or supplementary resources, necessitating extensive time spent on creating a curriculum from scratch. This inefficiency adds significant strain and time consumption to the teaching workload.

5. Pay

The compensation at this school does not reflect the workload and stress endured by the teachers. A monthly wage below 2.7 million won, along with inadequate housing provisions, is simply not commensurate with the demands of the job. There are better opportunities available elsewhere, offering higher salaries, shorter working hours, and lighter administrative duties. It's essential for teachers to prioritize fair compensation when considering employment options. Moreover, the revelation that a part-time teacher was earning more than me as a full-time employee adds another layer of frustration to the already low pay.

6. Severance Pay

The school's handling of severance pay is both frustrating and legally dubious. Instead of adhering to the standard practice of paying severance on the last day of work or the last payday, the school delays payments by two weeks. This delay can pose significant challenges, especially for teachers planning to leave the country. Furthermore, there have been instances of overcharging for housing bills, with deductions taken directly from severance pay. The process of obtaining pay stubs and bill copies is unnecessarily arduous, leading to ongoing disputes even after leaving the school.

7. Lies and Manipulations

The culture of deceit and manipulation perpetuated *************. Attempts to prevent foreign teachers from communicating with each other and discouraging lunchtime interactions are tactics *********************************************** undermines trust and creates a toxic work environment for both Korean and native teachers alike.

In conclusion, my experience at iGarten Seocho Banpo Branch serves as a cautionary tale for prospective employees. From inadequate housing to ineffective leadership, communication failures, and a disorganized curriculum, the challenges faced by teachers are numerous and significant. Coupled with low pay, ******, and a culture of ******, it's evident that this institution falls short of providing a supportive and fair working environment. As such, I urge others to carefully consider their options before committing to employment at this school.

Tue, Apr 16, 7:49 PM

This company is a mess from top to bottom. Last year they fired 6 people and claimed financial reasons. They didn�t grant a single release letter so all those fired had no choice but to return to their home countries. The management did not care at all how they�d affected these peoples lives and simply said they wouldn�t grant release letters even when begged. On top of this they continued to hire foreign workers from overseas despite claiming financial troubles. Even the Korean staff were messed around and because of frequent firings often employees were teaching two classes at once. Because management was so poor the place is leaking students and so the ones that stay get away with anything. The working conditions are so tough as everyone is walking on eggshells trying not to get fired for the tiniest thing.

I have seen peoples lives fall apart because of this company, people have had to leave their homes, families and friends because this company is spiteful and can fire you without warning. They have been taken to tribunal countless times now and still no change from them. If you are offered a place here, do not accept it. They couldn�t run a bath, never mind a business.

Apr 16, 2024, 7:19 PM

As someone mentioned earlier, I can also confirm dirty classrooms and lack of adequate resources. In addition to that, unprofessional and incompetent staff, unqualified bilingual teachers and toxic atmosphere. Worst experience of my life. Waste of time and energy. Extremely low pay and imposed additional (unpaid) roles. I would not recommend this school or teaching in Korea in general. It is not a real international school, don�t let them mislead you.

Sun, Apr 14, 2024 at 4:06 PM

I would like to add iya schola/ hillside collegiate wiyre to the blacklist.

The good

The housing is nice and the pay is on time.

The bad

The pay is on time but you will not receive a paystub unless you request one each pay day.

It is important to check your paystub each time because of unexpected deductions or frequently changing the agreed upon base pay.

You don�t get a full hour lunch. 20 minutes of your lunch will be used to do homework with the children in the classroom.

You will receive lots of prep time. You will need it to supplement the inadequate "curriculum."

Leadership appears nice at the beginning but shows their true colors as the year progresses. The mood in the office is like going back to high school. The management will gaslight and talk about you whenever you leave the office.

Whatever you are told will be your roll in the classroom in the interview will be changed frequently.

Some of the Korean teachers are nice but most "watch" everything you do and complain to management.

You get no training. You will be reprimanded like a small child each time you teach something different from the way management would like it taught in the classroom.

You will be given no direction on how they prefer a certain subject to be taught.

Overall, I could write a novel on why you shouldn�t work here. If you value your mental and physical health do not accept a position at this school. You will regret ever moment.

Sun, Apr 14, 2024 at 12:25 PM

I�d like to recommend Dongjak SLP to be put onto the blacklist. Because of laws I can�t state exactly why they should be on the list. But it�s as bad in every category in terms of it as a business and institution. It appears like a good school, and it did used to be but things have drastically changed. but it�s really not. You will be overworked, disrespected, have unnecessary drama, plus other things I cannot legally talk about. The micromanaging is crazy, nothing works as it should, it�s unorganized, this job caused me so much stress and anxiety. They can�t keep staff both Korean and foreign which I think tells you everything that you need to know. Just stay away from this school, the way it is being run makes no sense, it�s as if they want it to fail. I could go on forever about this place, but I think even without me making this post this school won�t be around for much longer. They don�t deserve the teachers that work at the school.

Sun, Apr 14, 4:38AM

This is not a good place to work.

Management is very unorganized. They do not speak English well enough to give instructions let alone listen to your needs. They disregard your input and needs most of the time. Don't expect to get your salary on time or expect to get your severance. The school is facing many legal issues.

There is a reason there are no tenured teachers at that hagwon.

There are many more things that you should be warned about this school and due to the rules of this website i can not list them all but if you find yourself doing an interview for this school do not accept unless you ask to speak with current and ex-foreign teachers.

Mar 10, 2024, 7:21AM

Hi,

i'd like to add another hogwan to the blacklist, if this email is still working. I'd like to add Children's musical Company or GLITT to the blacklist. The look of the school actually looks nice. Looks like they have great facilities and the productions they have for the kids are quite flashy and elaborate. However, once you scratch beneath the surface, it's not great. I would avoid this school.

Overtime payments 3 months late, took money out of the salary without any warning and for things that the teachers shouldn't be paying for. Alot of the teachers were in their first year, so believed what was being told to them. Money was missing from the final payment. Tried to not pay teachers their flight allowance.

Teachers there are very cliquey and will not make you feel welcome. Teachers seem to be very competitive to try to score brownie points. Certain english teachers very ambitious. pointless long meetings, just dictated to and don't listen to english teachers.

The curriculum constantly changes, once they find out what other hagwons are doing they will change things on a whim. Gave a book/class designed for an 8 year old to a 4 year old. Food served to english teachers came out cold and english teachers got the scraps, as they ate last after everyone. Then korean teachers will come back and take food away. Had to ask for more food constantly. You will also eat with the kids around you shouting, the noise level is so loud you can barely think. No area away from the kids on break times.

Korean teachers are told to keep the english teachers 'sweet' i.e. not telling them about any complaints from parents, but once they are offended by the english teacher, thats when the complaints start.

If you are sick, you must work. even if you are badly sick and diagnosed by the doctor. Teachers told to come in and just sit in the class in the corner (to keep up appearance for the parents). If you do go to a doctor, they will call that doctor to check up on you.

Please don't believe the green list posts you are seeing.

Tue, Feb 20 at 5:38 PM

I've seen a few coworkers add a listing here so I thought I would add my experience as well. This place is all about cutting costs. Classroom equipment broken? Too expensive to fix. Need a teachers copy of a book? Just Google it and hope you can find a free pdf. Need a good apartment? The best they can do is one with a literal brothel downstairs (yes really) that keeps teachers awake all night. It's gotten so bad that they have stopped ordering paper towels for the bathrooms and they serve the food to teachers cold everyday. It's not uncommon for the children to get a snack only to hear them ask if that's all they get. Aside from the cheapness there's the ever changing nature of the schedule. It's like they see another school do something and have to drop everything to copy it poorly. All focus and money here goes to the over the top Broadway shows they put on. They will happily spend money teachers need for essentials on dry ice, fog machines, lighting, and snow machines to impress the parents. It's all about appearances here. They have redone the lobby multiple times while we have an abandoned classroom because the ceiling actually caved in. The job posting on eslcafe is a straight up lie. The prep times are almost nonexistent and the pay is nowhere near what they say it is. The school brags even has staff that they have put in charge of "PR" writing fake greenlist reviews. My advice is to stay far far away from this place.

Tue, Feb 20 at 2:26 PM

I would like to add Canadian Language Center in Suwon to the blacklist. This will be a lengthy post, so I apologize in advance.

For some context, it was my first year teaching in Korea and this company is tiny. I finished a 12 month contract with this school. I will refer my issues to �the school� to avoid naming positions.

Everything was great and never had a serious issue until after the third month. The school had informed me of the schedule change for the new school year and said that I would probably be getting more classes added onto my list. The problem was that I was expected to give up my break if they needed me to. I expressed I wasn�t comfortable with that and the school made it sound like I didn�t have much of a choice. I called the MOEL to ask about break times and got my answers. I told the school I talked with them and they came up with a better solution.

After that, things began to sour a bit. The school became a bit distant, I was the last to know of changes and had to be flexible. These things seem to be normal in a Hagwon but it got quite frustrating.

The better reason for this school to be on the blacklist is because of my exit from the company. There was a huge misunderstanding about my exit.

I had a meeting with the school back in December (I recall) since my contract was going to end. I was told that I wouldn�t be needed for the new school year and I expressed that I was already looking for a school with the reason of wanting to work with younger children and work a day shift. That was all well. However, I was concerned about my visa expiring before my new contract would start and I asked if they have any guidance on what I should do in the situation. I knew it was possible to extend my visa but I didn�t know if it was the right decision or how it works.

From my understanding of the conversation, the school asked me to check when my visa expired for them to see what they can do. I would�ve also done my own research. A month later, I really needed to solidify my moving details because I would be visiting my home county for most of February and moving out at the end of January, so I asked for a quick meeting. I come to find out that they expected I was going to stay an extra month to help cover until the new school year in March. Seems that�s what the school understood from the last conversation. They were not happy to hear that at all. Things only got worse from then on.

I was mostly ignored by the school and didn�t get a proper goodbye. I didn�t expect one either with how things ended.

I was told by the school I had to pay rent for February 1st to the 18th even though I would�ve moved out by January 31st. Why do you ask? The lease was cut short due to my contract ending and the Hagwon didn�t want to pay for it, so I had too. I was blamed for moving in early and for them having to change the leasing the dates. However, I never moved in on the 18th and I�m not legally responsible for any rent. The school knew when my contract was going to end so I�m not sure why it was a shock to them. (A law specialist told me to ignore this comment)

I had to reimburse the school for the year I used their internet in the accommodation. I do not recall this being mentioned at the start of things. After consulting with the law specialists, if they show me receipts of paying it, then I am obligated to pay what they prove. I thought it was somehow included in the rent because the other utility bills were sent to the apartment. They did send me receipts, but not for the 12 month that I could see.

The school also said they were going to withhold the deposit they deducted from my paycheck to pay for the utilities of the last few months. That I could get the rest after 3 months. I was told it would also be used if I or my cats left any damage in the apartment.

I previously messaged the school that I didn�t want anything to be deducted and how I would reimburse with a bank transfer. I eventually agreed to the deduction because I didn�t want to increase the tension but I was not have about it.

I got my last paycheck and saw that not only did they deduct **********

I also wasn�t reimburse my last three vacation days.

I really enjoyed the students and I�m happy they were my first kids as teacher. It�s really unfortunate on how things ended.

Sun, Feb 18 at 7:19 AM

Prospective employees should carefully consider their options before accepting a position at this establishment. While it may offer employment opportunities, there are significant concerns regarding management practices and work conditions. Compensation for foreign teachers appears to be below industry standards, with deductions from paychecks occurring unexpectedly. Additionally, there seems to be a lack of flexibility regarding time off, even in extenuating circumstances. Communication with management is reportedly discouraged, creating a challenging environment for addressing concerns or seeking clarification on policies.

There are also observations regarding the educational environment, including limitations on student activities and inadequate teaching materials. Concerns have been raised about spending practices and financial expectations placed on staff. Furthermore, there are claims of cultural divisions within the workplace, which may impact social dynamics among employees.

In addition, employees report a lack of communication regarding schedule changes for classes, meetings, or unpaid weekend work and events. Ultimately, individuals should weigh these considerations carefully before committing to employment here.

Wed, Feb 14 at 11:22 PM

WARNING! IT IS ALL TRUE!

I am disapppointed that there are not enough blacklist posts out there about Dongnae POLY. This is a terrible institution to work for. STAY AWAY!

I am a current teacher who is leaving. All of our set are leaving this year. This is a warning for anyone who may be coming in at March to STAY AWAY AND RUN! YOU CAN STILL PULL OUT OF THIS JOB!!!!

Many of us came on tourist visas and had to make visa runs to HongKong to reapply for new visas.

My apartment is a rennovated love motel, it is haunted, it is disgusting, I can smell cigarette ash, and we only have a microwave and hot plate as a communal kitchen.

POLY tampers with CCTV to monitor teachers and children.

We have many tests in each class, but we have to change scores to whatever the management wants them to be.

Certain KTs receive special treatment by management, one may say there is a dalliance happening between management and them.

MOEL has already been involved and there are active xxxxxxxxxxx.

My afternoon classes became very empty because many ELE students left, so at least I had lots of time to write 50+ personalized comments a month.

RUN STAY AWAY PLEASE SAVE YOURSELF!!!!

Wed, Feb 7 at 12:06 PM

Really debated writing about my experience at this school. Sometimes the management is nice. They have some good things going for them, and I think certain members of admin really want the school to do well. I wish that was the whole team.

Unfortunately the lack of transparency, frequent gaslighting, "shady" practices regarding xxx, false promises, constant disorganization, and overall toxic environment cannot make me in good conscience recommend this school to anyone - particularly if you value your mental or especially physical health. Everything that can go wrong does go wrong here. There have been multiple xxxxxxx for a reason.

Please note that the school has coerced teachers to write *every single* Green List posting and then posted them themselves. I wouldn't be surprised if this listing prompts yet another fake Green List post. They are not real. Do not trust them. Stay safe out there.

Tue, Feb 6 at 3:23 PM

They gave out multiple contracts to people, told people that housing had been arranged let people get their lives sorted to start teaching and then decide that contracts are just abstract examples and there is no job. There are no breaks, no proper curriculum and no outside teachers so you need to teach gym, music etc prep and reports you are expected to do in your own time which is not counted as xxxxxxxx..

Wed, Jan 31 at 1:10 PM

School paid alright, 2.6m however it paid many of my coworkers much less (x.xm). Even with a much higher salary, the job was not worth it. Your office is shoulder to shoulder with other teachers packed around a table, very little break time allowed, many lunches are had with the kids. You spend 3 months preparing your kindergarten for an open class to show their parents how well they are but in reality you rehearse the SAME class over and over for 3 months to get ready.

Sat, Jan 27 at 2:19 PM

�lan school in Mokdong

Hello, xxxxx.

�lan school in Mokdong absolutely needs to be added to the blacklist.

First, work conditions are exhausting. 7+ hours of active teaching time some days, with babysitting/packing kids up duties for part of the other hour. The KTs don't teach any classes, and if you get a bad one, they don't help with anything else either. A really bad one will insult you in front of the kids, before they leave to gossip with other KTs.

Meltdowns are yours to handle. If you are too busy handling emergencies to teach the (always numerous) pages at the exact hour scheduled, xxxxxxxxxxxx.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I've worked at multiple hagwons at this point, with other assorted jobs before that. I know the ups and downs. I am also a pretty stable person. This is first time in my life that stress actually made me sick, and I've never cried over any other job.

But at �lan, I cried on my way home 3 or more days a week. Cried in the morning walking to elan at least once a week (dread). I left work an hour late one day, because there were parents in a meeting and I couldn't stop crying for long enough to walk by.

I quit six months in and started working for a new school. My lingering illness cleared up immediately, and I haven't shed a single tear since. Do yourself a favor, and stay away from the hellish fever dream that is �lan school.

Fri, Jan 26 at 2:05 PM

Shepherd International Education (SIE AMSA)

1. The people in charge are clueless when it comes to running a school. Decisions are made purely for monetary gain and the teacher's best interest is never thought of.

2. Teacher's feedback falls on deaf ears and the person in charge cares little about the teachers. It is apparent they have never been in any form of leadership position and it shows.

3. A rotating door of unqualified/qualified teachers have come and gone and it is due to the management's decisions and their lack of respect for their staff. If you took all the bad character traits from every Disney villain, you would get a worse version of the person in charge of the teachers.

4. The pay does not match the work that is required. Raises are paltry and often insulting.

5. Working here will take years off of your life. If you respect yourself, you would not work here.

Wed, Jan 24 at 6:05 PM

I want to share a sincere warning about a hagwon known as "Children�s Musical Company" or "GLITT." Consider avoiding this school due to significant issues impacting both teachers and the learning environment:

1. Hiring Practices Concerns: The school has questionable hiring practices that create a less inclusive work environment.

2. Unprofessional xxxxxxx

3. Unethical xxxxxx

4. Constant Schedule Changes: Frequent adjustments to teaching schedules make it challenging for teachers to plan effectively and negatively affect the quality of education.

5. Lack of Teaching Materials: Teachers often face a shortage of essential teaching materials, putting them and their students at a disadvantage.

6. Poor Xxxxxx Preparation: Lack of preparation and organization xxxxxxx causes unnecessary stress for teachers and impacts the quality of education.

7. Unexpected Class Assignments: Teachers are often informed of additional classes with no prior warning, affecting their ability to prepare adequately.

8. Questionable Spending: Lavish spending on items like large TVs raises concerns about financial priorities.

9. Xxxxxxxx

10. Xxxxxxxx

11. Frequent Curriculum Changes: Regular alterations to the curriculum disrupt effective lesson planning and hinder the learning experience for students.

Given these issues, I advise against any involvement with "Children�s Musical Company" or "GLITT." Explore educational opportunities that prioritize a safe, respectful, and conducive learning environment for both staff and students.

Wed, Jan 10, 2024 at 4:34 PM

Hello fellow teachers, I would like to make an awareness about Pangramon academy in Masan Changwon.

Pangramon academy is under Altiora franchise. They use the same curriculum as Altiora. The curriculum is difficult to teach and difficult for the kids. They push the kids too much up until they leave.After the kids have left they blame the foreign teacher. The workload is extremely too much, they want the foreign teacher to teach with the textbooks, prepare worksheets every week and prepare monthly tests for all the classes.

The apartment that they gave me was the worst ever. It was old everything was falling apart, every month I had to report broken stuff to the landlord.

Pangramon academy dismissed me two months before finishing my contract, because I went to my Mother's funeral for a week. I did ask for permission before I left. I think they did this because

xxxxxxx.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

Think twice before accepting their offer!!!

Subject: IIG (international Institute of the Gifted)

Sun, Jan 7, 2024 at 9:57 PM

This school wouldn�t be so bad if administration changed some things but the refusal to do so leaves the consistent evolution of worsening and unsustainable conditions. Firstly, there are seldom breaks throughout the day, forget the 60 min uninterrupted break time we�re said to have. This is justified by having 5 minutes in between classes that add up to our �E0 min�Emeanwhile we also use this time as prep and watching the kids. Lunch is with the kids and prioritized to serve them throughout the period so teachers get seconds at a time to eat. For every homeroom class there is one Korean teacher and one foreign teacher. The classes contain 18 students that are then split into two groups and teachers are bounced between classes on rotating schedules. A typical day has no break times during kindy and possibly 1-2 periods during elementary for foreign teachers who are additionally responsible for doing weekly words for elementary classes, questions for jeopardy style PowerPoints (that foreign kindy teachers also have to create themselves and host), phone teaching, daily homework checks, weekly journals, monthly speaking tests/quizzes, and printing out own materials for class and sort them individually for a minimum of 3 classes per day for 36 students total (as teachers rotate classes and can be teaching 4 different classes for one subject. So, if Schedules do permit finally having one or two 35 min break times a day, they are now eliminated in order to fulfill extra work. Foreign teachers are expected to stay later on special occasion days up to 3 hours without compensation and vacation time is not definite. If they decide to, a vacation day may be eliminated by xxxxxx without argument. Foreign teachers are also required to conduct phone teaching one week per month. Fitting 18 students in your slim to none break time is nearing impossible and puts way too much stress and responsibility on teachers considering its addition to the base weekly responsibilities for full-time foreign teachers. Foreign teachers are also required to cover classes if they have a single spare moment and are guilted into coming into work if they try to use one of their sick days. The materials for classes are usually provided late and teachers are forced to figure out content and lessons independently without guidance from xxxxxxx. There is a lack of clarity, communication, expectations, and understanding with administration. Unless you want ton sacrifice your mental health and wellbeing for this job, I highly recommend finding another school, don't be fooled.

Subject: Creverse (Chungdahm) - April Academy - Maetan Branch

Sun, Jan 7, 2024 at 12:42 PM

If you love the idea of being watched constantly on cctv and being micromanaged while teaching, grading papers, inputting grades, taking breaks (dinner AND bathroom breaks) this is the branch for you!

All joking aside, this branch has gone from bad to worse to unbearable in a short amount of time.

Make sure you are familiar with the ins and outs of the Labor Standards Act and what you are entitled to before signing your contract.

Training is insufficient, sometimes new teachers are only observing current teachers for "training".

11th month firing can and does happen.

You are NOT allowed to leave campus even during the 15 minute "dinner break" (18 mins on Tuesday/Thursday).

Collective punishments for all teachers to correct the actions/dress code/choices of one teacher.

There is a high turn-over rate for a reason.

Subject: Dasan YBM ECC.

Tue, Dec, 2023 at 6:29 PM

Dasan YBM ECC.

Dasan Dong Gyeonggi-Do

I'll keep it brief but where to begin??

Here is a list of actions by xxxxxx against all staff at my school to korean, native speaker, support/ reception staff etc

Threatening staff that they will tell any future employer they are bad at their job.

Failing to submit Visa renewal documents until xxxxx

Forced and unpaid overtime (contracts say OT is paid and wholly optional)

Xxxxxxx

ignoring holiday requests until dates have passed

rationed food - there's never nearly enough at lunch

I personally had no lunch break of eany kind for about 8 months.

This has now been fixed with mandatory lunchbreak sitting with xxxxxx in silence. (lunch 20 mins followed but child lunch/ play time supervision of 20 mins) thus all staff get 20 mins break time per day

All teachers remain in their rooms at all times aside from above lunch time exception.

Xxxxxxxxx

STAY AWAY!

Subject: Yujung Global School - Pocheon

Tue, Dec 19, 2023 at 3:40 PM

Stay as far away from this school as you possibly can. Foreign teachers are outcasted and blamed for nearly anything that goes wrong (even if it has nothing to do with them). This school is in the middle of nowhere and you will not be prvided for extra pay or incentive for your 1 hour commute. There is only 1 bus that comes here. Parents wants are put over the students' needs. Anything that makes the school more money will be priority. No teacher appreciation, and especially not for foreign teachers. Turnover rate is incredibly high. Multiple teachers leave every semester, sometimes in the middle of a semester.

Subject: Daegu: Polar Bear English

Tue, Dec 19, 2023 at 5:06 PM

Simply No. Run away don't walk.

Unorganized

Overworked

Under paid (for the work done)

No Credit

Constantly thrown under the bus

Microaggressions to the extreme.

It tries to lure you in with a four day work week (which is not entirely true).

It is the hardest job I have ever worked at and it completely diminished my xxxxx and ability to work in Korea.

Subject: Yujung Global School

Fri, Dec 15, 2023 at 1:37 PM

RUN. Don�t walk, RUN. Better yet, FLY AWAY.

No but seriously, this has to be the worst school I�ve worked at in Korea and I feel bad for any teacher (foreign or Korean) who end up working here.

1. Inequality: foreign teachers are not only segregated in many scenarios but we are THE scapegoats of every problem that occurs at this school. Then, when the Korean teachers and leadership are confronted, they just say they were wrong but there�s no apology because of a "difference in culture."

2. Parental Control: the school ALWAYS prioritizes parents�Ewants and needs over what is actually best for the student.

3. Lack of resources: printers break everyday, there�s no paper, there�s no nurse, computers break all the time along with the electronic black boards, and WIFI is spotty.

4. The commute is long and rigorous, and there�s no transportation or compensation provided

5. Led by an xxxxx who forces you to read the Bible and sing hymns every morning: xxxx doesn�t acknowledge the foreign teachers unless they did something to benefit her financially. There is absolutely no appreciation whatsoever after every event. Xxxxx also likes to yell, scream, and accuse you in front of everyone.

6. Inconsistent payments: foreign teachers have had many missed paychecks (either late that night or the next day, but still)

7. If you don�t have a visa, you fly to a new country and for the time you're there, they take away your vacation time or money from your salary�E/p>

8. Admin is so rude to foreigners AND Koreans. Xxxxx will bad mouth foreign teachers�Epersonal businesses to another employee. xxxxx also yells at everyone and leadership has had to tell xxxxx to calm down in front of parents.

9. Lunch: you pay money for low quality food. Most of the times, it�s leftovers and the bus drivers usually eat most of it before you have the chance anyway.

10. Beauty Standards: women must wear makeup to be presentable. "Pretty teachers, happy students."

Good luck

Subject: Seoul Sahmyook Elementary School

Tue, Dec 12, 2023 at 1:54 PM

I'd like to add Seoul Sahmyook Elementary School to the hagwon blacklist.

Though they operate as a private school, they have very underhanded hagwon tendencies.

1. Requirements for the position do not match the pay or benefits.

-They start at 2.2 million won a month, but require experienced teachers who are currently in Korea. They do not negotiate.

-When you tell them about your experience working in Korea, they will tell you that is not the experience they want and will still start at 2.2 million won.

-They do not provide housing.

-They give a very low housing stipend a month.

2. Pay does not match the work

-They give a lot of admin work that is nonsensical.

-You are expected to create all lessons yourself.

-They give a short lunch time and when students come in and you're not finished eating, will blame you for not eating fast enough.

3. Constant micromanaging

-xxxxxxxx will wander the halls and stare into the class to see if it matches what they want.

-If you sit for even a minute, a passive aggressive message will be sent the next day about how teachers are not allowed to sit in class.

4. Bad Management

-xxxxxxxx will instruct you to do one thing, but then tell you you're doing it wrong even though you followed their instructions.

And example: The xxxxxxx will tell you in a meeting that they want you to use multi-media, but if you show a video to expand on the lesson, they will tell you that is not allowed.

4. Sick Leave

-The contract allows you 15 days of sick leave and that you do not need a doctor's note until the 6th cumulative day, but the school will nag you to provide a doctor's note even after your first sick day.

-They guilt you when you take sick leave and will tell you that you are sickly or that you must look after your own health even though they want you to come to school when you're feeling ill.

5. Student discipline

-Students have no discipline and have no repercussions for misbehaving.

-Management claims they want the kids to be "happy" and that's why they don't allow disciplinary action even when kids are fighting in the middle of class.

Subject: YBM GATE APGUJEONG

Fri, Dec 8, 2023 at 11:01 AM

JUST DON'T DO IT. RUN.

Micromanagement to the max.

Loss of preps that were "guaranteed" when you sign.

Last minute changes to EVERYTHING. schedule. Event days. Any work you do.

They won't tell you what they don't like they just want you to keep redoing it until they like it.

Housing is a mess. Super small and the mold oh my god. It's been a while but I feel I can finally say this to warn others. But please for the sake of your health do not do it.

They offer good money but it's not worth it. They stab you in the back and the work you do is never appreciated even staying late and trying to make their impossible deadlines.

They'll tell you one thing and then when you do it they yell at you and say that's not the rule or how things are working like that.

They will give you so much office work and papers to grade and make that you won't even finish it in your prep time and you need to stay late or take the work home with you.

If someone is sick you need to cover their classes and give no time to do your work and no extensions on time to do it either they just say just do it and just get it done, dont complain.

High turnover rate like no one is staying because it's not a good environment. I know locations even can't keep managers or korean staff. If the Koreans are leaving too then you know it's not a good place.

I'm warning you. There's so many better places out there. Don't work here.

Subject: YMB English Institute ECC Jukjeon

Sun, Dec 3, 2023 at 8:55 AM

YMB English Institute ECC Jukjeon

ECC Jukjeon MUST be added to the blacklist immediately. They are actively looking for new teachers because all their previous ones are quitting.

First of all, if you are a teacher at this institute, be prepared to teach all day with NO breaks. They claim that lunch time is your �break�Ebut you must sit in the classroom and feed the children as well as watch over the kids during play time. You may not leave the building during this �break�Eor have any free time of your own.

Secondly, you DO NOT get your xxxxx vacation time. They claim that summer vacation is your vacation and that is that. The few days off you get because the school is shut down, that is your vacation. When it was brought to the attention of xxxxxxxxx. Lastly, the xxxxxx who is in charge of all the English and Korean teachers xxxxxxxxxxxxxx yet xxxx micromanages and tries to tell us REAL teachers with REAL teaching degrees that we are terrible teachers. In addition, xxxx English is horrible and no one can understand xxxxx when xxxx tries to speak or explain something, so things get missed or done improperly all the time (which of course xxxx blames you for and tries to make you feel like its all your fault). Please do yourself a favor and find a school who values their teachers and treats them like human beings rather than slaves.

AND A REPLY: Thu, Feb 15, 2024 at 3:07 PM

Good day Jon.

I would like to refute the claims made in the Blacklist post on December 3 regarding YBM ECC Jukjeon. While I am not the owner, I am also a teacher at this establishment and can see how this biased review is tarnishing our reputation.

The poster was approved two international holidays within a month of each other but then wants to cry foul when the next one was refused by xxxxx. This person also failed to mention xxx very open Wednesday and Friday schedule where xxxx did not teach in the afternoon, and had four hours to leave the building and do as xxx pleased.

Xxx own lack of people skills and attitude of entitlement led to xxx having the xxx on xxx back, especially when xxx was overly using Youtube in class. The management style is very laid-back and we certainly are not treated like slaves as is claimed. It is this person's first year in Korea and xxx does not know the extent of what is out there.

I personally have had nothing but positive experiences here and would recommend people to work here.

I do not know how to resolve this issue, perhaps you could ask her to remove the post, or post mine as a reply, but I will leave that up to you. Doing a Green list review is not really an option as people prefer to search for negative reviews on prospective schools.

Thanks so much for your understanding.

Subject: JM Kinder in Cheongju

Thu, Nov 30, 2023 at 7:22 PM

Hey Jon, I would like to put JM Kinder in Cheongju on the blacklist. First of all, the hagwon has no set curriculum. You will be teaching kids in one class but on different books, pages, and levels. You will be multitasking. Second, the **** will always manipulate you into believing that kids are leaving the school because that is not the case. Third, whatever amount that is put on the contract is not what you will get and there will be unnecessary deductions. Fourth, the teachers' and **** accommodation is in the same building as the hagwon. You share a kitchen and bathroom. The **** will be in your business because you live in the same house. So, RUN!

Subject: SIE (Shepherd International Education) Amsa

Fri, Nov 24, 2023 at 9:56 AM

Seeing the other four posts here within the last 6 months and given other places I worked at and what I am going through now, this is probably the worst �school�Ein Korea. There�s a huge revolving door of staff and it�s a miracle this place has not gone under. Look for schools in North Korea before considering making a deal with this devil.

Subject: YBM-ECC Dongnae

Fri, Nov 24, 2023 at 6:05 AM

Here is yet another warning about YBM-ECC Dongnae! If you value your health physically and mentally do not accept an offer from this school. First, of all the contract you sign will not be followed completely except the parts that pertain to what you should do as the foreign teacher, if you question the school not doing what the contract says they should be doing then you will be told that it is not their contract. Yet, it is the legal contract you are given to sign and adhere to in order to retain employment with them. You do not receive proper orientation and the three days seem to lessen with each new batch of teachers. Certain HKT's make your experience miserable, they do not help you, are very impatient with you, talk to you like you are beneath them, undermine you trying to enforce the kids to use more English and they get away with it under the guise that "her English is not good" This can be very traumatic as a new teacher.

Next, the accomodation is very outdated and disgusting! xxxxxxx The employer just goes along with whatever the landlord says and blames the teachers for everything. They do not fight for you so they are clearly working together. xxxxxxx Again, your requests for help will be ignored or you will be made to feel like you are the problem or that you are bothering them.

xxxxx xxxxx ***Just look at how many other posts are on here about this same school. I wish I had known about this site before signing a contract with them or asked the current teachers about the turnover rate. I regretted my decision as soon as I saw the room they provide as housing and even more after the joke of an orientation you receive. You have been warned. If you ignore the warnings here, at the very least please take detailed photos of the room when you enter it , any problems you experience and when you move out becase you will need them for the attorney if you want your money back.

Subject: BEK Bundang

Thu, Nov 23, 2023 at 1:14 AM

Fake international school with terrible conditions. Dirty and not cleaned properly. No budget even though the parents pay big bucks. Ask you to do crafts and fun activities but with no money. xxxxxxxxxx Even the bathrooms aren't clean.

A truly terrible place to work

Subject: Twinkle Mapo

Wed, Nov 22, 2023 at 1:33 AM

After some long thought and consideration, I decided to add Twinkle Mapo to the list. I wanted to warn anyone applying to the academy about my negative and soul crushing experience.

Overall the academy was uncomfortable and highly stressful. The academy had inadequate breaks, a high turnover rate (100%) among teachers, excessive CCTV surveillance leading to constant monitoring and disciplinary actions, obligatory handling of parent complaints, and an overall stressful workload with insufficient support for teachers' well-being, causing mental and physical health issues.

I am also aware that more former teachers will be sharing similar negative experiences. Hopefully they will provide more details for those interested.

Subject: Daechi English Park/DEP

Tue, Nov 21, 2023 at 7:10 PM

DEP has a good reputation and good curriculum, but they definitely deserve to be on the black list. But honestly a lot of teachers are too scared to make a post.

You can separate the issues into 5 main categories: unfair treatment of staff, pay issues, the work expectations, vacation days, and the leadership.

Unfair Treatment of Staff: There is a huge disparity in how staff are treated. Unless you are a yes-man, you will be targeted. (Unfortunately, there are a couple of native teachers who have drunk the Koolaid, and they will NOT have your back either.) Also, if you are not of a light complexion, they may hire you, but, if any parent complains, they will suddenly find fault in everything you do. They have a high turnover rate for a reason with many teachers and some leadership not renewing, quitting with notice, and even quitting last minute, because it was so bad. Many teachers cried regularly at work due to stress or unfair treatment.

Pay Issues: Training pay is always "forgotten," and you will only receive it with multiple requests. Teachers have had money deducted from their pay for being late to work, while others are given a warning "because (leadership) knows they trying." Good lucking getting paid for working substitute holidays.

The Work Expectations: Staff are expected to stay past contract hours to decorate for events or work substitute holidays with no additional pay. Staff have been contacted on the weekend to post pictures of the kids on their communication website. For the speech contest, you must write your students' speeches and create motions to go with them. Then, you must memorize all of them to mouth/act out in front of your students as they recite their speeches. If you leave, you will be given a list of tasks to complete for the new teachers (weeks or months of work for you to create), but you will be given no extra time to complete it. One teacher's contract ended when speeches were due, so they had to finish 12 speeches and the long list of tasks before they left. They did, but it caused them to get behind on grading workbook assignments. Because they got behind on grading, leadership made them stay almost 2 hours after leave time on their last day as they stood in the teacher's room and watched the teacher the whole time.

Vacation Days: Vacation is 10 days, but if you stay 2-4 years, you may be able to beg for the 15 or "negotiate it" instead of a raise.

The Leadership: Cctv monitoring. Yelling. Items traveling through the air across the room from some leadership to other leadership (no regular teachers). Pressuring to leave housing early for the new teachers. Showing up at people's houses with no warning at night and on the weekends. Menacing text messages or letters (left on your door) if you try to report them or quit.

Subject: YBM ECC Incheon

Fri, Nov 17, 2023 at 9:04 AM

This academy was a mixed bag, but on the whole, there were many many things that anyone going there should be aware of before making a decision. Honestly, it is easily the worst job I've ever had. But this is largely due to harsh work loads, a difficult curriculum, a salary that isn't worth it and that they used the old bait and switch to make me sign before breaking contract. If you are fully aware of what the job entails and you sign up for a 9 hour job, you MAY find it is not too bad a place. And while I quit my job before the year was finished, you may find you like it. Alot of things DID improve over the 9 months I Was there to be fair. I will include positive notes at the bottom. I have tried to be fair, reasonable and objective in this report. Please consider both the good and the bad, and please remember, it is entirely possible that you will not share my negative experiences.

1 - Disingenuine Hiring practices.

This academy may first approach you to hire you as an elementary teacher and then try to switch you into a kindy position with far higher hours and more responsibilities. The turn over rate is extremely high. 7 teachers quit within only 3 months. They sometimes use disingenuous tactics to fill the gaps as they are a very large hagwon.

Also, they provided misleading information about the job itself to multiple teachers. Especially the curriculum and living conditions. (Every teacher, regardless of living conditions, had a 100,000 won maintenance fee with bills in addition. We were told 100,000 included utilities. The real cost came closer to 200,000 a month, very high for korea. They also refuse to put you in touch with the landlord under any circumstance which was very suspicious).

2 - Unpaid Overtime

Even if your hours are 9 hours per day (9.30 - 6.30) and even if your contract is for 8 classes per day, you will work more on top of this. At tt the beginning of the year foreign teachers were required to eat with students and supervise play for 30 minutes per day (and yes, that comes out of your lunch time).

Also you may have to watch the elevator, greet parents and other things that also come from your plannng time. At certain times, you may work around 2 hours later than usual. At this time you CAN usually get overtime paid. But the odd 30 minutes or 60 minutes that you stay late because you have too much work, you will have to fight for. they usually only pay for the open class late days etc that they request you stay for.

3 - Curriculum

The curriculum is EXTREMELY complex and requires extensive planning. Worst case scenario, you are only given 1 hour a day to:

- Prepare complex classes that require lots of planning

- Write 50 student comments a month

- Mark 50+ exam papers per month.

- Create schedules for classes to be submitted to parents.

The kindergarden curriculum is the hardest part. You will be required to teach 'maths, science or drama' or non english subjects (in english). Be aware if you are worried about this. the elementary curriculum is also alot harder to teach than other elementary hagwon. It was definitely the hardest job I've worked at in korea (even as elementary only). There really is not adequate training either if you are new to the job. At the beginning of the year, largely due to inadequate training I Was also given a written warning without any sort of verbal warning or assistance first just from the lack of support. This was during a difficult science crafting currculum class and because I was not in classrooms 2 minutes BEFORE the bell would ring.

4 - xxxxx 5 - Disingenuous

- As part of the "bait and switch" tactic, they agreed to let me work for 1 year as an Elementary teacher if I agreed to work 1 year in the kinder garden. Despite it being in my contract they clearly had no intention to honour the agreement. 7 times through the year they asked me "how about next year??" they tried to convince me to work in the kinder garden. As the year progressed, they became more hostile when i kept refusing and eventually they effectively forced me out over a single parental complaint. They intentionally forced me out to avoid paying severance pay and were intending to dismiss me in november when my 1 year of my original contract ended in december. I effectively gave them an ultimatum to let me leave for chuseok or I would not leave willingly or accept a letter of release. Also in the contract there are a number of sick days. I was severely sick due to work place stress during the final weeks when they wer trying to effectively fire me to avoid paying severance and letting me work my second year of contract. It was so bad that I had explosive stomach problems over 30 times a day, I had to take taxis to work and ended up on a drip one night.

They sent me to a doctor, and despite having a written doctors note saying I should take 3 days off to recover, they did not give me a single day off. Everyone there said there is no way I should have been at work. I even brought spare clothes incase I had an accident (I wonder how that would have gone down in front of the kids).

The issue goes far further than this however. xxxxxxx Final negative notes.

