If you look for a job in Korea, let me advise that you NOT be fooled into working for BUNDANG KIDS CLUB in Mujigaemaeul, Gumi-Dong (Ori Station), not to be confused with some branches of "Kids Club" outside Gumi-Dong. I had completed a one-year contract (in good standing) at another hagwon in Bundang--Sisa Language Center in Seohyeon and Jeongja--before this, but at "Bundang Kids Club" I only lasted four months.

I honestly had many wonderful experiences in South Korea, and in Bundang in particular--making friends, walking in the parks, hanging out at cafes and restaurants, and teaching English. To people who are responsible, open-minded, and somewhat adventurous, I do recommend going to Korea--particularly Bundang--to teach English, to make money, and have a great time. You do have to be very aware that the cultural differences will probably catch you by surprise from time to time; you will most likely experience culture shock. Significant cultural differences include the relationship between superiors and subordinates, as well as--and this is important as well--the way contracts are viewed.

The owner of this hagwon, Gina Song, refused to pay me about 1.35 mil. won that she owes me according to our contract. My salary was 2.7 mil. won per month. After hiring me (when she was desperate for a teacher), she decided (and complained to me) that my salary was too high, even though I was teaching from 10am to 7:30pm, and if I didn't have class she or her assistant director, Amber, made sure to give me other work to do during those hours. Early on, Gina tried to create a pretext to fire me, exaggerating the slightest imperfections that she could find in me (and, I think, making up others), WITHOUT any professional evaluation through classroom observation or anything of that nature. She gave me verbal "warnings" that she was "watching" me, and on a superficial level she was watching me indeed. In contrast, after working there about two months, she briefly praised me for doing a good job on the "open class," the first time she really saw me teach a class for more than a minute.

After more than a month of virtually no complaints from her, she called me to another one of her one-on-one meetings. First she tried to make me sign a resignation letter that she had written herself, giving me only two weeks to find a new job and move out of my apartment. When I refused to sign, she called me "stupid" and "crazy" and finally told me that my wife, daughter, and I had to move out of our apartment that same evening if I didn't sign the resignation (which would have been very much illegal). After this intense argument, I walked home full of anxiety. I had left the school half an hour early because I didn't have class in that last period, and I thought it might be my last day and I might be kicked out of my home that night. Gina later blamed me, saying that my leaving early constituted quitting! A day or two later, she finally gave me the written notice I had demanded, with the same date she had written in the resignation letter (which I never signed).

I was upset, but at least I knew that the contract stipulated that in absence of one month's notice before termination, I was to get one month's pay nonetheless. On my last day, Gina paid me only for the work I had done through that day, only two weeks after notice, minus deductions. When I questioned her about the insufficient pay, she said, "Sue me." In addition to the usual deductions, she took out 250,000 won for the final utility payment (the bill for which hadn't been received yet), even though a graph on the monthly bill clearly indicated that charges never even reached 200,000 won in a month. In a note, Gina wrote that she would deposit the difference into my bank account. Nearly six weeks later, there was still no such deposit. Now it has been nearly 11 months.

Warning signs that Gina Song was bad news were not evident to me until after my contract began. However, in hindsight it is suspicious that she never introduced me to the teacher I would replace. Even though I observed some classes, I was not allowed to observe the very class I would soon be teaching. Gina essentially said that the teacher was not skilled enough. Perhaps so, but I didn't even get the chance to talk to him. That is a lesson to be learned.

I also later learned that, despite displays of Christianity, Gina seems to assume that lying is an integral part of her job. She lies to teachers, students, and--not the least of all--parents. In April, perhaps a day after I signed the contract and two weeks before my contract was to begin, she called me and asked if my wife and/or I could substitute (or take over, as it were) for some afternoon classes. She explained that the previous teacher had "broken his leg". I believed her at the time, but I later heard from other teachers that in fact the previous teacher had simply quit. Then, although Gina often hires teachers straight out of college in the U.S., apparently she decided that my 11 years of teaching ESL experience, including one year in Korea, weren't enough to please the parents. On the first day of my contract, she informed me that she had told the parents of my students that I had taught for a year at another branch of Kids Club, making sure I knew so that I could maintain the lie. I am just not a liar.

One more note: More recently I have been told by a Bundang mother that the Kids Club that I worked for was not even legally authorized to use the franchise name. According to her, the original Kids Club franchise was LCI Kids Club (or Kids Club LCI), and my Kids Club was not "LCI". I haven't yet heard anything about this from anyone else (Let me know if you know anything.), but perhaps it reinforces my message nonetheless: STAY AWAY from Bundang Kids Club in Ori!!!