POLY (Myeongji)

Please do not work here. I will simply give the reasons why.

The Korean teachers isolate the foreign teachers and talk about them in front of them in Korean, knowing the foreign teachers don't understand.

The leading staff create new rules frequently, and teachers are not given the opportunity to discuss them or express concerns about sudden changes.

The longer you work here, the more workload the leading staff assign.

Additional classes are given without additional compensation.

For each class, teachers are required to grade textbook homework, vocabulary homework, reading logs, in-class work, monthly report cards, monthly tests, etc., for each student (an overwhelming workload with limited time).

Deadlines for completing these duties are extremely short and strict.

Government holidays may be removed, and employees may be asked to sign agreements to work on those days.

The leading staff closely monitor foreign teachers on CCTV throughout the workday.

Employees are discouraged from communicating with each other.

Information about teachers may be misrepresented to parents to protect the school's image.

Five teachers have resigned within the past eight months [redacted]

Requests for days off or medical leave may be denied at the discretion of the leading staff.

Employees are frequently spoken to in a harsh or disrespectful manner.

[redacted]

There appears to be favoritism toward certain employees.

Raises may be given selectively, while others are denied.

The school is located in a rural area that is not very accustomed to foreigners, and [redacted]

The location is on the outskirts of Busan, requiring about a one-hour bus ride or a 40-minute taxi/ride-share to reach most activities.

Salaries vary widely and do not appear to be based solely on qualifications or experience.

Please consider these factors carefully before accepting a position here.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT WORK HERE!!!

Let's start with the good things. They pay you on time. The housing is decent. That's about it.

This school just opened in 2024 and already is horrible. It changed hands in the middle of the school year last year, which caused things to break down. There is not much good training. Teachers are expected to have the training manual read to them, observe some classes, and then teach perfectly. Teachers who have been at the school for a while are given better treatment than new teachers. New teachers are treated extremely poorly.

Teachers are not allowed to talk in the teacher's room and are not allowed to do prep work in their classrooms, they must remain in the teacher's room. During breaks, teachers MUST be working on something. Teachers are not allowed to have a minute to decompress. Class loads are extremely heavy and break times are essential for just that, A BREAK. There are no sick days so if teachers need to see a doctor during school hours, a time-off slip needs to be filled out. Some times they are denied by xxxxxxx with less than satisfactory reasons. Teachers are allowed to eat lunch off campus but if you choose to do so you will be looked at strangely.

Teachers are xxxxxxx overtalked, and taken advantage of. Many times xxxxxxx will talk bad about the foreign teachers in Korean in front of them to other Korean teachers. Not all red days are taken. Instead, the school opts to pay teachers extra. Teachers are often forced to complete extra work outside of what is required.

A lot of crucial information that the foreign teachers need to know that directly affects teaching schedules and lessons is often withheld until the absolute last minute. The amount of work the students need to complete is often too much. Books, homework, etc. have to be checked exactly the way xxxxxxx wants it or you will be scolded. Teachers are often monitored through CCTV and micromanaged and xxxxxxx will come into the classroom to interrupt you and reprimand you. During the first month of the school year 3 teachers have already quit or are in the process of quitting.

There is so much more that can be said but I'll end it here. Please save yourself the tremendous headache. Don't work here.