Generally the job is extremely hard and most of the teachers were very miserable.. 6 quit in just 3 months. And perhaps.. 80% of the teachers dreaded coming into work every day. There is also almost no support provided for elementary classes (especially for bad behaviour). And even if you work here, there is absolutely 0 upwards momemtum. They are even reluctant to give raises (I was told by one teacher who quit it was partially because they refused to give any raise at all). I also had discussions about a raise to continue in the kindy, no luck. So to me, this job is just like losing a year of your life. It is not worth it. But all that being said, I'll list some good things below.

Good things

- Work conditions DID genuinely improve through the year.

- No more mandatory (or very rarely) supervision of children during lunch.

- The staff and management were generally very helpful when you needed help understanding or teaching the difficult curriculum or had difficulties with classes (in kindy at least).

- Free lunch (and it is not that bad)

- No weekend work. Only 1 time per year

- 2 full weeks vacation. 1 week for korean new year and 1 week in summer plus all red days observed.

- The location is a really nice place to live and accessible to hongdae and seoul.

- The facilities are really nice (really nicely furnished class rooms, expensive interactive whiteboards and you get a laptop etc).

- Field trips can be fun (but you'll be too exhausted to enjoy them possibly as you'll still have to come back and teach elementary after).

- You get to eat cake when kids have birthdays.

Closing Remarks

That is pretty much all of the good things I can think of. I never wanted to be a kindy teacher and I was decieved into being in it when I signed up for an elementary role. Now I am in an elementary job where I work 50% of the hours, for 90% of the salary and I am thoroughly better off for it.

That being said, I don't recommend ANY joint kindy/elementary academy job. And from my experience, one teacher at this academy used to work at other chains such as POLY and SLP and they firmly said this job is much better than the two franchises i just mentioned. That being said, if you are keen to work one of these long hours joint jobs, this place is probably better than alot of other similar jobs.. Just be aware of what you are getting into and don't have any misconceptions before signing a contract. Genuinely, my biggest grievence was always the long working hours which I never wanted. But if you can accept long working hours happily, then perhaps you could enjoy this job.

I just hope nobody else goes through my own experience here again.

Subject: Francis Parker Gwanggyo

Wed, Nov 15, 2023

Positives:

-paid on time

-great students

-lunch is good, no need to eat with students

-curriculum is easy to follow

Needs Improvement / Negatives:

-pay is low (even with experience, pay is similar with first time teachers)

-favoritism (xx plays favorites. If you are not in the favorites list, you will be talked about, treated unfairly, given "extra" work)

-no sick days (even with a high fever, school expects you to come in)

-no proper break time or prep time

-asks native teachers to alter scores without Korean teachers knowing

-last minute notifications especially to native teachers

-teachers are easily burnt out

-not enough training (although curriculum is easy to follow, school expects you to know everything from the start)

Subject: Kaplan English academy Iksan Jeolla province

Mon, Nov 13, 2023 at 2:05 PM

Kaplan English academy Iksan Jeolla province The last year working at this academy has been the most distressing year of my life and I don't want anybody else to suffer these xxxxx people, here are some reasons to avoid this academy:

1. Gaslighting: The xxxxx doesn't like interacting with the xxxxx teachers, so gaslighting by the xxxxx goes unchecked. You will be blamed for things you had no knowledge of, which compounded with the fact that the xxxxxx isn't very proficient in English, reults in a lot of miscommunication that will ultimately be used against you. Overall it's a very crabs in a bucket type of workplace.

2. xxxxxx

3. No privacy: Their is no privacy, once they called my doctors wife (this was the doctors story when confronted), to find what medication I was on and what my sickness was to use against me in the future. xxxx.

4. xxxxxx

5. The accommodation I was given was covered in mould, rust and there were broken appliances. xxxxxxx

6. Their is also a lot of gossip, the xxxxxx will try to play the foreign teachers against eachother, which never really works but is still disgusting behaviour that people shouldn't have to put up with.

xxxxxxxxxxxx Please don't work here I promise there are a million more jobs that will treat you much better.

Sun, Nov 12, 2023 at 4:08 PM

I'd like to add JICS or Jones International Christian Studies in Songdo to the blacklist. There was manipulation starting from the interview, where they make it sound like an international school. In reality, it is just another hagwon. The real danger is the Kindergarten, which has a constant flow of teachers due to several midnight runs. You likely won't be directly told what position you'll work in. Kinder is longer hours and less vacation days than the grade school. From the time you arrive you'll be with the kids ALL day with no break (aside from the 25 minutes they give you for P.E and ballet) and no lunch. (After lunch you get 15 minutes unless it's a kids birthday, to which you must prepare a photo op and light candles and sing during your illegally short break time.) Not only do you eat with the kids, you must refill their servings and wash utensils when dropped on the floor. There is only 1 assistant that is severely overworked that is shared between the Kinder 6 year old class and Kinder 7. There is no curriculum and all lessons are entirely created by the Kinder teachers. You will be teaching every class, from math, to science, to home ec and even Bible. There is absolutely no prep time as after after-school is done you will be writing reports due every Tuesday and Friday as well as lengthy individual reports due biweekly every Thursday. (Used to be weekly!) And a lesson plan due every Tuesday as well. This is all to be completed in the 1 hour and 30 minute time block at the end of the day. This doesn't even count preparing materials and cleaning your classroom. You will have absolutely no time to breathe and any complaints will be gaslighted and ignored. You will be overworked and underpaid so beware!

Mon, Oct 30, 2023 at 10:30 PM

My time at I.L.C.E. (I Love Clover English), also known as the International Learning Center for English, was marked by a series of concerning issues. Here's a detailed account:

Communication Breakdown:

One of the most noticeable problems at I.L.C.E. was the evident lack of effective communication between the three xxxxxx. This led to confusion and frustration, making it difficult to understand job expectations.

Unreasonable Overtime Expectations:

Employees often faced pressure to work late without appropriate compensation or consideration for personal time. This practice raised concerns about work-life balance and fair employment practices.

Unexpected Janitorial Duties:

Being assigned janitorial tasks without prior agreement or additional compensation was a breach of professional boundaries. It undermined the nature of the employee's role and showed a lack of respect for their contributions.

Lack of Public Holiday Recognition and Overtime Pay:

I.L.C.E.'s failure to acknowledge public holidays and withhold overtime pay was disappointing. This demonstrated a disregard for the contract agreement and employees' rights.

Dubious Vacation Policies:

The handling of vacation days at I.L.C.E. was questionable and left employees feeling uneasy. Denying rightful time off creates a trust deficit between employer and employee.

Intrusive Monitoring:

XXXX's habit of monitoring CCTV feeds and addressing employees in the middle of class was unprofessional and invasive. This practice created an uncomfortable work environment and eroded trust.

Collaborative Confrontations: XXXXXXX aligning to confront employees was unprofessional and detrimental to the work atmosphere. This behavior created unnecessary stress and anxiety for staff.

Discriminatory Hiring Practice:

Learning about the preference for hiring based on nationality and subsequent wage disparities was concerning. Such practices, if true, raise ethical questions about the organization's values.

In summary, my experience at I.L.C.E. was fraught with a series of concerning practices that made for a challenging work environment. Prospective employees should carefully consider these factors before seeking employment at this institution. The treatment of staff at I.L.C.E. leaves much to be desired, and I hope for improvements in the future.

Tue, Oct 31, 10:46AM

Please add Sang Sang Language School in Gunsan, Jeonbuk. It is not worth it. My experience is mostly negative.

1. The xxxxxx does not tell you in advance which days are off and does not give you a school calendar. In the end you have to come to the school and suddenly find out that the school is closed. You tried to call xxxx and xxxxx did not answer any of your messages within the first 12 hours you sent them.

2. There is no curriculum and you have to make your own which is very time consuming. You have to guess all the time what the students should learn, and xxxxx does not give any help with planning the curriculum.

3. If your xxxxx has a problem with you xxxxx did not tell you in advance, and just walks inside your classroom in the middle of class while you are teaching and just tells you out loud in front of all the students. xxxxx does not even bother knocking the door.

4. The apartment that you get has mold in the end.

Please avoid this school at all costs.

Mon, Oct 30, 2023, 11:45PM

Hello Jon, thank you for doing lord�s work. Could you please post this post as a hagwon blacklist post. I would really appreciate it. Thank you so much.

Latt English Academy-Dogokdong-Yangjae-Maebong-Gangnam

The workload is absolutely insanely insurmountable and the level of micromanagement is very high and toxic. There�s no breaks because you have to eat with the kids and after finish eating with the kids, you have to call them one by one and read books with them (3 to 5 books). Then, get ready for another class but first take the kids to the toilet and whilst kids are using the toilets, for signs teachers have to wait outside and mop the floor quickly after the kids finish washing their hands. The prep time is not enough and the workload keeps adding up. You have to check their homework, weekly test, their weekly essays, make them memorise two pages long essays, monthly tests, preparation for a bullshit fun craft class where you have to prepare everything on your own time, you will be teaching how to read an analog clock to analyse tally counting, science, and other xxxxxx subjects. Also, the expectation for additional materials speeches, crafts, songs, games etc is insanely high. Wet very toxic environment. Teachers also have to clean their classroom every Friday after a long day with no breaks. This is not mentioned in the contract!

The two female xxxxxxx who can�t speak English well, are catty, toxic, bully, and tries to tell foreign teachers how to teach English in their broken English.

To keep foreign teachers in fear, they always come up with We had a complaint about you."They don't name-names. It's just a means to psychologically intimidate, "We are monitoring you and you better tighten up." It's meant to constantly keep you on eggshells so that you will self-monitor and pay attention to details, not get lazy.

They didn't go to college, didn't finish college, went to college with non-relevant degrees, not: ESL, English, Business, Linguistics. Graduated at a Korean college with a poor world ranking. Have no training or degree/certificate in management, yet are your xxxxx in education and training, stop and think about that for a second.

Most foreign teachers were miserable and whilst I was working, one left within 2 months. The ones who were okay with everything were blinded by Stockholm syndrome. Everyday I felt like jumping in front of a bus or a train when I was working there. The toxicity in that hagwon is just insanely high.

The slightly high pay might entice you but please, for the sake of your mental and physical health, please don�t work here.

Oct 30, 2023, 4:30PM

Hello. Please keep me anonymous. Here�s a school please add to the blacklisted list

The school is in Gimcheon Gumi

Reason for black listing:

* The school doesn�t have a standardised syllabus for the school. They keep bringing new books and new teaching methods maybe 3 times a month. This brings confusing to the students and the teacher at times because you need to adjust to the new methods and books.

* They mix 4 years old and adults students and can�t focus on either kinder, elementary or adult classes.

* They xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

* xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

* There is alot of information from teachers (like necessary paperword as xxxxxxxxxxx). * You can�t take a day off you come to school no matter how sick you�re even if you break your leg.

* There is gossiping about one teacher to the other and that causes tension at work. And lastly xxxxx always giving wrong information to parents about you as a teacher too and you get a shock of your life when you meet a parent and they ask you something on weekends by the market.

Tue, Oct 24, 2023 at 2:14 PM

I'd like to submit BIS Seocho to the black list.

First, the pros: the kids, typically free to teach class as you'd like

I worked at this school for a long time. Management was condescending and unhelpful. I know of multiple employees that had to leave to be hospitalized (for personal reasons including surgery) and had to pay for their substitutes the same day and were chastised for missing classes and constantly called while in the hospital and asked to immediately come back.

There were 9 classes every day and you'd frequently be teaching all of them. Lunch with the students ( which a lot of us had to work through or attend meetings during anyway) and 2 breaks that many of us also had to work through.

There was a significant amount of administrative work (scheduling books, exams, homework, vocabulary tests weekly, report cards that were excessively long, regular class prep, lesson plans, spelling lists, and 3 times a year making 2 versions of a 50 question exam EACH for 12 or more individual classes and grading them all by hand to return within 3 days). We were lucky to get 3-4 hours per WEEK of prep time within the working hours and even then, the foreign teachers got no desk or office, just sat on the floor in the hallway with the kids waiting for class. Most people stayed late frequently or took work home, even though the shift was already 9 hours.

Behavioral problems from students were often blamed on the foreign teachers as well.

Tue, Oct 24, 2023 at 2:35 AM

If you do decide to work at this branch, all my ex-colleagues and I can say is good luck

* No break/lunch break during an 8hour work day, must stay extra 30min if you do "take a break".

* Will get warnings for even snacking whilst working as this is regarded as "taking a break" and you are then expected to stay the extra 30mins at the end of the work day - even if all your work has been completed.

* Branch has very high turnover rate - opened 14months ago, total number of staff who had left prior to the 10month mark were:

1. 3 members of teaching staff - 2 Korean, 1 foreign

2. 3 members of desk/admin staff - one of which quit after 3 days of employment

3. 2 Korean teaching staff had handed in resignation letters

- ALL original teaching staff quit or refused to sign on at the end of the first year.

* No holiday pay for working on national holidays (non negotiable, can't choose to not work).

* Constant cctv observations(with audio) and being watched through the classroom window.

* Staff are vary/afraid to communicate with each other due to constant observations, therefore it's practically impossible trying to get to know your colleagues and build professional relationships.

* Xxxxxxx

* Extra work are constantly given without warning, especially to the more competent and more experienced members of staff - and often expected to to completed on the day it was given or the next day.

* Xxxxxxx

* Xxxxxx

* Only ONE 30mins "break" and no extra-time pay during a 10 hour work day during summer and winter camps

- the "break" consists of supervising the class during camp lunch time

- expected to still stay extra 30mins after work as you have "taken a break"

* You are expected to not only complete your own work (which includes a very long growing list of things) but also take on the tasks of admin/desk staff of photocopying, printing data input etc. whilst the admin staff sits around and playing phone games, ordering take out and doing online shopping.

* No sick leave/pay, impossible to take a sick day - you are told to "go see a doctor prior to work hours start and arrive work on time" - staff members have had to show up to work whilst suffering with the following illnesses

1. a high fever of over 38�C with no voice for. 8 days

2. work injury with foot in cast

3. slipped back disk

4. pre-operation thyroid issues

* Xxxxxxxx of deducted wages and flight reimbursement if:

1. you take a lunch break without staying for extra 30mins at the end of the work day

2. you don't do everything as told by the xxxxx

3. you require even 1 day o sick leave

4. you question anything you are told to do (even if the explanations weren't clear)

* You can't question anything you are told to do by the xxxxx or you become a target for the rest of the time you work there.

* If you decided to resign and have leftover holidays, good luck getting the holiday pay you are entitled to, you will just be asked to arrive work an hour late for a week and take that as your "holiday".

* If you resign, the wages of the last working month will not be paid.c * 1 single towel (shared by12 staff members and about 400 students) in the toilet to dry hands that is hand washed on each Friday (it was decided that paper towels were too costly and you must bring your own if you wish to use any)

* Xxxxxxxxxx

* quite a few of the Korean staff members have problems with communication and can barely help with any sort of assistance - they usually say �I will check and let you know�Ethen never get back to you.

* certain staff members are constantly bad-mouthing teaching staff - especially foreign staff - in Korean, assuming nobody can understand them. There have been many occasions in which teaching staff had come out of classrooms to collect printouts to find the sudden hushing of certain Korean staff members hovering over the same computer watching classroom CCTV and giving suspicious glances

Sun, Oct 22 at 11:04 PM

I'd like to write a review warning future applicants to avoid Busan Poly Dongnae.

In February 2023 a whole slew of us were hired on as 20 of the (at the time) current teachers were quitting. That was the first red flag, but I still had faith based on the interview. As the old crew left, we were expected to teach the curriculumn despite not being allowed hands on participation is class during observation. Furthermore, it came to our attention that korean co-teachers are explicitly told to spy and report on us to higher ups. We are constantly questioned on our teaching styles and criticized constantly. Many students since the mass teacher transition have left. We can feel major financial burden as supplies are become scarce and simple things such as tissues and board markers are micromanaged. Test scores, especially writing scores, are forged and report cards must match what higher ups demand to create a false narrative for parents. Some students may be behind, but the report must be glowing. On the flip side, some students may be well advanced but the report must show they need to stay enrolled at POLY. There is no truth telling or constructive feed back in terms of progress monitoring.

The second red flag is the housing situation. We currently all live a rennovated love motel situated at the top of mountain. We do not have our own personal kitchens. Some rooms still smell of cigarette ash. We do not have our own separate apartments. We must take the POLY shuttle to and from school everyday. It is nigh impossible to catch a cab or realiable bus up here. Usually we have to treck down the mountain to get a cab or walk to the nearest subway station.

I heavily warn anyone from applying to this place of work for the next school year. The pay may seem high but the working conditions are abysmall. You are not treated as any respect deserving of a teacher. If you have any desire to actually educate and help students learn, this place will not leave you feeling satisfied. You have no time to your own, and your vacation days are constantly under threat of being shifted around to appease parents. Please stay away, let this business crash and burn. Save yourself and future children from trauma.

Fri, Oct 20 at 12:57 PM

I'd like to add a message about LCI Kids Club Jamsil, Songpa-gu. I interviewed with them and received an offer, but immediately declined after reading the contract.

One of the first things listen in the contract is you must "accept, obey, and strictly comply with the instructions, supervision, training and discipline of xxxxx". Red flag for exploitation. The word "obey" is very intense.

Another HUGE red flag is "the Teacher must not tell about your own contract contents to anybody else. If so, the Teacher subsequently causes damage to school's reputation and status, the Teacher is required to terminate the contract and the school has the right to seek monetary reimbursement from the Teacher". This is insane.

Thu, Oct 19 at 12:37 PM

The Mavens Institute down at City Hall Station is an adult business hagwon in Seoul, and it ought to be put on the blacklist, and here's why:

1. False advertising. They go on about having morning shifts, but that's a real fib. They've got just two teachers handling the coveted morning shifts, and everyone else gets stuck with either a 7:00 am to 10:00 pm split shift or a part-time night shift from 5:00 am to 10:00 pm. They have afternoon+evening shifts as well which are pretty rough, but tolerable. Lots of newbies get stuck with 7:00-10:00pm.

2. Their employee training is a real shambles. Folks get chewed out when they don't know their way around certain procedures or teaching certain classes. Their response? "Figure it out yourself, we're too busy." If you teach a class you've never taught or been trained to teach, and screw up, they blame you for not asking for help.

3. The receptionists are a no-go zone if you need help or have questions. You'll get in trouble for bothering them in any way.

4. Xxxxxxxx is all about the verbal abuse and a constant stream of insults and foul language.

5. Their pay is a joke, ranging from 1.5 million to 2.5 million for those brutal 7:00 am to 10:00 pm split shifts, including the Saturday grind from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm which pays even less hourly. Negotiating for more? Only one teacher ever pulled that off. Their housing stipend is laughably low for a hagwon smack dab in the middle of Seoul, and it's doled out unfairly, so no two contracts are ever the same.

6. Don't even dream about annual raises. Maybe, just maybe, they'll up the housing stipend after your contract, if they happen to like you, which is a big "if."

7. Their computer system and procedures are stuck in the dark ages, and they make everything needlessly complicated. I'd say about 90% of your time there is spent on procedures and pointless busywork.

8. Managers also check your work when it's time for you to leave, but you have to wait for them if they are taking a long call, aren't at the desk, or doing some other task. Imagine waiting 15-20 minutes after your clock out time just so they can take an extra 5 minutes to hold you from your evening plans or sleep. They let teachers they like leave early and purposefully hold teachers they don't like.

9. They've lost a whopping 9 teachers this year alone �Eresignations, walkouts, and no renewals, you name it.

10. You've got to memorize their dialogue texts and pass a test to prove you remember but only get two chances to do so. Problem is, most newbies flunk, but they'll tell you it's rare, and some teachers get punished with busywork.

11. Health concerns? Forget about it! Health emergencies? Nope, not on their radar. They'll threaten to cancel your visa on the spot while you're stuck in the ER. During the pandemic, they'd scold teachers for socializing outside at restaurant, thinking it was too risky, even with masks and distancing.

12. Some female teachers claim the branch manager groped them once or twice, yet the branch manager herself is female. No idea what's going on there.

13. The one silver lining is they give some teachers long unpaid vacations. The catch? Only a select few get a whole month off, while others have to beg for specific dates, if they get any at all.

14. They're all about endless meetings and scolding for the tiniest slip-ups, thanks to their nitpicky procedures. It's a real morale killer, let me tell you.

15. You're supposed to bust out the vacuum every week for your room, which isn't too terrible, but they've got custodians on the payroll who do that already, so it feels a bit like extra work for no good reason.

16. Socializing in the teacher's lounge? That's almost a no-go these days. They're convinced it sparks some sort of teacher rebellion, so they've practically banned it.

17. Yawning is prohibited because it's considered rude, and bathroom emergencies are not acknowledged. Between classes during a 4-5 hour shift of non-stop classes you have maybe a 5 minute window, realistically 3 minute window, between classes to use the toilet. You don't pay us enough to have us shit our pants in front of students.

18. Looking at your phone while in the office is banned and they constantly walk past to check and see if you have your phone out.

19. xxxxxxxxxxxx

Teaching ain't meant to be a cakewalk, and neither is work in general, but somehow, they've managed to make it unbearable and cringeworthy. I fought for a more fair contract than others, but in the end I bailed due to their abusive management.

Thu, Oct 12, 2023 at 10:37 AM

I am writing to provide a comprehensive warning based on my experience as a former teacher at Seodaemun Poly Hagwon in Korea. This post aims to expose the exploitative practices, unethical treatment of staff, and the creation of a toxic work culture within this institution.

Disregard for COVID-19 Safety Measures:

Seodaemun Poly Hagwon demonstrated a shocking disregard for the safety of students and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritizing profit over the well-being of the school community. Safety protocols were lacking, putting everyone at unnecessary risk.

Horrible Working Conditions:

Teachers at Seodaemun Poly Hagwon endure xxxxxxx including extremely long hours spent on their feet. The school often fails to provide adequate time to complete deadlines, forcing teachers to work outside contracted hours and take work home. Break times are minimal, and teachers are compelled to attend unnecessary meetings, further adding to the strain.

Non-Compliance with Contracts:

The school consistently fails to honor the terms outlined in teacher contracts. Teachers are pressured to work beyond their contractual obligations, creating a stressful and unsustainable work environment.

Threatening Behavior Towards Teachers:

Seodaemun Poly Hagwon's administration engages in xxxxxxxxx intimidation tactics with teachers. This creates a hostile working environment, making it difficult for educators to perform their duties effectively and professionally.

Unsafe Living Conditions:

Teachers are often required to live in substandard apartments with serious health hazards, such as mold infestations and burst pipes. Seodaemun Poly Hagwon displays a complete disregard for basic living conditions and the well-being of its staff.

Toxic Work Environment Created by xxxxxxxx:

Xxxxxxxx contribute to a toxic work environment by making teachers work long hours on their feet, not providing adequate time for deadlines, and pressuring teachers to work outside contracted hours. Unnecessary meetings further contribute to the stress. During health emergencies, sick teachers are hassled to work, and threats to their pay are made.

Misleading Information During Interviews:

Seodaemun Poly Hagwon has a history of providing misleading information during interviews regarding the location of teacher housing and actual work conditions. Prospective teachers are often given inaccurate details, creating a sense of betrayal upon arrival.

I strongly advise against considering employment at Seodaemun Poly Hagwon. The school's exploitative practices, coupled with a toxic work environment, make it an unsuitable workplace. Share this information within your networks to protect others from the detrimental effects of working at this institution.

If you have questions or need more information, feel free to reach out to me privately. Let us unite to ensure that educators are treated with the respect and professionalism they deserve.

Fri, Sep 22, 2023 at 10:11 AM

Shepherd International Education is a school I recently joined and wish that I had done more research about prior to signing on. The management xxxxxxxx is very belittling of teachers' efforts, and it is no wonder that virtually all teachers from last year left the school and it's all new people. With all the new teachers they've taken on, it's very disorganized and the orientation was very poor. I get the sense that they hired anyone who would take the job, as most of the teachers hired do not seem credible or qualified, just like the people running the place. I wish I'd done more digging around. This looks like it will be a long year, and I know that many people are second guessing their decisions.

Wed, Sep 20, 2023 at 10:52 AM

I would like to add eMAX english in Daechi (next to Dogok station) to the blacklist. It is an english academy for G1-8.

There are so many reasons I can't explain everything so here is a list of why 10 teachers quit in the past year and 15 quit in the past 2 years

-work hours are long. you teach for 3 hours and get a 20 minute break and then teach again for 3 hours. but students come early for the 2nd class so you won't even get to eat properly. you also pay for your own meals.

-you're expected to message all the parents individually after your lesson. must draft a different message every week by yourself (what the class was about, have to let them know if the kid didn't submit homework, the student's strengths and weaknesses)

-have to grade all of the hw and essays within a week which would be FINE but you're teaching 8+ subjects for each class (vocab, grammar, toefl reading, toefl listening, toefl speaking, reading, essay, science, debate, presentation, etc)

-there's a cctv in each classroom which is fine to monitor the students, but the academy uses it to criticize your posture, how much you're sitting, etc

-you have to pay for the textbooks and books with your own personal money (they be EXPENSIVE) and you have to sell it to the next teacher on your own. if you can't find someone to sell it to, good luck on carrot market.

-you have to pay for your classroom supplies, including tissues, wet wipes, and board markers -you have to provide your own laptop and adapter to connect to the tv

-they basically only provide paper for printing and an outdated microsoft program. I paid for my own MS because I just couldn't deal with the old programs (powerpoints look terrible)

-the summer/winter intensives are INTENSE. you basically have to work a 13 hour day if you're teaching the intensive classes. and you get paid 20%, the hakwon takes 80% of the student tuition. and you still have to make your own lessons and message parents.

-the academy is manipulative af. they gaslight you and make you think you have nowhere else to go if not this hokwon. says that they'll take care of you and pay you so much in the beginning, but later always finds a reason to not give you your incentives and your severance pay. (your incentive-related info is also not in the contract which is sketchy)

-freelance contract so you dont get coverage with insurance

-the academy threatens to sue you for every little thing they are not happy with

-teachers were called reptiles for having emotions.

-xxx puts themselves on a pedestal saying that they are always researching and studying, pays themselves less than everyone else in the academy which is so annoying and toxic

-the academy bothers the female teachers more than male teachers, commenting on the length of their hair, if they have a boyfriend, women shouldn't eat hamburgers, etc

-don't get paid for overtime, but last time the academy went through a renovation, the teachers were asked to clean up after the repairs

-no sick days, and only can take time off for winter, sulnal, children's day, summer, and chuseok. no other red days off.

there are better hokowns out there, and you can do better than this one.

Sep 16, 2023, 1:30 AM

I strongly advise avoiding this school like the plague. It has a high turnover rate due to management and the toxic working environment. In the 6 months I worked there 9 teachers have left, one of which was a midnight run, and more are planning to leave. It's usually understaffed because they can't retain anyone, with the additional work being placed on the remaining teachers.

There's been a change in management, which has caused this place to be run like a hagwon with many hagwon activities. It claims to be xxxxxxxxxx but that's not the full truth - it runs a program for local schools to come on field trips to help them learn English, but this is only half of your day. The rest is standard hagwon classes, and the entire school is run as a hagwon. One of the xxxxxxx previously worked at Rise Academy which should tell you a lot about their methods. The xxxxxxx also try and delegate their admin onto the teachers, so the extra work and duties are forever piling up.

There's also a lot of issues regarding communication. One of xxxxx communicates to the foreign staff by translating messages from Korean to English using Papago so the messages are nonsense even to Korean teachers. If questioned the xxxx will get angry and emotional to shut you down. There will be short notice on projects, and teachers will be spoken to separately to ensure no one knows the full scope of each others duties. Gossip is rife, and your private medical business will quickly become general knowledge. There's also so many lies told by xxxxxx, you speak to different people and will be told something contradictory each time. It's an incredibly manipulate work environment and they will try to intimidate you. It's also very sexist, even in the way classes are delegated (as you teach several subjects, not just English).

You do not get a full hour lunch break despite being at work for 9 hours. If you're three minutes late to clock in it will be docked from your wages, but if you're three minutes late to clock out then you don't get that time back. You do not get overtime, but they will harass you on KakaoTalk outside of work hours and then threaten to fire you if you don't respond. They make it more and more difficult to take vacation or sick leave. Contracted annual leave will be approved by management only to later be rescinded after it's already been taken.

The schedule favors particular teachers and is not fair across the board. It's not in the contract, but you will be expected to work Saturdays which they won't tell you about until after you've signed. Everything about this school is underhand like this.

They want experienced teachers, but it's entry level pay with very few benefits.

Fri, Sep 15, 2023 at 11:29 AM

SIE Amsa Campus

I would like add SIE Amsa campus to the list. Everything previous entries mentioned are sadly true.

The new management team is constructed of people in positions that should not be in positions of power and are nothing more than figureheads for the school. The person making a lot of the decisions speaks poorly of teachers behind their backs and looks at teachers (elementary teachers) as expendable. The school exists only to make money and to rinse the teachers. There were quite a few reasons why 20+ teachers left after the new management took over. The school does not put money back into the programs that need it and will cut every corner you can think of. Teachers are promoted there only out of convenience or nepotism. Some even look at a promotion as a mere resume buffer and not something to take seriously.

The hours were recently extended arbitrarily and raises were less than the cost required to cover inflation. There is no set pay scale in place, so some teachers make quite a lot more than others with no justification.

The ACA program is poorly constructed and you will get paid pennies(if you are lucky). Coverage pay is not worth the money and you will be asked to due extra duties(recess, lunch, etc.)

The school's atmosphere is toxic and this is rampant amongst the people in charge.

Avoid this school at all costs, unless you like being talked down to and you are a glutton for misery.

Thu, Sep 14, 2023 at 10:28 AM

Arte English Studio in Uijeongbu

At first everything is great, but if you are not the favorite then the school shows its true colors of how they feel about you.

The contract is whack and long hours for very little money,

Additionally, it is a toxic environment, supplementary teaching material and lesson plans are not provided. Teachers are given the books and new students right before the class starts.

There is little to no communication from management. If management does a special event, teachers are getting little to no notice.

I've seen when it's time to leave the school, the school tries to wait and refuse to pay severance and the last paycheck on time.

Tue, Sep 12, 2023 at 7:03 PM

Kings Kids Gaepo/Daechi/Songpa

Of my many years teaching in Korea, this is easily the worst management I've had. The person you will interview with does not know anything about the day to day at the schools, so everything they will tell you about prepwork, class schedules, and curriculum is a lie. I can count on 1 hand the number of meetings the foreign staff have had the entire year. We are constantly left in the dark about any upcoming school events, expectations for our classes, changes in curriculum, etc. Information will trickle down to you ranging anytime from the absolute last minute to almost comically after the fact.

You will expect your pay as late as possible on the day of, or one day late. I have never been paid before 10pm. You will not be paid on Friday if your payday falls on the weekend. This also applies to housing allowance. The housing provided is poor. The xxxxx may have the water/electric bills sent to himself for months while you get continuous "last warning" alerts for unpaid bills. They'll suddenly deduct the cost for months of utility bills from your paycheck without warning.

Xxxxxx of all the campuses of this school is incredibly cheap and will not hire a single administrator. They try (and fail) to do all things related to payroll/ immigration/ housing/ taxes/ pension/ health insurance / etc for 150+ employees themselves. It took months for them to report me as their employee to NHIS. I was receiving bills directly from NHIS for delinquent payments despite the boss making an insurance deduction from my paycheck. Despite their constant complaints/excuses about how hard managing 150 employees is, whenever you ask about observing an upcoming red day, they will regularly argue that they don't have to follow certain labor laws and government regulations because each campus has under 30 employees.

For your schedule, you will be teaching a full 32 hours a week from 9am~6pm. 2 homeroom classes + teaching to other ages/classes at least once a day + homework /after school classes. You will have ZERO minutes of prep time from 9:15 till 3:45, making some tasks they ask of you nearly impossible (such as checking all the homework and books that go home daily that you only have access to between 9:30 and 3:30 while the kids are at school). Lunch break is 30 minutes, you will eat with the kids. There are days the 30 minute lunch break is my ONLY break, meaning I work overtime and do not get paid for it. You will have to fight for an 8 hour work day, and for every holiday red day you deserve.

Despite what the job postings and interviewer may tell you, the curriculum is NOT set. Textbook choices change on a whim without notice. If you're lucky, you'll receive the teacher edition before the class starts. On multiple occasions this year I have been informed 15 minutes before class that my manager forgot to order the textbooks for my students.

The only saving grace of this place has been the Korean coteachers. The relationship is good and they help you fill in the blanks when management doesn't give you the necessary information. Unfortunately, they are all also looking for new jobs for the new school year.

In summary, avoid this place.

Fri, Aug 25, 2023 at 10:39 AM

This job truly could have been a really wonderful job, as the hours are doable, your co-workers are passionate and care about education, and the vacation days are great. You are afforded a lot more freedom in the classroom than most other hagwons, and on the surface level, you'd think that this job would not be on the Blacklist so often.

Quick repeat of all the other posts:

1. Turnover rate (both Korean and foreign staff alike)

2. Contracts will never be followed

3. Ineffective, unprofessional management (gaslighting, bullying, racism/sexism)

4. Lack of transparency / mishandling of information

5. CCTV monitoring

6. Change in curriculum every semester

The biggest problem at this school is that those who are running the business have no idea how to RUN a business. Not to say that other academies are the beacon of how to run a business. It is just a part of the industry that we must shift the business according to the consumers' demands. However, it's very unusual for a school to not be "known" for whatever part of its curriculum. This school does not have a mission statement. Whether the mission statement is cash or education, it is important that a business know what they stand for. Not having one leads to the massive structural and foundational instabilities that plague the school in every which way, as well as the little, small stuff that adds up quickly.

I highly suggest staying away from this school as far as possible.

Thu, Aug 24 at 11:21 AM

If you want to be overworked and underpaid, this is the hagwon for it.

This used to be an ok school to work for, not good but not the best. However, the xxxxx became the xxxxxxx and it has all gone downhill from there. Teachers have consistently been paid late, the worst of it being in March when some Korean teachers were not paid at all and most teachers got their pay 2-3 weeks late. This is not the only pay related issue the teachers have experienced. Two teachers had their 1 year contracts ending and were not signing for another year. They were entitled to severance pay at the end of their contract, but because of the ownership change the boss is NOT giving them their due severance pay unless they agreed to stay till February of next year. She says she is not required to pay by law. To be honest, the school is too broke for her to do the honorable thing and pay them (they're instead spending money on renovating the library into a second playroom). The school also did not pay any of the foreign teachers pension or health insurance for 3 months, leading to all of them uninsured during that time. Teachers were not told about this until they received late pay notices from the government. Teachers used to have 3 paid sick days a year. There were taken away and people who had taken sick days had their next paycheck docked.

There are many more grievances with this hagwon from the poor communication and lack of management, but these are the main points. The principle is too narcissistic to apologize for anything and realize she is the problem. She will push the blame onto anyone else, even past teachers who no longer work there. The school likely will not last another year, they don't have enough students and have no way to attract students when they are other bigger and more impressive hagwons in the area.

Mon, Aug 21 at 1:49 AM

EISner is going to be rebranded to Francis Parker Ilsan in September 2023.

You will get burned out working at this school. They have several issues not uncommon from other hagwons. In this case, the three most glaring issues are the lack of planning ahead, communication challenges, and lack of resources. The issues are compounded because of a culture of stinginess, old-fashioned crab mentality, and being naive to the new practices of contemporary and successful hagwons in Seoul.

First, many times we will have unscheduled meetings at the end of the day. Oftentimes there will be an urgent need to do something and the deadline is the next day. And the biggest pain is discovering that the task was not accomplished to the satisfaction of the school and would require it done all over again. They keep stacking more tasks and responsibilities without consideration of time and effort needed to do a good job. The upper management doesn't appreciate it when the teachers go above and beyond their duties and when you ask for a break they won't bother to look at the schedule, they will criticize you, and then play the victim by complaining about how bad you make them feel.

Second, not all of the teachers at this school can speak English and, even if they could, they don't know how to express their ideas so that others understand them. For example, when we have meetings and are given a task, it is unclear why we are doing it and how to do it well. Also there are impediments in communication. The English teachers and the Korean teachers have separate meetings and group chats so we are not on the same page. When we have to work together, like in events, we have to make it up as we go along because we never had prep time to fully prepare. In addition, all our opinions are not heard from upper management. We are forbidden to talk to the upper management and instead are required to have the message passed through from the Korean teachers or it will offend upper management's feelings.

Third, they are a small hagwon and take shortcuts everywhere to not spend money. We don't have enough printer paper, red pens, red crayons, whiteboard markers, and A4 laminate. We only have a few foreign English teachers and a few Korean co-teachers so we have to cover more classes without breaks nor prep time. Due to lack of teachers and funds, we don't get substitute teachers when needed and instead everyone has to cover some part of the missing teachers assignments. We should have more teachers to cover classes and to split the work so that we can have a proper hour break every day for all teachers. Also they expect teachers to finish work even if it means we take it home to meet a deadline. Due to the lack of funds, the pay is low and we don't get paid overtime.

To sum up, this is a struggling small hagwon that dreams about becoming a big successful chain, but because of their lack of expertise and unwillingness to change, they will never be able to make it beyond their current situation in work and the overall English teaching industry. Anyone who works here, will be burned out because they are not given enough breaks and prep time, and will not be paid enough for their work. Small hagwons like this are a mistake to work for because they don't have enough money, resources, and management skills to properly run a hagwon, train its teachers, and fulfill their duty to the parents of the students that pay high prices to have their children go to these cheap, low quality hagwons and get nothing in return.

They have other issues common to most bad hagwons including the following:

They are primarily focused on play time and art. There is no professionalism and the desire to provide students with a quality English lesson so that the students end up being able to draw very well, but they can't read or write in English appropriate to their age and level, especially compared to other students at other hagwons.

They take all students, even some students that may appear to suffer from a variety of mental illnesses such as ADHD, autism, anxiety, separation anxiety disorder, and mentally retarded. You are not a qualified psychologist to deal with these issues. These students should go into a special program that is fit for their mental health needs.

General rudeness from upper management. They don't even say hello to you. They have a look of disgust and air of snobbery around them. They get offended when you share a helpful idea. They will say, "Who are you? I am the (title). Is that your job to do that? Just do your job and teach." Anytime there is a task that is overwhelming, they fill the shortcomings with the foreign teacher's time and they won't appreciate you for working harder.

They take shortcuts, lie, cheat, and make things up. They will make up situations that never happened to accuse you of something and then play the victim. They cut lessons short and take away homework assignments because they don't have anyone to check the answers. They let students that don't pay attention to just copy the answers from their friends so that they finish the work.

They will never hire women because they say that women cry too much, but that is because the upper management is mean and unfair to all foreign teachers. They like to pick fights with foreign teachers. They will micromanage you, find faults in your work, and not tell you how to remedy the situation. When you ask for training, they will say you are supposed to know and your TEFL education was supposed to teach you already. Teachers are afraid to speak up because upper management will argue with you and make you stay late after work to put you down and attack your self-esteem.

When you need your Korean co-teacher they are too busy, but it looks like they are just chatting and doing nothing or working slowly to avoid helping you out. Without your Korean co-teacher to help you in the classroom, students often act out and misbehave. The students are often undisciplined and no one does anything about it. The Korean co-teachers would rather ignore it. Since, they are afraid to tell the parents when students behave badly the disruptive behavior continues in the classroom.

They move around work days with red days, holidays, and vacation to fit their needs.

The apartments they give you are old and far from where you actually work so the commute is long.

Finally, there is office politics, passive aggressiveness, bullying, narcissism, favoritism, gapjil, treatment like yangban (royalty) to nobi (slaves), Confucius hierarchy, and E2 slavery.

