Read this...(Eng/Kor)

Posted: 2002/09/09  By: Ben (Views:4069)

If you are having money problems at your business, that is the owner's problem, not the
teachers. You need to learn how to manage a business better.

I will agree that there are TWO sides to every story. Many bad teachers in Korea, both Korean
and foreign. Hogwons hire Koreans to teach English and MANY can't hold a conversation in
English!

Schools and teachers must honor contracts. Teachers have high expectations of Koreans and
Korea and that is the problem. Schools fire teachers the last few months of a contract in order
to not pay them severance. When schools sponsor teachers, the school signs an Immigration form
stating that they school will pay airfare and housing. Even if the teacher does not complete
the contract and the school fires the teachers, the school still has to pay for airfare! NO
CHOICE!

If a school has what they think is a bad teacher, then the owner must FIRST counsel the
teacher and give a written warning. Have the teacher sign the warning and have it witnessed and
keep copies. If the teachers is still not doing well, one more chance. Again, a written
warning, sign the warning by both teacher and the director and give them notice that this is
it.

Owners must not yell at employees in front of other people. If the boss yells at employees,
that means the boss is uneducated, inmature, has no business experience and is an idiot. You
counsel employees in PRIVATE.

Schools should make sure that housing is CLEAN before a teacher moves in! Have the apartment
in good shape. TV, A/C, fridge, stove/oven, washing maching, microwave, bed, dishes, dresser,
pillows, sheets, etc. If the school can't have the apartment in order, then problems will
happen. Foreign teachers are not Korean! We don't follow Korean style! We don't need the hogwon
job, hogwons need teachers. Let's work together to make education better!

Honor the contract! Don't make teachers teach 6 or 7 classes a day! If a teacher teaches 6 or
7 classes a day, that is a BAD teacher! The teacher will burn out and be unhappy. 5 50 minute
classes a day is good for hogwons. Universities, 15 a week.

If you can't afford to pay teachers, get out of business! Do not pay experienced teacher's
the same pay as new teacher's who have no experience!

If you are a good employer, your teachers will do great! Stop changing the schedule quickly
and expect teachers to be happy! Run your school as a professional business and go for QUALITY
not QUANTITY!

If the teacher is not doing well, again, counsel them, written warning. If they don't
improve, 30 days notice and a release letter. Don't give the teacher a reason to bad mouth your
school. It is better to keep a few bad teachers happy instead of losing good teachers!