YBM PART 2

This is in response to Paula who seems to have a problem with YBM, and all I can say is I completely agree. Why aren't more people upset by the system at YBM? First off, completely agree with the strangeness of listing being paid on time as a good thing, instead of a legal obligation! Only in Korea does the fact that the employer lives up to some (not all) of the contract count as a positive. And YBM does make you work Saturdays if you are under hours, which happens a lot outside of Seoul. And I keep waiting for the day when Koreans just kick everyone out and start using English dvds, or Chinese ones. YBM allows for no teacher input. They did, at one time, tell teachers they could suggest changes, but when teachers actually started making recommendations that idea got put on the back burner. I guess people are just happy to do their time, get out and never look back ... but I found YBM a soul draining experience, not just for me but for students as well. The students were forced to discuss the topics in the books, many of which are idiotic and repetitive. One week spent on directions is enough for even the most ardent of students to start phoning it in.

First timers to Korea - do not believe the garbage about vacation days. You might be lucky and get five days. Or your manager might say you can take a month off (this will usually affect your end of contract bonus), but be careful and do not trust advertisements.

And as for the Korean way of thinking, if a holiday falls on a Tuesday, or say a Wednesday and Thursday, you might wonder why they don't move it a day and create a longer break. You might try pointing this out to your students, who have been raised to NOT think. It gets a bit frustrating - tap tap pae. Of course walking into a freezing cold room, everyone wearing jackets and the window wide open ...