For your mental health and sanity, avoid EISner and Francis Parker Ilsan.

Fri, Aug 18, 2023 at 9:44 PM

I'd like to add Supsok Eunseoung kindergarden/IPS/Little Campus, Gupo, Busan. Please avoid this school. Here's the raw truth about this hagwon:

1. Horrible Hygiene: No cleaner on-site means you're responsible for daily cleaning of your classroom, air conditioning, and common areas. Come semester end, expect a demanding deep cleaning task. The school is perpetually dirty as teachers lack time for cleaning. Cobwebs hang everywhere, the stench of sewage lingers, and thick black mold infests every corner.

2. Cramped Classrooms: Tiny classrooms struggle to accommodate kids from the big kindergarten owned by the same person. As a result, there's zero classroom management. Prepare for chaos and unruly behavior.

3. xxxxxxx

4. Dysfunctional Curriculum: The xxxxxx incompetence is glaring in the shambolic curriculum. You'll be forced to teach from a book intended for 10-year-olds, despite having 7-year-old students.

5. Financial Deception: Prepare for financial injustice. My severance was down 700,000 won, despite never taking a sick day during my employment. Overtime payments go missing as well. The salary for experienced teachers is unacceptably low.

6. Appalling Accommodation: The provided apartment is a nightmare. Thick black mold infests the attic room, which goes unaddressed. The washing machine emits weird-smelling fumes, yet the school ignores the issue while favoring other teachers, who receive new fridges. To make matters worse, the shared balcony amplifies noise, invading your privacy. Avoid at all costs.

Tue, Aug 15, 2023 at 8:43 PM

First, this is a newly opened school.

Teachers were hired by one R&D team, they offered great benefits including high salaries, low teaching hours and open communication.

That R&D all quit for what we have best come to understand a difference between what the xxxxxx wanted and the team.

Since new management has started, just over a month ago all teachers schedules have been changed to include more teaching hours.

The whole mood of the school has changed, where the 9 native teachers no longer feel comfortable speaking out their problems.

The new manager is constantly on the prowl for "problems" or "slights" she can find. If you don't greet her in the hallway, you are now enemy number one.

The amount of grading is increasingly difficult, most teachers do not have time to complete during their prep hours.

One teacher has already completed a midnight run.

Student numbers are dropping daily.

If the school is still open in March, if you want a high-paying job sign up there will be a lot of openings.

If you want a job that you want to go to I would stay far away.

Basically, its a RISE owned by people who worked at Poly worse of all worlds.

Sat, Aug 12 at 1:30 PM

I would like to warn people about Busan Global Village. This school was once good but has very, VERY quickly gone downhill. I could write pages about the issues at BGV but I will try to just show the key ones.

At BGV in the 'regular' program teachers teach on average 30-31 classes a week. Teachers originally had 2 hours of break time in their contract however since this got brought up in a meeting (as they were making us work during the allocated break time) they have since changed the break time in the contract - a recurring theme at BGV. If we bring up a problem they will change the future contracts...

Since we have so many classes and no prep we often have to do work outside of work hours - this issue gets even worse during 'camp season'.

We are also asked to do things that are way outside of the contract scope like WRITING textbooks (which we are given no time during work hours to complete).

We are threatened with written warnings when we refuse to work overtime. BGV offers "switch days" which is like a one-for-one so work one day and get one day of vacation. However, that does not equally compensate the teacher.

BGV is completely disorganized and when things go array because of the staff's bad planning, the teachers get blamed. This also means that your schedule will change without much notice so you can't plan things. The communication between staff and teachers is appalling (non-existent) and the staff are often completely unhelpful.

Also, the teachers are underpaid and the AC often doesn't work well or is turned off during work hours.

In summary - long work hours, no prep time resulting in working outside of work hours, disorganized, poor communication, low pay, no AC, asks teachers to do things not within their contract.

The only good thing about BGV is the other foreign teachers.

Tue, Aug 8, 2023 at 11:58 AM

I debated for a while whether I should post the school to the blacklist because it was so bad working at this school that I just wanted to be done with it. However, I realized that everyone should stay as far away from this school as possible for their own well-being. They do not deserve good and honest teachers. Here is the honest truth.

I want to start with the things that were okay about the school because I want to be honest. Housing is comfortable, probably because it is located in a new area, Songpa. The pay was also always on time. That is it. Now for everything that was bad about the school.

1. The greenlist posts:

Everyone that works at the school knows who posted them. I have not looked at the greenlist in a while to see if there are any new and fake posts, but I know that one of them was written by the xxxxxx. The second one was written by a current foreign teacher who is best friends with the xxxxx. This foreign teacher is incredibly rude and will do anything plus say anything to make the school look good. The main reason she loves the school is because she came from such a shitty Hagwon and had such a shitty experience from her previous school that Hillside will look like luxury to anyone coming from her previous Hagwon. That does not mean that this Hagwon is good by any means. Also, it is something to note, xxxx treats the foreign teachers like crap just as much as the manager and some Korean staff treats us. This xxxxxx teacher (author of a greenlist post) is just as bad as them.

2. They will put up a front that they are kind, but any teacher that they can pick on, they will be horrible to.

I will say, the xxxxx, is kind. xxxx does want xxx foreign staff to stay and he hates that there is a high-turnover rate at his school. He would rather keep his teachers that help his school. But, the problem is he is complicit to the actions of his Korean staff. Majority of the people (Korean and Foreign) that were genuinely nice people have left the school. Some of the teachers and staff and manager that are still there, are the ones that made the experience of working there so draining and anxiety-inducing. I woke up everyday, anxious, wondering if one of the Korean staff members is gossiping about me or if someone is watching me on the CCTV and feeling like I had to be perfect. But even perfect is not enough for them.

There are a couple of teachers at the school that worked so hard in their classrooms, that the school took advantage of them and gave them more work that they did not want to do. And if those teachers have not left, please note that the teachers that stayed are swimming in work, exhausted and sick half the time because they have so much work to do and no time to do it. This causes teachers to go WAY outside of their working hours and do not get paid for overtime. And of course, there is no appreciation for how hard these teachers work. Only more scrutiny about what they are doing wrong and of course more work.

3. There is no help and no training.

I think this is an important one. No teacher there receives training, even though they should. Actually, all the teachers found out that the Hillside Franchises have an annual training event where teachers from all the Hillside Franchises come together to be trained and get familiar with the Hillside curriculum. Guess who isn't allowed to go? Songpa foreign teachers. The reason is because a few years back, this Hillside completely changed everything because they want to try to present themselves as an international school. I want to mention that they are not an international school and they lie to the parents about this. They do not even have F visa teachers, only E-2 visas which would be very weird for an international school. They took away the set curriculum and replaced it with one word themes. They also took away most of the curriculum books and there are actually no curriculum books for certain grade levels. Overall, once you get there, you are thrown in and left to figure out yourself. If you do not do it the way they want, even though they did not tell you how, you will be reprimanded like a child.

4. The xxxxx, or person who we have to directly speak to when there are issues, needs a whole section for xxxxx.

If you have an issue with a child or need help with anything. Xxxx is not the one to call. Xxxxx will half listen to what you are saying and leave you to figure it out with no solution. A lot the times, certain students can have serious behavioral issues (like hitting a teacher or another student) and they get away with it because she does nothing about it.

Xxxx has too much power and she gets away with way too much. xxxxxxxx

5. The curriculum is not set. You have to make it yourself.

Back to my comment above about the curriculum. You really do have to make everything from scratch (plus weekly lesson plans + materials for those lessons, plus a monthly newsletter, plus report cards, plus talking to the parents everyday on KidsNote, plus being a music and dance instructor for the end of the year concert, plus whatever else they add last minute) and you have to do it in a way they like and that the parents like. They try to play this off as you have full control in your classroom, but you do not. Again, because they watch you 24/7 on CCTV and will tell you how they want things done just because. Truly, if there they were giving feedback that is constructive, I would not be talking about this. But half the time, they come into your classroom and have the audacity to tell you that one single parent did not like, so you can't do it again or to tell you that oh that one child looks bored, do something else. Or just to add word to your plate. These are only examples and the things they come up with are ridiculous and unnecessary.

In reference to the circle time activities, these are a mess. Yes, previous teachers have generously created materials that you can use to add to your lessons. But you end up making your own anyways because it is too much of a mess in the teacher's room to find it or it does not match the lessons you need to help your students. They are not helpful at all.

Overall, the curriculum is put on the teachers entirely to figure it out and when you don't do it there way (though they never told you how to do it), then you get in trouble. On top of creating the curriculum, there is just not time in the day to actually complete all the work stated above. It is overwhelming, especially when new teachers are coming into Korea for the first time. It is already hard enough for seasoned teachers.

6. Parents complaints are prioritized.

I understand this is typical for Hagwons, but this Hillside takes to to the next level. There are some parents, who only send their child to this school because they know they can manipulate the school and let their child get away with anything in the classroom. There are times when a parent complains about a child having timeout (during a free time, not during lessons) and they did not like that. But that same child hit another student or was actively disrupting classrooms and nothing (not even candy or a sticker) can get them to stop. Parents complaints will also be prioritized without even talking to the foreign teacher. Then, with a little time, things go back to normal and the school does not care because it was not a real problem in the first place or at least a problem that they actually cared about. They just want to make the parents happy no matter what they complain about.

Honestly, there is so much more that I could get into, but these above reasons plus the other extensive blacklist posts (that are being posted throughout the year) should be enough to know that this school is not worth it. This school is a mess and certain staff members there are a joke. They are also desperate for people because of the high turn-over rate and midnight runs that happen there. From 2022 to most recently in 2023, they have had 7-8 teachers leave (and this includes 3 midnight runs) and does not even include the high turn-over rate for the Korean teachers that have left.

I know this post is long and I absolutely wrote this post with anger because no one should have to deal with any of these issues at their Hagwons. I genuinely do not want anymore genuine and wonderful teachers to work at this school. They deserve a better and more welcoming school that cares about the student's learning and not their parents paychecks.

Fri, Aug 4 at 11:32 AM

I'd like to add Jin English Language Institute in Seongdong-gu on your list. Toxic work environment, long hours, lack of communication within management to the teachers, and no clear work boundaries to name a few. The contract is also seriously whack, but if I got into that, this would also be another 4 paragraphs.

If you value your well-being, do not work here.

Mon, Jul 31 at 3:22 PM

You are expected to know how everything works, how to teach every class, how to set up every special class, and know when everything is due without any mistakes as soon as you're hired. A cctv will be watching your every move and the feed can be viewed at the entrance of the school for all parents and the front office on another floor. (you will be micromanaged extremely to the point, one would feel like the massive truck is about to hit them).

There's an extreme level of micromanagement. For example, foreign teachers are not allowed to speak with each other or be friendly towards each other. The xxxx an eye on teachers as if they are some prisoners. .This can be seen with many of management coming by your class multiple times an hour to see if you're working as well as randomly walking in and going through your books to see if you have graded them to their standards or whether the teachers handwriting is up to their preposterous standard. Teachers would be told that lies about ghost complaints from the parents but in reality it never happens, they do this so that teachers would walk on egg shells everyday with fear and anxiety on top of standing all day teaching with no breaks for example, a parent complained about your letter "f" and the way you write it in the kid's book.

You're usually just thrown into teaching, which may not be an issue for a simpler teaching gig, but this school takes their curriculum seriously and will note how long you're standing, if you're correctly marking your books and even complain if you make the class too dynamic and fun for the students. They expect children in seats learning. I've had management scold me multiple times because a (4/5 year old Korean age) kids does not write neatly. The kids are expected to write essays every week with the help of a foreign teachers (5 to 7 Korean age kids), and they make those kids to memorise one essay a month so that they can act like a parrot while the Korean teacher is taking their video. I have never seen anything like this in my life every again. Xxxxxxxxx.

There are no legit breaks and you have to eat lunch with the kids. If you choose to skip a prep time, it will come back to haunt you when you fall behind on your work. Also, every Friday us teachers have to clean the classroom after finishing our last class. There was a week when all us foreign teachers had to cover classes for one teacher who had covid, meaning I had to use my prep time to cover classes and they expected us to finish all prepping when we did not even get our proper prep time. The amount of work to do outside teaching and prepping in insurmountable. It created anxiety for teachers because there is a sense of being watched for small mistakes and then having that used against you.

The managers like the feeling of being in charge and it shows how xxxxx gives demands and always has something to say. xxxxx will not be able to communicate in a respectful manner and will be sure to express her superiority over you at every opportunity. So once you've finished your first class (eg. 9:00-9:40), you're expected to jump straight into the next subject (eg. 9:40-10:20), so the kids get no breaks either.

Everyday felt like I was in trouble and that I was under a microscope. The CCTV cameras in the classroom make sure you constantly know that you are always being watched and scrutinised. One time during my prep time (no breaks are given), I went to speak with another foreign teacher just for a minute or two, after that I went back to my class to continue with my prep, the manager ***** came to tell me off and told me not to chat with other foreign teachers during my prep time. The environment is extremely toxic there and xxxxxxxxxxxxx to instruct teachers in order to maintain some sort of hierarchy. Teachers are expected to stand all day whilst teaching, and even correct kids essays and work books by going around to each kid and kneeling down and check everything while make the kids say and repeat everything that he/she wrote. All the teachers were miserable and the ones who were okay were the ones with massive Stockholm syndrome.

Working there was very miserable and all the other teachers were very miserable and always very scared but they were too scared to speak up. I know most of them went back home and I left that hagwon within 3 months. I remember going outside of Seoul during one 3 days long weekend whilst I was working at that hagwon, the thought of going back to Seoul and going to that hagwon from Tuesday was so depressing to the point, I could not even leave my hotel because I was anxious all the time. All these 2 cents hagwon jobs are not worth more than my mental health, as soon as I decided to leave that hagwon within few months, I felt liberated. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and I would like everyone to avoid this place like plague. Trust me, the salary they might offer is not worth it at all.

I would like to blacklist Last English Academy-Dogokdong-Gangnam for being the most toxic workplace I have ever had or heard of here in Korea. Please do not work at this hagwon even if they offer high salary.

Sat, Jul 29 at 10:15 PM

-At first everything may seem okay, even manageable, but be warned, the school's true colors will start to show and before you know it you'll be planning your escape.

-There is no training period, you are expected to show up and start teaching on the first day.

-The working environment is unwelcoming and highly stressful for both foreign and Korean teachers.

-The school is beyond unorganized so teachers are constantly dealing with last minute changes on a daily basis.

- We are required to do a ridiculous amount of unnecessary admin, and on the rare occasions when we aren't swapped by our teaching schedule, we are forced to deskwarm.

-The curriculum is outdated and ineffective. We have to teach out of textbooks, with no additional teaching materials or technology in the classroom.

-MANY teachers have left the school before their contracts ended!!

-This is a very tame and abbreviated version of all of the horrors we've faced at this school, please just trust us and STAY AWAY!!!

Sat, Jul 22 at 9:37 AM

SIE Amsa, I would like to share about the shady things that happened in case anyone is looking into applying for this school. There are many reasons why so many teachers left this school and why they are desperately in need of some many new hires for the 2023-2024 school year. Admin would trick new hires into thinking teachers got fired, or moved to their home country or took a break when the fact is that teachers got tired of their nonsense and almost all of them decided to leave. They have had so many staff quitting from principals, to vice principals to teachers and even the doorman quit, not just teaching staff! The fact of the matter is that SIE Amsa is a toxic environment and has a terrible school culture. Most of the staff quit specially after admin rolled in their new contract conditions upping the weekly class minimum, some got pay raise some would get a pay cut, less holidays, teachers had to substitute for each other for no extra pay and working after school classes for no pay. These conditions offered were even worse than what teachers had previous year and they were already struggling with it to begin with. Admin only cares about getting students in and while the students are wonderful the conditions they leave the teachers to deal with the many requirements fall short. Teachers are asked to do a lot for the students and the parents with little to no return. There is a serious lack of communication between admin and teachers.

Teacher's input is not valued and it's seen as negativity or complaining. There is no recognition and a lot of favoritism leaving most teachers feeling like financially or professionally there is no standard for what they are doing no matter how much or little they do for the school. There is no clear standard that they use to base teacher's performance and therefore pay raises. Admin decides who gets a pay raise and who gets a pay cut, yes pay cut depending on their own opinions regardless of teacher's qualifications, performance and/or success with the students. Admin is dismissive of teacher's needs and often likes to gaslight teachers into thinking they don't deserve more and their requests or ideas are seen as complaining or emotional. There is no scale for deciding who gets paid more and why. They make teachers work after school programs without pay. They make teachers cover for substitute classes without pay and it is mandatory. Teachers have to come up with their own curriculum and admin complains if teachers asks for teacher's editions to be able to teach their classes. Admin also sets limits to how many copies teachers can make so even when teachers are using their own materials for classes they can't even print them all.

When a parent has a concern, admin clearly tells teachers that they don't support them and that their support is only for the parents regardless of the situation. They stripped teachers from having authority over their classroom management and there are no clear standards for student behaviors, no discipline so it is a zoo. Admin tricks teachers into thinking this is an international school and that they have high standards when the reality is that it is just a hagwon and as long as students and parents are happy and paying tuition, they don't care about the quality of education they are providing or about the teachers.

Fri, Jul 14 at 10:35 PM

To keep this post simple and to the point. Don't work here. They pay less than most schools. They have more teaching hours than most schools. They care only about the Korean teachers.They do things they shouldn't (read between the lines on this one because I can't specifically say that they're doing something that they could get in trouble for). I have watched them screw over foreign teachers just because they didn't like them personally. I've seen them refuse to pay severance a few times. I know this post isn't very specific but take this as a sign. If you ever get an offer from this school run don't walk.

Mon, Jul 10 at 9:55 PM

I would like to add IN2 English Suji and IN2 Dongtan to the blacklist.

Before addressing the (many) negatives, I would first like to acknowledge the positive aspects of the schools:

1) The schools have a pretty robust and effective curriculum. We definitely saw results with the students, and it wasn't too difficult to teach.

2) The students are great. The vast majority of them are super sweet and were a genuine pleasure to teach.

3) Most of the foreign and Korean teachers at the school are really lovely people and good teachers who just want to do right by their students.

Now onto the negatives...

1) Firstly the management is a nightmare. It is clear that the teachers are not valued as individuals, but merely a way for the school to continue operating and making money. The members of the management team do not even respect each other, with one (we'll call them Person A) referring to their business partner (Person B) as "just an employee". If that is how they view their business partner, how must they view the teachers that work for them?

2) There is no such thing as sick days. Some of the teachers were literally told "unless you're in a coma, you come into work". Teachers have been forced to come to work and have been running in and out of class vomiting because they are so sick. There is no compassion, and any concern shown by management is because they are worried about having to cover for you, not because you are sick. Furthermore, if you are sick enough to be allowed a sick day, you personally have to pay the other teachers who provided cover for you.

3) The schools operate many illegal practices. Firstly, teachers are required to pay housing allowance (rent). This is illegal. Teachers have to pay cover/substitute teachers themselves, rather than the money coming directly from the school. This is illegal. The school takes random amounts of money out of paychecks to cover costs such as moving fees. This is illegal. Person A pays employees under the table, meaning their salaries are different from those on their official contracts. This is illegal and could have repercussions for both parties. Person A has a history of employing people who cannot legally work in Korea on the type of visa they have. One employee is also not from a native English-speaking country but has been asked to lie and say that they are.

4) Incredibly long and difficult work days. The workload at IN2 is insane. You never have a second to relax, and you get very burnt out very quickly. Your weekdays are completely taken over with work, and despite the long work hours, many teachers are forced to take work home with them to meet grading and report card deadlines.

5) Horrible pay. The pay at this school is insultingly low, especially when considering how intense the work is. When you take into account taxes, pension, housing allowance, insurance, and bill deductions, you are earning waayyyyy below minimum wage and many teachers are forced to live paycheck to paycheck.

6)So. Much. Drama. The amount of office drama at these schools is insane, and there is a big gossip culture. Members of the management team partake in this gossiping, telling members of staff personal information about other teachers.

7) No communication from management. Deadlines and events are suddenly dropped on teachers with little to no notice.

8) The management will not hear out employees' concerns. The teachers have tried multiple times to meet with management and work out the issues with the school, but the management team is totally dismissive and refuses to change.

9) Insanely high staff turnover. One of the schools has had 5 midnight runners in the last year alone, and even if people are not running, many are ending their contracts early. The schools are also quick to fire people.

This isn't even the extent of it, but you get the picture. Working at IN2 is seriously not worth sacrificing your mental health for. Please avoid at all costs.

Fri, Jul 14 at 12:18 AM

Both talented and regular campus are horrible to work at. This was the worst work environment I have ever worked in. Zero communication. I have it on good authority that the recent green list posting about this school was written by a non-native speaker who works at RISE Bundang. Snakes in the grass. -4/10. Would not recommend to my worst enemy. Tough call on working here or shipping off the front lines in Ukraine. Either choice is working in a war zone.

Sat, Jul 1 at 7:21 PM

Hello, I would like to add Red Brick School located in Wonju South Korea to the list.

The school is foreign-owned. The xxx comes off as a nice guy. At first.

Xxxxxx. You simply cannot expect basic levels of professionalism in this school despite it having been around for nearly 10 years.

The xxxx schmooze with parents but then turn around and treat fellow foreigners like crap.

People often think Korean owners are the only ones to disrespect foreign teachers here. And that working for a foreign owned hagwon is better. But these owners engage in the exact same behavior.

And its strange because no one has said anything about it. So here I am, saying something about it.

Stay away from this school. Let xxx run xxx business by himself.

Sat, Jul 1 at 6:54 PM

POLY Seongbuk TLDR; I was made to teach in person while experiencing obvious and severe COVID symptoms (which it was later confirmed that I had after having already potentially exposed everyone to COVID the entire day) with no regard for my safety, the safety of my students, or the safety of the other staff members. Teachers experiencing extreme physical pain were reduced to scooting through the halls or being pushed down the halls (by students) in computer chairs in order to be able to teach their classes by any means necessary. Favoritism was practiced when it came to whose health and medical needs were handled with care and grace.

Management displays performative "compassion" though actively make decisions that are to the detriment of their teachers. When I decided not to renew my contract I experienced the most hellish last few weeks. Was denied a plane ticket back home on my very last day of work after confirming with management weeks prior that they would in fact be supplying my airfare. During a back and forth with management to secure my plane ticket and severance money, I discovered I was being surveilled by management outside of work hours via the cctv in the apartments they provided for the teachers. Felt very violated upon finding this out. Wanted to get out of there very quickly. I was very relieved to no longer work there and I sincerely wish luck to all who decide to work there in the future.

Sat, Jul 1 at 5:56 PM

I would like to add FTK / G English school in Jeonju to the Korean hagwon blacklist. It is one school that has two names FTK / G English.

Management will micromanage you and focus on finding ways to belittle and bully you. There is no professional development; rather, professional degradation.

You will be forced to work unpaid hours, and even when you do, you're still not good enough. More important than that are the deductions taken out of your pay check without your permission under the "it's part of your contract" excuse when it's literal theft. If you try to argue, then you know there will be repercussions of intimidation and bullying. You'll be forced to do things outside your contract for no compensation.

The Korean teachers are soooooooo fake. It's a terrible work environment.

This school offers no support to foreign teachers. If you're not a passive person who doesn't seek people's approval, then this place is not for you as you will be on your lonesome. The Korean teachers aren't welcoming and don't hang out with you outside work. You will be alone. Your coworkers are not your friends.

Steer away from this school if you don't want emotional abuse and mind games from psycho managers. Steer away from this school if you want to work in a comfortable work environment without having your words twisted by incompetent people. Steer away from This school if you do not want to be bullied about your culture or for being a foreigner.

There are better schools with larger number of foreigners that have team events and go out to different places and events together. With this school, you'll be alone, enduring immature, unprofessional, psychotic managers and teachers whose mood and actions change at any split second.

The location of the school is in a very boring town. It's hard to make friends in this town. I have to go to Seoul to hang out with open minded people and to make friends with other "foreigners." The school is not worth it. The town is not worth it.

My last and most important point, I caught one of the managers inside my apartment. They were recorded in my apartment in three separate occasions going to the bathroom and snooping around my things while I was at work. The rental agreement isn't written in your name, so don't expect to have any residential rights. They can do as they please in your "home".

Lots of red alarms here: don't do it!

Fri, Jun 30 at 5:01 AM

Maple Bear Gimpo (avoid at all costs)

While the school itself is decent and the foreign teachers are great and you do get paid on time, but the administration is horrible. They try to gaslight you and make you think that their problems are your fault. They tell you you're toxic and 100% negative and no one likes you just so they can feel better about themselves. If that's the case, foreign teachers wouldn't ask to go on trips with each other or come to any of us for help, etc. They try to save face and use whatever excuse they can to make it seem like it's all your problem.

So now, how is the school run? XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The pay is horrible and they only want teachers who won't question them or fight for the foreign teachers and what's right.

They lack in communication and things change constantly without anyone being told of the changes, yet it is always the foreign teachers fault. XXXXXXX never takes responsibility for his lack in communication or his role in not doing anything to help anyone. Xxxxxxx who was supposed to step back this year and be out of the school is there every day micromanaging everything.

They are also very hypocritical in saying one thing and doing another. They lack respect and never say thank you and say we should be so honored that they hired us and they don't need to thank us.

If you're sick they want you to jump through hoops to prove it and not take off because they have little coverage and don't want to cover your classes. You could be throwing up, in the hospital but they still expect you back to work later that day.

Again, the foreign teachers are nice and the curriculum is decent. It's a lot of work but what Hagwon isn't?

The other issues are more work being added that can't get done in your designated work hours and no overtime is offered unless asked by xxxxxx to stay (which never happens). The administration doesn't listen, doesn't communicate and gaslights the heck out of teachers. They are never wrong and can never do any wrong. They are hypocritical and change their minds without telling you. So you are left believing something is supposed to be one way, when they've changed their minds and haven't told you.

Ah, the other thing is xxxxxx lies. Xxx has made comments and said things but when questioned or called out, you find out what xxxx has said is a lie and was a tactic to intimidate others.

The administration is very toxic and they won't pay you decently for your work even though they can afford it. I'm pretty confident almost all (except maybe one) teachers, are making under 3 million.

All in all I would give this campus a 4 out of 10 and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I'm sure there are worse places but don't let the facade of pretty looking school and a smooth talking xxxxxxxx fool you. They are really good at building up their school to you and making you feel like you're their top pick. When I'm reality it is not what they promised and they hire you because no one else was available.

Wed, Jun 28 at 1:30 PM

This school is very disorganized and makes u feel like a floater in the school. They have terrible communication and I'm constantly losing my teaching materials because staff just moves things around without discussing with the native teachers. Management has a certain expectation they want from you but they don't tell you the expectations and will waste your time and make you re-do things until they're finally satisfied. Xxxxxx is very nervous and pushes her nervousness on you which makes staff uncomfortable. Korean staff is definitely favored over native staff. We try to tell them the best technique for teaching in our classrooms but won't listen or believe us until a Korean teacher agrees with us. Staff is friendly and helpful, but management is a disaster. Native teachers are only here to just have conversations with the kids, we don't teach reading, spelling, writing, or grammar really. They just want us to show them the answers and copy in books. NO time for critical thinking or brainstorming with the class because each book has deadlines.

Also, one time we had dole pineapple for lunch, and the lunch lady really stopped me, and took some of it off my plate even though there was plenty pineapple for other staff. Constantly being rude and it's a primarily korean school. I don't recommend it if you want to be friends with your coworkers or form a proper bond with your students.

Tue, Jun 27 at 5:36 PM

It is almost unbelievable how rapidly this school has declined. What was once a relatively decent, fair place to work has become an absolute cesspool of greed, selfishness, and downright torture to walk into every morning.

- WORKLOAD IS HORRIBLE. 9am - 7:30pm with "prep times" that are not restful or nearly enough time to prepare for classes. Most teachers are working during snack and lunch, and staying past your work hours is absolutely necessary if you're trying to get everything done on time.

- Visas, paperwork, and housing contracts are NEVER things you want to be filed incorrectly - even if KPI were perfect, the fact that essential paperwork is regularly forgotten about should be enough to stay away.

- Teachers are NOT paid fairly. New teachers will get paid significantly more than experienced teachers (teachers that have worked their tails off at KPI, mind you) and promised raises are cut just as you sign contracts - while this isn't illegal, it's rich hearing the XXXXXXXX boast about extraordinary wealth while lamenting "not being able to afford" paying you a living wage in the same breath. Expect to get nickel and dimed for every act of basic maintenance, and good luck getting even discussing severance, as the XXXXXXXX will just act annoyed just for seeking clarification.

- Housing is heinous. Do you crave a moldy, termite-infested atmosphere with noise complaints being called in almost daily? Look no further than KPI housing! Not only will your pipes freeze and your lights work 30% of the time, but people will come into your apartment without your permission on a regular basis! Don't even THINK about keeping your door code private, because you'll just be told it's "required" for everyone to know it.

- Racist, plain and simple. Teachers of color were frequently and INTENTIONALLY put on worse schedules than white teachers. The only reason there's a diverse teaching staff now is because no one wants to work their 9-7:30 schedules, thus being "forced" to hire Black teachers that have more experience than all the white teachers combined.

- Micromanaging is at an all-time high and only creates an overwhelming workload. Your notes to parents will be scanned WEEKLY and progress reports will be criticized for the smallest issues (i.e. making a compound sentence instead of two separate sentences). The corrections are often riddled with terrible writing and awful grammar, but we have to alter them regardless. It's humiliating and demeaning to put our names on these Thesaurus.com-looking reports. Most of our staff is made up of English and Writing majors, but we are forced to stay past work hours to make these unnecessary changes.

- There are a select few INCREDIBLE Korean teachers here, and they truly are the best part of coming into work. However, they are treated and paid so horrendously that they're leaving in droves. KPI is rated 2/5 on Korean job sites and can now only hire KTs with sixty seconds worth of experience. We recently had a teacher mix the medications of two students... TWICE! This same teacher allows students to run in the hallways, hit each other, and stand idly by because she forgets the times for snack and lunch EVERY SINGLE DAY.

- The turnover rate for Korean and foreign staff is extremely high. Rarely will a teacher work over a year, and multiple teachers leave in the middle of their contracts.

There is nothing of value left at KPI. It is so upsetting to see what was once considered a wonderful place to work turn into this. You will find better hours, pay, and treatment ANYWHERE ELSE. Please do not work here. Nothing will ever make it worth it.

Mon, Jun 26 at 8:22 PM

Worst teaching experience of my life.

Avoid at all cost. Staff seems nice and sweet (especially during the interview), do not fall for this act.

Once your contract is signed and you are settled, they change like night and day. You will constantly be watched on CCTV by xxx as that is their only job. On my SECOND day I got mailed an already written Greenlist posting by the xxx that they asked me to post using my email address, because their main xxx did not want to send them any new teachers due to so many teachers doing midnight runs at the school.

If you don't want to take my word for it read the other reviews of this school.

I left ESL teaching after this. You have been warned.

Mon, Jun 19, 2023 at 6:29 PM

ILSAN POLY and other POLY hagwons often try to portray themselves as prestigious academies that surpass other institutions in terms of quality education. However, the reality is that they are no different from your average hagwon. The claims of going above and beyond are often exaggerated and fail to match the actual work environment. Taking a job here means exposing yourself to a high risk of burnout and mental exhaustion. The demanding workload and expectations imposed on employees can be overwhelming, leaving little time for personal well-being and a healthy work-life balance. Your physical and mental health should never be compromised for the sake of a job. You'll be expected to do a lot of "Poly type work" for less money. This practice undervalues your skills, expertise, and dedication. There are numerous other hagwons in South Korea that offer better compensation packages while ensuring a more reasonable workload.

1. Frequent Management Change/Poor Management:

Many individuals have expressed dissatisfaction with the campus due to the frequency of management changes. This instability leads to a lack of continuity and consistency in policies and procedures. Poor management practices have been discussed, resulting in difficulties for both teachers and students in maintaining a conducive learning environment. It's evident that the administration falls short in fulfilling their responsibilities. Instead of addressing these deficiencies, they rely heavily on their head employees to make up for their own shortcomings. This undue burden places immense pressure on the staff, forcing them to compensate for the xxxxxxxxx lack of support and guidance.

2. Doesn't support a work-life balance

Work-life balance becomes a distant dream at this campus. Employees are expected to go above and beyond their duties, often sacrificing personal time and well-being to meet unrealistic expectations. This relentless pursuit of perfection takes a toll on their mental and physical health, leaving them exhausted and burnt out.

3. Untrustworthy Xxxxxxxxxx:

XXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

4. Favoritism:

Concerns have been raised about favoritism exhibited within the campus. This includes instances where certain students or staff members receive preferential treatment over others. Such favoritism undermines fairness and equality within the educational setting and can lead to a negative impact on the morale and motivation of teachers.

5. Lack of Communication/Boundaries:

Communication issues are a significant challenge within this campus. Insufficient communication from management to teachers has led to misunderstandings, confusion, and a general lack of transparency. Furthermore, there have been instances where personal boundaries were breached, leading to discomfort and a compromised professional environment.

6. Lack of Support and Understanding

The label of a "bad teacher" is carelessly tossed around, creating a toxic and unjust work environment. Merely expressing disagreements, having difficulties, or raising concerns about decisions is enough to tarnish your reputation and subject you to unfair judgment. This hasty labeling demonstrates a lack of understanding and a disregard for constructive dialogue and professional growth. Administration fails to acknowledge that even the most exceptional teachers face difficulties with certain students. Classroom management is influenced by various factors, including students' personalities, the compatibility between co-teachers and foreign teachers, and the level of support from the management. Instead of addressing these systemic issues, the blame conveniently shifts onto teachers, overlooking the complex dynamics that impact student behavior and learning outcomes. Instead of working collaboratively with teachers to address challenges and find solutions, management often opts for an easier route �Elabeling teachers as "bad" without attempting to understand their perspective or offer support. This lack of empathy and guidance hinders professional development and discourages teachers from seeking help when facing difficulties, further deteriorating the quality of education provided.

There are two types of people who will say this job is good or not so bad:

1. Individuals in head positions who claim that this job is good or not so bad. Often, these individuals have an elevated position that shields them from the true challenges faced by regular employees. They either turn a blind eye to the ridiculous administrative practices or have grown accustomed to them, leading to an inaccurate portrayal of the work environment.

2. Many employees who perceive this job as "good" may be individuals experiencing their first job in Korea. They may lack the necessary frame of reference to recognize the stark differences between this hagwon and other institutions. Their limited exposure may normalize unfavorable practices that should be deemed unacceptable elsewhere.

Even after moving on, I continue to have random traumatic episodes from my time here. This speaks volumes about the detrimental impact this institution can have on one's mental and emotional well-being. The negative experiences endured here can leave lasting scars, which is a clear indication that this place fails to prioritize the overall welfare of its employees. You'll quickly realize that you're not truly involved in changing students' lives. Rather than focusing on quality education and student growth, the primary focus seems to be on the business aspect. No matter how hard you work, you'll always be treated as expendable, further diminishing any motivation to make a meaningful difference. Unfortunately, due to limitations, I can't disclose every little detail of what transpired within the walls here. However, I can assure you that the negative experiences that numerous employees have had are indicative of an unhealthy work environment. Trust what you have read about these schools.

AND A REPLY:

As a current teacher at Ilsan Poly, I acknowledge the past issues and the valid experiences of former teachers, which I also witnessed. However, the new administration has implemented significant improvements, resulting in a more supportive and functional work environment. They actively listen to teachers' concerns and have made numerous changes to reduce stress for both Korean Teachers (KTs) and Foreign Teachers (FTs). This includes phasing out old, cumbersome methods and introducing more efficient practices. While the past challenges are recognized, my current experience has improved considerably due to these positive changes introduced by the new administration. Overall, I trust the direction that the current management is taking us on.

Mon, Jun 12, 2023 at 12:53 PM

If you value your own sanity, you should stay away from SIE in Amsa. There is a reason that everyone is quitting, and it is not good.

It's a very political environment and extremely disorganized. They continuously demand more and more from teachers, with very little in return. If you make the mistake of interviewing here or working here, ask people WHY so many people left. The answers are obvious, which is that it's poorly run circus.

Fri, Jun 9, 2023 at 4:08 PM

Not all the important details were explained during training. After training, the new teacher is expected to do everything perfectly according to the xxxx's expectations. Literally, two or three days after training, you have to be flawless. You are not given enough time to adjust to the academy. Even if you do pretty well, you still get micromanaged on a daily basis. You are not appreciated enough for being kind and professional with the students, the students learning the content of the lessons,the students listening attentively to your lessons, and following the academy's syllabus. One of the other teachers will tell on you for your mistake to xxxx, even though you did not have enough time to adjust to the academy. I feel they are too fussy and unforgiving here. xxxx does not like to admit xxx's mistakes and quite unfriendly the way xxx speaks to you. The only good thing is that you get paid in full and on time.

Jun 7, 2023, 4:35PM

This is an experience of a teacher at McEnglish. This is not a post that one would expect to be submitted. Everything about the job seemed great to the teacher, especially the fantastic location, neighbourhood and work hours. The kids were not always the best, but the other perks of the job made up for that: great work hours and being close to both the locations at Dongbaek and Baekhyeon.

Pay was always on time and as were the insurance and pension contributions. The teacher also got on well with the XXXXX and XXXXX, and was even gracious of their initial hospitality. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, for whatever reason, if they do not like you, they will act secretly and dishonestly to get rid of you. Plus, this teacher's time at McEnglish showcases how the Covid 19 "pandemic" brought out the worst in people. When Korea was still paranoid about omicron (which is a mild cold in most people) XXXXX insisted that the teacher should go to get a covid test even though the teacher wasn't sick. The teacher said if they were sick, they would go, but XXXX insisted and abusively pressured the teacher into getting a test. The teacher still said no and XXXX said, "I wish I'd known you were like this". That was a strange thing to say. One has a right to make one's own medical decisions, particularly if one is feeling fit and healthy.

A few weeks went by and the incident was never heard about. XXXX and XXXX didn't go to the branches every day either so people didn't see them much. Then, they started sending several Kakao texts (they were fond of managing by Kakao because they just couldn't be bothered) saying students were complaining. The teacher hadn't got such messages before so it was a surprise to them. The teacher was never asked for their side of any of the issues.

A few weeks later, the teacher didn't hear from them. But then BAM, XXXX randomly appears after work to talk. XXX gave the teacher a letter saying that they were terminating the position because of financial problems. The teacher had 30 days to find a new job (which was painfully and stressfully done) and vacate the flat just one day after the last day of work. Just, out of the blue like that!

This was all so strange. Who would be teaching the classes? It was said on separate occasions that XXXX and XXXX would be teaching them. The teacher reluctantly believed them (though they seemed so bothered to explain) and had a painful last month with them, probably the worst in Korea. Though they didn't come to school a lot, people noticed that they came by less often in the final 30 days there and the emotional coldness was real. XXXX and XXXX were only seen a handful of times more.

The instructor eventually left and vacated the flat with an awkward "send off" from the XXXX, who, was reportedly quite relieved. Seems like they wanted the teacher out and did not care. A week later, the teacher went to the old flat to see if a package had been delivered there as well as to visit friends in the old neighbourhood. This is when xxxxxxx there were likely no financial reasons behind the dismissal. The teacher knocked on the door of the flat to see if the new tenant had received anything. The new tenant answered and admitted that he was the replacement. It was a complete and utter shock. Again, it was said on two separate occasions that there would be no new teacher and that THEY would be teaching the teacher's old classes.

