TOPIA ENGLISH ZONE a.k.a. SCUMBAGS R US

12-26-04
George Ruski
Seoul, Korea

TOPIA ENGLISH ZONE

I have nothing but bad things to say about Topia English Zone. They lure you to their school with promises of national holidays and two weeks paid vacation. This is a complete falsehood. They offer no time off during your work period. In addition, the contract says that you have the option to choose your accomodations. This is total BS!!

Topia chooses the smallest and cheapest accomodations for you. They also take a 500 dollar deposit to back up the apartment that couldnt possibly cost them more than 250/mo.

Topia is a school that is not capable of forward thinking. Like most Koreans, they stick to protocol. I know that sounds like a generalization, but trust me after being here for about 5 months, Ive had several experiences to back it up. For one, even though, it will only take you 30 mins at most to prepare for class they will demand you come in 2 hours ahead to prep. Also, if you have the last period of the day off, and would like to leave early, they will ask you to stay and prep for the next day.

Its flat out rediculous!! I remember back in August that one teacher didnt have work until 5:30, but was still asked to come in at 1:30.

On a good note, they will pay you on time at 2.0 a month, but they will even try to skim you down to 1.9 if you dont pay attention to your first months pay check and confront them about it.

Lastly, you should not expect your boss to be reasonable by any western standard. They will not accomodate even the slightest of grievances. I remember that one teacher left because he was very sick and his "get better" gift was a lost job.

My advice for anyone looking for a job in Korea is to take a position with Topia or one of the other big private franchises like ECC (scumbags too, at least my friends that work for them say they are and have them pay for your one-way fare over to Korea. DO NOT do any work until you have in writing that your vacation days come during your contract period and are not just a means to a shorter contract for them. I remember when I confronted my supervisor about my vacation, she actually managed to keep a straight face while telling me eye to-eye that my vacation was in actuality two weeks off at the end of the contract. If they are unable to comply, use their free accomodations and airfare to secure yourself a better job in Korea. You should not accept their dishonor and humiliation. English is an enormous industry in Korea, and you will not have trouble finding another position within a week, especially with you already being in the country.

In closing, note that there are several honorable, even forward-thinking institutions in Korea. I just managed to be naive enough to have faith in Topia as an honorable employer. Dont make that mistake. However, if you should take my advice on using them for airfare; Do Not get your work visa with them prior to entering Korea. I hope this information was valuable for you.