FasTracKids / FTK (Bucheon Sangdong)

Before you even consider signing a contract with FTK Bucheon, you must understand the professional devastation that awaits you. This establishment is not a school, but a toxic trap that will systematically dismantle your mental health and passion for teaching. Please heed this warning from someone who lived through the nightmare: your career and well-being are worth far more than this place will ever offer.

Management at FTK Bucheon is an absolute failure characterized by xxxxxx and a total breakdown in basic professional communication. Teachers are consistently left in the dark, often without even the essential login credentials for textbook websites, turning every class into a frantic, unsupported disaster. This intentional lack of organization creates a constant, soul-crushing inconvenience that forces you to work in a state of perpetual frustration because there is no transparency, only a void where support should be.

Furthermore, the housing provided is nothing short of a health hazard, plagued by persistent, toxic mold that administration shamelessly ignores despite repeated pleas. When essential appliances break or leaks occur, communication to secure repairs is met with a brick wall of indifference and endless excuses. You will be forced to wait weeks or even months for the simplest fixes, living in squalor while management treats your basic right to a safe home as an annoying after-thought.

Your daily life will consist of a grueling schedule with literally zero prep time because administration shamelessly steals every spare moment for last-minute, disorganized tasks. There is no concept of time management or respect for your well-being, reducing you to a disposable performing clown under the thumb of incompetent leadership. This toxic environment of impossible expectations and non-existent resources will inevitably break your spirit. Save yourself the time and avoid this academy at all costs if you appreciate and value your own worth.

Working at FTK Bucheon was one of the most exhausting and demoralizing experiences of my life. From day one, I was overwhelmed with an impossible workload and barely any support. You re expected to create lesson materials, activities, and admin reports on top of teaching up to nine classes a day, often with zero prep time. The curriculum is completely inappropriate for the students level, which makes everything harder and despite repeated warnings from native teachers over the years, nothing has ever changed. Every few weeks, the stress doubles as a new cycle of testing begins, and you re just expected to somehow manage it all.

The worst part is how management treats you. There s no respect, no recognition, and no understanding. Instead of support, you're met with micromanagement, last-minute changes, and constant criticism. During your busiest, most stressful days, they ll take away your only prep period for unexpected make-up classes and then question why you re behind. I ve never felt so small, so unheard, and so replaceable. You're made to feel like a failure for not being able to keep up with an inhuman workload, even if you are doing your absolute best.

The emotional toll this place takes on you is devastating. Pay issues are ***************. The housing provided is often substandard some teachers lived with mold, broken appliances, or were asked to move during the school year with no help at all. You re given almost no vacation time, and it s clear they don t care about your health, your time, or your basic dignity.

This school will break you. I watched teachers burn out, break down, and quit mid-year because they simply couldn t take it anymore and I completely understand why. I ve worked hard my entire career, and nothing prepared me for how emotionally draining and toxic this place would be. Please, if you value your mental health, your professionalism, and your well-being, do not work at FTK Bucheon. No job is worth what this school will take from you.

At FTK Bucheon, you are overworked and in a constant state of stress. You are expected to create activities and supplemental materials among many (many!) other admin tasks in a very minimal amount of prep time, and usually at very short notice. This is because the curriculum is inappropriate for the kids, even though native teachers have been warning about this for years. Also, every 6-8 weeks a new cycle of testing begins and your workload doubles with no extra prep time or even consideration for your workload. During the busiest and more stressful times, admin will also schedule make-up classes for individual students who missed your (or other teachers) classes, which will be thrown at short notice and take your entire prep time that day. It is moments like that, where you get overwhelmed, that you're made to feel crazy for not being able to complete your work on time. I consider myself an organized, hard-working and caring teacher but could NEVER keep up with the workload.

There is very little regard for us as human beings from admin. They don't see us as qualified teachers, so our opinions aren't heard. We lived on the whims of parent opinions - if one parent made a complaint, suddenly the whole school had to make a new rule which often conflicted with an existing rule so it felt chaotic. We are also [redacted] and so be ready to be burned out! Not 100% awful but avoid if you can

I feel it is essential to share my experience at Fastrackids Bucheon (Sangdong), highlighting several critical issues that future employees should carefully consider before accepting a position.

[redacted] The [redacted] Decisions are often erratic, and some xxxxxxxx treat teachers poorly, fostering a toxic work environment.

Inappropriate Curriculum: Kindergarten students are taught material far beyond their level, and teachers are unfairly blamed when students struggle. Native teachers often lack resources, curricula, and preparation time.

Overwhelming Workload: Teachers are burdened with numerous responsibilities and minimal prep time, making it difficult to manage effectively.

Unstable Housing Arrangements: Teachers may be asked to relocate mid-year during work hours with little notice and no assistance. High utility bills and inadequate support add to the instability.

Compensation Issues: Xxxxxxxxxx

Racial and Gender Xxxxxxx: Xxxxxxxxxx

Toxic Work Environment: Negative behavior among KT and NT xxxxx is common, with conflicts often left unresolved by management.

Student Welfare Neglect: Behavioral issues are unfairly blamed on teachers, with inadequate supervision and safety concerns for students.

Poor Hygiene: Restrooms and classrooms are poorly maintained, with basic necessities often lacking.

Intimidation Tactics: Xxxxxxxxx

Poor Communication: The management's communication is severely lacking, often leaving teachers uninformed and unprepared for changes or expectations.

High Turnover Rate: A significant number of teachers leave within the first three months. This year alone, four teachers have quit, reflecting the challenging and unsupportive work environment.

Prospective employees should thoroughly evaluate their options before accepting a position at this academy.

I have been working at FTK Bucheon in Sangdong for almost a year now and overall, my experience has been positive. The curriculum is well-planned and includes powerpoints and a teacher's guide, which made it easier for me as a first-time teacher in Korea to get started. The only preparation I had to do was during project week, where I had to come up with a theme for the students' presentations. Class sizes are small, with 10 students or fewer, and I have a Korean co-teacher who helps manage the students.

The staff at FTK Bucheon have been friendly and supportive, and if I have any issues with teaching or the curriculum, I can speak to the head teachers or even the director, who is approachable and willing to listen to my concerns. While there have been some minor issues that needed to be resolved in the past six months, they have all been trivial and easily resolved. An example is occasionally there have been issues with playroom scheduling. Overall, I am satisfied with my experience at FTK Bucheon.

I d like to place this school for green list based on the great experience I had working there.

The xxxxx team helped me so much settling in Korea and were especially helpful navigating the challenges faced by foreign teachers during Covid. They arranged a nice studio for myself and my partner even though my partner was working for a different company.

I have had an incredibly positive experience working at FTK Bucheon.

The students are eager to learn and always bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the classroom, which makes teaching them a joy.

The school itself is well-organized and has a supportive and collaborative work environment. I have never had an issue with my wages or insurance and the staff are all friendly and helpful, so I have felt very welcomed since starting here. Also, the owner always tries to make sure all teachers are happy while they are in Korea. She organises fun outings like teachers camping day/ Christmas dinner/ giving us vouchers for nice meal for special days or if we had our family visiting us.

Overall, I am grateful for the opportunity to work at this school and am happy to recommend it to anyone interested in teaching English to kids in Korea. The experience has been incredibly rewarding, both personally and professionally.