The teacher left to catch the bus home and about 30 minutes later, received text from XXXX saying they had seen the teacher near the old hagwon and if "everything was okay". XXXX was most likely lying. It was a Saturday and XXXX never hung out in that area. Plus, it's likely the teacher would have seen XXXX as well, which they reported they did not. The replacement must have contacted XXXX. XXXX was called out on it. All XXXX coldly said back was, "We'll let you know if something arrives".

There are other details to delve into, but enough has already been written. Do not take a job with McEnglish/Samsung English Selena in Yongin. They lied to a teacher to get them to leave early and secretly looked for the replacement in the meantime. The teacher didn't last a year at that job and trusted XXXX and XXXX. The sense of betrayal was tremendous. It cannot be confirmed 100%, but it is likely that replacement may not have lasted a year either. A picture of a new teacher after the replacement is on the blog and the same trickery appears to have taken place.

Again, do not take a job with McEnglish/Samsung English Selena in Yongin. They've tricked teachers into thinking they have financial problems so they could replace them with somebody else. The teacher managed to get paid, but is still traumatised by this experience.

Mon, Jun 5, 2023 at 10:39 AM

I highly advise to consider working at another school.

1. Breaks/Prep Time- Breaks are very sparse or nonexistent at this school. You are expected to devote most of your time staying after hours to get things done due to the lack of proper break and prep time.
2. Technology- There is absolutely no technology in this school. You will have to use dry erase boards to teach. There are two computers all of the teachers have to share.
3. Weekend work- You are expected to work a couple of weekends for no extra pay.
4. Christmas play/Open Class/Dance Competition- There are a few events where you are expected to pause teaching for a month+ to go over your play, dance or open class over and over again until the kids have it memorized. You will be expected to reach dances on your own and management will have high expectations despite you being hired to teach English.
5. Lunch- The lunches served will often times have no meat, and the rice has had rice worms in it while being served.
6. Housing- The housing is very small and is filled with black mold.
7. Curriculum- The curriculum is based on the books you are teaching. You will be expected to make worksheets and administer multiple tests, quizzes, ect daily to 3-6 year olds.

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Jungchul Language Academy in Incheon (hagik)
Mon, Jun 5, 2023 at 4:48 AM
Good day Jon,
I would like to blacklist Jungchul Language Academy in Incheon (hagik)
I couldn't find it on the blacklist so I thought it was all good. The school never sticks to the xxxxxxxxxx. The working conditions are so terrible, you barely get any breaks during the day. Food is not provided and they don't allow you to go get food, YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE! Only the Korean teachers are catered for. You have to teach STANDING! So prepare for SORE feet
The xxxxxxx is horrible and very argumentative
You will not have any sick days while working here. Not even the minimum of 3. The school is horrible!! PLEASE SAVE YOURSELF! RUN! BEFORE YOUR FEET FAIL YOU.

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Namdongtan Chungdahm CDI
Tue, May 16, 2023 at 2:45 PM
I'd like to put Namdongtan Chungdahm CDI on the blacklist. I previously worked here, ***** was a mess, constantly losing books, giving teachers the wrong prep work for classes.
The Koreans were so overworked they didn't have anytime for the English teachers. Complete lack of communication between the Koreans and the teachers, the newcomer teachers were given no training at all and no support.
Xxxxxxx cares much more about money than the staff and it shows. The work culture changed from positive to negative. If you want to just be a number and not cared about at all, work here and get your head checked.

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PLATO English Academy in Sinchon
Thu, May 11, 2023 at 12:39 AM
I'd like to submit PLATO English Academy in Sinchon to the blacklist. I had never heard anything about this school. I interviewed three times with them, once over Skype and twice at their location in Sinchon. They are a standalone hagwon that has been established for over 20 years. I have two years of teaching experience in Korea, and in my time I have never experienced an interview process like the one PLATO had. The company was very impressive and welcoming, with a nice building (4 floors) with great classrooms, playrooms, libraries, and plenty of foreign and Korean staff.
This really seemed like the hagwon I would end up at. After all, they asked me back for a third interview and that can only mean good things, right? After my second time in person at the school, the supervisor I had met with once before told me "we will send the contract." Those were her exact words. Two days went by without any contact from my recruiter or the school, so I reached out and asked about the timeline of when the contract might be sent to me. My recruiter informed me that I did not get offered the position. I thought there might be a miscommunication of some sort, because as I said before, the supervisor told me they would send over the contract. The supervisor herself messaged me and said they decided to go with another option.
In my opinion, mentioning a contract of any kind without a guarantee of a job is highly unprofessional. This process left me feeling displaced in Korea as I had turned down two other jobs in the process of interviewing with PLATO, due to their reassurance about me getting the job. These interviews were over the span of two and a half weeks.
I feel like I was taken advantage of and was completely led on by this hagwon. Their reassurance led me to turn down viable job options and reconsider if I even wanted to stay in Korea for another year.

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Iya Skola/Hillside Collegiate Myeongji
Thu, May 4, 2023 at 7:59 PM
While this posting has to do with a specific branch of this franchise, but do NOT take a job at any Hillside Collegiate or Iya Skola branch. If this franchise continues to grow, I have no doubt it will become notorious amongst hagwons as one of (if not the) worst franchises. From talking to others, this experience is similar to people from multiple other branches, not just the one mentioned here.
The school will sponsor teachers on an E2 visa but will make them teach a full elementary school course load, including math, science, geography, gym, drama, music, and computer class. This is illegal, as you can get deported and heavily fined for teaching subjects other than English on an E2.
Pay sometimes came late, ************************, and most teachers were given completely unfurnished apartments; the contract says you should get a fully furnished apartment, but teachers often move in and have absolutely nothing, not even a mattress. Hillside pretends to be a prestigious school, but it's all a sham. In addition *************.
Teachers do not have enough prep time to prepare for all subjects/activities, as they are constantly asked to watch and discipline their kids, even when the kids are at "extra" classes with a different teacher. There are also random field trips, which are usually planned at the last minute and stressful for both teachers and students. One of them included taking students to a zoo for 30 minutes; we had to take individual pictures of students in front of an animal cage and then immediately leave without doing anything else.
Teachers must send messages and photos to parents at least 3-4 times every week, on top of doing report cards 3 times a year that contain up to 5 pages of essays per student (one essay for every subject and multiple "social growth" indicators). There is also a weekly newsletter that is written by the foreign teacher for each class in addition to the Korean "school letter". We were also recently asked to start recording classes to send home and use as promotional material for the school.
In addition to all the wonderful duties mentioned above, here are some other things the school will make teachers do:
1. Clean the classroom (mopping, sweeping, wiping down tables) every day, as the school does not hire outside help to do so. If it is not cleaned to a certain standard, you are criticized/punished.
2. Help students dress/undress for swimming class and blow dry/style their hair.
3. If the school holds an event, teachers have to help make elaborate decorations/displays (usually after your contracted work hours) and are asked to clean it all up after the event ends (also after working hours).
4. Also fully plan events for parents throughout the year including science and math events, meet the teacher night, and a parent-teacher conference. Teachers are criticized for not meeting standards without being offered much help.
Long story short, if you get a Hillside/Iya contract from this or any other branch, RUN. It is not worth the low pay, shady practices, and toxic environment.

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FTK (FasTracKids) bucheon sangdong
Thu, Apr 27, 2023 at 11:43 AM
So much work to do at this school. Reports every 2 months, testing, lesson prep for all subjects, no guidance and 9 classes a day to teach. 3 teachers have left already this year. Management are awful and rude. Didn't get paid properly and took ages to fix it up. Teachers take days off to handle the stress from parents and management and we always have to cover for others. Stay away. If you see positive reviews of the school they were definitely written by management.

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i-Garten Seocho/Banpo Branch
Wed, Apr 26, 2023 at 12:36 PM
1. Check and recheck your pay, taxes, sick days, severance, (any way they pay you.) They will try to take away money from you in any way they legally can. Meaning they will jump through legal hoops and find minute ways to take money that your earned soo that they can make more profit.
2. ****** wants teachers to be 'yes' people. They do not want any disobedience or questions that go against their authority. If you do so they will take it as a slight against them and confront you.
3. If you are on their bad side they will find ways to take revenge on you. This is where you can see their lack of professionalism and decorum. They will attack your character first and attempt to shame you into submissiveness. If you do not bend to their rule, they will continue to use you as a scapegoat for any future issues.
4. They are a Christian school. However, they do not advertise as such and problems can occur when teachers go against their strict Christian values.
5. Break times and teaching times can change when teachers quit, and you must pick up extra classes.

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Shepherd International Education (SIE), Amsa
Tue, Apr 25, 2023 at 11:47 AM
I'd like to add Shepherd International Education (SIE) located in Amsa to the blacklist. This school has gone so far downhill the last 2 years it's incredible. There is an arrogant ****** who treats people horribly. On top of that, an ******* who has never held any leadership role and is just a puppet of the ownership. They arbitrarily extend working hours, with no pay. They offer minimal raises for most people, while offering huge increases for those who tow the line. There is zero management structure and people are quitting in droves. It's a hilarious thing to see, if not so sad. They spend zero money on anything, but parents pay huge tuition to go here. It's just sad how naive they are.

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Hillside Collegiate Ulsan / Iya Skola Ulsan / Hillside Collegiate Ulsan Namgu Okdong
Sat, Apr 22, 2023 at 9:14 PM
Hillside Collegiate Ulsan / Iya Skola Ulsan / Hillside Collegiate Ulsan Namgu Okdong The administration treat workers poorly (Korean and foreigners) and want compliance above all. They have tried to control how/who teachers greet in the morning and say goodbye to when leaving, how and when teachers make eye contact with them, etc. They have called full staff meetings to shout at individual teachers. Administration are ignorant about education best practices and force practices that aren't good for the children. They don't know what is in their piecemeal curriculum (provided by Headquarters in a Google Drive that was EMPTY for the last three months of the school year) and change books and requirements frequently. There are no established school policies or general instruction for the things they want teachers to do. They wait for parents to complain about something and then shout and blame teachers to 'take responsibility'. Admin accepts no responsibility and either blames parents, teachers, or Headquarters in Geoje. Things told during the interview and recruiting processes are lies (there were not enough Korean teachers working at the school, let alone one bilingual Korean teacher per class, the school opened 03/2022 with NOTHING (no pencils, crayons, paper, books, nothing), they tried to pass off Seollal red days as vacation days, etc. They also won't help you do anything (medical checks, filing taxes, anything). They originally wanted EXPERIENCED teachers, but when experienced teachers asked questions and advocated for student well-being and education, they changed their minds. They ask teachers to "teach" ridiculous things that don't help students improve at all (instead of working on reading ability through instruction, you give them a story to memorize). They are adding an after-school class element and expecting future teachers to do both homeroom kindergarten and after-school elementary classes all for less than 2.7. Even other Hillsides offer higher pay and more vacation days; however, if you try to apply there, this school will tank you (although they themselves have tried to poach teachers from other franchisees and told the teachers to �keep it a secret'). They frequently ask teachers to lie on the Weekly Plan that is sent to parents so they don't know how much lesson time is actually spent on event prep/practice or photoshoots or random things that are educationally irrelevant.
There are multiple ******************************************. There were multiple midnight runs from both schools (Iya Skola/Hillside), including Korean teachers who have left immediately after starting. They couldn't find a xxxxx for Hillside for the first year (everyone backed out) so disorganization and miscommunication reigned. Korean and Foreign Teachers are all constantly in the dark as admin change things and tell no one but each other. They are having E-2 teachers teach classes that are illegal for them to teach (e.g. subject classes such as STEM, Math, Geography, P.E., Music/Drama, dance, etc) as well as plan their events for them, develop homework books for the students, plan lessons with minimal or terrible curriculum, serve morning and afternoon snacks while �talking with the children' (so teaching without calling it teaching hours), and develop and teach plays/dances/songs/speeches for the students to learn and perform. They will expect you to stay late for certain events and during these events they pay no attention to teaching hours (hours spent watching the kids). 4 of 6 foreign teachers, the managing teacher, and several Korean teachers left this year. ***********************************************.
Iya Skola Ulsan / Hillside Collegiate Ulsan / Hillside Collegiate Ulsan Namgu/Okdong are all owned by the same people.

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School:Cheonggu Ewha in Gwangjingu
Thu, Apr 6, 2023 at 11:56 AM
*************** All the toys and stationery are heavily used, some not replaced since they started the English academy many years ago. Teachers have to make do with almost nothing in the English academy, while the Korean school (conjoined in the same building) are provided new toys, crayons, glue, erasers, and everything else whenever they want it. The Korean school has a proper teacher's office with desks and all the stationery they need, while the English academy is forced to work in 5-year-old children's desks, shared as a classroom, or in a room that is not supposed to be an office so teachers stuff frequently needs to be moved if the government comes or when parents visit. There are not enough computers so many teachers need to bring their own.
Teachers will be forced to work classes that they didn't agree on during the signing of the contract and it will be blamed on "miscommunication". Even if you tell management to try and work something out, you will be told in a nice way to just suck it up. Supplementary teaching materials and lesson plans are not provided. You are given the books (usually late) and are expected to finish them on time without any guidance or training. Teachers are forced to teach large classes that can be up to 30-40 students. Many times those students aren't even in the English academy, so they can't understand the teachers. Teachers are given "help" from a bilingual teacher and maybe a Korean school teacher, but on most occasions, they are just on their phones the whole class and don't always take an active hand in helping.
**********
Be prepared to work weekends with little notice. To prepare full events in less than two days and with little to no materials. To work late when there is no guidance on what you should be doing. To randomly teach books that are not assigned to your class because its too much for your co-teachers. To teach classes with students who have extremely bad behavior (sometimes even violent behavior hitting other kids and teachers). And to be lied to by management on a regular basis.

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School: Daejeon Worwick Franklin
Sat, Mar 25, 2023 at 11:07 AM
The worst thing about this school is the fact you don't think it's initially bad and you're made to feel somewhat comfortable in the beginning stages . But eventually you'll find this school is literally hell on earth. I am not opposed to hard work , however, I am opposed to unnecessary work that is not contractual. This school will MILK you for everything you've got with absolutely minimal pay. You will be given ridiculous tasks that serve almost no purpose and are not concerned with education but purely for authoritative pleasing. The gaslighting is what makes this place even worse, you will genuinely be made to feel crazy for having issues with things that are actually reasonably wrong. Theres an insane level of favouritism here that has nothing to do with your teaching ability, instead, to do with how much rubbish you're willing to put up with. They have broken so many rules and quite frankly, I don't know how they're still open. Moreover, the working environment is horrendous, there's barely anytime to catch your breath and there's no communal/team spirit. Without going into too much detail, there's a lot of animosity and unforeseen fees at the end of contract too. It just really sucked and the only thing that will get you through is how amazing some of the kids are. Aside from that, it's a subpar school with appalling management, disgraceful organisation and unnecessary non-contracted duties. You've been advised.

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School: Plato English Academy in Seodaemun, Seoul
Thu, Mar 23, 2023 at 9:27 AM
DO NOT APPLY TO THIS SCHOOL!
It was literally the worst job I've ever had and I've worked at a few hagwons and had prior teaching experience.
1. They lie to you about what the school is going to be like at the interviews. They make it seem so easy going and fair. It is the exact opposite. They are constantly watching you, complaining about things, calling you into the office because you aren't doing things the exact way they want you to, belittling you, bullying you, and causing so much stress you want to quit.
2. When you first start working you will stay at least 3 hours later than your working hours for at least a month because of the amount of work they give you. There is not enough time in the day to do it all and they have unrealistic expectations about it getting done. This pattern will repeat itself many times throughout the year but they do not care and you won't get paid overtime.
3. *************************
4. There is not enough time in the day or the classroom period to complete all the work required of you. It's actually crazy how they think you can cover that amount of work in a short hour and a half to 45 min session. If you don't complete it they call you into the office, belittle you, tell you that you're a bad teacher and need to manage your time better. The only issue is, there is literally not enough time!!!
5. *************************
6. Expect to be sick every month because of the mold and mildew hidden inside the walls and the exhaustion from overworking.
7. *************************
8. *************************
9. If you are a kindergarten teacher, expect to work longer hours than the elementary school teachers. I'm talking about days that last from 9:30-4:30 without a break sometimes. They say it's because that's what they promised the parents and they can't do anything about it. 10. The work environment is so abusive, unhealthy, and just honestly insane. *************************
There is so much more to write and I wish I could just stress with words how awful this job was. Please avoid it at all costs. It will make your time in Korea absolutely miserable.

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Global kids Korea Haeundae Busan
Wed, Mar 22 at 6:12 PM
If you actually value your mental health don't work here! You'll be gaslight and overwhelmed daily!!! Students bad behavior is rewarded and the classes are back to back you will have to beg for a break! There is no positive to working at this school at all you will regret ever signing a contract!

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Twinkle Mapo
Wed, Mar 22, 2023 at 1:32 PM
I regrettably would like to submit Twinkle Mapo to the blacklist. I do want to clarify that this is a franchise of the original company, so as far as I am concerned, it isn't an accurate reflection of Twinkle in its entirety.
While the curriculum has its flaws, it is overall fun to work with and allows a freedom of how to teach in class. However, this is the only thing linked to the original company. At Mapo, management became very particular about how each subject was taught, at what times and in what order. This micromanaging made it very difficult for teachers to really engage with students and the topics. Management (particularly one person) is also very choosy about what is done during prep time, despite the fact that teachers are given an abundance of tasks to do such as working on brand new curriculum for a different school, long messages to parents, science or fiction projects, interviewing students, homework help, and reading novels for prep, they are told that the 90 minutes a day is enough.
Management does well with gaslighting. When showing concern about not having enough prep time, teachers have been told they complain too much. As well as management saying "I don't like it when teachers talk about their rights." when discussing adequate break time, where to fit 9 teachers for lunch in the break room, or being overworked. ****************** ***************** **************************** *******************. Along with that, management does well with pitting teachers against one another by calling single individuals into the office and stating things such as "All the other teachers tell me you make them uncomfortable." when many times that very teacher was the one people sought out for help and guidance. As an example, I was personally told by management that I was seen fighting with another teacher when in fact we were very close and never fought. This is an interesting tactic management uses to control teachers banding together to problem solve issues at the school that management refuses to address.
It's important to also consider the turnover rate. Within the first 15 months of opening, only 2 out of 9 teachers re-signed their yearly contracts with 2 ending their contracts early and a few of the others reporting that management was too toxic with micromanaging. Front desk has suffered tremendously as well with multiple quits in the last few months leaving those remaining scrambling to accommodate parents, kids, and lead management. It also says a lot that there have been 3 head teachers in the short time this branch has been open with literally a handful of months where teachers were refusing to take the title because that would mean working closely with management.
What started as an environment that had growing pains has become toxic and distressing for many teachers resulting in teachers having stress related health problems. It is an unfortunate to report this, but as a previous teacher I would hate to see anyone step into this environment without proper warning.

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RISE Bucheon
Wed, Mar 15, 2023 at 4:26 PM
This hagwon has to be rewarded for being one of the worst places imaginable. I have read many posts from the blacklist and this hagwon embodies almost all the things people have complained about in one place. I want to warn anyone from ever stepping foot into this establishment. It is quite literally the WORST place.
How? Why?
Lets start from the beginning of my contract where apparently they changed the schedule from teaching 5-6 MK classes to suddenly teaching 8 without any breaks other than the 50 MINUTES lunch that is cut short due to all 10 classes taking kids to the bathroom at the same time. So your 50 minutes is really maximum 40-43. Also when we say you teach 8 classes for MK, it is ALL YOU! The 'korean teacher' is not a teacher at all, they are rarely in the classroom and when they are they will offer little to no help whatsoever. It will be you and up to 12 kids by yourself for the entire time. Please get ready to teach, craft and disciple all by yourself.
Second, Please don't have an expectations for reasonable deadlines. They will tell you the day before if you are lucky that you need to prepare or do something for an event. For example, we had sports day on wednesday, at 5:37pm on tuesday they send a message saying all teachers must wear a white t-shirt and blue jeans. Or they will change plans and expect Foreign teachers to just be able to do it magically. All these 'events' are glorified photo opts for the parents anyway, they don't care about the kids or teachers. Just about looking good like we have fun. Not the case at all.
Going back to the 8 classes of MK, that is not the end of your day. No, then you get a 15 minute break from 2:35 to 2:50 and now you get to teach 4 more classes again for Elementary, by yourself. With a 5 minute breaks between classes. It is so mentally draining as well, the kids levels and the material for the lesson are so incompatible it makes it near impossible to do well.
********************************
You can also kiss any kind of sickness away because you will NEVER peacefully take a day off to recover. You will be bombarded with messages asking you to visit a doctor, come in for a certain time, explain specifically what is wrong with you and how taking a day off is not the korean standard while your korean 'helpers' are allowed to take 2 weeks off for a honeymoon or entire days off for a stomach ache. God forbid you have surgery though, you should go to work immediately after.
There is so much more i want to say and need to say but this post is already WAY too long. But please if you take one thing away from this. Please make it,
DO NOT WORK FOR RISE BUCHEON.

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St Paul American Scholars, Yongin
Tue, Mar 7, 2023 at 3:25 PM
Teachers, stay away from St Paul American Scholars, Yongin.
This is objectively the most toxic school I've worked for. You will hear complaining from all the teachers and be surrounded with negative energy here. That being said, I do not blame the teachers.
The management at this school preach about teamwork and caring, but in reality, they just suck your soul out. Here's a few things about this school you should be aware of:
*you are obligated to clean your own classrooms
*you are obligated to create your own lesson plans for 6-7 subjects every week and get it approved. But you will not receive anywhere near enough "prep.time". I made about 27 lesson plans per week (when the xxxxxx had all the lesson plans of the previous teacher).
*you will work long hours (you work 20+ hours a month more than a normal hagwon) and ********* will pressure you to work outside of those hours with marking grades, checking homework, replying to parent emails
*there is no Korean coteacher, which means you have to deal with parents through constant emails and visits, acting as the middle man between the parents and school. xxxxxx .
* ********* will constantly micro manage you (1 on 1 meetings weekly, reporting to ******* etc)
That is all I can write, as the other practices they do are not allowed to be disclosed here. I sincerely urge and warn you to stay away from this school.

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Wonderland Gangseo-gu
Tue, Feb 28 at 8:35 PM
Formerly Altiora Gangseo-gu magok campus, this individual operates the most recently established school known as "Wonderland Gangseo-gu." Reports of numerous complaints from parents have been posted on Naver, causing this individual to rebrand the school four times (hagwon, SLS academy, Altiora, and now Wonderland) in attempt to avoid the negative attention. My wages have also been deducted for health, pension and taxes for more than five months put were not paid into their respective accounts. When I refused to sign a new contract, which changes the terms of my employment since the school was rebranded, I was warned to watch my back as they would "not want any issues regarding my visa.." The new contract also states that I have no duties or responsibilities and must comply with all the school's requests without question. I urge everyone to be wary of any hagwons near the magoanaru stop on line 9 as I have experience with this entity, first hand and have adequate evidence to support this warning.

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CM Language Academy (formerly known as Como Blanc/ Dreamberry), Songdo, Incheon
Feb 24, 2023, 4:52 PM
The school has a low turnover rate of staff members due to management, the toxic working environment and the instability of employment.
Reasons for this academy being blacklisted are as follow:
1. Change in management - this led to consistent lack of acknowledgement, consistent victim-like mentality when being questioned or shift blaming back to xxxxxxxx
2. Change in academy name and rebrand which currently none of the staff members know the meaning of the abbreviation or how the name came about. Rather, due to disassociating with the previous reputation the school has built under Como Blanc/ Dreamberry
3. Xxxxxxx will not confront and converse with native teachers but will go through xxxxxxx to relay information and concerns. When personally asking to be addressed will say "I do not have time, speak to other members of management" in order to not take accountability and later being finger pointed at.
4. Xxxxxxx creating division amongst staff members such as discussing personal concerns with other members of staff, creating division amongst korean and native teachers leading to lack of trust and toxic working environment whereby management openly discussed, pinpointed specific staff members and discussed staff members openly amongst each other
5. Speaking up and defending yourself will have you singled out by consistently being called into meeting due to "parents calling in" without any proof, being blamed for students leaving the school and financial constraints. It was known that that specific students and their parents have been unhappy for a while but now being shifted onto a specific individual to take the fall. Therefore, staff member had to sign a written warning.
6. Xxxxxx is used as a message to relay information that management do not want to hold responsibility for or are aware of how the information will be received. The use of the xxxxxx to further the mistrust between native teachers and management. Xxxxxx will be excused from any wrongdoing or acts due to being at the school the longest or falling into the "desired look" of how the school wants to be seen and portrayed.
7. Xxxxxx will do anything to throw native teachers under the bus, or act to know about anything in order to stay in management's good books or please management as the expense of teachers.
8. Due to the change in academy and "down-scaling" staff members were asked to choose amongst themselves who would be a part-time or full-time worker. This means that the new offer would be under the new schools name and only valid until the end of the contract signed under Como Blanc.
9. After disagreeing to the above, a position was offered for full-time which staff members disagreed as they had learnt that the position was opened to the public, the school hiring new teachers to replace the ones yet to complete their contract as well as offering the positions to staff members completing their contracts instead of focusing on the staff members they currently have.
10. Due to the disagreement of the change in contracts, and the newly offered employment opportunity management asked xxxxxx to sign resignation letters in return for letter of releases. Thus, employees resisted due to not have willingly wanting to leave the job but rather due to change in contract xxxxxxxxxx
11. xxxxxxx teachers reporting on staff members every move. Under scrutiny of consistently checking CCTV for any faults, being monitored in class and being called into 2-3 meetings daily and being told how incompetent and bad the teaching style and attitude is.
12. xxxxxx
13. xxxxx
xxxxxx
There is many more incidents that I could mention but in essence, if you are not favored for any reason due to appearance, speaking up for yourself and standing your ground you will not be favored.

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Revere at Sinsa
Wed, Feb 15 at 11:06 AM
I would like to black list Revere at Sinsa. It's a new school, and yes the location is nice, but not worth it. FIRST OF ALL, if they make you find your own housing, RUN. I was told by many that was the first red flag. They only care about if you are working, only see you as a tool to make money. You must always be doing something or look like you are doing something. They are extremely manipulative as well. From the start, they made me find my own house and at first was not going to give me key money until I told them I couldn't afford it. They panicked and offered me key money to get me to go with them. That should have been my first red flag. Like I said it's a new school, and they told me classes would start a week after I started�E Didn't happen.. no children. Why lie about that? And before you say, well maybe they expected people to sign up, they didn't even have curriculum developed yet. They made me an administrative worker AND janitor basically. I didn't sign up for that�EThey will find anything to criticize you about. They are also made me work Saturdays too, for a promotional class without telling me that at the beginning of my interview. They act like I should be so grateful when literally my old Hagwon was so much better. They are so cheap, wouldn't buy the right material for the science projects and act like it was my fault that it went wrong. They wouldn't turn on the heater, so basically have to work in cold conditions. They just look at foreign teachers as a pawn in their way to make money and not as a person. They threaten to not pay, and deport you too and hold obligations over your head. I felt like a slave to them. I am also the only foreign teacher, so now I am being picked on extremely badly. My wrong doings was I was late a lot, I will not lie. At the beginning I was only 5 minutes late a few times, but they still wrote me up. I started to get insomnia over it. I would dread to come to work if fear of the rudeness and isolation I would receive. They would make me mop over and over again, because it "wasn't done correctly"and I finally I was so frustrated and said I won't do it again. xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Believe me, there are much better schools out there than this one where they are more grateful for you. Just don't work in Gangnam in general. Go out more, it feels more western.

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IN2 English Suji and Dongtan campuses
Tue, Feb 14 at 11:33 PM
I would like to submit IN2 English Suji and Dongtan campuses to the black list for several reasons.
First, unauthorized fees for apartment maintenance were randomly taken out of multiple employee paychecks without warning to the tune of upto 1/4 of the employee's paycheck.
Second, communication is absolutely horrible. Short notice for big projects, no notice or direction. Sudden parent meetings or presentations with no preparation time.
Third, some of the senior people have been known to pay under the table, hire workers who can't legally work there, teacher told to lie about their nationality. Also some teachers have been loudly yelled at and cussed out so loudly the office can hear.
Fourth, the sheer office drama is just not good for mental health.
Fifth, teachers must teach non-English subjects like science, geography, art, etc. Sixth, massive report cards due- over 10k words every three months.
Seventh, housing. Teachers have been asked to move multiple times and made to pay wild fees every time.
Eighth, dirty contract reworking. Multiple teachers were made to resign contracts after starting work, with it being implied that they would be fired if the didn't resign the new contracts that removed benefits. Contracts on file also don't represent the correct wages as many are paid under the table. They also waited until last minute to negotiate the contracts with teachers that were staying, causing it to be too late for those teachers to find jobs.
Ninth, teachers have to pay up to 120k in housing that is not disclosed when they assign housing- that is also taken out of the teacher's wages before they get them which is not allowed.
The stress just isn't worth it. Don't walk, run.
Thank you

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LNL Academy- Gangnam, Seoul HANTI station branch
Wed, Feb 8 at 6:41 AM
This academy has only been open for two years but 15 teachers have quit in that time. They are constantly hiring and losing teachers each month. The hours are 1-9 but there is no dinner break. The only break you will have is 10 min after each class. You will be working the whole time! Although teachers have constantly begged the xxxxxx for a dinner break, xxxxx refuses to give it to us so that teachers can teach private tutoring instead. The xxxxx just wants to use the teachers as money-making robots and doesn't care if they eat or have any rest during work. Teachers have quit because of exhaustion, disrespect, and constant lies from the xxxxx. You will constantly be observed on CCTV , which, a copy of the tape is often sent to the parents as well upon their request. Also, you will be randomly observed while you teach by the front desk staff or vice principal. Not one teacher has ever finished their contract. They have quit on average after 4-5 months. The longest a teacher has worked there was 8 months. Please don't come here, it's a horrible place to work!

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Saint Paul American Scholars Dongtan (the kindergarten)
Sat, Feb 4 at 7:53 PM
Hello I would like to add Saint Paul American Scholars Dongtan (the kindergarten) to the blacklist. At first it seemed like a decent school but favoritism, racism, everything must be done by foreign teachers, lunch serving and having lunch with students 3 times a week and recess duty every day, bus duty, cleaning classroom, sharing TAs, helping kids in the bathroom yes you will wipe bums as well as pee accidents on the bathroom floor, take a million pictures and upload them daily, admin on top of admin, parents have easy access to teachers by coming to school or by being given the teacher's personal phone information which I found alarming and unsafe, coming up with a curriculum, no feedback and if you do get it was nothing constructive, communication was terrible, breaks were unheard of because there was so much work, the schedule favored teachers and was not fair across the board, it took everything mentally to exist in that place. The manager and principal left a lot to be desired because even after an issue is raised in a meeting, it never gets sorted out. They do not and will never care about foreign teachers. Please avoid this branch but if possible just stay away from all their branches xxxxxxxxxx !

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SPEP Speaking Proficiency Enhancement Program Apgujeong, Seoul
Fri, Feb 3 at 6:53 PM
Adult hagwon for Hyundai/KIA employees.
The good: materials for classes are more than you need. Pay is decent. If you were allowed to teach your class, give some moderate assessments and exams, it would be a decent job.
The bad: you can't be left alone for any reason. The amount of work they pile on you is beyond your ability to get it all done. Students who can barely say their name, you are required to give a full page of language assessments such as: pace, intonation, vocabulary usage, sentence structure, grammar errors, recommendations for improvement, paragraphs of overall assessment, learning attitude, current speaking ability. In a 50 minute class, they barely said their name and nodded their head a lot. Each student is like this. Then there are end of term overall assessments that are even longer and more detailed, which the students can't read, it's in English. Students are given huge vocabulary sheets to study, then quizzed on them weekly. Writing samples, 1:1 coaching after dinner, and a terribly stressful S.P.A. speaking exam everyone freaks out over. It determines if they get promoted to a foreign factory or not.
On Monday, they make every person, no matter how far away they live, come in to Apgujeong and be ready to leave at 6:30am to go to Paju. Of course, we don't leave because stragglers show up about 7am. We get to Paju around 8ish. Then 9am there is a pointless 5 minute meeting for some darn reason. We officially get paid from 9:30. Then students get bused in, and class starts at 10am. Some people get up at 5:30am come all the way East to Seoul, then get bused all the way back West, past their home, to Paju, for a 9:30 start time, but really it's 10am. These types of nonsensical rules are peppered throughout your time there.
If you work in Paju, it's a decent dormitory, three meals a day, 5 days, 4 nights, but often rooms are shared. Not given permission to leave the campus except for illness. Not allowed to go to a convenience store, and certainly not allowed to have a beer at a hof at yo off time. I asked multiple times if there was a supermarket nearby I could get supplies, snacks etc. I was repeatedly told there was none in the area. A 15 minute walk proved there was a very large supermarket nearby, but to keep us on campus 100% of the time, they said there weren't any. Beer is not allowed on campus, but I and the Korean Hyundai/KIA students went out and carried beer in our backpacks and drank all the time, hid the cans.
The work day is ridiculous. Classes start at 8am, lunch at 12, then dinner at 6. One on one coaching is from 7pm-8pm. Then 2 hours of paperwork, class assessments, 1:1 coaching assessments, correct writing samples, submit daily comments. If you work fast, you can be in bed by about 10:30pm. If there is a holiday, you have off, but then they stick you with two hours of 1:1 coaching to make up the time. Then you get to bed about 11:30pm.
Favoritism. It's a closed environment with roughly 8-12 foreign teachers at any given time. There are cliques and favorites. People have nothing to do but gossip about each other. Some people are hooking up on the DL. It's a dormitory, they sleep there overnight, people work closely together, many are single, it's bound to happen and it does.
Lots of drama, every problem is ignored, and if there is maybe a few extra minutes in your schedule, they will find a way to cram it full of work. It could be pointless meetings, go nowhere extra training sessions, or famously, they'll have you fill out the same information on two different documents wasting even more time.
They are constantly hiring and replacing people who rarely stay for a second contract. I would say after three months, you are ready to leave, it is too overbearing. People hang on to finish their contract mostly by drinking beer, and cutting as many corners they can to carve out extra personal time. The job should be 8am-5pm maximum. Have time to get your paperwork done, and enjoy some free time, but it usually drags on past 10pm every night.
If it was only teaching, it could be doable, but it's far more than that with a lot of extra responsibilities.

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Blooming J English in Sejong City Korea
Feb 2, 2023, 4:33 PM
The school name is Blooming J English in Sejong City Korea. This school was a direct hire xxxx that runs it is doing all of the direction herself with no spouse or family members, so it is strictly independent. When I came to the school it appeared that xxxxx was desperate for help as there was only one Korean teacher and one part time manager and a general worker. Then a previous Korean American teacher returned (he worked 2 months and quit) but told me if I tried to quit I would not get a proper release letter and she would keep me to the contract as he knew because of the previous teacher He worked with. I stayed on 8-9 months with many hassles and truthfully wishing for her to fire or ask for my resignation as it was not working out. Many of the children were not correctly assessed for English and were having difficulty because they were not at the correct level and some students (good students) had to deal with the ones that should have been let go. Constant disruption of the classes by xxxxxx who would not allow the teachers to teach. Schedules were a mess and constantly being changed quickly (at the drop of a hat), all the teachers, managers left at least 8 within my 8 - 9 month stay.

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Dr. Su's Milk English in Yongin
Tue, Jan 31 at 5:32 PM
Xxxxx says xx has a mission to be different from other academies, but it really is like every other academy except it's independent so you can talk to xxxxx directly. It's not a bad thing, just a psa.
Pro:
-Paid on time
-Rotating classes and students so time passes by quickly
-The hours are 1-8:30PM so you have time to yourself before work
-Independent academy so you have direct communication with xxxxxx which can be helpful
-Xxxxx cares about your opinion and feedback on the curriculum
-Good location
-A lot of positivity and love when you first join the team, tells you this is her favorite team, invites you to visit family, lovebombing
-Sometimes buys food for everyone like once every 2 months
Con:
-More work than typical hagwons. There is no set curriculum, it changes every year, so there is a lot of prep and R&D that teachers need to do.
-Always adds more work last minute and expects you to finish the same day by saying it "only takes 5 minutes". It doesn't.
-Work technically ends at 9pm, but because there is so much prep and r&d, a lot of teachers feel pressure to stay behind to finish their work. Some people do leave at 9pm but only because they set a clear boundary to say that they will work on it when they clock back in. If you're not good at setting boundaries, you can be pushed around and pressured to stay longer. xxxxx often asks people to "talk" 5 minutes before clock out which makes people stay longer
-You need to take pictures and videos of the students every single day, as well as send them to various kakao group chats daily which is a waste of class and prep time
-Like a typical hagwon, there is gaslighting. If you bring up a problem with a student, xxxxxx will tell you that only you have that problem, even if every other teacher has shared complaints about that student.
-Micromanaging. There are a lot of check lists because she wants to knows you're doing all your work, which would be fine if there were only 1. She has to sign off on the last checklist every single day before you go home. Might go into your class while you teach to take over occasionally
-Sometimes belittles and talks down to teachers in front of their students so in turn, some students don't respect the foreign teachers
-Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
-Only offers 10 days of vacation instead of 11
It's not the worst hagwon out there and I am glad I worked here when I did. However, be warned that there is a lot more work to do here than typical hagwons. Obviously, xxxxxx is not going to tell you that. If you're the type of person who can set a clear boundary that you're going home at 9pm and can ignore the stink faces you may get, you will be fine. The teachers who stay longer are the ones who are bad at setting boundaries and the academy takes advantage of that. Some stay until 11pm or midnight to finish their work because they want to be the favorite, and now she expects it. Also, every teacher has some sort of title as "manager" or "lead" of something. I feel a little bad writing this because I don't want to see her hagwon fail, but I need to warn other teaches because I took this job because there were no reviews which I thought was a good thing at the time
Advice: Set boundaries. With the amount of work here, I would not advise anyone to accept any salary less than 2.5mil. Ask how many current foreign teachers have been here for longer than 1 year lol

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YBM CGATE Jamsil
Tue, Jan 31, 2023 at 1:24 PM
TLDR;
Unhinged, disorganized, uninvolved and clueless xxxxx.
Abusive and manipulative language towards staff.
Lying and gaslighting.
Inequality in workload and pay.
Misleading job descriptions.
�E--
The long version:
There's so many problems with the school as it is right now. In the past it was a (not perfect) pretty decent place to work. Current xxxxx is completely clueless, unhinged and only knows how to use guilt or shame as a motivator. They can't understand why everyone is leaving when they literally scream and cry when they don't get their way. They berate both Korean and foreign staff all year and then suddenly ask them to stay because they're so desperate for staff. Over the past few years xxxxx has gotten continuously worse. Xxxxx is aware that the place is being run into the ground and doesn't care. They're so disorganized, events and decisions are incredibly last minute. They change schedules for events and don't inform the teachers involved. "I'm so disappointed" and "Don't you feel guilty?" could and should be the xxxxxxx catchphrases.
Both key Korean staff and foreign staff have or are leaving soon. There's holes left in management so lots of things started falling through the cracks. If you're in subject class, don't expect any materials for your classes to arrive on time. They don't pay any attention to any classes anyway, so when you have to make up a class on the spot they won't notice or care that it's different to the lesson plan.
Kids behavior hasn't been managed although complaints have been made about certain students the whole year through. No help or disciplinary action was taken by management and their teachers were blamed.

