Hi~

I would like to share my poor experience working with Kelly Noh, Choi un Gi (Choi sounds like Che) and Towol Elementary School in Changwon, South Korea. I wouldn't recommend anyone to work with these people or this school.

The first two people above are recruitors in the Changwon/Jangyu area near Busan and Towol Elementary school is in Changwon, Korea.

First things first. My last months pay was withheld for two and a half weeks. The school paid my final salary to Choi. When It was finally paid it wasn't paid in full. I also suspect that he forged my name on a different contract than I signed. I'll explain that more later.

While the school is extremely secretive I have heard from a teacher who worked there 2 Saturdays a month was that other teachers who have worked there in the past hated it. He said the other teachers who worked there referred to them as slave drivers.

What I learned from this was don't ever put yourself in a position where you have no options and your desperate for a job (your broke), because you'll be a slave to your first job offer. The other thing I learned was public school and co-teachers are not for me. On to the details.

It's a bit messy and disorganized, but here's the story:

Worst things first. I was introduced to Choi through Kelly who served as his translator. Choi was responsible for my housing and paying me 200,000won of my salary and Towol Elem. paid 2,100,000. I was fired at the end of June '10 and the end of the semester. Choi didn't pay me my money for June and on the day I was supposed to receive my final pay i got an email from Kelly Noh. It said that i owed Choi my final months pay 2.3 million won for: housing, recruiting fee, replacement fee , and visa run fee. The last being the only reasonable thing on that list.

When I first landed in Changwon(March '10) I was introduced to a not so nice and smelly home. I was told that the lease expired in june and that they would find me a better home, since Choi didnt like it either. So in June they told me the new address of the home and I went and looked at it. It wasnt any nicer and it was farther from the school. So I said no I am not moving and if you insist I'll quit. They told me I had no choice and to act more professionally.

About a week later I was given a letter and fired-conveniently for them at the end of the semester. Now I'll go back to the beginning.

I first responded to a job offer that Kelly posted on koreabridge.net. The salary she told me on the phone was different from what she had posted on the website. That position was in Jang yu working at an after school program in a public Elementary school.

So I took a taxi to Jang yu and Kelly didn't seem sure what job I would be working at as there was another opportunity suddenly. But I eventually landed at the school and I met Choi and replaced another unhappy looking teacher he was with. So I got that job, moved from Busan to Jangyu and started work there. At the end of the week I was told that the school wanted a female teacher. I wouldn't be needed, BUT that there was another job in Changwon teaching at a public school that was better and I would get vacation.

Again lacking choices and money I took it, so then I moved again from Jang Yu to Changwon. And a close look at the contract revealed I would get a whole 14 days of vacation instead of the standard 10 days in a hogwon.

It was written into my contract that i had to work 2 saturdays a month at Changwon I English Camp-something the Global Village system. So there was a mandatory meeting about this camp and all the teachers I met voluntarily worked on Saturdays-meaning they chose to work on those days. It wasn't written into their contract. Being that they had a choice I thought i should too so I told them i am not going to do that and didnt.

The oddest thing is the fact that the recruitor was responsible for paying me 200,000 won a month. I never received a reciept of payment from him or an expalnation why i only received a deposit of 193,500won in my account. When I asked he said Towol Elem. sent me money and I could get a receipt from them. Well i did but that was only for what they paid me. Whatever the reason it was illegal what he was doing. If he was really deducting money for taxes then he would have been able to supply a receipt.

On top of all that Towol Elem. operated like a prison and they treated you like a slave. Some of the reasons they said I was fired were:
-I didnt answer the phone in the English center
-I didn't follow the Korean teachers orders
-I played soccer during recess with the kids instead of staying in the English Center sitting in a chair.
-I was late to work-true I was frequently 5 minutes late to sit in my office chair, not late to class. Which may have been a fine reason to fire me, but I am not here complaining about being fired I am happy that I don't work there anymore.

Basically my experience was that your can assistant to the Korean English teacher. A teacher who's English is far from perfect and who had much less experience teaching than I did. If your a first time teacher it might be o.k. if you can follow their rules. I taught ten classes a week with materials I chose-those classes were great, also smalller to. The co-teacher did nearly nothing in those classes which was great. 12 classes a week i taught normal pub. sch. Eng. classes with their Konglish materials.

That Korean teacher I couldn't stand and it's true what t they say. "Your partner teacher can make or break your experience". I have personally enjoyed more working at private schools than this here public school.

So how did I get most of my money back?
I went to the labor board who seemed to help at first but not very much. But he still didn't pay, so finally I went to his office to get my money. I showed him the EPIK contract that I signed, that he gave to me and which he didn't sign. My contract doesnt say anything about paying him back all that money. then he said thats old and didn't you sign another contract? No. Then he showed me it and it says that the teacher has to pay back him all those fees if fired or quit before 6 months.

I never signed that and he acted surprised and played dumb. But he must have signed some contract even though he didn't sign mine. To get the proper visa he has to present those documents to Immigration. When Towol Elem. didn't pay; me I went there and asked where's my money? The office worker said we have a contract with Choi. So I am assuming that he forged my name on a different contract and then presented that to the principal to sign and then later to the authorities to process my visa.

He eventually paid me everything owed(2.5million before taxes) except for 158,000won.

Last notes. You can get a job in a public school through a recruitor, by direct hire from the school or through the gov't like EPIK.

I left a note with my email in a book for the next teacher. a week ago the new teacher messaged me saying how she didnt like her new job. We met and talked and it turned out that the korean English teacher found my note and had taken it out of the book and placed it inside her desk. The new teacher found the note in her desk and then emailed me!

The new teacher also signed a different contract than i did. she signed the one that says she has to pay back all those fees if the contract is terminated before 6 months. She said Towol Elem. doesn't pay her neither. That she receives her full salary from this recruitor. Yikes!

I recommend you all to stay away from these people and this school.

Good luck to you! and don't put yourself in a position where your desperate for a job.