How academy reviews work

Academy reviews share teachers’ firsthand experiences so people can understand a workplace before accepting a job. The goal is to help teachers make informed decisions, not punish academies.

Academy profiles: getting started and working with recruiters

What whitelist and blacklist labels mean

Whitelist and blacklist labels describe individual academy reviews. They are not an ESL Whitelist Korea verdict, certification, or independent finding about an academy or recruiter.

How to write a useful review

Negative reviews are allowed. Write what happened to you. Include dates, numbers, contract terms, messages, and the academy's response when they matter.

Write this

My April salary was due on April 10. It arrived on April 27 after I followed up three times.

Not this

They never pay anybody on time.

Use your dates and follow-up record. Do not speak for other employees.

Write this

My contract listed six 40-minute classes a day. Every Monday and Wednesday I was scheduled for eight, and I received no overtime pay for the extra classes.

Not this

They lie about the workload.

Compare the contract, schedule, and pay. Do not claim intent.

Write this

My contract said the academy would arrange housing. The academy selected the apartment and paid the key money. The hot water did not work from May 2 to May 11, and I asked the academy for help twice before it was repaired.

Not this

They dumped me in a disgusting apartment and didn't give a shit.

State the academy's role and response. Do not claim it owned the apartment.

Write this

I requested sick leave on May 4 with a clinic note. Management refused and told me to teach my six scheduled classes.

Not this

The owner abuses sick teachers.

State the request, clinic note, and response. Do not label it abuse.

Write this

Three of the six foreign teachers left during the semester I worked there. I do not know why they left.

Not this

Everyone quits because management is toxic.

State how many left. Do not guess why.

Write this

My schedule changed several times after 10 p.m. for the next morning. I found that disorganized and would not work there again.

Not this

The director is incompetent.

Name the repeated schedule changes. Do not insult a person.

Content we do not allow

Remove these before submitting. Moderators may remove content that includes them:

  • Personal names, identifying job titles, contact details, or social-media handles.
  • Student information, health details, home addresses, or other private information.
  • Rumors, hearsay, or events you did not personally witness or experience.
  • Threats, harassment, personal attacks, or insults aimed at an identifiable person.
  • Unsupported criminal accusations or legal conclusions.
  • Claims made on behalf of every teacher, parent, student, or employee.

What happens after you submit

  1. 1

    Review published

    Your review appears publicly without your name. You can edit or delete it at any time.

  2. 2

    Check after publication

    New reviews and edits publish as soon as you submit them. Automated checks run afterward. A flag or failed check alerts an administrator and does not hold back publication.

  3. 3

    Decision

    • Publish

      Reviews stay public while an administrator checks any flags. AI never rewrites your words.

    • Clarify or redact

      If the problem affects a few words, we ask you to change them or redact only those words.

    • Remove

      If a moderator confirms a violation that cannot be fixed without changing the meaning of the review, they may remove it and record the reason.

  4. 4

    After publication

    After publication, people can report a review, request a correction, or submit a reply. A moderator reads those too.

If someone sends evidence that a review may violate privacy or another legal right, we may hide it while we check. A complaint or disagreement by itself is not enough.

Anonymity and moderation

  • Reviews and replies are publicly anonymous and privately linked to an account for ownership, moderation, and abuse handling.
  • Reviews and edits publish immediately. Automated flags go to an administrator after publication. Replies still receive human review.

How replies work

  • Any signed-in user may submit one flat reply to a review.
  • Replies do not receive an academy, employer, manager, or verified badge.
  • A reply author may state an affiliation in the reply body. That is the author's unverified statement, and ESL Whitelist Korea does not verify or endorse it.
  • Replies do not create nested discussions.

Found this review helpful

Any signed-in user may mark a published review as helpful once. The count shows how many readers found that firsthand account useful. It is not an ESL Whitelist Korea verdict about the workplace.

Editing and deletion

  • Authors may edit or delete their own native reviews and replies.
  • Deletion removes the public body immediately. We keep only a private audit tombstone needed for abuse handling and accountability.

Reporting a review, corrections, and disputes

  • Anyone may report content and ask us to review a correction or removal request.
  • A dispute alone does not remove published content. Moderators remove or redact content after confirming a rule violation or receiving a binding legal order.
  • Moderators may remove private information, threats, spam, impersonation, unrelated material, and legally unsafe content. They record what changed and why.

Read or write an academy review

This page explains the platform rules. It does not claim that ESL Whitelist Korea has independently proven every review.