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Crada International Academy Korea, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Jan 27, 2023, 5:06 AM
Crada International Academy Korea, also goes by: Crada International School, CIK CRADA International, CIK CRADA International Kindergarten
Undoubtedly the only reason CRADA has not been reported here before is the deep fear I have felt and observed that continues to be held by current and former teachers for speaking up to the xxxxxxx. Working at CRADA has meant being seriously intimidated by xxxxxxxx, who resort to yelling and other completely unprofessional, at best, tactics as a casual way of operation. Every single classic nightmare you read about a hagwon is true for CRADA, but for the sake of anonymity I am going to focus on just a handful of their general alarming tactics here.
Expect to: fight for your salary (if compensated anything at all), be constantly nervous in nearly every possible way including with regard to your housing and other serious matters, and be frequently yelled at (on a good day) during a very normal and common conversation by the very rude administration, who is as shady as they come. Teachers are subjected to constant false accusations about their teaching "fails" and treatment of the students by xxxxxxx, who will provide no evidence to back up their claims.
These xxxxxxxx try to get teachers to quit in attempts to protect CRADA's many questionable practices, including often failing to give teachers their required legal documentation to remain in Korea, prohibiting teachers from leaving the school for even a second during the work day (including for lunch), giving no personal break time throughout the 9:00-5:30 day, forcing teachers to do work activities during out-of-contract hours, and not compensating for the extra labour, making various other "decisions" with an external important party that are serious compromises to teachers' statuses, and demanding that teachers quit if they so much as politely ask a question in response to confusing, unreasonable, unprofessional, and ever-changing mandates.
The xxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx spends day after day all day watching teachers on classroom surveillance cameras and consistently uses monitoring not to make teachers better educators, but instead to manufacture illegitimate reasons to discipline them. Half of the xxxxxxx speaks very little English and does not handle any matters related to the children and school other than watching teachers on CCTV all day, and the other half is a classic jekyll and hyde.
The xxxxxx also constantly enter teachers' classrooms to berate them while they are teaching by issuing nonsensical demands about their posture or where they place the books on their desks, despite never instructing how they want teaching to occur. This treatment has led to several excellent and hardworking teachers being forced to leave well before their contracts expired.
CRADA promotes itself as an English speaking academy for international kids but almost their entire very small staff, except for the English teachers, speaks either no or very minimal English. Because of this, English teachers run the school's core teaching all day and yet continue to face serious disrespect from not only xxxxxxxx (despite teachers being the sole reason the school can run the way it does), but also the xxxxxxxx staff who attempt to drive them out. I got lost in believing that because this school has a large international student population, it will be exempt from xenophobia but that is certainly not the case. Please, learn from me and do not make the same mistake.
I am aware xxxxxxxxx has succeeded in scaring several of the teachers I have worked with into silence about the aforementioned treatment they have faced at CRADA . . . until now.

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Saint Paul American Scholars (Yongin)
Sat, Jan 14 at 1:26 PM
Black listing St Paul American Scholars, Yongin. The following is my experience there:
1. Xxxxxxxxxx.
2. Teachers quit excessively. I saw a new teacher every month.
3. The school is not a real international school and the curriculum, or lack there of, reflects it. I had to create new lessons for 5 subjects every week and get micromanaged by management.
4. xxxxxxxxx
5. They promise 6 weeks vacation legitimately on contract, but get you to sign a form that makes it unpaid. They do this while you are teaching, so that you don't read it.
Stay away teachers. And if you must work there, find the contact details of the teachers who work there independently. This month, I along with 2 other teachers have quit.

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PODO CLUB HANNAM-DONG
Wed, Jan 11, 2023 at 4:45 PM
The management is the worst I've ever seen at a hagwon. There is a mass exodus of teachers every school year (11 teachers went back to their home countries this year instead of finishing their contracts.) When people quit, teachers are left to take care of all of their kids by themselves with no help which is putting kids in danger as well as teachers' mental health. The xxxxx prefers to ignore you or go on frequent golfing trips to avoid confrontation.
The whole school is ran by two xxxxxx with no previous management experience. There is no help for emergencies. There is a student who has had multiple seizures at school and the teacher was given no assistance whatsoever.
The xxxxx takes pride in hiring qualified teachers for the bare minimum. Most teachers have a really long commute since they can't afford to live in Hannam. And the one hour break is NOT given. If you try to address the issue, you will be gaslit.
There are several teachers with E2 visas teaching alternative subjects such as math, history, and science. This puts teachers in a hard position as they can't quit without a LOR, but they'll be deported if caught.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
This school has been around for this long due to professional-level manipulation. Do not fall for the interview.

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RIS KINDER
Wed, Jan 11, 2023 at 2:34 AM
Pretty much the typical hagwon horror story
-an excessive amount of prep/scheduling/random tasks involved for a kindergarten and not enough prep time given in the schedule.
-no proper breaks, your breaks are during your partner teachers classes and you will be expected to be in the classroom most of the time. Lunch is with the kids and you are expected to help serve them and cater to their needs during it.
-excessive CCTV watching, you can even witness them in the shared office monitoring the cctv on their computers and then call down to classrooms to complain about xyz thing.
-A very hot and cold atmosphere. The happy people there are the current favorites, however you can lose your favorite spot at the drop of a hat so everyone operates with the fear that they will be the next sad sack at the bottom of the heap. If you find yourself the current target, do not expect support or camaraderie.
-If something isn't properly explained to you but you have questions on how to do it properly, you are seen as a nuisance. If you don't ask and do it wrong you are seen as an idiot.
The list goes on but that's the main gist.

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AHEV (Ansan Hwajeong English Village)
Sat, Dec 31, 2022 at 2:30 PM
I'd like to add AHEV (Ansan Hwajeong English Village) to the blacklist. They advertise themselves as being part of Ansan University, but it's 100% a hagwon. The xxxxx takes a very passive role, and it's left to the general xxxxxx to run things. It's very poorly managed, with no interest in education.
It's long hours for minimum pay, and they don't mention working Saturdays until you sign the contract. They'll frame it as working "one Saturday a month", but you'll be expected to work most Saturday's if they're understaffed which is most of the time. They'll also try and convince you to work extra hours after school, sometimes as late as 9pm. You do not get a full hour lunch break as advertised.
The xxxxxx seems friendly, but will lie to you about literally everything, even opening a bank account. You'll be discouraged from learning Korean because they want you to be 100% reliant on them, and it allows them to openly bitch about you while you're in the room under the assumption that you can't understand.
They will screw you out of xxxxxxxxxx in any way that they can. You'll be told you'll get to choose your own apartment and they'll pay the rent, but they only pay a maximum of 400,000 KRW which is very difficult to get in Ansan. You'll be charged for the dorm you have to stay in until you find an officetel, and they'll take the money out of your first paycheck.
They very rarely give pay slips, and you'll have to fight for it so you don't really know what's being covered and what isn't. They withhold your first pay.
They treat teachers differently and play obvious favorites.
There's no training, you just watch a class once and then have to perform it. For everything outside of the classroom that you're expected to do, you're not told, so half the time you'll have no idea. Then they'll bitch about you for not doing what you're supposed to even though no one told you in the first place. Communication just sucks in general, and you're supposed to be a mind reader.
Incredibly xxxxxx, and like working in a boys club. One of the Korean office staff is a known xxxxxxx who has harassed and stalked female members of the staff, but no one cares and they'll fire you or dock your wages for talking about it or warning other members of staff.

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Kids Fore kindergarten
Fri, Dec 30, 2022 at 2:19 AM
I must warn others about Kids Fore kindergarten.
Was hired by a hagwon in Busan and going to switch from a student to work visa. They "trained" me for 5 days, gave me my schedule (43 classes a week) told me i had to make lesson plans for all. they threw me into the fire and told me in a strong manor to figure it out. was teaching ages 5&6 beginner (I am new to teaching and was very honest about it from the beginning) other teachers didnt help much or let me borrow materials. was told to go online and pay for lesson plans paid 2.4 with housing but i was absolutely miserable for 2 weeks. housing was in a bad location (no marts around for 1km, water heater broke in winter no fix for 2 weeks) decided to quit and not switch my visa and stay in language school.
thank you

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PEAI Daechi/Seocho and iSpeak
Thu, Dec 22, 2022 at 3:13 AM
I debated posting this about PEAI (Practical English Application Institute), because the kids of PEAI and the freedom of teaching is a plus for this place. iSpeak is their sister school and is next door and is also guilty of this, but I can't speak as much on them.
However, if you can stomach the xxxxxx, xxxxxx, and office politics, and you're able to separate that from the job itself, then you'll be fine.
There is no denying that everyone at PEAI is passionate about what they do. However, if you are a new teacher, you will immediately be judged and gossiped about until you prove yourself. Typically this will be done by the most senior teachers at the school, and despite multiple people bringing this up to management, it'll be ignored because they have super close relationships with these teachers. Expect to get little to no recognition for the work you put in, and to be constantly belittled by senior teachers because in their eyes, you have no right to complain as a newer teacher.
The curriculum here is essentially set, but try to deviate even slightly from what has been happening for the past 5+ years and you'll get eaten alive by everyone and deemed as a villain, even if you mean well or want to enhance an old system that needs some sprucing up. This includes projects and teaching styles�Ewas encouraged against trying new things because the old ways worked better (and were also just that�E... the old ways).
And if all of this isn't enough, the staff is almost entirely male, and entirely Korean-American. The sheer amount of xxxxxxx, xxxxxxx, and xxxxxxx comments that you'll endure on a daily basis mimics even the WORST fraternity/boys club on the worst possible day. Everyone hangs out outside of work, so personal drama is dragged into work all the time. The management/founders come off as being caring and to an extent I think they are, but at the end of the day, it's a business, and they will not hesitate to fire you for optics issues (they fired (and then rehired) a teacher for having Covid once�E.... oronically none of the Korean American teachers that had a similar situation at the same time didn't have the same issue) or even because the senior teachers don't like you.
The pay looks good on paper, but you won't get a raise for silly reasons, you'll work crazy hours lesson prepping and doing parent conferences outside of your working hours, and then will be treated poorly by other teachers when you bring it up. Ultimately, with the cost of rent and commuting, you end up making about the same as anyone else at a decent paying hagwon, with more stress. They will also make you do summer/winter intensives, which equal insane, stressful hours, with minimal pay, and maybe a Starbucks free drink coupon for all of your efforts. However, the money is there for renovations, so if you're cool with being underpaid but like having a game console in the staff lounge, then you'll be fine.
Last, but not least, if you are a foreigner, they will try to contractually treat you like a Korean, and this means almost no vacation, expected overtime with no pay, and throwing you to the wolves (parents) if they can tell that the situation is not in their favor. When this was brought up, they went through huge hoops trying to brush it under the rug. They will let the parents spread rumors about you and verbally abuse you as I've seen is the case for several teachers, but remember�Eit's a business, and a very lucrative one.
Half of their staff (including multiple teachers that have been there for YEARS) have left this year and not on great terms. The rest of us couldn't make it past a year without being miserable in a job that typically used to retain people for at least 5+ years, which I think is telling in and of itself. But anyways�E good luck.

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Fast Track Kids (FTK) Bucheon (Sangdong)
Mon, Dec 12, 2022 at 5:43 PM
I'd like to warn everyone from working here. It was a horrible kindergarten and elementary academy to work at. I suffered from a lot of stress due to the high work load and lack of planning periods and high pressure put on students. There is a lot of xxxxx and passive aggression from staff members and the school is very poorly managed and organised.
There have been problems with pay, vacation, severance and pension.
There is no training and we taught 9-10 classes a day and teachers rarely have a free period per day.
You are responsible for teaching many classes such as science, art, social studies, cooking etc. and with little planning time it becomes very stressful trying to do them all in the week. You are required to plan, organise/order materials, prepare and teach for all these subjects.
Every month there is a field trip, activity day, birthday party. There are bimonthly tests, presentations and interviews for you classes that need to be made by you. There is also some weekend and after hour work. It is an extremely busy and stressful school to work at, made worse by a culture of xxxxxxxx.

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IYA Skola/ Hillside Collegiate (Wirye)
Mon, Dec 12, 2022 at 11:04 AM
These two school are run badly by the same xxxxxx. I would suggest everyone to stay away from this hagwon as they are very incompetent about everything they do.
Firstly, the xxxx will always find ways to criticize you, but xxxxx will never talk to you directly, instead xxx will use other teachers to tell you how much of a bad job you are doing. Even if you are performing all your duties and having no problems with your classes, they will find a way.
Secondly, from the time I was there, they had tried to violate our contract, by kicking us out of our accommodation 3 weeks earlier, which gave us only 3 days to move out before our term finished. They justified their choice by saying "Well, we're finishing our term earlier, so you have to move earlier." Also when we stated that you're xxxxxx breaking the contract, they said, and yes they said this, "We don't care about the contract."
Lastly, from how this hagwon is run is a complete and utter mess. They will watch you on CCTV from when you clock in and out, as the xxxxxxx in both IYA Skola and Hillside Collegiate don't have any duties or responsibilities to perform throughout the day.
I have been in Korea for around 4-5 years, and I have worked at some great hagwons, but this hagwon is for sure the worst hagwon I ever had to endure, I was just counting down the days, until my contract was completed.
I strongly advise people to stay away from this hagwon for your mental health. The moment you step into this hagwon they will take advantage of you instantly.

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Altiora-gangseo/SLS
Wed, Dec 7, 2022 at 12:26 AM
Please add Altiora-gangseo/SLS campus to this blacklist. This School and xxxxxx are insane. Xxxxxxx likes to divide and conquer staff. XXxx will say a different thing to every teacher to get what she wants. When it comes time for payday, xxxx will wait till the last second to tell you xxx can't pay you until the following week; and the date just keeps getting moved. This also happens with pay statements. Xxxx will lie about what is in your contract and play stupid just so you do what cccc wants. Along with that, xxxx will NEVER give a copy of any legally binding document for your record. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. This campus/franchise was opened in February because xxxxxx had to close her perivoius academy SLS. PLEASEEEE ADD

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Bucheon Rise
Sun, Dec 4, 2022 at 9:14 PM
I would like to nominate this school as one of the most unorganized hagwons I have ever worked at. I was lied to in the original interview. I was hired thinking there would be another schedule and that is why I accepted the job, but on my first day I found out the schedule was changing and they already knew about the change for months. The schedule went from 5-6 classes for Kinder but two more were added making it a full schedule with no breaks (8 kinder classes now), plus the 4 elementary classes. I was told I could leave after my last class which is at 5:40 but when I got there, I was then informed I was not allowed to leave until 6:40 when the other teachers also finished even if I dont have any other work to do.
The korean "teachers" or should I say helpers don't teach, and to be honest they are not very helpful. They will tell you your coteacher will always be in the room but that is not true. Most of the time you will be in the classroom by yourself with up to 12 students. Lunch is only 50 minutes and thats basically your break until 5:40 unless you teach to 6:40. They will often have food in the office thats supposed to be for everyone but often its already eaten by the time the foreign teachers get there or theres only a few leftovers.
Pay is also very low for how many hours and classes worked. Don't get attached to any of your students because they can and will change your kindergarten or elementary classes at any time. We had 3 sick days this year but even if a teacher called off, they would be harassed with messages all morning and sometimes into the afternoon asking if we can possibly come in even after we've already said we're sick and have seen a doctor who advised us to rest at home. You will never feel valued as an educator or an educated individual because their respect for the teachers is very low or non-exsistent. Don't expect fun days often and when we do have them, it is unorganized and chaos. Wew are often told about field trips, exams, level tests, etc.. the day before or the day of. The way they talk to the foreign teachers can be very condescending. We were once told we can do anything if we're "positive enough and use our brains". This was said to us after we complained about having only 2 weeks to make a lesson plan, make a ppt, make speeches, and practice and organize open house with our students which was to be shown and performed in front of their parents. She expected us to do the work over Chuseok. Overall, I DO NOT recommend this school especially for first time teachers and teachers who value themselves. This branch has made me never want to work for another Rise again.

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Godeok Altiora
Thu, Dec 1, 2022 at 8:47 AM
I'll make long story short. Avoid this place at all costs.....
If u dont kiss xxxxx axx... u will be hated rest of your contract life....
You will have about 13 bosses above u which are most of the korean teachers.....
This place is worst place to work at.....
Xxxxxx will try to fake and pretend shes the nicest person in the world but all the orders u get comes from her!!

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Plum Academy/ FTK / FTK Jamwon
Tue, Nov 22, 2022 at 6:21 PM
Here is a brief overview of the general experience of the school. They will tell you that things have changed after a lot of turnover but...
�Etoxic environment: dysfunctional hierarchy + inappropriate distinction between different nationalities
�Eextremely high staff turnover, including management (both quitting and firing)
�Echronically understaffed (students even left unattended)
�Eheld responsible for things not communicated
�Eexpected to teach special needs students with no support or special needs plan
�Eunacceptable housing (missing furniture items promised in contracts, mold, etc.)
�Estrongly discouraged from taking sick days
�Eteaching 10+ classes a day
�Efrequent last-minute workload additions (no overtime paid) already-limited prep time
�Eexpected to accept last hour of work prep time or lunch with students as your "break"
This is not a conclusive list.

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Sequoia hagwon in the GEC area of Jeju
Mon, Nov 21, 2022, 3:08 PM
New teachers coming to Korea should avoid Sequoia hagwon in the GEC area of Jeju. XXXXX doesn't speak English and rarely if ever makes any effort to communicate with the teachers. Schedules are changed at the last minute without notice. On occasion, teachers have come in at 9am expecting to work until 5pm, only to see that their schedule has changed to 11am to 7pm - meaning they essentially have to work an extra 2 hours for no pay. Teachers are regularly pressured to do lots of overtime. We're told during the interview that overtime is voluntary, but in reality, any refusal to do overtime is met with xxxxxxxxx. New teachers are expected to complete a training week (you won't be told until afterwards that the training week is unpaid). My training week consisted of me sitting in the hallway being ignored by XXXXX until I took it upon myself to walk into other people's classes.
There are no lesson plans or curriculum other than what the teachers make themselves. This might not sound too bad, but it quickly gets tiresome to simply have to guess what the students' parents might want their children to learn. XXXXX has no idea about the students' English ability and therefore can't plan appropriate classes or find good resources, meaning the teachers must do it all. There's no oversight for what goes on in the classes and no one seems to be particularly interested in the students' progress. This makes for bored and demotivated students.
XXXXXxxxxxxxxx.
The whole culture of the school is crooked and unpleasant. 99% of hagwons in Korea are wonderful and are run by great people who care about the students. This one isn't. Avoid it!

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St Paul American Scholars, Elementary School, Gwangyo Branch
Sat, Nov 5 2022 at 12:50 AM
St Paul American Scholars, Elementary School, Gwangyo Branch. This hagwon, disguised as an international school, is a nightmare. 18 teachers quit this year and this is my take on why:
1. Long hours for minimal pay 7:40-4:40 (7:40-5:00 2x week)
2. No prep time (the "prep�Etime you receive will be spent doing admin work)
3. You need to literally do admin work such as emailing parents test results, asking them to sign forms etc
4. Required to teach after school classes 2x week without additional pay
5. Required to clean your own classroom and supervise playground (there is no break time for you)
6. Micromanagement of everything you do (you will have to create very detailed lesson plans for every lesson, create newsletters, create report cards for every-week for every subject)
Please stay away from this hagwon. This is my first reporting - I've worked at the infamous Poly hagwon and this hagwon makes working at Poly seem like a good job.

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Pinewood, Misa, Hanam,Gyeonggido
Mon, Oct 31, 2022 at 5:18 PM
This is one of the worst schools ever. It is owned by a xxxxxx who are manipulative, and since they are all related you will have no one on your side if problems arise (and they will). Unlike other schools where the Korean staff is equally overworked, here the Korean staff is xxxx. You will have no training and no support when the students misbehave. We all know that all hagwons are not real schools, and that the best you can hope for is a decent school. We all have different things we cannot handle. In my opinion, this is definitely below average. 101/10 would avoid.
Objective positives:
Paid on time, nice hours
Objective negatives:
Will withhold pay (experienced by 2 ex employees)
has had 4/4 foreign teachers quit with in a year-they opened in march 2021 (just not simultaneously)

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YBM ECC Gimpo
Mon, Oct 31 at 10:24 AM
I want to add YBM ECC Gimpo to the blacklist. I will try to keep this brief. I worked there a while back. The teachers and students were really nice. However, as per usual, the problem was with management. The scheduling was a nightmare as it would constantly change, often without the teachers knowing it changed, and then when you failed to show up for a class, they would scold you, even when you pointed out their mistake. When I left, they xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, making excuses that they didn't have money. During the entire year I worked there, I never once met the "principal" of the hagwon. There was a constant feeling of resentment for us being there. Also, the teaching contact hours were too high. Lastly, their people skills were non-existent. I am mostly upset about the money they xxxxxxxxxxxxx. I contacted their head office for help, but they couldn't even be bothered to reply to my emails. I want to strongly urge anyone who is considering joining them to think carefully, as it is not worth wasting an entire year and hating every minute of it.

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POLY, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul
Thu, Oct 27 at 12:55 PM
Management is beyond MANIPULATIVE and will coerce staff to limit friendships, ghost recruiters, and work in fear or being deported. Management lied about many aspects of pay and did not xxxxxx. Whenever confronted about incorrect pay there was always an excuse- within 6 months over 2000$ was owed and xxxxx. Management will XXXXXXXX you by saying they will call the police and that you are abusive when in reality management is abusive. Friendships within staff were not "prohibited�Ehowever they were often broken after a few weeks of being near management and the lies that were whispered. Management xxxxxxxx about recruiter fees saying that teachers would have to pay thousands of dollars�Ehowever this is untrue and the teacher gets caught in the middle of a dispute. Management has sat at a dinner table and made staff CRY at the table- and then proceeded to play games on their phone whilst staff members sat there and cried. Management will say training is unpaid (if there is any) and then offer 6 weeks paid training to another hired teacher. Management will have new teachers quit based on red flags they see early into their contract and will lie to staff about how they were MENTALLY ILL and they fired them for THE SAFETY OF STAFF AND STUDENTS. If you would like your pay cheque to be short every month, your recruiter hunting you down looking for company money, and your manager to threaten and manipulate you, then you've found the perfect school! You've been warned.

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Global kids Korea haeundae Busan
Wed, Oct 19 at 12:02 PM
I am putting Jennifer Kids English up for the Hagwon Blacklist.
The pay is grossly exaggerated as you will not be paid what is determined xxxxxxxx and you will also be gaslighted into believing that the school does not have money. There are no lunch breaks, no paid overtime, and if you do not check, you will not be submitted into the national pension or health insurance.
There is frequent xxxxxxxxxx of teachers, including threats of termination and classes being added to an already packed schedule if school requirements are not met. There are no paid sick days and the school will say anything to make you come to work regardless.
If the school manages to contact you, do not accept because they are just words to get you to sign a contract to replace another teacher.

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Global kids Korea haeundae Busan
Wed, Oct 19 at 12:02 PM
If you value any part of your mental health don't work here!!!!
At first xxxxxxxxxx will pretend to care about you but that's not true and you will true colors being revealed as time goes on. There's absolutely no support for teachers in the classroom!
Don't be fooled by this school being in a big city right by the beach it's very run down with no projectors in the class old outdated computer which often have pen marks from the kids drawing on them because there is no discipline structure at all.
Teachers are constantly leaving and xxxxxxxx will give you various excuses why they leave.
You will instantly regret working here don't do it!!

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Hillside Collegiate Songdo
Sun, Oct 16 at 8:42 AM
I would not recommend working at Hillside Collegiate Songdo if you wish to maintain a healthy work-life balance while living in Korea. When I was initially interviewed, I was informed I would be teaching a variety of English courses to Kindergartners, which I was very excited about. I signed on with this in mind, as I had already been teaching English in Korea for a few years and was looking for a new environment. Much to my surprise, I ended up as a grade-level homeroom teacher, responsible for teaching subjects such as Coding & Robotics, Math, Science, English, Social Studies, Music and so on. Was I qualified for this? No.
While we had textbooks as resources and an extremely vague "yearly plan curriculum overview�E which simply stated a learning goal for each month, creating course materials and implementing these learning goals were entirely up to the teachers. The majority of us were on E2 visas, (even the only properly qualified teacher within the grade teachers was still only on an E2 visa). Despite the, at times, overwhelming stress of trying to learn how to teach these kids challenging concepts, we were given little to no support from management. They would often acknowledge how stressed we seemed to be, but even when we voiced our concerns, they would shift blame to past teachers/managers or pretend to understand our concerns, just to ignore them after the meeting. This was a normal pattern for Hillside Collegiate Songdo, which is why we saw so many coworkers, both Korean and foreign, leave before their contract was finished. It was normal that at least once every two months, an employee would quit or be fired.
Despite the acknowledged stress from working at Hillside Collegiate Songdo, there was an unwritten expectation that you would perform at a high level as a teacher. Your contractually agreed upon working hours were not respected. It was normal for teachers to come to school early and leave school much later than scheduled. We also had to write report cards on our own time, twice a year. These would take us at least a month or two to write because of the expected length and multiple drafts required. We did this unpaid, because if we didn't do it, then the kids would be the ones to suffer. We never had enough time to create lessons, teach, and write report cards all on the same day, when we also had other duties such as serving lunch, monitoring snack and playtime, etc. The first report cards we wrote had different criteria from the second report, so naturally, parents had many questions and concerns that we, the teachers, were required to address because the parents did not know about these changes in evaluation. The choices management made, teachers were always the ones to take the brunt of the parents' reactions. It was our job to have meetings with parents and stay for however long it took after scheduled working hours ended. The meetings that ran late were only ever to benefit the school and make the parents happy. We were never compensated for doing overtime, despite saying so in our contracts.
They also required that a few teachers move out before their contracts ended to a new place, because they didn't get housing leases that lasted for the full contracts of their employees. The teachers got no time off to organize their things to move out and had only two week's notice before needing to move to their new apartment.
During school we also actively heard from parents, especially in the beginning, feedback would come every single day. Even if something happened in recess (our teacher's lunch break), it was our responsibility to somehow know it happened and to fix it. Hillside Collegiate Songdo's management showed only concern about keeping parents happy. They would ignore our concerns regarding curriculum content, student's individual needs, and our desire to communicate honestly with parents about their children's performance in school. The only thing that mattered was communicating in a way that would make parents happy with their child and their progress. Towards the end of my time there, I noticed the Korean staff making more of an effort to communicate honestly with parents. This really makes all the difference, and I hope it continues as both teachers and parents want to see the children educated in a way that serves them as older students.
Grade-level management were also known to watch us on the CCTV and had to be told it was inappropriate to send us messages based on watching us through the cameras. The cameras are meant to exist as a safety precaution for the kids, but they were used for more than that during my time there. They even adjusted the cameras after that, which made it even more difficult to be out of sight of the camera in your off time.
The hardest part about working at Hillside Collegiate Songdo was the complete and utter lack of respect and appreciation shown to teachers by management. Grade teachers did not have much of a chance to interact with the Korean management, so I am referring more towards the grade-level managers. They would openly talk about other teachers while sitting at the front desk and would also purposefully switch languages to exclude you from the conversation, should you be in the same room. Not only is this rude, but also, the majority of foreign teachers on staff knew enough Korean to understand what was being said. There were a lot of disrespectful and unprofessional conversations taking place at work by management that everyone would always find out about. It created an environment that felt hostile and as though there was no one in management that you could trust. More than once, we communicated to management that all we really wanted was a bit more appreciation. Tell us thank you (and mean it) when we do all this extra work. Instead of understanding this, management treated us more and more like we were the problem. On our last day with the kids, management did absolutely nothing to show that they appreciated us and tried to make our final day like any other normal school day. We went out and spent our own money to create a party, so that the kids would enjoy fond memories together. Whether management liked it or not, all the teachers were bonded closely with their classes and the kids loved that final party together.
Despite being in a group of a few teachers that remained to complete their whole contract, we were thanked by being shoved into a separate room for our final contract days while the kids were on vacation. We heard that management told another (newer) teacher to keep the incoming teachers away from us. This was the final blow, as if I was given the opportunity, I would have loved to have shared some resources I used and put some use to all of this knowledge I gained working with the very same kids they would be working with. Once again, they made us seem like a toxic problem, when all we ever tried to do was improve the working environment for both teachers and students. In an attempt to keep the peace and not cause any problems, we kept our distance and worked away. It was a depressing way to end our time at school and a reminder that our only value to management was how much work we could produce.
While there is so much more to be said about the negatives of working at Hillside Collegiate Songdo, I have to say that the one thing they did right during my contract there, was that they hired some amazing people. If it wasn't for such an amazing group of grade-level teachers that I worked closely with, I couldn't have done it. They became a little family to me during that time and I will forever cherish that group of people. It wasn't always easy, as we all had different ways of dealing with the working conditions, but knowing we always supported each other was enough. The kids, while sometimes a whole lot of trouble, were also one of the best things that happened to me. I loved my students so much.
I hope with this post, I can enlighten potential teachers about the struggles they might face should they choose to work at Hillside Collegiate Songdo. If you have the ability to mentally keep work and life separate (and an F visa would help to get some respect), then it could work well for you. If not - you could find that work takes up most of your life and that even when not working, the stress stays on your mind. It wasn't my first job in Korea, but it was definitely my last.
I also hope this post will finally encourage grade-level management to reflect on how their lack of support, understanding and guidance created a working environment that was miserable for everyone involved. Professionalism, respect and appreciation are key to being good managers. If you can't do that, then your fears of going back to being teachers will come true.

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Walnut Global Education, Seoul
Fri, Oct 14 at 2:48 AM
Two words: run away.
It started out great there and then slowly everything started to fall apart. The xxxxxx will pick favorites and you will know if you are the favorite or not. Every term, xxxxxx finds a new teacher to pick on and I was one of them. It got so bad that I had to leave. I had to put my own safety and mental health ahead of a paycheck. Leaving that job was the best feeling ever.
Even the xxxxxxxxx could not be trusted there. Alliances were formed and broken as if it was The Hunger Games. That's all because of the work environment.
Payslips were emailed but surprise! You were not able to open them because it could only be opened in a program that no teacher had on their laptop.
There was so much busy work you had to do before the end of day Friday. There was also no time in between kindergarten and the afternoon classes. Need the bathroom? Good luck. The schedule and curriculum was just always a mess.
And the reports? You had to write only good comments about the students and xxxxx read all of them. She even gave mine back and said "Are you even a teacher? Are you even a Native speaker? None of this makes sense." I had to redo all of them right then and there before the end of the day on top of teaching.
Also, when you sign your contract, for mine at least, it said you could not share your experiences about the school, good or bad, for at least three years. Well, too bad. I left the country for good after I finished at my last job. I loved my time in Korea until I came here. Then all I wanted to do was leave for home and never ever come back. I wasn't even given my contract to see or sign UNTIL the day I had to go to immigration, which they didn't even schedule an appointment for me at the right amount of time so I had to go on the day it was expiring.
So if you end up being offered a job here, laugh, and say no. It is not worth getting physically ill and the mental abuse. I am so glad I am away from that place now. I ended up blocking out the few months I was there from my memory because I never want to go back there ever.

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GBA Academy or Dream I Kindergarden, in Goyang
Wed, Oct 12 at 11:27 AM
- don't know what to expect: I wrote two names because they sign contract under academy name but most of the time teacher is working in kindergarten. And it has two problems, kids in kindergarten are 3-5 years old (international age), but during interview they told me "elementary school kids". And second because under academy they don't need you to pay vacation money (that is approximately as much as 1 month salary).
- Not only teaching: all year long English teachers waited outside every morning about 30-60 minutes greeting kids. (Summer is very hot and humid, winter cold and windy because place located north of Korea)
- Trying to trick: They tried to cut my xxxxxxxxx (as if vacation xxxxxxx)
- No respect: 2 teachers quit in the middle of contract and remaining teachers work more with only 45-30 minutes lunch and no other breaks (even 5 minutes lunch to go to toilet) 3-4 weeks.
- No response: if you need any documents after quitting (prove of working experience etc) forget about it!

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ComoBlanc/ Dreamberry
Thu, Sep 22 at 12:00 AM
It is regrettable that my first official teaching experience in Korea has been mostly negative due to this school. I do want to say that the main reason I would ask anyone heed caution with this hagwon is because of all the lies and toxicity.
I do want to say that the only reason I signed the contract for this school at first is due to the fact that I couldn't find any review or postings of this school on any forms. I'm posting this to warn people. Don't even apply.
Interview
While the xxxxxxxx will reiterate time and time again that she tried to be honest in the interview, that is not always the case. My first impression of xxxxxxx was that she would be someone who embellished and downplay things. Since when I would ask questions, there would always be a long lead in explanation, basically to show how their schools was better compared to others. If I asked about job responsibilities the response would start off like "While some school require to do XYZ we only require teachers to do XYZ". This is her way of showing the school wasn't as bad as others or that it was better. Even though the workload was not much different to the rest. That wasn't a huge problem though because it didn't necessarily mean that it was a bad school, but it did have me on alert. I prefer straightforward answers. Get to the point. My biggest problem was that I was lied too. In the interview I wasn't told that teachers were required to clean the classroom (sweeping, mopping, wiping down tables, tidying bookshelf, dusting, rearranging classroom for open classes, scraping tape scum off the floor from taping due to Covid social distancing). I wasn't told how teachers were expected to stay late to decorate for events without extra pay. I wasn't told that I would be expected to serve lunch to and eat with the children and that 100,000 won of my pay was because of that fact. There were many things that was not told to me in the initial interview and that is just not okay, especially when I asked these questions and I was not giving correct information.
The following is what you can expect the work culture to be like. XXXXX.
Work-life
It's toxic. They will talk about you behind you back in Korean instead of bringing the problem to you directly. The will tell the xxxxxxx to tell you things, instead of addressing it with you directly, which can cause misunderstandings if the message isn't relayed 100% correctly. They will blame you for things that isn't your responsibility, like someone else's inability to manage their time (just because you were talking to them while they were taking their BREAK). They will accuse you of finishing class 5 minutes early but be unable to show you the proof of that and try (and fail miserably) to threaten you with the fear of a warning letter. They try to play "good�Ecop by telling you they only give warning letters to teachers they are "done�Ewith. They will not fully train you or notify you of things you need to do, but then try (and fail) to call you out on the work group chat about it. Let's not get started on the gaslighting. Xxxxxx somehow always "knows�Ehow you feel and will with her whole chest create a scenario that is not even remotely true. Like how you are taking you anger out of the children because you yelled at them a little too loudly. You will be told not to look like you are not busy in the office but be told off for going to an empty room to take a proper break. You'll probably work during the free class periods you have on most days but it's okay because it's not like breaks are required by law or anything. You'll be expected to lie in comments and make up test scores. You'll spend so much time making tests only to give the kids all the answers, decrease scores and increase scores depending on when the child started at the school. The school will require you to get health certificates that is not required of teacher by the government and be expected to foot the cost. The school will give you certain materials in Korean even though you are in English teacher and be expected to translate it. (All materials should be in English, teachers should not have to use google translate or hunt down a Korean teacher to help translate materials). You will be expected to cover classes for other teachers without being given extra pay, even though that teachers pay is at times being docked. You will consistently work more classes than the contracted amount but the xxxxxxx will be given significantly less classes because it's a "perk". Oh, and the biggest annoyance of all ... they'll expect you to stay past you work hours to prepare and decorate for events. We're talking like extra 3 to 4 hours at time with NO EXTRA PAY.
I wanted to quit the first week. But I stayed because why not make them pay all the money due to me and still have to shell out more to get another teacher? It's needless to say management was the main reason I got annoyed on a consistent basis. It's sad because it could have been a good school too.
I really would recommend working for this school. It honestly should be a last resort. Interview with at least 100 school before picking this one. If you do decide go work for them, please get the thick skin and patience ready. Also speak up for yourself and defend yourself or they will think you are easy and walk all over you. Hope you take a better job than this. Thank you for your time.

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Chungdahm Learning aka Creverse
Sat, Sep 17 at 10:25 AM
One of the most notorious hagwon companies to work for is Chungdahm Learning aka Creverse. They offer an overwhelming and stressful, soul-sucking job that demands all your time, effort, and tears. And don't slip up or you'll be the social pariah of the entire school. Not to mention appearances are everything; as long as they seem like an upstanding institution, it doesn't matter if the kids learn. Now, I can't speak for all of the CDL academies but I can speak for at least the ones in Daegu- though I'm told that they are roughly the same country-wide. I had a contract with CDI- Beomeo iGarten branch in Daegu for a full year. One day, 4 days before my actual contract was over, I was called in unexpectedly after teaching my last class and provided documents showing my severance pay and final month's pay. **************.
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This is my warning to those who are wanting to teach in Korea and are looking for recruiters and schools. I suggest you stay far away from Chungdahm Learning and Creverse, and I'll add Aclipse recruiting as well. Make sure you ask questions, make edits to your contract multiple times before signing, and don't just talk to the people they want you to talk to. There is a huge demand for teachers so don't worry, you will have plenty of contract offers. My worst regret when arriving in Korea was that I signed with one company only to find that there were many better options out there.

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Sage's English Academy (SEA)
Fri, Sep 9 at 12:14 AM
I was applying to SEA and they had a teacher send me essays to grade before hiring me.The xxxx said xxxx sends this teacher to talk to new hires because a previous teacher was a "problem" and this teacher likes to vet new teachers to ensure they're good enough. They claimed that it was alright if I didn't know how to do it the way they wanted it to be done. Next thing you know, I'm recieving a long winded email that consists of the school's recruiter yelling at me claiming she's disappointed in me and that I can't even correct basic spelling. I've been doing essay mark ups my whole life for peer review in school so I was shocked. The housing is so bad that none of the teachers stay in them. It was also far from the school. They basically had me work for free and then bashed me afterwards.I had even explained to them that I wasn't sure to the extent of how much they wanted me to mark up the essays. Their students' English was very unnatural and they both had the same grammatical problems so I ended up having to mark up the papers a lot. On top of that they were having me do it on my PHONE, as if it could be compared to physically writing/correcting on the actual ,physical essay.They've been "looking" for a new teacher for months. They've had a listing up with the recruiter for over a month for "ASAP" hiring.But it feels like they are just looking for free labor. The recruiter I worked with is also listed as the school on Kakao Maps even though they have two different names. This school might be looking for free labor and not teachers.

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TCIS (Thinking Christian International School)
Sat, Sep 3 at 6:22 PM

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TCIS (Thinking Christian International School)
Sat, Sep 3 at 6:22 PM
TCIS told me at the last minute that there wasn't a class for me to teach anymore. They gave me a weeks notice, but if they knew that the class might close, couldn't they have given me greater notice? They did not do the due diligence and it was even more disappointing that they simply emailed me instead of calling. Don't waste your time here, they might drop you last minute and leave you high and dry.

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Worwick Franklin Institute, Ok-dong, Ulsan
Sun, Aug 21 at 11:12 PM
I am nominating Worwick Franklin Institute in Ok-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan to be on the Hagwon Blacklist. This is a professional courtesy to any self-respecting teachers that are interviewing or considering working at Worwick Franklin to save yourself a world of trouble, stress, turmoil and move on and consider other schools.
All but one teacher has left after a 12 month run of an absolutely toxic, manipulative work environment. Xxxxxx had taken full advantage of pandemic and has put personal wealth over the well-being of the schools instructors. There has been a recorded pattern of verbal abuse of teachers, several threats of termination to keep teachers on their toes and a constant practice of gaslighting to divide and conquer the staff.
Be weary, the xxxxx will do and say anything to make the work, school, program seem fair and logical but in reality it is as crammed as cram schools get. Reality of the severity of the, chaos, toxicity and disorganization was revealed about 2 months into the job.
The xxxxxx and school make consistent claims that money is no issue but there were many occasions where, if we didn't ask or inquire about several items there would have been a lot of xxxxxxx.
The scheme of xxxxx is to get new inexperienced teachers to sign a contract, work them to the bone for 12 months and get a new set of fresh teachers to rinse and repeat the mayhem. If you have made it this far into this post, turn around and never look back or the cycle will continue for years to come.

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JM Academy in Seoul
Sat, Aug 20 at 2:25 AM
From taking photos of foreign staff outside of work hours to go Big Brother on them... And then try to cut salary increases when extending a contract. And of course, trying to weasel out of paying exit wages/severance on time. This place and its parent company really suck. To keep it brief: It's a long-haul game for them. Shower you with love and praise and then later they will backstab you. They will also bully the Korean staff and prevent them from quitting the job. Whenever the foreign teachers have concerns about workload or unclear tasks the upper management tries to pit Foreigners and Koreans against each other by outright blaming the Foreigners during Korean meetings. And if you or a loved one have any severe health ailments and you need to take time off to deal with that or to shift to part-time, the folks in charge will either try to fire you or outright say no. Even if it is a life-threatening condition. I saw it happen twice and even four times when including deaths of immediate family members within staff ranks. Underpaid, undervalued, overworked, and a ton of drama. If you like to suffer, this is the place for you.

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JM Academy in Seoul
Mon, Aug 15 at 10:21 AM
I'd like to warn new teacher's about JM Academy in Seoul.
Lesson plans, quizzes, tests, answer keys and student weekly check lists must be created for every student in every class (usually for 5-6 classes a week). Answer keys must be hand written. This is tedious, time consuming, and must be submitted to the Korean teacher for approval in paper, then printed for all students. It doesn't sound too bad but in reality it takes hours to complete. There are only 2 printers shared by 20 people and often times one isn't working. You are not allowed to share material with other teachers. You are not given answer keys nor are you supposed to pass answer keys to others to save them time.
Many teachers frequently work overtime. It's seen as a badge of honor and it's sad that they don't see how they're being exploited.
Additionally, one native teacher can have multiple lower level classes, therefore less material to prepare and print. Another can have multiple higher level classes and exponentially more material to prep, so the work is disproportionate. Additionally, some Korean teachers have more demands than others so nothing is regulated to prevent them from putting unnecessary work onto the Native teachers.
Oftentimes, the Korean teachers have different expectations than is instructed by the head native teachers. They are also told different things by the Korean xxxxxxx and are upset if you haven't been told the same thing. I've had Korean teachers think it's acceptable behavior to yell, demean, roll their eyes, etc. at various native teachers. If you go to any higher ups for help, you'll be told to be understanding as they're 'stressed' by the �difficult�Eparents. There is no workplace professionalism or respect.
On top of this, there has been xxxxxx by a native teacher to other native teachers (which nothing was done about) and some teachers have been fat shamed.
The workplace environment is unnecessarily stressful. First, the school doesn't defend its Korean teachers against the parents who can be abusive. As a result, many Korean teachers take out their frustrations on the native teachers. This can be detrimental to the students as well as the Korean teachers will make the Native teachers give disproportional attention to the children of these problem parents.
The workplace is full of gossip as the teachers have to work and live with one another. Anything you do off hours is gossiped about by the other teachers (when you went out, who you brought home, etc). Many of the teachers are nice to your face then the second you step foot out of the cramped office, they'll start throwing insults. Unfortunately, the xxxxxxx does this as well and doesn't promote a respectful, professional workplace.
Last, there's a lot of expectations placed on the native teachers. While it is a real job and should be treated as such, people do this job to travel and experience living abroad while engaging in cultural exchange. It's supposed to be fun. Unfortunately, the older teachers get annoyed at the demographic to which this line of work is marketed. What they want are are people training to be real teachers who want to pursue that path as a career but who they hire are random people with bachelors degrees who are obviously only interested in the experience of living abroad. Additionally, none of the hard work is mentioned in the interview process, only the 'fun' things.
They need to digitize everything, stand up for their Korean teachers, promote a civil workplace with collaboration and respect, and start providing some of the material to the native teachers.
They know if they gave an honest and upfront list of expectations, most people wouldn't want to work here.
It's a big change moving to a foreign country to teach and these teachers have no empathy or compassion for one another. They get pleasure from others struggles and pain. It's incredibly sad. Also, they have a knack for hiring the cruelest people. Unfortunately, the children are collateral.

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Spol English Institute Gimhae, Oxford Academy Gyerong, Eunbit Kindergarten Ansan, EiE Korea Hwaseong,
Thu, Aug 11 at 11:03 AM
These are places you should avoid working at. You will be treated very disrespectfully and unfairly. One of these places I mentioned is even dishonest with money. The work environment is very toxic. I just wanted to warn others there are better places to work at.

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Little Fox English Academy Hyeokshindoshi and Wansan in Jeonju
Tue, Aug 9 at 4:40 PM
Little Fox English Academy Hyeokshindoshi and Wansan in Jeonju.
You will not get Employment insurance until after you report the schools for their incompetence. If you take any days off, the company will threaten you with not letting you have your severance. They allow their students to be openly racist towards the foreign teachers, including allowing for some inflammatory language.
My wife and I personally had to fight to get our maternity leave and paternity leave , respectively. Because the company did not put us on Employment Insurance, they had to pay the maternity leave completely out of pocket. Even after, we were told that we would not get paid out for our days off we did not take because our leave used them up. We had to call a lawyer while in the office to prove our case.
In the end, we simply handed in our resignations. If you hear from these 2 schools in Jeonju, RUN!

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FTK Songdo Branch
Sun, Aug 7 at 4:46 AM
Hello,
Thank you for the work you do here. I would like to add FTK Songdo Branch. Foreign teachers are expected to carry out shuttle bus and lunch duties with no extras pay. Teachers teach a variety of different subjects (despite it being xxxxx on an E2 visa). The xxxxxx has little to no experience in running a business, often comes in late and leaves early, and is even unaware of the students' names. 2 sick days are listed on the contract yet the sick days taken off are unpaid by the school. Students regularly join and leave due to the poor management. Work will be regularly taken home, etc. Teachers have supposedly had to sue the school upwards of 3 times previously, and the turnover is far higher than the neighbouring schools as very few teachers re-sign. All in all, avoid!

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ReadingStar International
Thu, Aug 4 at 6:37 PM
I'd like to add ReadingStar International to the blacklist.
It's one of those pseudo-international school academies that has you teaching literature, debate, science, etc. The workload is insane. There is not a single teacher that doesn't have to either stay late every day or bring the work home with them. Multiple teachers end up sacrificing their Saturdays or Sundays just to do the prep work for the classes. Not to mention everyone is given "projects" that eat up even more of your time. During the intensive season, they pay you extra for what is supposed to be one extra hour of work each day, from nine hours to ten, but teachers have been forced into working twelve to fourteen hour days. And god forbid you sit down in the classroom while students are doing independent work after being on your feet for that long. Work is disproportionately piled onto native teachers and you'll be held to a much higher standard than your Korean counterparts. You'll never be able to use your vacation time because there are barely enough teachers to run a normal schedule without someone being sick or on vacation. The only bright side is you will always be paid on time, though it is not worth the amount of work. It's running largely on part-time university students or fresh graduates these days because those are the only people they can trap in the job. They've even turned current students into part-time teachers. It's only getting worse. Think very carefully if you come across this academy.

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FTK English East Pangyo, Bundang, Seongnam
Mon, Aug 1 at 5:48 AM
I only worked here briefly but worst few months of my life. Horrible place with no support.
Talked down to by management all the time. They treat you like disposable trash.
Totally unorganized and everything that goes wrong is blamed on NTs. The Korean teachers don't teach 1/2 the classes of NTs and can do no wrong it seems.
Do not recommend.

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Lion English, Gajwa, Seoul
Thu, Jul 28 at 5:35 PM
I would like to add Lion English to the blacklist. I was hired by the now previous xxxxx who was a foreigner and a really stand up person. He was very easy going and allowed the teachers a lot more freedom to teach as they saw fit and generally treated staff like adults.
During my interview there was a Korean woman in the room, and a man watching on a zoom call. The foreign xxxxx asked the normal sort of interview questions like teaching style, strengths and weaknesses etc. The Korean woman on the other hand would jump in randomly with questions such as 'Do you like Korean people?,' 'Why do you want to work here? Just for the money right?' and 'You know you have to come to work when you are sick?'
It struck me as a bit odd but I got on so well with the foreign xxxxx that I put it to the back of my mind. They offered me the job a few minutes after the interview, but as I had flights already booked home for Christmas I requested that I be allowed some extended leave at that time so that I still go on my trip, before signing the contract, with they agreed to.
The job started well, with lots of help from xxxxxxxx who was very good with the kids and workers alike. The days were long with little to no breaks in between classes, but it was okay and the pay was good.
Unfortunately for the teachers, a couple of weeks later it was made clear that be moving on and passing the business to the Korean couple who were sitting in on the interview. That's when everything went down hill.
We started getting our classes monitored on a daily basis, by one of the two xxxxx, who would write a list of things that needed changing, then the next week changed back, basically just picking faults for the sake of it. We were told not to discipline the kids whatsoever and change their grades from failing to near perfect on their report cards. Some of the kids didn't know the alphabet yet we were instructed to give every kid an A.
Whenever issues with student behaviour was brought up with management we were told 'you are here to teach English, not manners.' They started to implement new rules for the teachers every week and then get rid of them again just as quickly. The place became total chaos with a number of teachers deciding to leave.
The final straw for me was when two weeks before my trip that they had promised the time off for the management called me into a meeting. They said that because they were having trouble finding cover that I had to either cancel my trip or I would be fired. The fact that they would even ask me this made me want to quit anyway, so I refused to cancel and was released. They then asked me to stay for a further two weeks, even up until the same day that I was due to leave to train the new teacher who would replace me. When I refused I was met with a borage of abuse xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
Luckily, I am an F visa so they didn't have much power to wield, but I would be very wary about taking a job here as they are not to be trusted.

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Milestone Institute Seocho Branch
Tue, Jul 26 at 5:44 PM
This is now the nth time that this academy has been posted here, but it does bear repeating how terrible of a workplace this is.
Positives:

You get paid on time, get health insurance, and don't have to worry about getting scammed regarding your finances.
Negatives:

1. Incompetent boss. The xxxxxx is terrible at his job and communicating. He hoists all of his work onto all of those under him. Expect that you will get the short end of the stick for every decision that has to be made from HQ.
2. Retention rate. Mass exodus every single semester/year.
3. Constant changes from HQ. Change is not a bad thing, but these changes that occur every semester make the company worse every single semester and adds more work onto the teachers. These changes are also communicated by said incompetent boss at the last possible second.
4. No disciplinary measures. Both students and mothers alike are catered to at every turn, so never expect for your side to be taken if something is to go wrong (and it will.)
5. Zero organization. You will be told that materials will be ready for you, but they will often be given at the last possible second. If they are provided for you ahead of time, they will be full of mistakes.

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Gwanak SLP and DYB Choi-sun Sangdo
Tue, Jul 26 at 5:24 PM
Do not consider an offer from either of these two schools. They are owned by xxxxx, but Choisun is managed xxxxx. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, and the school is extremely unsupportive and abusive. The school is large, yes, but the teachers are all miserable and most end their contracts early. When one teacher put in their notice, I was asked for ideas on what else could be deducted from xxxxxxxxxxxxxx "to teach them a lesson". If there is a problem, you will be yelled at no matter how many times you brought up the warnings.
Students cannot fail, and the school will never reprimand a student. If a student has a problem with you, you will be reassigned to a different class. In fact, grades are changed to ensure parents are satisfied. Parents are king at this school. I often saw corrections from as low as 30% "rounded" up to 70%). The managers will shame the Korean teachers in the teachers' office and make them cry at least once a month. Favoritism here is also awful and there is a group which will always get their way at the expense of others. The curriculum is a mess because of sheer incompetence, and you are made to seem that you owe your life to this school and should contribute your all despite them never having your back. To the parents, you will be made to seem incompetent and will always be thrown under the bus when any sort of problem arises, even those unrelated to you.
They are quite stingy here and do not pay much, and if you are promised no kindergarten that is a lie. Every night teacher has been promised this and we have all had to teach some kindy classes because "there are not enough teachers and everybody has to help".
Recently, they lost about 13 or so teachers, foreign and Korean, because conditions were so bad they did not want to renew. Run, and don't turn back. Gwanak SLP is to be avoided at all costs. It is made very clear in the interview that Gwanak SLP is not a school that cares about education, it is a business and runs exclusively with that in mind.

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ILS JEJU
Mon, Jul 25 at 4:04 AM
ILS JEJU stay away from here! The interview went well, and they let me speak to a few teachers before coming! On day one the teacher who was supposed to train me quit early. I received less than one week of training, before they tossed me into 8 classrooms with absolutely no help. At one point I counted at least 6 teachers who told me exactly when they were quitting and why, their turnover rate was horrendous. I was never reimbursed for my flight per the contract, and after the first week they changed my schedule and made me a homeroom teacher teaching English, Science, Math, Art and Music which is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE.

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CLS- Children's Language Academy
Tue, Jul 19 at 2:01 PM
Psycho! family owning the establishment who try to subvert the law if given chance -- including attempting to lower government mandated pay rates. Most comments about this place have been taken down because xxxxx is aggressive about preserving the appearance of the place. It's changed names a couple time-- you can read into that how you want. When I worked there, xxxxxxxx would come into my room while I was teaching and berate me about things I was doing incorrectly. xxxxxxxxx would watch the camera monitoring system and tell xxxxxxxxx to go yell at teachers. Long days. Invaded my personal life. That's right, nothing's sacred at this one. Money looks good, but not worth MY misery.

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Welltain Christian International School (WCIS) in Cheong-na
Tue, Jul 19 at 4:42 AM
Hello, please add Welltain Christian International School (WCIS) in Cheong-na, Incheon, to the blacklist. There are many things I could say about WCIS, but I will stick to my direct personal experience as a teacher there. TLDR: They are incredibly disorganized and unprofessional; they aggressively tried to force me to be a manager with no pay raise or even a negotiation, literally telling me I have no choice; they manipulate grades routinely and very extensively; and finally, they fired me and two other teachers in the middle of the semester.
I signed a one-year contract in the middle of 2021. At first, it was not so bad. The pay and location were good. The biggest problem was lack of organization and planning. The grades and subjects continued to change more than a month into the fall semester, and many textbooks did not arrive for two months because they had not considered buying them until after the start of the semester. Needless to say, the schedule changed too many times to count. There was no system of discipline because the xxxxx are afraid of the parents. So students would regularly come late, fight, insult teachers, and generally misbehave without any consequences. For example, there were numerous incidents with plagiarism (not borderline plagiarism, but the outright copying and pasting of whole essays). I brought it up to the administration and was told that they had made an explicit decision not to say anything negative to the parents, so nothing was done about it.
The school is run by xxxxxx who spend much of their time on other ventures and do not communicate well with each other or their employees. At the end of the fall semester 2021 the manager of middle and high school resigned. Other teachers understood the reasons because of the immense stress placed on that person, and the students also recognized that it was a good decision. Soon the xxxxx tapped me to be a manager; they did not ask, but ordered me to be a manager, and they offered no raise, nor did they even suggest renegotiating my contract. In a meeting (which also happened to be the first time xxxxxx had spoken to me since I started work), I was told that it was not a negotiation, and that I had no choice, that I had to do it. I refused. At least one other teacher had exactly the same experience.
Grade manipulation was a serious problem at WCIS. Throughout the course of the fall semester, I contacted the administration about students who were falling behind, committing plagiarism, etc. I made sure that the students were capable of doing all my assignments, but some students lacked motivation and got bad grades in the first quarter. The xxxxxx instructed us not to give any students a grade lower than B- regardless of their performance. I did not change my students�Egrades because I felt it was unjust to do that when a student had submitted no assignments and had plagiarized papers�there was no effort I could have pointed to as justification. The students saw that their grades were manipulated, and in the second quarter, even previously hard-working students slacked off and didn't submit assignments. Again the xxxxx demanded the students be given at least a B-. I explained how I had conducted my class, what work I had assigned, and what the students had completed. I kept a record of every single assignment, test, every element of a project in the gradebook so that students, parents, and the administration could see where the grades came from. If someone thought I had made a miscalculation, they could (and did) talk to me, and I would fix it. Looking at the gradebook, xxxxxxx acknowledged that some students deserved an F and that they had done nothing to deserve a higher grade. However, he still demanded that I give them a B, explaining that he was afraid the parents would pull their kids out of school. The administration also told us not to record all the assignments in the gradebook, as I had done, but to record grades in the following manner: there were to be 6 columns, two of which the office would complete, and 4 of which the teacher would complete. Essentially, half of each student's grades would be written in as A+ by the school office. Some students actually complained about this, saying they feel it makes them "lazy and stupid�Eand takes away their motivation, but the school is so afraid of losing what little revenue it now has, so they keep doing it.
At the end of January 2022, two of my colleagues and I were fired. The school cited financial difficulties. On that point, whatever the real reasons were, I have no doubt they have severe financial difficulties. At the time when I left, there were only approximately a dozen students in middle and high school, several had just recently left, and more were expected to leave soon. Other teachers were moved from other positions in the school to replace us.
I don't expect any of the above characteristics of WCIS to change because they come from the xxxxxxx. The students are very nice people, and I have had good experiences with them and with other staff. However, the xxxxxx have undercut teachers�Eauthority and driven student motivation to zero. Anyone who has integrity and self-respect should be very careful of WCIS. I hope anyone reading this is able to find a better workplace and have a positive experience in Korea.

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Geniplus (Pots and Pans) in Seocho
Sat, Jul 16 at 3:26 PM
Do NOT work at this school! They are extremely unsupportive and unorganised, expecting you to figure everything out on your own when moving to a new country. The housing they provide is disgusting and was not set up when I arrived (no bedding, house smelled like sewage, filthy). The staff are expected to cover classes when teachers have covid which was virtually every week and were never given a sub to help out. New ideas and concerns are never listened to and its very much a 'you do as we say' culture. Teachers were publicly shamed for getting married on a work day. I was never signed up to health insurance despite xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. When I eventually sought to leave for a new job I was xxxxxxx and xxxxx. Once I finally left I was not xxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx I had worked and was instead given xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. The xxxxxx and xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx who do not care about there staff in the slightest- avoid avoid avoid!

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ELL Academy, Incheon.
Fri, Jul 15, 8:56 PM
My experience at the academy was absolutely terrible and the poor treatment I experienced there affected my health and my ability to enjoy my time in Korea. I would warn against anyone considering working there and suggest you look for work at a better Hagwon (even among horror Hagwons I am sure there are much better choices). Definitely avoid this one.

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Bibakids
Thu, Jul 7 at 5:15 PM
Many of the native teachers began in March of this year and we were basically assigned classrooms and given no guidance or advice. There is a lot of problems with xxxxxx, managers, and xxxxxx which means that help is not available for new teachers (lots of us are completely new to teaching). It seems like every week someone is leaving, being fired, or quitting.
What was discussed in the interview and what we actually do all day is very different. It can be very stressful, and the head teachers and managers are really vague about what is expected of us and how to deal with problems.
The school can sometimes be okay if you don't mind making a lot of extra materials or teaching classes with no guidance or feedback. There is also many times where you will be made to cover classes because teachers are sick, even if you have little or no prep time. There is also a lot of additional work which wasn't mentioned in the interview or contract. The daily teaching schedule can be long and the prep time is occasionally used up with pointless meetings. Bibakids isn't terrible, but it is a disappointment considering how the school was described by the xxxxx in the interview.

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Infocus English Academy in Wonju, South Korea
Tue, Jun 28, 9:32 PM
**I** was not sure whether or not I should post this, but I decided to just give people a heads up. This is a mixed review because I will explain some good things, but overall, negative.
**The Good** . . . For starters, the pay is great and the accommodation that is provided is about 500 feet from the school if that. The accommodation is a fairly new building, small because it is an officetel, but still nice. You get some time off and all red days. Plus, the students were amazing, but this is where the positives end.
**The main event - The ugly** . . . To begin, it is a family owned hagwon that is still fairly new. With that being said, the xxxxxxxx and the xxxxxxxx are xxxxx and xxxxxx.
**The ugly 1** . . . **Management xxxxx . . .** The xxxxxx and the xxxxxx lie to all of the parents and requires the teachers to lie. xxxxxxxxxx during your daily or weekly reports to the student's parents, you are never allowed to say anything remotely negative, for example, "Your son or daughter struggled today in phonics". You have to put a shining review for each student even if cried all all day to go home.
**The ugly 2** . . . **Work life . . .** xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx You work from 9:30 am to 5:05 straight, no breaks at all. You get a lunch period, but that consists of you having to supervise the students, get them more food if they need it, getting them ready to brush their teeth, etc. There are also 4 "break" periods for the students, not the teachers because you have to supervise. The only time you get a break is at 5:05 pm. At first we were told 15 minutes paid break. Then that turned into a longer break, but you had to stay later because the contract says you have to work an hour earlier or later than your scheduled 9:30 am to 6:30 pm. **You also do not get paid for that hour earlier or after either**. So come 6:30 pm, you are burnt out. Yet, the xxxxxxxx, xxxx can leave and come in whenever xxx wants because xxxx is the xxxxxxxx'x xxxx.
**Overall, the treatment of native teachers was awful, unfair treatment, and way over worked. While the teachers were working without breaks, the xxxxx would go get coffee and everything i mentioned above. I think this school should be BLACKLISTED based off the behavior of the xxxxxx and xxxxx( xxxxxxxxx and xxxxxxxx) and how they treat people and just the excessive work with no breaks.**

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Bay Hills International Language Institute (Busan Marine City and Guseo)-
Jun 24, 2022, 8:46 PM
There is another posting about this company but I believe there is so much more to be said about this hagwon.
1. There were pay issues immediately, which continued for many months, for me and all of the other employees.
2. Xxxxxxx made some very inappropriate comments about students and talked often about Employees skills and lack of ability.
3. There were many additional duties asked of me which were not agreed to or discussed in our contract. Some of these required me to work additional hours in multiple locations.
4. The hagwon did not provide books for lessons xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Some of the materials were never provided and this made our lessons so stressful.
5. The school will ask you to teach while taking photos and then will insist on you reporting everything that you do during class; even though you already provided lesson plans and Blogs on the website.
6. Like countless others, I exited the company prematurely. There were 4 Video lessons previously not mentioned to me before arriving. FYI, You will be expected to teach even if you catch Corona.
7. Lastly, there were some good staff members in this company, however it's the management that you will have trouble with. They made the point of trying to control the personal lives of employees and went as far as having company dinners without inviting any of the foreign staff. This really showed their attitude toward the Foreign teachers.
I hope you can find another place because this place is not worth the trouble.

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Altiora EDS and English Revolution Hagwon in Gwangmyeong
Fri, Jul 1 at 8:47 AM
Please add Altiora EDS and English Revolution Hagwon in Gwangmyeong to the blacklist.
The same person owns both. We're not paid on time. Health insurance and pension were taken from salaries but not paid/registered.
Altiora teachers are worked hard with uneven and inconsistent breaks. The management is very bad, no clear communication. The xxxxx is manipulative. xxxxxxx nice to you as long as you follow xxxxx law, as soon as you question or say no you're in xxxx bad books... goodluck! ER was fine until the principal was fired then everything went out the window. It opened in March 22, some students were leaving so the xxxxx decided to close down after only 2 months of operating. He fired everyone, then decided he was downsizing and wanted to keep everyone, but ultimately got rid of a few teachers. On the last day of the termination of the teachers that were leaving, he decided to withdraw the terminations and made them sign ressignation letters.
Altiora is 9-6pm and ER is 1-10pm. When the xxxx saw some ER teachers were not working until 10am or didn't have a schedule in the evening which was used for planning, xxx shifted their hours so they started work earlier and made them work at Altiora because they were short of teachers even though they were not contracted to.
There's a lot of workplace politics at both schools which I won't go into and the teachers are the ones who suffer.. avoid both.
All the teachers want to leave both schools, even the korean teachers.

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DAKS Language Academy Gwangmyeong Campus
Fri, Jul 1 at 7:45 AM
DOCS (DAKS on Naver) does have some good things about it but I want to blacklist it as a way of putting info out there for people to make their own decisions.
The GOOD
You are paid on time and you are paid on the higher end even starting (2.3 even with no experience). There were a few hiccups here and there but the school does pay you, enroll in everything they should, pay severance, etc. I think they have some kickbacks with the bank they use for doing automatic payroll. They do fight you on some stuff because they don't like bothering the boss but I never felt like anything illegal was happening. You work one Saturday a year and it was paid. You rarely stay late or go in early. Usually they ask for help decorating for the holidays or for you to arrive early to go on field trips.
This job is EASY. Most of the stress and responsibilities are put on the Korean homeroom teachers. That may have changed since I left a bit but still sounds relatively stress free from the people I still know there. There are frustrating bits but I always got to leave the job and the end of the day, enjoy my evenings and my weekends.
The location is pretty good. Apartments are about a 5 minute walk to the school. Close to Cheolsan on Line 7. The buses the run by the apartments are awesome. 11-1 and 11-2, 504 that goes to Itaewon and Myeongdong. Cheolsan itself is really cool.
You don't have to pay for utilities most of the time. The WiFi isn't great in some units so I did try to get my own when I switched units. And they charge you in the depths of winter for the gas bill for your unit only. It cost me like $25 twice. At the end of the contract they do charge like $100 for the WiFi and $100 for the utilities which was a surprise. They take it out of your final paycheck which isn't legal but it was still cheaper than paying my own so I didn't care.
Back to the not wanting to bother the boss. When some people had to miss work for Covid shutdown or illness they were allowed to have those amounts taken out of their final paycheck. Again not legal but it meant you didn't lose money until you were also getting the extra severance pay at the same time.
The BAD
The apartments are pretty bad. The school owns an old house that's been cut into a ton of little units. Shared washer with a designated day for you each week. Leaks, really old bathrooms in some while others just have a glass box in the room. A literal glass box that has the shower and toilet. You can never have company unless you're fine using the bathroom in front of them or kicking them out it. Moldy beyond what you can imagine for Seoul. No housing allowance. Only 2 units I'd say are okay. The rest suck. All teachers live in the same building.
The xxxxx micromanages beyond all compare. I don't even know how to describe it. They are always there to the point that the person I feel is the xxxxx got pushed out of xxxx office and now works and the foyer desk on the second floor. The xxxxx treats the Korean staff terribly and xxxx has a henchman at the front desk who watches everything (nickname CCTV teacher). xxxxx will report things to the xxxxxx to talk to you about.
The Korean staff can treat the foreigners pretty nastily at times. A few people in particular. I think it stems from them being so badly treated by the xxxxx. They take it out on who they can. A few of them really play favorites.
The school is so unorganized. They give progress checks pretty regularly but it's always a rushed, last minute surprise when it's time to write tests. They don't save anything you create so you'll always be making tests on the fly. I learned a little too late to always save stuff on my own so I've always got stuff prepared. The same applies for when they ask you to write reviews for student progress.
They do not discipline the kids in any ways. Hagwons in general cater to the paying parents but this school goes to the extreme. Kids never get in trouble. They reprimand you if someone complains because they always take the parents�Esides. Now nothing ever comes of that really. I was reprimanded numerous times but it's always like it's a show so they can tell the parents they did something.

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Simson Bibakids
Wed, Jun 29 at 12:03 AM
I would like to add Simson Bibakids to the blacklist.
The xxxxxxx, is completely unprofessional and fundamentally lacks the skills to run an academy. The issues begins with her lack of education as she openly discusses only having a high school education. At it's core, Bibakids is ineffective and inconsistent in nearly every aspect.
The foreign teachers are expected to create the curriculum for many of the classes, but the allocated prep time rarely allows for this to be done consistently or efficiently. The curriculum is inconsistent at best, with some classes being too difficult and others being too easy. Teachers are also expected to cover additional classes, regardless of the work they need to finish that day. On top of this, the expectation for additional materials (speeches, crafts, songs, games etc.) is very high.
The xxxxx sells the school to parents as project based learning, but this is not the case which results in many complaints from parents. These complaints are almost always directed at the teachers, but many parents are starting to learn what xxxxxx is like. Because of this, many students are dropping out and some of the elementary classes only have a single student.
Staff turnover is impressively high, with every Korean teacher quitting due to xxxxxx at the end of last year. Since the beginning of March, 8 foreign teachers have quit including the two head teachers and a curriculum developer. It is not uncommon for Korean staff members to quit after their first day. This has come to the attention of the parents and there are regular concerns about this.
The atmosphere in the school is heavy as many teachers are overworked and under appreciated. This is one of the many reasons behind the high turnover. There is also zero training for teachers, and due to money issues, they are unable to hire experienced teachers. This has resulted in huge gaps in ability between classes, which will undoubtedly be another issue that parents complain about later.
The HR department is also shockingly unaware of how to deal with foreign teachers. In many cases they will ignore requests or lack the knowledge to help with issues they may have. It is not uncommon for HR complaints to be ignored or relayed back to the person in question, resulting in punishment or gossiping.
The management team mean well, but they lack any real power as the xxxxxx refuses to delegate. This results in misinformation, last minute changes, and a lack of communication.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Bay Hills International Language Institute
Tue, Jun 28 at 6:56 PM
Bay Hills International Language Institute (Busan Marine City and Guseo)- Hagwon - reggio emilia
There is another posting about this company but I believe there is so much more to be said about this hagwon.
1. There were pay issues immediately, which continued for many months, for me and all of the other employees.
2. The xxxxxxx made some very inappropriate comments about students and talked often about Employees skills and lack of ability. Xxxxxx was very harsh with the classroom assistants too.
3. There were many additional duties asked of me which were not agreed to or discussed in our contract. Some of these required me to work additional hours in multiple locations.
4. The hagwon did not provide books for lessons (we had to use photographs of books). Some of the materials were never provided and this made our lessons so stressful.
5. The school will ask you to teach while taking photos and then will insist on you reporting everything that you do during class; even though you already provided lesson plans and Blogs on the website.
6. Like countless others, I exited the company prematurely. There were 4 Video lessons previously not mentioned to me before arriving. FYI, You will be expected to teach even if you catch Corona.
7. Lastly, there were some good staff members in this company, however it's the management that you will have trouble with. They made the point of trying to control the personal lives of employees and went as far as having company dinners without inviting any of the foreign staff. This really showed their attitude toward the Foreign teachers.
I hope you can find another place because this place is not worth the trouble.

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Evening Class/Kids Class, Pyeongtaek
Mon, Jun 27 at 7:22 AM
I would like to blacklist Evening Class/Kids Class (often displayed as "Gyeonggi-do Adult Institute�Eon job sites) in Pyeongtaek. It was an awful place to work, when I was there several years ago (I'm sure it has not changed at all). Employees are overworked. There are few or no breaks, you are expected to come early and stay late, and you have almost no days off.
The main reason it is such an awful place to work is how toxic the work environment is. The boss is extremely controlling, cruel to his employees, and just a terrible person overall. He's insulting, demeaning, verbally abusive, and never hesitates to yell and curse at anyone (he's even said that he enjoys doing it). In addition to this, as someone who is not white or American, I felt very discriminated against at work. I was never allowed to take any sick days, even when I was barely physically able to work. Most teachers quit or are fired within a year (sometimes only given a few hours to leave their job and apartment). No teachers ever stay after their contract ends (18 months).
The job comes with benefits that are not given: monthly trips and 10 days off/year. Pay is inconsistent, often late, and sometimes not given. Housing is not great�it is a tiny, old apartment not close to the school. No teacher support is given. Sometimes, you are expected to work on the weekends. Pay per hour is barely above the Korean minimum wage. Almost no materials are given and you have little time to create and prepare them all. Often times, you have to work from home to be fully prepared for lessons.
As much as I didn't want to, I had to do a midnight run to get away from this work situation. NEVER work here, or even in Pyeongtaek (it is a dirty city, xxxxxxxxxxxxxx). Steer clear and find another school or country to work in.

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Ian School, GLITT, Children's Musical Company
Fri, Jun 24 at 5:27 PM
The three different names for this school should be a red flag. I worked in the Yeongtong branch. While my time at this school, my prep time went from 10 hours to just 3 hours in a week in the span of 2 months. They do not tell you what classes you would be teaching. During the interview, they said I will only be teaching kindergarten and to my surprise, I was given after school and elementary classes on my first day of class. The communication between teachers and management is ridiculous as well. They will tell you things 10 minutes before the day ends and expect to get it done in that time frame. Many times, teachers expressed their concern and they ignored it time and time again and kept saying they'll fix in next semester. That next semester came and they instead added more classes to our already busy schedule.
Since the beginning of this school year, 3 Korean teachers and 5 native teachers have quit, two teachers pulled a midnight run.
They also make you come in even if you are extremely sick, they made teachers come in when they were showing COVID symptoms and surprise! There was a COVID outbreak the following day. The only good thing about the school was when the day ended and we could go home. I would avoid this school at all cost because they just view you as an object and do not care about the students or the teachers.

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YBM ECC Dongnae
Thu, Jun 16 at 2:34 PM
Initially, I only had complaints about the long hours, but xxxxx was obviously overworked and took it out on the employees. Whenever a teacher became sick, there was the added stress of xxxxxx passively being angry at them. Anytime someone made a mistake, there was a witch hunt to make sure that everyone knew what the mistake was and who did it. xxxxx does not value its employees, yet expects us to dedicate unpaid hours to the school.
Even if you finish your contract, don't xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Literally not making this up as I've had my recruiter dispute this and it's what my recruiter told me.

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YBM ECC Dongnae, Busan
Thu, Jun 16 at 2:20 PM
Horribly written contract. Worked about 50 hours per week, it was stated during interview that we had several breaks, but the workload was so large, most teachers worked roughly 10 hours per day (and brought work home). Contract promised ALL red days off (national holidays), but almost half were not acknowledged by keeping staff numbers under 30.
XXXXX was unprofessional and extremely inexperienced. Many minor issues or professional disputes were taken very personally and not seriously. Entire structure of the school leaned on the kindness of teachers and how much we valued our students. Apartments had mold and cockroaches and we were constantly told that was just a normal thing in Korea (I can accept this, to an extent).
A new teacher was hired to replace a teacher and they tried to keep the original teacher on his first day - meaning that he would have been disregarded and fired even though he was already in Busan ready to start.
Even with all of the other not so great things, the BIGGEST issue was xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Fought tooth and nail with the school at the end of my contract in order to get my last month's xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. For the teachers who were not as adamant as some of us, they have not been xxxxxxxx. Would not recommend anyone to work at this school xxxxxxxx.

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American Stem Prep.
Sat, Jun 4 at 6:27 PM
I want to add a school to the blacklist that has been on the blacklist two times now but deserves more attention.
Firstly, the Tokyo jon blacklist posts, are both all true.
Second, I see them expanding and having job openings all the time, but in reality, they are very picky with teachers they hire, WILL FIRE YOU if you don't please xxxxx (it could be as small as them seeing you sit down or them not seeing you be friendly enough), and thus the reason why they are constantly hiring is because they're constantly firing and teachers are constantly leaving. Yet somehow they're able to expand?
Third, they are not honest in their job postings. They say "lunch is provided�E but don't explain you have to eat lunch with the students, feed them, clean them, and sit in the class with them while they play. No, you can never leave the building to go get coffee.
Fourth, they are a hagwon. They are not an international school. E2's can get away with being a kindergarten homeroom teacher yeah, but they expect you to teach all sorts of subjects and after school classes. They even mention in their job postings that "to keep things legal�Ethey need F visas. Yet they still have E2 visas teaching elementary school. Back in the day, right after they changed their name from SPK to AMERICAN STEM PREP, there was a raid of the school by the education department. Xxxxxxx freaked out and told teachers to hide posters and stuff to hide the fact they're a hagwon posing as an international school.
Fifth, They don't have a curriculum. They take resources from twinkl and funshine and teachers make up their own curriculum, during the "two hours�Eof prep you get a day, but oh wait, not really. Because you might have before school daycare or after school daycare (the two times they give you prep is before classes and after classes), AND, you have to clean your classroom at the end of the day. So when do teachers REALLY make the curriculum? On the weekends.
Sixth, speaking of weekends, you have to work on them. Unpaid. If they're such a good international school that has the money to buy new buildings and expand, why can't they pay teachers to work on weekends? They have Halloween events, Christmas events, science fairs, parent meetings, there are so many events you have to attend ALL DAY.
In conclusion, don't believe the lies. Don't believe the international school crap. Don't be deceived when they say you get breaks. You don't. And don't ever ever trust xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

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DOCS Language Academy in Gwangmyeong
Sat, Jun 4 at 2:57 PM
DOCS Language Academy in Gwangmyeong needs to continue to be on the blacklist.
Foreign teachers are paid on time, severances, and pensions are also paid into properly. Apartments are not good, they are not maintained (since the school owns them), but they are bearable. The daily lunch served is more than adequate and breaks for the foreign teachers are given (though they can often be uneven).
The reason that DOCS in Gwangmyeong needs to continue to be on the blacklist is the management from xxxxxx. Like xxxxx name implies, xxxx runs the academy like her own castle; xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Lessons, ways of teaching, schedules, planned excursions, etc. can be planned and then suddenly last minute when something new comes xxxxx, all of that planning goes out the window. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Working at DOCS in Gwangmyeong is highly chaotic and inconsistent. With no recourse from xxxxxxx, the Korean supervisors have become stooges, which makes teaching at the school for foreigners especially difficult.
xxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxx
If you were to receive an offer from DOCS in Gwangmyeong I would seriously reconsider.

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SLP and DYB Cheonan
Sun, May 29 at 11:41 PM
Do not work at this branch. The money may be good but it's not worth. The xxxxxx acts very sweet and kind but honestly is the devil. Please reconsider your options. I know you want to come to South Korea and work but it's not worth the amount of stress.
*The school is seriously under staffed so you will be doing the work of 2 and sometimes even 3 teachers.
*The Korean teachers (KT's) are lazy and will hand off work to you.
*The foreign teachers are basic clowns who need to perform any given task and the KT's are always telling you what to do and things are never good enough.
*KT's do not share information. You will be told there are tasks to do last minute with no materials or any support and you will be expected to perform that tasks appropriately. *You will be asked to do things simply out of your reach and be expected to put a smile on your face and do it.
*xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
*The terms of your xxxxxx will be broken easily.
*You will be asked to teach on your first week without any adequate training and barely any materials but then get lectured about your teaching and that there are certain policies and ways of teaching.
*There have been numerous occasions where foreign teachers were made to cry.
*You will not have a break, there is no break, especially if you work at both the SLP and DYB institute as both are under staffed. In your "free period" and I use this term loosely, you will be preparing for classes, catching up on work from both institutions and given tasks to do by KT's. Even if you inquire about break, you will be told we're under staffed as an excuse.
*xxxxx your landlord who DOES NOT CARE. There is always never enough money.
*The housing is bad. I honestly don't think there have been inspections conducted for the housing. The drains smell and the pipes are always letting off smells. There are numerous leaks and despite complaints, nothing is being done. The heating system always has something wrong with.

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GE English Academy in Ilsan
Sun, May 22 at 7:59 PM
I would like to add GE English Academy in Ilsan for Academy Black List.
They are extremely bad xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. You will be finding yourself to teach from 2PM to 10PM without any breaks. You barely have any breaks to use restroom, and oftentimes you will be finding yourself doing so called, "Bus-Duty," for an hours so that academy can save money for themselves.
They don't offer any real prep hours or whatsoever, yet they demand you to do everything in perfection professionally. Their payment to you, of course, is quiet low. They lie to you during the interview hours and once you arrive, they will force you to resign the contract. They tried to cheat me with lower payment as well. I refused, but I was so distracted with lower payments that I forgot to look over other poisonous clauses carefully.
One of their xxxxxxxxxxxxxx to make you overwork and stay either 1 hour late at evening or come 1 hour early at the beginning with an excuse that it is Korean Culture.
Always record the conversation with xxxxxxx as they will never keep their words and pretends like it never happened. Honestly, they will even try to cheat you on you regardless of their contract with you or not since they believe that you will be more weaker than them since you are at a foreign country.
One time, I had a co-worker who requested them to release her after one month since she needed to return to the States due to ill-condition of her fiance, but they responded to her that fiance is not your real family. And then, they kicked her out of her apartment after a week as a punishment.
xxxxxxxxxxxx It confused them apparently. Liar.
Lastly, they prefer to hire people with no experience (like those who just graduated college) so that they can underpay them or take advantage of them if possible. Don't go here. Don't trust these people.
Thank you for reading this. Please be safe everyone.

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HILLSIDE COLLEGIATE HAEUNDAE
Thu, May 19 at 1:23 PM
Where to begin with this hagwon. They try to keep up a pretense that they are an "international school" but they are not. They are a hagwon franchise and there have been problems with almost every branch as one can see in previous postings. Within the first month they try to pretend to be like a work "family" but this quickly fades. From what I've heard in the past they have already gone through 3 teachers who quit their contracts early in the last year. They obviously play favorites and if you unfortunately are not one of these they will make your life a living hell. They will micromanage everything, contstantly watching you on CCTV which is in every class and nitpick everything. They will tell you to change something only for them to yell at you the next week for doing exactly what they had told you to. The xxxxxxx has made it very clear that they do not like plus sized or non-white passing teachers and will xxxx them. xxx told some previous teachers that they believe all foreigners are stupid and lazy. They are well known for mood swings and taking it out on the foreign staff. They promise a TA for each class but this was not true and the classes become hectic and chaotic but they blame it on you. They have not helped their staff through recent corona events and instead docked their pay for things that they should not have. The teachers who work here are overworked and stressed. If you get an offer from this school, do yourself a favor and pass.

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DUX Literature Academy, Daechi Branch
Tue, May 17 at 4:33 PM
I'd like to submit DUX, specifically the Daechi branch, to the black list. I've worked in Korea for a number of years, but I have never experienced the treatment that I was given at DUX. When I first arrived, the school's administrative staff was welcoming and understanding. The work hours seemed manageable on paper. The foreign teachers had a wonderful head teacher who had worked at the academy for over 15 years (and was a fellow expat) and overall, I was impressed by the level of professionalism that DUX seemed to hold everyone to.
However, all of that changed fairly quickly when our head teacher left. xxxxxxxxxxx
DUX also does not give nearly enough time to grade weekly essays. DUX is primarily a literature academy, so students read a novel and write and rewrite essays for Literature class. in the beginning, my classes on average had 4 to 5 students in each class, so essays totaled to about 30 per week. Doable if you're a serious English teacher. However, as time progressed, their once high standards for students dwindled, and they basically began accepting anyone who showed an interest in the school, and my class sizes grew to the max of 10 students per class. That's 50 (sometimes more if you teach an extra class) essays per week, and all of aforementioned essays are 400-500 words each. We were given NO break time to complete these essays during normal working hours, except for the five minute breaks in between our 2.5 hour long block classes. We were still expected to grade 50-60 essays per week on time. Make the math make sense!! AND if we didn't get them done in time, the head admin woul d make sure to let us know we were failures. We were ALSO required to make and grade semester tests from scratch, and complete report cards on time. Again, no breaks to do any of this. The job claims to only be 35 hours a week, and that's a bald-faced lie.
There are so many incidents from my one year of working at DUX that I wish I could include here, but please take my advice and steer clear of this academy! They will make your life a living nightmare and break even the most professional English teachers!

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EASM Academy- Changwon
Tue, May 17 at 8:48 AM
I had seen previous complaints about this school and didn't take them seriously since they were from years ago. While I was at the school I had several issues with payment where I had to ASK for my paycheck because I usually got 'forgot' on payday while everyone else got their paycheck on time. The school was also in poor condition. There is exposed writing and when we needed to plug in fans or heaters sometimes we even got shocked by the outlet. The whole experience wasn't terrible, however, the payment issues are still prevalent and it felt generally unsafe with the condition of the building.

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ComoBlanc / DreamBerry - Songdo, South Korea.
Tue, May 17 at 2:19 AM
DO NOT SIGN A CONTRACT WITH THEM!!
Signing a contract at Como Blanc Academy was one of the worst decisions I have ever made. I left work every day angry or upset. I lost over 25 pounds because of stress, lack of sleep and lack of time to eat.. and this is not uncommon amongst employees.
I should also mention that everything I am about to say about Comoblanc also applies to the school, Dream Berry. They are the same thing, they just have two different names. I am still not sure why�E
Here are just a few of the many reasons to not take a contract with Comoblac or Dreaberry:
1.XXXXXX HEALTH INSURANCE: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
2. Toxic work environment: Every day they purposefully made you feel like shit about your job and yourself. It was non stop gaslighting. Management would even gossip about other teachers with their employees. There was also aggressive yelling at teachers, for very minor things.
3. Lying about what the job was about during the interveiw process: They failed to mention that we had multiple rooms to deep clean every day because they were too cheap to pay for a cleaner. We also had to write comments about kids multiple times a week (these are essentially mini report cards).
4. Life in Songdo is isolating: They will say Sogndo is amazing and close to Seoul with lots of stuff to do. IT'S A LIE. The apartments are admittedly very nice. But they are basically in an industrial park, and it takes a long time to get anywhere worthwhile. The city is pretty bare and socially it is very isolating.
5. Treatment of kids and lying to parents on tests: They will go above and beyond to make sure the parents never know that their kids are not learning anything. You even have to erase their answers on tests to make them look smarter OR DUMBER depending on when the child arrived at the school.
They also make the teachers take pictures of the kids during EVERY CLASS PERIOD. Every single picture is framed and fake to make it look like the kid is learning or engaged. I regularly taught classes where half the class period was spent with someone trying to take a perfect picture of a 5 year old looking at their books..instead of actually reading them. This continues into musical classes, where the kids are yelled at and pressured to their breaking points, to make a musical look perfect. Even though the kids actually have no idea what they are doing or saying.
6. Teaching more subjects other than English: You are hired as an English teacher, however, we all taught various subjects such as math, PE and Science. This was never mentioned before arriving on my first day.
7. Overtime: They take advantage of the fact that you do not get paid after 6, and you are told about planning whole events right at 6 pm.
8. Unfair treatment of employees: If you work hard, you get punished with more work. If there are problems with employees they will not actually confront these people, but they WILL talk about them behind their backs all the time. They also discouraged friendly conversations between coworkers at work.
Additionally, they treat men better than women and are extremely discriminatory. 9. NO help getting settled in Korea: When I first arrived, I received no help with sim cards, banks, visas,.anything. It was very stressful getting settled in because we had to figure out everything by ourselves and Korea is an extremely complicated country.
This "school" should be ashamed of themselves for the way they "teach�Etheir students and treat their employees. Calling myself a teacher while working here felt like an insult to all the real teachers out there. When I left, only 2 teachers had resigned their contracts out of a staff of about 9 people. They can't even keep cooks or bus drivers.
I have taught abroad in three different countries before. ComoBlanc is an exceptionally terrible place to move across the world for. It is accepted at ComoBlanc that these kinds of issues just come with teaching abroad and employees are told that they could be working for worse companies.
Maybe there are worse schools out there, but that does not excuse Comoblanc for being a terrible employer and horrible school.

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SLP Ulsan Namgu
Mon, May 16 at 1:31 AM
I would like to submit another review for SLP Ulsan Namgu. As you can see this is not the first review on the blacklist, and there are a fair few very good reasons for that!!
I find it very difficult to explain in words how bad this school actually is. Every aspect of the job at SLP Namgu Ulsan was shockingly bad.
This hagwon has an extremely toxic work environment. The amount of work that is expected from teachers is way too much. The foreign teachers teach all day with very little or even no free periods. On top of the hectic work load, the foreign teachers are expected to do reports for kindergarten and elementary every month for every student they teach. There is no time to do them in working hours, so we had to them after work or at home (unpaid).
Xxxxxxxxx made it very clear that we couldn't address any issues we had with workload. xxxxxxxxx emphasised that THEY are the principal and THEY are in charge, we have no right to discuss these matters. Pretty much cut communication completely with the foreign teacher and used the Korean teachers as messengers.
I had a really hard time at this hagwon, so I handed in my resignation letter. Of course the xxxxxxx turned very sour with me, and demanded I paid almost 3 million won for the LOR and acted like I had no right to leave the school. It even stated in my contract that I would receive the LOR with 60 days�Enotice, but this didn't seem to matter. The xxxxxxx accused me of things I hadn't done on a daily basis, making the situation unbearable, plummeting my mental health to rock bottom.
This school has gone through its fair share of foreign teachers due to the terrible working conditions. But now the xxxxxxx has stopped giving letter of releases as I assume they are finding it hard to hire new teachers. I unfortunately had to leave Korea as I was given very little choice�E
Many other shady things happened in my time there, but I would have to write a book to address all the issues with this school. Please avoid at all costs!

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Edupro Haba in Songpa-gu
Thu, May 12 at 10:12 PM
Run, don't walk, from Edupro Haba in Songpa-gu!!!!!
- The people who are involved in management, especially xxxxxxxxx, will make your life hell.
- When joining, you'll have no training, no grace period in which to understand the logistics of a new school (even throughout, you'll barely ever receive necessary information about scheduling etc.), but will be expected to pick everything up and will be shouted at when you don't do things exactly the way they would like.
- Very frequently, they will take your breaks from you last minute, gossip about you to other members of staff, manipulative you, talk about your private business (xxxxxxx used to bitch to xxxxxx significant other in plain view for everyone to see), and pretend to understand your issues (personal needs and professional opinions about curriculum changes, students�Elevels etc.) but then either hold it against you later or trash talk you behind your back to other staff members�E/p>
- When it came to initially dealing with Covid, there were some really shady things with hiding information, not letting us get vaccinated, not paying us for two+ months when the schools were required to shut down, and then trying to fill up the classrooms as much as possible thereafter, without considering things like prep times
- There is no room in the school to take said prep, let alone teach - there are two shared computers in the noisy gym where violin/recordings/P.E. were held, and we'd often find ourselves sitting in the hallway while they were escorting new parents around trying to refill their pockets after shutdown
- Even when other teachers were off sick (covid or not), we had to cover all of their classes with zero breaks, and were expected to always do this unpaid and 'understand the situation'
- At the end of the last school year, EVERY FOREIGN TEACHER besides the headteacher left. New teachers that began in March have already left or been replaced.
If you need any more information, there is far more to be had x

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Wonderland Kindergarten, Jukjeon, Daegu
Thu, May 12 at 5:52 AM
Adding this school to the blacklist for a number of reasons. At first it was fine, but when you try to leave, good luck getting paid. You will be actively disrespected. My visa was threatened and I was ignored when asked about my final paycheck. The school also took additional deductions from my check that I did not agree to such as recruiter fees, cleaning, substitutes, etc. The school actively attempted to gaslight and guilt me into staying longer than I could and when I tried to confirm my final day all they said was "we will see."
This school also tried to make me myself and others come to teach after getting positive covid tests and being actively sick.
Another employee who tried to leave was threatened that they would call the police on her. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX I should have midnight run like she did.

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YBM ECC Dongnae
Wed, May 11 at 7:14 AM
Longer teaching hours than the maximum 30 hours listed in the contract, uncompensated for working overtime, have to work on red days, being given janitorial duties to be completed outside of teaching hours despite this not being mentioned in the contract, no real breaks, and minimal time for lesson planning. No support system. Whenever English teachers reach out to xxxxxxx about any issues/concerns, the xxxxxxx get angry at them rather than try to understand and help. Xxxxxxxx initially promised teachers to compensate for their return flights home but changed his mind later in the year. The higher-ups can be very unprofessional. The xxxxxxx is clearly overworked and takes her stress out on the employees by unnecessarily lashing out at them over the smallest issues. Once, a teacher accidentally disposed of a snack wrapper in the garbage bin rather than in the recyclables bin (Korea's recycling laws are way stricter than those in most countries, so it was an honest mistake that anyone could've made). The xxxxxx wife got so angry and made a scary witch-hunt out of it to figure out who did it. Turnover rate after each school year is nearly 100%. Last year, all of the English teachers banded together and threatened to quit in the middle of contract if changes were to not be made ASAP.
XXXxxxxx do not care about their employees at all and treat them like disposable chess pieces. If a teacher receives a parent complaint, the teacher is given a threat to be fired without notice instead of the higher-ups making an effort to help them find a solution first. They once hired a new teacher to replace another teacher that was leaving and, on their first day of training, tried to bribe the first teacher with a "bonus" to stay. If that first teacher accepted that bribe, xxxxxxx would've fired the new teacher without hesitation.
xxxxxx deducts a percentage of his employees' paychecks to put towards their pension refund to be collected by the employee at the end of contract, yet this money was nowhere to be found after these employees finished their contract and went back to their home countries, which means xxxxxxxx. When confronted about this, he claimed that the school had no money (probably because he irresponsibly decided to spend it all on expanding the school in double its size), although his son is a student at the hagwon and brags to his classmates that his parents have just bought a brand new Mercedes Benz and moved to a new, big house. But regardless of where his money is spent, the employees aren't receiving their full pension refund as required by law.
They provide poor accommodation, reasons ranging from harmful mold to walls permanently drenched in cigarette smoke. 50,000 won was taken out of employees' paychecks every month for "apartment maintenance," despite there being no maintenance made on the apartments, let alone monthly, plus there was no mention of this fee in the contract.

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Gimpo Sau/Janggi Chungdahm
Wed, May 11 at 1:47 AM
Xxxxxxxx is the worst boss I've ever had. They will come in to your class and scream and chastise you in front of the students. The students hate him and are used to his behavior. Xxx actually screamed at me before I even started working (in front of the students) because xxx STAFF put me in the wrong classroom for training. It was a humiliating experience, and it brought me on the edge of tears. It was only a precursor to the things I would experience at this school. The teacher I replaced left within 1 month of working there because of the xxxxxx. There will be confusion about pay, and it's not entirely clear what you are paying for and why you must pay certain things. The worst teaching experience I've ever had. Avoid at all costs. The staff is inappropriate, oversteps their boundaries, and is overall rude. I regret working for this school, and you would too.

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BILLION EDUCATION/BILLION KID
Wed, May 11 at 12:33 AM
On my arrival in South Korea, I had absolutely no guidance. Luckily I met someone on the plane who helped and guided me to where I needed to go. Then I finally got to Busan there was nobody to collect me or guide me to where my apartment was. When I finally found my apartment by help frim a fellow South African, I could not get in. This was at 2am. Thanks to help from the SA lady eventually I was able to get in. There was no sheet on the bed, I was given a blanket and a pillow. I had no food at all after traveling 20hrs. I was told all of these things would be available when I arrive in South Korea.
Starting my first day at work there was absolutely no help provided to learn how to use equipment and no explanation of what was required from me in terms of lesson objectives and teaching materials. I was given a laptop that was slow and had no memory space. I worked there for just short of 1.5 months and decided to leave as things just got worse. More work was added on that wasn't in my contract. The xxxxxxxxx spoke to me rudely in front of the students.
I was also not paid for my first month's work. People must really be careful about where they go and which area they end up in, I was completely isolated in the Outskirts of Busan and especially as a foreigner this can become depressing and tough on top of everything else. Be weary of what people promise.

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Docs Academy in Gwangmyeong
Sun, May 8 at 1:22 PM
I know this school has been on the blacklist already, but I'd like to say that the situation has gotten worse. The schedule changing is so inconsistent that it causes me anxiety to not know my schedule each day. No prep time but expected to engage students by "listen and repeat�Emethod and flimsy textbooks. The apartments are APPALLING. Gross, not maintained, and falling apart. Disgusting bugs that you can't get rid of and mold. I advise anyone who is looking to work here to steer clear. It's not worth it.

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YMB ECC Dongdaemun
Fri, May 6 at 11:26 PM
I would like to add another submission for ECC Dongdaemun. Someone else added them for cancelling contract offers after they had already had been signed and the same thing happened to be. I accepted their offer and stopped interviewing elsewhere and within days they had taken the offer away leaving me without a job. Do not trust them.

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FTK Bucheon
Tue, May 3 at 7:06 PM
I would like to put FTK Bucheon to the black list. The xxxxxxxxx does not know what they are doing. Health Insurance was never paid on time so everyone always received a letter saying their health payment is overdue. If you were sick or needed to see a doctor, you had to call the school so that they can unlock your health insurance for you by calling the health insurance company.
Xxxxxxxx would often promise one thing and deny saying it later when asking. There is a lot of trust issues between the teachers and managers.
Monthly Payment was often late and overtime was not paid, even though it was stated in the contract. Teachers had to work on Saturdays and actual holidays. None were paid or considered overtime because working those Saturdays and holidays were to make up for lost days because of Corona. Which was not fair because every teacher had to take the day off to take a Corona Test (teachers were not offered a ride to get a test).
Everyone is always working late and getting so much extra task to do.
The worst part about the school is all the lying and cheating between foreign and Korean teachers at the school.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. There is so much drama at the school between all the teachers there and so much rumors have spread, which causes the work environment to become toxic. Some have been actually been caught and have been told to knock it off, but they did not listen and do it anyways.
I would avoid this school at all cost because of the management and the actual teachers that work there. If you want less drama and don't want to get involve, avoid this school at all cost.

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Cheonan SLP
Mon, May 2 at 8:41 PM
I wanted to add Cheonan SLP to the black list. I know that it is already on here, but I figured another post wouldn't hurt since others are a bit outdated.
The xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx can (and will) make your life hell if xxx wants to. xxxxx and has favoritism toward males. xxxxxx pride that makes xxxx very unappealing to many foreign teachers.
I worked here for one year and I can't imagine ever working there again. I almost wanted to leave Korea at one point because xxxxxxx was so bad. My co-workers and I all felt the same. He will continue to pile more responsibilities on you without any overtime. Xxx neglected to reimburse teachers for their flights. xxxx which made communication xxxxxx directly quite often difficult or impossible.
As for the classes, you're going to have literally no time. Things are focused on planning classes, and the Korean teachers could care less about you. You're basically a number/toy at this hagwon.
I have nothing but bad things to say about this place. Just do not go here.

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Wizville Langauge Institute
Mon, May 2 at 4:54 PM
Wizville Langauge Institute
Overall working at Wizville was tolerable on good days. It sucked more than the average hagwon. Ego centric supervisors, being fed straight out lies (or often half-truths) about how the school will handle issues that came up, huge turnover with korean staff and most of the teachers experienced burn-out. There were many issues with management, most of who were incompetent and didn't want to be there themselves. If you tried to discuss any issues or make reasonable requests, you'd hear the excuse "No because HQ..."
They advertise themselves as an independent hagwon, but they are part of a much bigger parent company that is just as restrictive and unfair as YBM and the like.
I don't work there anymore, but they are still causing me trouble. On top of everything I put up with at that school, now they are not paying my pension fully. They are overdue by several months on my national pension. Repeated communication with management yields nothing. Again it's "HQ this, HQ that". Well HQ should know to pay out everything by the end of a teacher's contract.
I'm ready to cut my losses with them, but I recommend no one else signs a contract there. There are definitely worse schools out there, but also there are definitely way better ones too.

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Hillside Collegiate/Iya Skola in Songdo Incheon
Wed, Apr 20 at 8:33 AM
They lie in interviews. They get teachers to lie if you contact them for experience. They break contract constantly. XXXXXXXxxxxx who is very conceited and talks down to all employees and lies constantly. XXXXXXX who used to be xxxxxx but seems set on making other foreign teachers miserable. The xxxxxxx is equally as condescending and will scream at you in broken in English. Xxxxxx has a tendency to just stare at you during your classes. They will all stare at you. I've had classes interrupted because they will straight up scream at me in front of my students. They don't allow breaks and your "lunch break�Eis spent feeding the kids, cleaning up after them, serving more, and then cleaning up early to take them to PE class. They are wannabe international schools. I was forced to teach English, math, science, engineering, music, art, etc beyond the E2 visa. Xxxxxxxxx I even confronted them. Since I was making 2.1 but made to work like a "real teacher�Eat an international school. Along with after school classes and overtime and extra field trips, I was also expected to create all lesson plans, curriculum around Common Core Standards, make and give tests, attend multiple meetings, while also being harassed, shamed, told I'm doing things wrong with no guidance (I have an Education degree) etc. They never let me leave during planning periods or other instances where I needed to, even if I asked weeks in advance (for important appointments, etc). It was such a toxic environment that burned you out within days.
Even some Korean employees hated it there and were getting abuse from the staff.
It's not worth the low pay and shit treatment with the heavy responsibility and no time to take care of yourself. Please. I'm begging people to not work here.

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DOCS Academy, Siheung.
Fri, Apr 15, 2022 6:35 PM
This school is untrustworthy. They try to cultivate a family-like environment which is really nice between teachers, but then they ask you to overlook things in the contract and just trust that they will make good on the promises they make. Including your pay, as you will not be provided any receipts or pay stubs, even if you ask for them. My severance payment wasn't sent until 17 days after my last working day, and there was little communication as to why, or what they were doing to resolve the issue.
It's as if everything they do is for the first time; you get the impression they don't know what they're doing, even when it's just setting up a foreign teacher's bank account�Eyou'd think they'd have it figured out by now, but you'll end up going to the bank 3 separate times because no one seems to know what's going on. A lot of "mistakes�Eare made (lost documents, "forgetting�Eto pay you, "forgetting�Eto inform you of schedule changes until the last minute). All this either amounts to gross incompetence, or just being downright shady, depending on what you believe. I think it's somewhere in the middle, probably more on the side of incompetence, but I'm certain that some of these "mistakes" were anything but. I was intimidated in private meetings when I had the audacity to publicly complain about scheduling issues, and I heard from other teachers that it was not an isolated incident. I've also caught them in outright lies surrounding financial issues.
I know of other hagwons that are worse in some ways, and the teaching hours are pretty reasonable here, but if this is the standard experience, I wouldn't recommend for anyone to teach English in Korea. Especially if you don't know how to hold your own and stand up for yourself, because you can very easily be taken advantage of

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RISE Cheongna Branch
Thu, Apr 14, 2022 at 9:38 AM
I'll do my best to sum this up quick since it's no secret that Korean hagwons are notorious for having a bad rep, hence the Blacklist itself.

Regarding RISE Cheongna Branch, here are the main points/problems to be aware of !!!
1. Subpar Organization & Management
2. Below Average Leadership
3. Impressively HIGH Turnover Rate
4. P!ss Poor Values
5. Unimpressive Curriculum
Yes, this may coincide with other hagwons on this list and in general, but I'm happy to provide quotes of examples! I have screenshots of most of them mentioned from staff conversations so if you have been contacted by this school and would like to see what I'm referring to, just message me at any time and I'd be glad to share any examples that I have!
*MAIN POINTS are in ALL CAPS so scroll to the topic you're most interested in knowing about.*
So, let's get into it! Starting with #1.
> SUBPAR ORGANIZATION & MANAGEMENT
As I've said, there are common occurrences in many hagwons and disorganization is one of them. For RISE Cheongna in particular, they! are!! CHEAP!!! Which made it far harder to be provided basic resources for standard classroom necessities and needs to fulfill administrative duties that we were overworked to perform. This led to further disorganization for all teachers and staff seeing as we have to compromise even printer ink, for example. (Kid you not - at one point, they restricted paper printing at a KINDERGARTEN to 500 sheets of black & white and 200 sheets of color since the color was too expensive. But they were using an office-style industrial printer clearly being rented at a rate 2x what it was worth. I don't know about you, but I've never seen a school of any age or level decor'd in black & white.) Anyway, the disorganization and lack of supplies also led to poor management of the simple day to day since tasks since no one was given what was needed in a timely manner to accomplish things expected of them, which went against the leadership's audacity to hold us at a high standard for parent approval, when they did not lead by example nor provided the resources to perform at a high standard or be successful.
Which flows right into part #2.
> BELOW AVERAGE LEADERSHIP
Top down the leadership is quite distasteful. I'll exclude HQ since the branches vary with how much inclusion or influence HQ may have but I do believe this branch gets away with far more nonsense than HQ should allow. Nevertheless, during my year at this hagwon, there were two d*rectors. The first resigned halfway through the year - wonderful person, great teacher but NOT good with workplace management to say the least. So, in comes their replacement, who is the total opposite and worse (but I may be biased) - however, here are the facts: the replacement is all business with no sense of how to positively generate & retain business properly. It's all quick money by any means necessary, at the expense of the staff and in extension the kids.
In any situation, this will cause things to crumble in the long run, as they already began at the time my contract ended (Feb. 2022) - but we'll get into that next. Under that replacement is a FT who is to be the Lead to the others but hasn't done so since being put into the position by the replacement. That FT acted more so as a messenger, rather than a form or leadership, but couldn't even relay a single message concisely and every "meeting�Ewe had for clarification ended with more confusion�Eand that person having to bring back more questions to the replacement anyway. In addition, they couldn't accomplish basic tasks that they were telling us to complete, yet they had the lighter schedule and half the kids compared to all the other teachers. Not only that, but they are a 5+ year veteran at RISE so in theory, they should know the system better than anyone but literally was unable to provide any clear or detailed form of guidance, let alone new knowledge from what we had to figure out on our own or had to research answers in the Drive ourselves, which seemed unbeknownst to them but... With all that said, this has led to part #3.
> IMPRESSIVELY HIGH TURNOVER RATE
For the duration of my time at the school, from March 2021 to February 2022, there were at least 20 Korean teachers that left the school �Eincluding the d*rector who hired me. I wish I was exaggerating.
Some of the KTs were there from varying times as short as one day, one week to a few months, or even just to finish out their contract and leave right after. There was also a point where the replacement told all the part-time Korean teachers that they were no longer needed as they are no longer accepting part-time workers in the new school year, which was a blessing in disguise as the workload was doubled from all the new schedules that were created to prepare for the 2023 school year. It was truly sad as these were wonderful people to work with, big hearts and great work ethic to do so much for those kids, but the replacement overworked them with intimidation and little to no appreciation or true acknowledgement of their efforts. The one before the replacement was too overwhelmed as a manager to be a great leader, but still maintained a somewhat decent relationship with everyone.
With regard to us foreign teachers, an entire new class of 5 foreign teachers all left at the end of their contract �Eone even ended their contract earlier as they began the year later than the others. Only 1 veteran teacher (the same mentioned before) is still there and no one has a clue why. There were also two other teachers that were there when my contract started, one left at the end of their contract in August (I believe it was not renewed but they dealt with a lot of difficulty & criticism from parents there with no support from the d*rector, making it hard for them to have a chance) and the other quit not too long after that, following a disagreement with a head Korean teacher that is no longer there either.
So, I think that pretty much sums up this section. :) Onto part #4.
> PISS POOR VALUES
There were multiple instances in which the replacement made it clear that business was their absolutely and only intention, with no true thought of the students and staff whatsoever. Often times, they didn't even try to hide it, and when called out on the decisions that negatively affected us teachers (and in extension, the students), they blatantly stated that they were there to run a business - not a school - and showed no interest in filtering their true intentions. This can at least be seen as a positive, seeing as they were transparent of their harsh mentality and crap values as leader of a school of young children; but it was more negative than anything as it is ultimately what led to the extreme turnover and loss of truly wonderful teachers.
Not only that, but it's what drove the unnecessary influx of new admissions during the last 3 months of school. The replacement believed that the money of the business was far more important than the success of the student, so throughout the last months, down to the last day (I wish I was kidding when I say she allowed a new admission to start on the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL�E, they continued to admit kids into school with just a few weeks to even *try to* grasp the work, WITH the demand to finish the books. This, in turn, put more stress and unrealistic expectations on both Korean and foreign teachers to teach the kids effectively, while also worsening the disorganization by causing us to continuously prep new books and adjust lesson plans to the amount of time left for the students to learn. Mind you, we were usually weeks into the lesson plans we had to adjust. In terms of the new books, half the time it was us copying one of the other student's books (IN THE MIDDLE OF CLASS) because a new student would arrive (OFTEN WITHOUT US BEING NOTIFIED or just 1-2 DAYS in advance) and we were out of supply of the books since the new kids would keep coming. There was never a time to order enough to account for all the new admissions since they were constantly enrolling, especially after the book orders. Despite the replacement's efforts, many new kids dropped out within weeks, even days, and I don't blame �em.
*Again, if you'd like any screenshots as reference or proof of this or anything else mentioned, just ask.
Now, last but not least, part #5.
> UNIMPRESSIVE CURRICULUM
The curriculum was a cLuStErF*cK and the epitome of disappointing. Naturally, there were grammatical errors and sentences/phrases that didn't make sense here and there, for which you just skipped it or explained the proper context. More complex than that, however, the formatting and organization of the curriculum made no sense at all. There were multiple books that overlapped the same topics at different times of the year, so the children were learning things more than once �Eand months apart. Some things they learned before they were even introduced to the grammar or fundamental topic to help them understand what they were learning. Moreover, the textbooks didn't even match what was being taught �Eone book, for instance, had a certain topic listed on the yearly curriculum, but that topic was not at all what was actually in the textbook. The topic was found separately on the website, but we were told to teach what was provided in the textbook as that is what the parents will check for understanding. So, in actuality, the curriculum provided for an entire year, had no relation to what was actually being taught for that textbook.
In addition, the math, science and art were absolutely sad to say the least. Most "experiments�Eor projects given took 5-10 minutes max and didn't capture the children's attention. Any other material provided with the lesson, science specifically, included vocabulary far too advanced for even a native speaker at the kindergarten age and too difficult to even take the time to put in simpler terms for them to really understand it. It was a benefit at times because it gave you the freedom to do what you want and make the lesson more interesting by entirely disregarding the curriculum, or using the time left to fill it with more conducive activities. But to know the parents were paying unreasonable amounts of money for the content provided was just insane, then again, that may just be #hagwon #culture.
So, that wraps up my first official Blacklist post and I only hope it helps someone make a better decision! Everyone has different experiences from one another, but I wouldn't want anyone to experience this school.
Best of luck to everyone on their TEFL journey in South Korea and around the world, safe travels!

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JLS Sejong Korea
Mon, Apr 11, 2022 at 4:42 AM
I would like to submit this hagwon to the black list. The lying starts during the interview, they tell you that you will live within walking distance to the school, and then they move you an hour away by bus. They say you will live in a very clean apartment, but mine was dirty and had bugs on arrival. They basically moved all the teachers to the ghetto. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Now working there, you are basically completely not prepped or trained and just thrown into a classroom with 50 different folders with files on the material you are supposed to teach and it does not come organized. Then after a day, you are expected to be the best teacher in the world. If you are not then they will constantly harass and monitor you. They will also have people sit in on your class and insult you afterward. They will literally make up random things that happened in your class that did not happen, and then pull you into a room and blame you for it. When you say that didn't happen, they will gaslight you and say they were watching and saw it on the camera. I was told this happens so they can make it look like they are better than you, and in a position to instruct you in order to maintain some sort of hierarchy. You also have to use your own equipment, and if it breaks they will blame you and give you no time or money to repair it. You also have to buy your own adapters and again if that fails it is your fault. They also try to make you do work outside of work times, and they make up random times for you to be at the workplace. I also got sick, and other people had gotten sick in the office. When I asked xxxxx if xxxx knew what they had, xxx told me it was a common cold, and wanted me to come back to work. When I came back, I found out everyone had covid and xxxx had known about it but lied to me to try to get me to come in. Also if you get sick they try to show up at your door and see if you really are sick which is kind of insane, and then they try to pass things off as if they are concerned about you. About a few weeks later I found out that they had docked my pay by about 1/3, and when I asked about it they said it was because of my sick day, and because I didn't print some tests for a class, which makes no sense because I had about 5 days of vacation left, and when I didn't print the tests, it was when my computer was broken. So I told them if I don't get paid by the end of the day then I am leaving, and they tried to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, the xxxxx said "so are you going to come in tomorrow?", in a way that was like he got me good or something, and I just said, "No." Then his mood totally changed from trying to xxxxx me to being all concerned and asking me, "Oh, do you have a place to stay?" right after he was telling me he was going to evict me and kick me out the next day if I don't come in. So they are very two-faced like that, it is a very toxic work environment. They will lie to you, and if you fight it, they try to get other teachers to join in on the lie, it's absolutely wild. You won't get paid if you take one of your sick days, and other people who have left have gotten bad reference letters even though they did a great job. Some people who have left have also had their pension pay not paid out. And on top of not paying me the full paycheck, they didn't pay me to the last day worked. This is a warning, DO NOT GO HERE!

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Hillside Collegiate Wirye
Tue, Apr 5 at 4:59 PM
To begin with, this will be a rather long read so if you do not feel up to the challenge my recommendation is that you avoid this school. It does not have any of your interests at heart, nor does it place any value on the needs of its students beyond keeping them enrolled so that the school may collect tuition fees. If you would like to find out more, I will do my best to provide as much information as possible below.
Payment
The school has tried to renege on many of the details it has negotiated with its staff. Teachers have been verbally offered salaries that are different to the ones offered in person. Housing contracts provided by the school are not equal either. Faculty is spread out all over the city but the bills are not the same in each building. Some teachers pay 100,000 Won more per month despite not using any utilities beyond water and electric. Medical and tax deductions were also greatly varied though difficult to compare because the school refuses to give teachers pay slips showing the discrepancies.
Teachers have started working on their agreed upon dates only to find that the school has not even begun to process their visa applications and therefore find themselves in trouble with immigration upon starting new work at the end of their contract due to start and end dates conflicting. The school has even tried to evict teachers from their school provided apartments to make way for incoming teachers because they don't want to pay for hotels in the interim. The school threatened to sue the teachers who fought against this policy.
Work
Each native teacher during their interview was told they would be the homeroom teacher for their classroom. Everything from decoration, to curriculum, to lesson planning and teaching would be under direct control of the homeroom teacher only. Each homeroom teacher was also required to teach between five and six classes per day on top of creating all the material for said classes.
There were eight total classes in the school, with a homeroom teacher and a Korean assistant teacher in each classroom. By the end of the school year, five homeroom teachers and five assistant teachers had quit their contracts early. Of their replacements, one homeroom teacher and two assistant teachers renewed their contracts and within the first three weeks of this current school year, one of the new homeroom teachers and three of the Korean assistant teachers have already quit.
The school for the most part has zero prior work experience, let alone experience in running a hagwon. The school has only existed for a year and a half but that will not stop the school from behaving as if they have more experience and knowledge than their staff. They have fired or replaced all previous roles that did not agree with their views or who tried to stand up for the native teachers so they are now surrounded by yes men in all higher positions.
They will criticize your teaching methods and style one day and then ask you why you changed your class to suit their demands a month later. Your class may be exceeding all expectations academically, but if a parent sees one photo that they disapprove of, the school will gut your class in an attempt to please said parent. Teachers are never consulted with or provided information about what the school has promised the parents. You will still be held accountable for the promises made in your stead and when it inevitably creates more issues, you will also be held accountable for the fallout.
The school has been adamant about educating through the use of �centers�Ewhich are small group activities in which students perform a hands on activity for five to ten minutes then rotate to another station to do a separate activity. Upon the start of the contract, it was understood that centers should be used as fun review for material learned throughout the week. But as the school got more eager to please parents, expectations on teachers rose. At its worst, some teachers were expected to create thirty unique centers weekly on top of their normal work load.
In addition to teaching five or six classes a day and creating dozens of centers a week, teachers were also expected to create weekly newsletters, write reports for students on Kid's Note (a parent messaging application), and create a detailed lesson plan for each class taught throughout the week. Teachers had a little under two hours of �free time�Eevery day in which to accomplish all these duties.
As most of these duties had not been required or discussed as part of the regular workload at the beginning of the school year, many teachers fought back on these policy changes as they did not find them useful or productive. It was at this point teachers learned that the school was creating all of the extra work in order to earn international school accreditation which they do not currently possess despite claiming they are an international school.
The school targeted teachers who had risen issues with their policies by either creating additional busy work for them or by critiquing everything they did throughout their day. Eventually, several teachers and assistant teachers quit. Parents began to catch on to what was happening in the school despite the school's efforts to lie and downplay the situation and many parents pulled their kids from the school.
The school struggled to replace teachers and could not afford to lose more so they stopped targeting teachers and focused on making a more restrictive contracts for the following school year. From what I have heard, the new contracts add even more work for homeroom teachers. The school has also cut the number of assistant teachers by more than half which will make things even more difficult for staff. They also place non-compete clauses in the contract so that you may not work in the vicinity of Wirye upon completion or cancellation of your contract as well as requiring you to notify the school six months in advance of your intention to stay or leave your position.
Conclusion
It is my opinion that you will not be satisfied at this school. If you are still considering a job here I would encourage you to ask why the position you are interviewing for is vacant, if they can provide you with a sample of a typical week's worth of work including the prep you are required to do, and to ask if they can provide you the contact information of any two non-management teachers to confirm the details outlined previously. Study Korean labor laws and best of luck.

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Seo-gu English Village (GEC)
Sat, Apr 2 at 6:00 PM
I have just finished my contract at GEC, it was mostly smooth sailing apart from a few major things. I find it hilarious that the sister academy is on the blacklist 3 times, but it's not that surprising.
Firstly xxxxxx lied to me about the place I would be living in, I was told I would be living in a dorm, which was true, I asked for pictures of the dorm and they continued to send me pictures of the place I would be quarantining at.
Next lie was a lie by omission, they never told me at any point before I arrived if they were online or face-to-face, I should have asked, but they also should have told me and made me aware because that would've affected whether I accepted the job or not.
We had a teacher get COVID, the rules at the time were everyone had to go get tested then quarantine until they had their results. They still forced us all to come to work after getting PCR tests, no thought for if their co-teacher possibly had COVID and could spread it, no thought for those of us working on the same floor or those of us that lived on the same floor. When it came to me leaving my first replacement cancelled, then my second replacement turns out wouldn't be arriving until a couple weeks after I had left.
xxxxxxx knew I had signed a new contract and was moving on a specific day. Regardless, one specific office member tried to guilt me into staying longer, when that didn't work they tried to give me more days off in return if I did a couple extra half days (which is unfair to the other teachers if I got more days off than them).
On my second to last day the same office member comes into my room to ask me to write the midterm report cards (because my last day was the day of the midterm), which I had done a couple weeks prior and had told them. They then proceeded to ask me to mark the midterm essays after I leave, they would give me 2 weeks after I left to mark them, I refused, telling them that I empathize with their situation of not having a replacement but it is not my problem. I said that if they wanted me to do extra work it would not be for free, they then called me selfish and to "think of your students" and "consider our unique situation". Basically guilting me and trying to manipulate me further.
Stay away from this place if you can, they seem nice to start off with but if for some reason you refuse extra work because of the already enormous workload, they will turn nasty and manipulative.

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Children's Musical Company, Ian School, GLITT
Thu, Mar 31 at 1:25 PM
I would like to add my experience with Children's Musical Company / Ian School / GLITT (Dongtan) to the Korean Black List.
The school looks very fancy and fun on the outside, however, that is because the only thing xxxxxxxxx cares about is interior and money. The xxxxxx and the xxxxxxx view the students as literal cash bags walking around, they have zero interest in their wellbeing or the curriculum. They have changed the school's name several times, as apparently the first branch in Suwon didn't have a great reputation.
Teachers do not get training, if they are lucky they can observe the previous teacher for a few hours. They change the school's program at their whim and regularly forget to provide books or materials for the classes. They can also ask you to suddenly move your classroom to another floor. The management lies in the interviews, and many teachers have been overwhelmed with the unexpected workload once they come in. There is almost no prep time, and you don't get paid for overtime work (even though the contract states that you should be paid). There are not enough computers in the school, so if you do get the chance to prep, then you have to go computer hunting. Teachers have kindy, after school and elementary back-to-back classes throughout the day. We also had to do monthly tests that were not mentioned in the interview (usually 4-5 different subjects) and write comments on each subject for every student. Most of us had to write those comments on the weekends since there is not enough time throughout the week.
Since most of the teachers quit within the first few months, the school is constantly understaffed. Some classes didn't have Korean co-teachers (since they resigned literally a week into the new school year) and the English teachers were left on their own. They constantly made excuses about breaking my contract and disrespected my opinion. Whenever a teacher (no matter foreign or Korean) expresses their concerns, the xxxxxx either avoids meeting/talking to them or yells at them. There is no in-between. There are no sick leaves, days off for banking, immigration etc. You get exactly 5 days allocated in the last week of July and 5 days allocated in the last week of December. They have made teachers come in while throwing up and teachers with corona symptoms too. Unless you are dead, you must come in and work, since nobody can cover your classes. :) The xxxxxxxxxxxxx also refuses to give Letters of Release, which pushed teachers to just leave the country.
Overall, I do not recommend this school as you have no rights whatsoever. Basically, you must do what you are told to do or quit.

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Francis Parker Collegiate Jeonju Branch
Thu, Mar 24 at 10:16 PM
I'd like to submit a Korean Hagwon for blacklisting:
Francis Parker Collegiate Jeonju Branch
For the following reasons:
They did not pay xxxxxxx that were owed to me and multiple other teachers
Locked another teacher out of their house due to an argument that they had
Gotten sued by a different teacher who they fired (They lost the court case because they hadn't paid that teachers wages)
Not paid xxxxxxx to another teacher because they didn't work exactly the full school year (i.e. one or two days short of a full year's contract - they messed around the dates so that they legally don't have to pay)
Consistently xxxxx and screamed at teachers for the year I worked there, I've heard reports from teachers I'm in contact with that they still do the same.

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Hyunjae Language Academy, Bangbae Campus, Seocho-gu, Seoul
Sun, Mar 13 at 8:04 AM
Hyunjae Language Academy, Bangbae Campus, Seocho-gu, Seoul
I would like to add Hyunjae Language Academy Bangbae Campus to this list. I will start with pros to even things out:
1.) Always paid on time
2.) No problems concerning health insurance
Cons: 1.) Let's say you take one of your 2 sick days... they may arbitrarily decide that since you couldn't go to work your pay for that day will be deducted from your pay check even if the sick day happened months prior.
2.) The atmosphere is tense. The reason for this is that everyone (teachers, students, Korean staff) are subject to being yelled at or scolded at any time for any reason. Reasons for being yelled at or scolded include: talking to your coworkers (about things unrelated to a student or class because this is not a cafe), going to the bathroom, eating in the classroom (even if it's a break and you are alone), leaving campus (even if it's your break), one of your students parents called (doesn't matter the reason), if your kids enjoy your class (we are only supposed to study), being late to work (even if you called and let them know in advance and despite the fact you are not late to actual class), for not being kind enough to coworkers (even though you can't talk to them so how can you be more than just polite), for not apologizing to everyone in the event of an absence, for not yelling more at your students (they should be more disciplined), when your students books are closed (even though you're using the last 5 minutes of class to review without a book), for not following the schedule exactly (even when things aren't clear), for reasons you might not even be aware of
3. )There's a lot of grading essays which wouldn't be bad except there's no set way to grade them you just have to match whoever is teaching the same level as you. If there are too many kids with high grades you get scolded and too many kids with low grades also gets scolded.
4.) You are expected to know how everything works, how to teach every class, how to set up every special class, and know when everything is due without any mistakes as soon as you're hired.
5.) A cctv will be watching your every move and the feed can be viewed at the entrance of the school for all parents and the front office. (you will be micromanaged)
6.) If you are doing something incorrectly or in a way they don't like they will wait about a week or more to tell you so they have more reasons to yell at you and no time to fix it.
7.) If your homework teacher doesn't speak English all misunderstandings and miscommunications are your fault you should have used papago (even with an intermediate korean speaking ability and papago if something goes wrong because you didn't understand it is still your fault)
8.) If you have questions about something you will get yelled at for not knowing the answer and when something goes wrong or is missing you will be yelled at for not asking questions.
9.) In the monthly email there's always a passive agressive message usually concerning a teacher's failures, it's up to you to figure out if it's meant for you or for everyone.
10.) If they don't like you they will go out of their way to make your life miserable and get revenge because you made their life harder.
Honorable Mentions: 1.) Getting paid and getting Chuseok gifts or coffee occaisionally is supposed to make you grateful no questions asked despite all of the other mistreatment.
2.) In the 8 or so months I was there around 10 Korean teachers and staff quit because they are treated like garbage.
3.) If you like kissing ass and always apologizing for existing you may enjoy working here.
4.) 99.9% of the time they only hire men, they only advertise for men but if for some reason you are a woman and you get an interview RUN. THEY DO NOT LIKE FOREIGN WOMEN HERE. I was explicitly told to my face that foreign women are weak. I worked at another school on this blacklist slp and I would work there again before this place.
5.) I talked to another person who worked at this franchise but a different campus he had very similar experiences and quit after 5 months.... they are all the same.
You can take all of this with a grain of salt but if you have any other options don't work here. Even if you had no options I would still say don't work here.

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SLP Seodaemun
Wed, Mar 9 at 12:35 PM
Do not take a job at SLP Seodaemun. I will list a few of the issues teachers have faced in the past few years:
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. The pay might come on time, but don't expect to see all your overtime money accounted for. Xxxxxxxxxx can be threatened and might eventually pay but be ready to be met with hostility.
Even though xxxxxxx is malicious, they are also incredibly inept and idiotic. There is zero organization anywhere in the school, and communication does not exist. Schedules are poorly planned. Some people will work ridiculous overtime hours with no prep time, while others have lots of breaks and must fight to see any overtime pay if covering classes due to "not working enough.�ETeachers are also constantly chastised for failing to do something that they were never even told about in the first place.
The building itself is old, dirty and falling apart. Computers, toilets, air conditioners, heaters, and air conditioners break frequently due to old age, and it doesn't get fixed until a parent complains. Foreign teachers don't have their own computers; they have to wait until a Korean teacher leaves their desk so that you can do work. Teachers are also not given adequate resources and get scolded for asking for more crayons, paper, etc.
Some provided apartments are okay, while others are mold/grime infested and haven't seen repairs for a good ten years. If repairs are needed, including major issues that could jeopardize your safety, it can be a multi-week waiting period before they get around to contacting the landlord and/or getting it repaired.
The Covid response has been atrocious. They refused to hold online classes, because it would mean parents pay slightly less money. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Even if half of the staff is out with Covid, teachers had to cover classes and do overtime, sometimes up to 12 hours a day. People also get shamed for trying to use break times to get Covid tests, even if testing centers close before work ends.
I could continue going with more horror stories about this place but will stop. If you are considering working here, shred the poorly written contract they just gave you and find a new recruiter who will get you a better job.

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Poly Hagwon, Yongin-si, Suji-gu Campus
Tue, Mar 8 at 7:58 PM
There's a reason no one recommends Poly. Long hours, unreasonable parents, and they just let the children run amok (no discipline). Yet you're still expected to get all the work in the book done in a timely manner. The workload & number of classes is insane. Management seems nice at 1st, but that's about it, they just seem nice. If you wanna work till midnight & barely have a lunch break then this is the place for you.

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CCS Hagwon in Gimhae
Mon, Mar 7 at 9:22 AM
CCS Hagwon in Gimhae is atrocious. Delayed pay, micromanaging, and the worst xxxxx and xxxxx. The xxxxxx has confessed to a fellow foreign teacher that she had refused to get him a bed for his apartment because xxxxx didn't like him and wanted him to leave. No-one - not even the Korean teachers - are happy here. We are all angry. Don't do it!

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"EduStone" in Jeju (GEC area).
Sun, Mar 6 at 1:29 PM
I would like to blacklist a hagwon called "EduStone" in Jeju (GEC area). I got hired and they offered housing and there seemed to be no issues at first, except for having no xxxxxxx contact to the xxxxxx, who spoke zero English and required translation all the time. xxxx constantly changed his mind about the schedule that xxxx wanted us teachers to teach, and xxxx would ask for unrealistic expectations (example: teach two separate lessons with different language levels in the same room at the same time, while the kids waiting to be picked up would also be in the same room and I was meant to supervise them). The admin would ask our advice for how to plan the lessons, since they were fairly new, but once we, as experienced teachers (more than 5 years each) would explain how some situations work and others dont, they would ignore them and continue how they wanted, aka, how they could get the most money with no care for actually how the program would succeed. During my one month of work, several other teachers were fired for reasons that didn't make sense, etc. Since I hadn't signed any contract yet, I had no way to fight the xxxxx firing.

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Kalson's English Institute Busan
Fri, Feb 25 at 10:06 PM
Don't work for *Any* of their branches. Even though they have a American and Korean duo as management, they are still scammers. They got my friend to work there, they didn't pay for her air fair, the house they gave her was unfurnished, they took extra money out of her check for" rent". They blamed her for spreading cv*id, even though it was two students in the male teacher's class who were sick. (These classes are only taught by one teacher and in separate rooms. My friend had never interacted with those students. They just wanted to pin the blame and expenses on her) A male teacher who was still very sick came in and potentially exposed the whole school to c*vid. Nothing was done to him. Later they gaslit my friend and tried to have her say she quit. They locked her in a room for hours. The school did not want to pay her severence. Months later, in the worst way possible, we found out the hagwon was stealing my friends "rent" and not paying the landlord rent or utilities, AT ALL for over 3 months. To cover their scam, they lied to the land lord and said my friend was leaving for America, they broke into her house, harassed her and threatened her with violence even AFTER the police came. They wanted to silence my friend and have her take the fall for their scam........ There is, much more than this, but this should be enough to make an informed decision.

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Little Fox Jamsil (ICON)
Fri, Feb 25 at 10:06 PM
Would like to report Little Fox Jamsil (ICON). I wasn't going to comment but after yet another previous coworker quit... Here are some of the hagwon's offenses.
- unbalanced distribution of work: some teachers have little homework to check/classes to teach, while others are overwhelmed.
- expecting unpaid overtime work: they require you to check enough homework for two people; if you can't finish your only options are to not do it properly or take it home. they will nag and give warnings if you don't.
- do not prioritize the health and safety of teachers or students: ex, after finding out about a covid outbreak affecting students at the hagwon, didn't move to online classes but continued having classes. forced teachers to continue working when suffering bad side effects of covid shots.
- threatened to sue a (foreign) worker for not renewing their contract and deciding to leave, claiming the worker had to stay despite having no new contract signed with the company. also threatened to blacklist/ruin their career so they wouldn't be able to continue working in the country.
- heavy favoritism. if Monica likes you, she will give you less work, buy you meals, etc. if she doesn't, you will be overloaded, be on the end of passive aggressive comments, be threatened, nagged, etc until you become likeable.
- does not care about students' learning, just the parents' wallets: typical hagwon stuff but immensely frustrating. students will not be leveled down despite teachers recommendations (and begging), but will gladly be leveled up when they shouldn't be. many students' English level is horrendous or mediocre at best.
- more on being money-hungry: when covid first struck Monica planned to illegally underpay teachers (50% rather than the legal 70% of pay) only not doing so after being reminded it was in fact illegal and being threatened to be sued. the week after the teachers' 70% paychecks were paid, she came in with a brand new folder cell phone which she proceeded to show off to everyone.
Overall, if you want to be a slave to a company that doesn't even care about its customers (or you), this is the place for you. Otherwise, steer clear.

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Hillside Collegiate / IYA Skola Wirye
Tue, Feb 22 at 7:18 AM
These 2 schools are under the same management and franchise. Worst hagwon I and other teachers have ever worked in. These problems have been from Day 1 and despite efforts are still ongoing in 2022.
Pay: often late, sometime wrong.. Working Environment: literally half the teachers left in 2021. Management: bred a culture of mistrust and gossiping. It got to the point where many teachers would record every conversation with management to defend themselves. There are many more reasons but these 3 speak enough. Avoid like the plague.

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TASK Academy School in Cheonan
Tue, Feb 22 at 2:18 AM
I would like to submit TASK Academy School in Cheonan to the Blacklist. While there are a lot of things there is to discuss that were red flags with this school, I will try to stick with some more clear and tangible issues. For one, there is micromanaging. This can be seen with many of management coming by your class multiple times an hour to see if you're working as well as randomly walking in and going through your books to see if you have graded them "to their standards�E If you have not, you will hear about it, but not until later when they can give you a list of small things you did wrong. They will literally have a meeting with you and have your mistakes typed so they can show it to you before they move forward with their discipline. This is an issue many teachers may find themselves in because training is just a handbook. There is rarely any shadowing or one-on-one with the xxxxxxxxx. You're usually just thrown into teaching, which may not be an issue for a simpler teaching gig, but this school takes their curriculum seriously and will note how long you're standing, if you're correctly marking your books and even complain if you make the class too dynamic and fun for the students. They expect children in seats learning. I've had management scold me multiple times because a (5 year old) child does not write neatly, been asked if English was my first language because I didn't catch every capital "G�Etouching the top line or a period in a sentence. Keep in mind, I taught at a hagwon previous to this and had no issues or complaints and don't have them now, so this was a unique situation for me. The school had something called "incentive�Ein which they would give you a hefty bonus if you followed the contract "to their standard�Ewhich often changed monthly. From experience, I would literally be doing the same things, putting in the same work and randomly have incentive change, especially if management were suffering from financial impacts of Covid-19 or if management and I disagreed on something. The "incentive�Eis another issue that many of teachers had. Teachers that lost incentive would become anxious and worry because usually incentive is given monthly with no problem until it isn't and that would weigh over many teachers�Eheads. Incentive is one of the main reasons TASK lost 5 of their 7 teachers within 12 months and literally 3 of them in one month. Additionally, Korean co-teachers don't fare any better. There are only 2 recognizable co-teacher faces at the school from the beginning of the year out of about 5. Turnover rates are a great indicator of how the school treats their employees and it says a lot because this school does pay well when you get your salary with incentive. The hours are long with days sometimes being 8:30 AM-6:30 PM if there are meetings and often it is for projects that don't involve all the teachers but they still need to be there. While the school gives multiple breaks, they are all for prep time. There are no legit breaks unless you're eating lunch. If you choose to skip a prep time, it will come back to haunt you when you fall behind on your work. You have to be very good with time management, so even if you can bypass poor upper management there is still that to worry about. Overall, I would say working there is uncomfortable and creates create anxiety for teachers because there is a sense of being watched for small mistakes and then having that used against you in the future. Contributing to that are long days working with kindergarten and then after school days that had made me my most exhausted in all my experiences working with children. I don't recommend this job, not even for those seeking a challenge. This is not a stable environment where you can thrive and it certainly isn't worth it for Cheonan.

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Avalon Langcon Seocho-gu Branch
Fri, Feb 18 at 8:16 PM
I work at Avalon Langcon Seocho-gu Branch. I have been here for over a year. To any teachers who are interviewing with them or receive an offer... REJECT! Long story short: they never put into my pexxxx, never paid for hexxxxxx, never covered any other xxxxxx. Took it out of my xxxxxxxx. Also, have been refusing or ignoring my vacation day requests. Delayed payments 7 times in 15 months of working for them. When the xxxxx and I had meetings about all the issues. xxxx would resort to verbal xxxxx (similar to middle school taught) when I wasn't listening to xxxxxxxxxxx or telling her the law. The actual school got kicked out of the building due to not paying rent. We went from having 6 FT and & KT in 2020 to having 3 KT and 3 FTs. Pay is low and housing is not the greatest but it does fine when you spice it up. Just do not accept any position from this school. Please... Save yourself the headache and anxiety this place will give you. Only plus sides about this is that I have two fabulous co workers and I have learned SO much about Korean Law.

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Cheonan SLP
Wed, Feb 16 at 3:29 PM
Sign with caution at Cheonan SLP! From my experience, the school was very unorganized and carried a heavy presence of sexism and hypocrisy.
First, there is no separation in power as your boss at the school is also your landlord. The housing is old, moldy, disgusting, and not equipped with up-to-date house codes i.e. no smoke detectors nor carbon monoxide alarms�Ehe rooms have broken heaters, broken lights, and poorly cleaned air condition systems. Even after multiple communication/complaints, these housing issues go ignored. In order to make it livable, expect to put a lot of your own money and efforts into the room.
Second, SLP Cheonan has been through 3 managers in the last 2 years, as they are spoken to rudely and disrespectfully, by "Subject A�Ethat they leave. You will be asked to complete last minute tasks that take days to complete by end of day without any clear instructions nor directions. "Subject A�Enever takes responsibility for "their�Eown actions and always finds a way to pin "their�Efaults back onto "their�Estaff. Straight up lies are consistently told to the students�Eparents to save "face�E Not to mention the blatant sexist comments that are repeatedly made in staff meetings are disgusting and appalling.
The turnover rate at SLP Cheonan is high as none of the foreign teachers stay after their year is up. Some have even broken their contract or did midnight runs. Many teachers feel their voices and concerns are never heard nor taken seriously. It's all about making money and not the importance of the health of the teachers or the students�as teachers have been asked to "work through�Ebeing sick, being hospitalized; and to "get through�Etheir classes even though they have been exposed to Covid and were told by the government to self isolate.
Although the school has been renovated and moved into a new facility, there is still a lack of simple resources provided to help us teach more efficiently. The sinks are lacking hot water, there's dust everywhere, the lunch is served cold, the computer systems are consistently down or being "hacked�E It's all about appearance vs functionality.
Overall, if you could avoid the potential daily headaches and mental anguish, I would highly consider not working here. It's all lies and fluff to get you to sign and then you're stuck!

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GLITT. Formerly known as the Ian school, and childrens musical academy/ childrens musical company
Fri, Feb 11 at 8:19 PM
I am a current employee at the GLITT. Formerly known as the Ian school, and childrens musical academy/ childrens musical company. The reason I put all the names is because they have had to change their names because of law suits. To put it simply you will be lied to from the beginning. They say you only have to teach kindy classes but will make you work both after school classes AND elementary without paying more. They made us go into work after a Covid outbreak. The management has told us that they don't care about our concerns to our faces. Someone heard our cccccccc say to "not hire blacks, maybe one as long as they are light skinned.�EOur housing is nothing like the pictures. The school will not pay you until you have a Korean bank account so I went 2 months in korea with no pay xxxxxxxx. Some teachers have finished their contracts and have not been paid their severance and plane ticket. They know what they are doing is xxxxxx they just think no one would pursue action. Currently some members of our staff have recently reached out to the labor board. When a Korean co teacher submitted their resignation at the end of their contract xxxxxxxxx said they are not allowed to leave and will also not get their severance.

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EduStone and Jeju Cloud School, Seogwipo.
Fri, Feb 11 at 2:12 PM
EduStone and Jeju Cloud School, Seogwipo.
Very bad businesses. 1149 Gueok-ri, Daejong-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju, South Korea Terrible employers, absolutely awful. Do not believe any thing they promise you, you will be terminated past the probation period and have to claw your way to get any settlement, usually with a lawyer present. Do not trust this school with anything of yours. It is terrible. They also do not pay on time and often miss days that they promised to pay anyways. Not a good place to be at, in any capacity. Please do yourself a favor and avoid these schools for your children and employment...

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Kid's college Yuseong branch in Daejeon
Thu, Feb 10 at 4:36 AM
I would to add Kid's college Yuseong branch in Daejeon to the black list. I worked for kids college and I had a terrible experience. My xxxxxxx was very racist towards me. xxx would make condescending remarks and shout at me in front of the students. xxx would not allow any of the Korean stuff to assist me during my training. Furthermore, they provided me with a dirty apartment and claimed to have paid 200$ to clean and they will deduct on my salary. When I confronted them they told my recruiter who said he will send me back to my country. After working for a month my xxxxx, my recruiter from SSAMworld Recruiting and the xxxxx drafted a new contract overnight with half the salary that we initially agreed upon trying to coerce me to sign in and when I didn't sign the contract they fired me. xxxx kept on making threats when I went to fetch my termination letter. xxxx never paid me for the work I did nor reimburse me for my flight. This school has so many red flags and some of the I can't even mention on this platform. It is run by a bunch of scammers and the environment is so toxic. You should never take an offer to this hagwon unless you want to be paid less salary, scammed, abused mentally and be discriminated against.

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Readingstar Dalseo-gu, Daegu
Thu, Feb 10 at 2:18 AM
I would like to add Readingstar Dalseo-gu, Daegu to the blacklist. This hagwon is very disorganized, there's no transparency, and very little effort in hiring new teachers to replace the ones that have left. Below are the main issues with this location:
First, everyone is overworked. New teachers are given a lighter workload in the beginning to hide the fact that the hagwon is understaffed. After a month or so, teachers are given intense schedules that sometimes don't include a break. You are expected to teach 6+ classes a day straight through. If you are lucky enough to have breaks in your schedule, you are not allowed to leave and do with your break as you please. You also are not allowed to use the microwave in the staff room because the person in charge doesn't like the smell of food around the hagwon. This leaves you with few options for meals, which can and did lead to health issues amongst the teachers.
Second, you must check that your health insurance and pension is being paid. If not, you may be surprised when you go to the doctor and have no health insurance. If you bring up any of these issues with the person in charge, you will be gaslit into thinking that there's not a problem. If you stand up for yourself in this situation you can expect to be treated rudely and given schedules with minimal breaks for the remainder of your contract.
Third, if you are sick or use your vacation time, some of your classes will not be covered. You will not be told about this beforehand and will be told to prep your classes for your time off. Then when you come back to work, you will be told to come in early to do make-up classes with the students whose classes were not covered while you were gone.
There are many more problems than the ones listed above and you will be retaliated against for bringing up any serious issues with the person in charge. I recommend that everyone stays away from this location until ownership changes.

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Wizville Academy (Seodaemun)
Mon, Feb 7 at 6:28 PM
Hi,
Let me just say;
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT WORK HERE.
I have been counting down the days until I can leave.

I know what you're thinking.
�EI have to take all of these stories with a grain of salt�Eor
�EThis doesn't mean this will be my experience�Eor
�EI can just keep my head down and I'll be fine�Eor
�EAs long as I get my pay on time I can deal with it�E

Let me start by just saying this is the FIFTH time this school has been on here.
1. Today
2. Sept. 15, 2021
3. Dec. 6, 2020
4. Oct. 4, 2019
5. Oct 23, 2019
6. Thats means FIVE SEPARATE people made a choice to risk their own future in Hagwons to warn you.
Listen I can be honest and say there are some good things about this job. (Most of) The kids are sweet, you don't have too much interaction with the parents( if your a foreign teacher that is, totally different story for Korean teachers), the coworkers are fairly nice, they generally pay on time.
But just like I can honestly say there are good things I can also honestly say unless you manage to be one of the staff "favorites�Ein the right friend group this job's cons DISTINCTLY outweighs the pros.
EVERYTHING the other reports said are true. EVERYTHING.
Be prepared for EXTREMELY cruel xxxxxxxx.
Are you ready to be talked down to and belittled?
Want to be sent passive aggressive and condescending messages ?
Threatened and coerced if you ever dare to speak up in the group chat?
They nitpicked and threatened to fire us if we "messed up�Ewhen we were originally preparing for our open classes and told us all that we "weren't allowed�Eto leave if we were sick back when we were getting the first round of vaccinations and threatened to make us work on a Saturday if anyone "decided to get sick�E(someone literally fainted and still couldn't go home) (last review mentioned this too)
In addition they've also just said and did tons insensitive stuff to all the foreigner teachers. Told them they "smell bad�Eand have to always air out our windows, nitpicked hair color or clothes if they didn't like it, and they harassed and were extremely racist towards POC teachers to where they were fired and/or left.
The list goes on!
The work load is NOT what they'll tell you, you can expect :
- no time to eat meals since you have to eat with the kids
- writing detailed grade reports for almost EVERY kid you teach (300 words+) (every 2-3 months)
- CONSTANT events and activities that end up taking away breaks and constantly change schedules (the christmas concert was a nightmare)
- If any teacher is sick you automatically lose you break time to pitch in and cover (no overtime pay might I add)
- A SUMMER CAMP where some of the teachers were REQUIRED to work overtime (apparently they didn't give the teachers an option)
- you can end up teaching more than 30 classes (they will lie and say everyone teaches less) ( also if you do end up with more than 30 , they will not pay you for the extra classes)
Overall do not waste your time. EVERY critique and report of this place all has one thing common; XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. They WILL talk down to you.
Trust me, I know they did a great job selling you the job. I know they may seem kind, trustworthy, and the pay and apartment is promising. I made the same mistake.
Lastly don't trust the "green list�Ereports. I'm not sure about the most recent one, but the one from 2019 is so obviously the foreign manager that it's comical. This is the person who is part of management and is the one most guilty of being incredibly condescending and racist. So just keep that in mind before you take the risk.
If you won't take my word for it simply scroll and read the other four people who have EXTREMELY similar account and stories.
Five separate people have the same complaints and have been telling the same story for 3-4 years straight and I doubt things will change.
Until they show remorse, regret, acknowledgement, or genuine change for the disgusting and pathetic behavior they exhibit towards their own staff, this school will continue to again and again be found on this list. I guarantee it.

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FTK Bucheon
Thu, Feb 3 at 6:38 PM
I would like to submit FTK Bucheon to the blacklist.
Do not work here if you expect to get paid your benefits as per your contract. The xxxxxxxx who is also the xxxxxx does a poor job of running the place. But this person will blame the teachers and will often gaslight these teachers when problems are discussed. Many other teachers left because they weren't paid or were incompletely paid the benefits they were entitled to. Salary was paid on the 20th of the month after so your March salary would be paid on April 20th. This of course caused discomfort to everyone. It is not worth working here to end up not beong paid what you should be paid.

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Ballet & Model
Thu, Jan 27 at 2:44 PM
The school is fairly new, opened in 2017? Don't let the fancy interior fool you. Because that's about all they focus on, is visuals. Since opened, they have not retained any teachers, every one either doesn't resign, or leaves midway. For the one year I have worked here, 8 teachers have left, and currently only 3? Are resigning if they doesn't give you a big hit to run far away. They have ZERO knowledge of how to run any kind of educational school (but what Hagwon does). The best part of this place is that they will ADMIT IT. They run the school solely based on what the parents say. They have told many teacher exactly this, and use it as an excuse for the things they do. They claim the Hagwon is "different�Ebecause it is ran by the parents. So you can ONLY imagine what kind of chaos occurs by a Hagwon that is openly ran by the decisions of pristine Gangnam moms. An example of this would be; 4yrs are learning addition and 5yrs are learning how to count to 20, all because a mom wanted harder math for her kid. If this doesn't turn you away, then maybe the fact that the one thing they should be good at (ballet) they are not. They hold a ballet recital every year, and given the fact last years failed (due to covid), this year �Ewell let me just say, 2 weeks before and they didn't even have the script for the kids to say finalized. They didn't even have the order of the storyline. A complete mess to say the least. And the kids have ballet everyday, and solely practice for this performance. I honestly feel so bad for the kids. The school cares about looks and that's about it. They spend their time making sure every wall is pure white, and every chair is pushed in., I can write a book about this school, but I'll save it, since I'm more that sure 3 other teachers will be writing on here as well!

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JM Academy
Wed, Jan 26 at 7:55 PM
JM Academy should be on the blacklist and I'll give you some reasons why. xxxxxxxxxx. Actually, that happened a lot this year. The school makes all their employees work in the same office and live in a cramped apartment set up, so you're around these girls all of the time. There's no space to breathe. The workload is super uneven, for like 20 something people in one office there's only 2 printers and they break basically everyday. It's so archaic there, I can't even. It's laughable. You will have a kindergarten class and at least 3-4 different elementary classes. The lesson plans are detailed to a nonsensical manner and they want answer keys for everything. It's soooooo much paper. The work environment is super toxic. The xxxxxxx is mingled in with all the other teachers in the office so she likes to gossip with everyone which means your xxxxx knows your business. Gross. The xxxxxxxxx also just doesn't do her job requirements in my opinion, she spends most of the day on her phone or talking about celebrity garbage. The only thing this school is good for is a practice interview for you to find a job in Seoul you will actually like. Plus their hours are soul sucking, I highly do not recommend JM Academy.

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International English School - Wonju, South Korea
Wed, Jan 26 at 9:39 AM
I want to start off by saying that, without the one con of this job, it is a great job. The students are so smart and so sweet, the apartments are nice, and the pay is decent. But the one con of this job has made every single teacher leave this position because it's such a terrible con. Unfortunately, this comes in the form of xxxxxx, namely the xxxxxxxxxx.
While it is nice for lessons to be pre-prepared, that is it. You cannot deviate from the lessons at all, and if you do, you will be yelled at in front of your students by the terror known as xxxxxxxx. At one point, I was told that I "cannot speak English�Ebecause I wasn't phrasing a sentence the exact way that he wanted it to be said. Even for the smallest of things, he will belittle and embarrass you in front of your students. The students are so sweet and will try to comfort you, but you have to shake it off for the sake of them. The lessons are extremely unorganized and taught the exact same way for the student's whole time there as well--you're not sure exactly what books to read next, how to teach the specific lessons (don't get me started on how obsessively you have to teach time to the students), or when to give specific tests. Again, if you do anything out of order or guess on anything, you get yelled at. You are just supposed to know, and if you don't know, you're "stupid�Eand "how could something be so confusing when it's so obvious.�EMore than once, I went home crying because of how myself, and the other teachers, were treated.
The xxxxxxx is a nightmare to work for. He is the meanest, most self-centered person I have ever met. xxxx has done nothing but constantly berate both the students and the teachers. The younger students are scared of him, with the students constantly checking the door window to see if he will walk by since he is always watching the teacher. The older students despise him, always saying that they never want to be taught by this teacher. I didn't want to leave because I knew that they would have to suffer by being taught by him and being screamed at for little mistakes. He has told the students that their accent is stupid and that, if everybody just went to this school (which is the only good English school in all of Korea, apparently), they would succeed and get into good universities. The students are constantly told how terrible Korea is, how terrible their Korean teachers are, and how bad their language is. It is extremely disrespectful and really hurts the students feelings. He says that "the only language you need is English, and if you don't learn English, you will fail at life and never get a good job.�EHe went so far as to insult the cleaning lady that cleans their own hagwan. He constantly needs to validate his own intelligence by putting others down around him. I've seen the teacher actively mock and scream at the students; it's heartbreaking as someone who cares about education.
xxxxxxxx of the school seems so nice at first, only to realize that xxxxx gossips behind the teacher's backs and doesn't listen to them when they need a student moved from falling behind or going forward.
Overall, it's a nightmare to work for the management here and there's nothing that you can do about it.

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Frage English Institute, Suseong-gu, Daegu
Wed, Jan 19, 2022 at 11:33 AM
I'd like to add Frage English Institute located in Suseong-gu, Daegu to the blacklist. I originally signed my contract with this school because the terms and job requirements were what I was looking for. However, they did not go by the contract at all. I was supposed to work 9am-6pm. In my contract, it stated there would only be 5 teaching hours. The other hours were supposed to be for extra planning or could be when your break is scheduled. This was not the case and totally different. I worked 9-6pm, with 0 breaks. If I was given a "break�Ewhich rarely happened. I could not use it freely to even get a water from downstairs. You would be given more work to do. You never got a legal break. I also did not get a lunch break. The xxxxxxxx would interrupt my meals and have me continue working. If I did get to eat, the second there was no food on the tray, you are to start working immediately. There was no planning period in the day, because then there would be less classes and the xxxxxx could not make an extra dime at the foreign worker's expense.
Because is planning time during the working hours, the xxxxxxxx would not let you leave until finishing all the extra work they would give you. If they went by the contract and actually had the foreign teachers teaching for 5 hours a day, then preparation work and extra work could be completed. Since this was a complete lie though, you have to work overtime everyday. There was not 1 day I left at my scheduled time. It is stated in the contract they will pay for overtime work, but they never did. All foreign workers are made to work overtime with no pay. My latest day of working was until 11:45PM. So, overall I worked 9am until almost 12am.
I was overworked to the point of being sick. I kept getting ill and had multiple visits to the doctor. I was made to not go to the hospital when sick too. I asked if I could go during my "lunch break�Eand they absolutely denied it. They kept me from getting basic needs to live in Korea such as an ARC which is required to get a phone plan here. Without a phone plan, I could not register the COOV app and even get my booster shot. This caused me to not be let into restaurants and shops. It made my life very difficult in Korea. They didn't allow me time to go to the bank and open a bank account or to even let me switch my vaccines to Korea and register them here. Frage is a miserable place to work and they mistreat their foreign workers. My coworkers have told me that they worked at a blacklisted Hagwon before Frage and that this academy is 100x worse.
To put into perspective how sick this place made me, I had gotten such a terrible condition that I took photos of myself to send to my family back home. I was so concerned with my condition because I had only resembled this condition 1 other time in my life and it was after a major surgery in 2019, when my body had been severely sick and impacted. This is ultimately what led me to leave the Frage. They overwork and treat the foreign teachers like slaves to the point they get sick, just because they know our visa is tied to work and we can't easily leave.
Also, when I left, I gave over a 30 day notice and was correct with my exit. But, my xxxxxx still did not accept this well and made multiple threats to me which have no legal standing and cannot be followed through with. Nonetheless, she threatened me multiple times when I stayed longer than I should have to help them. The xxxxxxxx is horrible and mistreats everyone. Please do not work here. It's a miserable place with an awful xxxxxxx and does not respect the workers at all!!

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Cheongna SLP in Seogu, Incheon
Thu, Jan 13 at 9:35 AM
Cheongna SLP in Seogu, Incheon should definitely be put on the blacklist. I know that other SLPs have been submitted, but I need everyone to know that the Cheongna branch is also somewhere to avoid.
Now that I am more than a few months removed from SLP (as are many of my former coworkers), I feel secure in saying that they should honestly just be shut down at this point. The blatant abuse of their employees is clear from the moment you step in, and both foreign and Korean teachers are horribly overworked. Most foreign teachers will teach a minimum of eight classes a day, but I knew one who taught eleven. The hours they post on recruiting websites are not true, and you will have to stay until 7:30 at least twice a week. Even in the contract it will say something different than you are told in person, and they will often make verbal changes to the contract which you must abide by even though they will not put it in writing, sometimes even refusing to do so when asked. They discourage "taking breaks,�Ethough all the teachers will do it, and will occasionally scold you for going downstairs to buy a coffee and then coming immediately back. This is especially frustrating because you will not get a lunch break and have to serve the kids lunch.
You might luck out and get a fantastic co-teacher that does all of their prescribed work, but the standards for hiring Korean teachers has gone down the drain in the past year, as so many have left because of the working conditions. If your co-teacher isn't one of the good ones, you will get stuck with a large chunk of their workload as well, even though foreign teachers already teach a larger number of classes. Almost all foreign teachers refuse to sign for another year, and many have left or are trying to leave their contracts early.
If you care at all about your kids making real progress, this also might not be the school for you. On report cards, you are only allowed to say they are excellent or very good, nothing less. This school is in a very affluent area, so a lot of the money comes from the rich parents of these young children, and that is who they cater to. Bullying issues slide right under the carpet as long as their parents pay their bill. Too many times I had asked for a problem to be addressed, only for a KT to tell me that the child's mom asked for us to do something a certain way, even if it was hurting their language acquisition. Also, when kids drop or complain about their classes, it is always the teacher's fault, no matter the circumstances (even if the child just outright lies). This is not to say you won't form bonds with and love your kids, only that it makes it so much worse when you see them struggling and are simply not allowed or equipped to help them.
As the icing on the cake, this school does not take Covid procedures seriously. I would go as far as to say they're an absolute joke. Incheon and Seogu specifically had one of the highest infection rates in the country, and yet very few changes were actually seen in the school. KTs were walking around and actively teaching children without masks on, there have been multiple positive cases in the school and they refuse to close, and they would not allow any of the teachers, Korean or Foreign, to stay home the day of their vaccine, even if they had a fever or were exhibiting other symptoms. They would have to take a sick day, which are not technically allowed and were taken out of your paycheck.
If you don't care at all about your working conditions or mental wellbeing and just want to live in Korea and get paid on time, then by all means work here, you'll do fantastic. But if you have any other option, please, I beg of you, take it.

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KidsWiz in Nowon
Fri, Jan 7 at 3:59 PM
Hi, I'd like to add one to the list. I'm currently working at a place called KidsWiz in Nowon. Now normally, I don't have too many issues, but lately, their habits and practices are just intolerable. Personally, I've been fucked over several times already to the point where I can just barely live in Korea. The main issue is just nobody cares about anything. Nobody considers anything when making decisions. You could be suspected of Coronavirus and still have to come in until the results come in. The fake "procedures" in play are completely gaslighting everyone who doesn't work there. There's black mold in half the classrooms, and none of the kids are taught any etiquite whatsoever. They get rewarded and consoled for going out if their way to hurt each other. One kid punched another kid in the face, cried, then was consoled and told it was ok. More on the teaching end though, there's no standards, and honestly the school just sounds like they're dooming their students. Also, the xxxxx is such a stingy bat, she hoarded the limited board markers we had to the point that another teacher and I had to swap off IN THE MIDDLE OF CLASS so we could both draw visuals of our lesson on the board, specifically because she "didn't want the teachers using up too many if the markers." Every day I want to quit, but recently, it's been hard considering they cut my pay in half, extended my hours, and revoked housing support. And just today, the xxxxx got called in to test and quarantine, so she chilled in her office at the school and sent me to cover her classes, which everyone hates again because noone gives a crap about behavior or just anything. That involves sanitation, learning standards, condition of their employees, condition of the students, and just the entire pandemic that we're in. Frankly, this place deserves to be closed down it's nothing but a cash grab kid theater at this point and I'm just done. I'm just so tired of everything this school is. I try and try to stay to help the kids so they at least have a direction, but literally every time i hear of a last minute class swap or a criticism of how I can't punish a kid for throwing toys out the window, I just want to walk out and never come back. Noone should suffer what this school has done to me, and I hope that others read this so they don't get unlucky either.

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Jungchul language Institute Cheongju-si
Wed, Jan 5 at 7:09 PM
I would like to blacklist Jungchul language Institute in Cheongju-si. The xxxxxx is one of the most difficult person to deal with, she would fake stories when she's suppose to pay Severance pay, we had to leave earlier due to xxxx selling us lies about campus closing, we had to be out of our apartment before our lease ends, only to find our that the same apartment was occupied by new teachers. I. Wouldn't recommend you going to that school, xxxx didn't honor the contract. You will get out of that place with a fight. Do yourself a favor and not go there. There is a whole lot i am dealing with the school, i had completed my contract but still have to deal with immigration and law.

Should anyone have questions on this document, or just want some friendly advice on working Korea, please read over the FAQ.

Please if appropriate, submit to the GREENLIST. I know there are many people with positive experiences living in Korea.

Should you like to contribute to the Black List, please go here. You must provide a valid e-mail address for submission.

First: For everyone's amusement, I am considering the creation of a webpage which consists of angry takedown demands.

Second: There is one person who can take down any posting, and that is the original poster. Should Hokwon wish to contact me, note the following:

No names or identifiers (The Owner, Head Teacher, Director, "he," "she," etc).

No personal attacks (They are evil, incompetent, corrupt, etc.)

No claims of abuse (harassment, verbal / physical abuse. etc.)

No claims of illegal activity. (I did not get paid. They threatened me. They stole my ... )

Jon (disclaimer)

No animals have been used in the testing of these webpages. Any adverse effects of this website are restricted to humans.

This is my first attempt at text search. Note that both these searches work with Fire Fox, and neither work with Internet Explorer, unfortunately.

Here's a search highlighter. Give it a try.